Five fast facts about the Kruger National Park

• Early mornings and evening are usually the most productive game viewing times. This is because the animals then tend to be more visible, as they do not look for shelter or shade.

• After the proclamation of the Kruger National Park in 1926, the first three tourist cars entered the park in 1927, jumping to 180 cars in 1928 and 850 cars in 1929.

• According to Moafrika Tours, the park was proclaimed a ‘no hunting’ zone by the Transvaal Republic government in 1898 and proclaimed a national park in 1926. It recently celebrated its 100th anniversary, making it the oldest park in Africa.

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• The abovementioned tour operator also said that the park falls within a malaria zone and visitors are advised to take anti-malaria tablets. The southern regions are not a high-risk malaria area but tourists visiting the park in the wet summer months and those travelling to the northern parts of the park are advised to be vigilant and take precautions against this life-threatening disease.

• According to ecoaches, most visitors to Kruger National Park are after the Big Five – lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo, which the park has in abundance: an estimated 2000 lions, 2000 leopards, 12 000 elephants, 10 000 rhino and 27 000 buffaloes are resident here.

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