Environment of the Kruger National Park

Within the Kruger National Park you'll encounter the animals and vegetation that are uniquely adapated to each of the park's seven major biomes, or ecosystems. These range from forest to savanna grassland, and all of them have their own character and mysteries.

A game drive through the Kruger Park will evoke a sense of solitude and freedom as you travel across wide open plains dotted with leaning leadwood trees, traverse rocky hills and descend into forested valleys.

As a whole, the Kruger environment is an African snapshot of roaming game, wide open plains of knee-high grass and thick bush.

The Kruger's three major regions (southern, central and northern) differ greatly in character and there are more than three hundred plant and tree species in the Kruger National Park area.

Southern Kruger

The southern portion of the Kruger National Park area has the highest rainfall, and therefore the densest vegetation.

The thick vegetation makes it harder to spot game, particularly in the wetter summer months, but it's the best part of the park for spotting rhino, and you'll probably be rewarded with sightings of elephant here too.

The South is the most visited part of the park.

Central Kruger

The central Kruger National Park area consists mainly of grassland, dotted with acacias and other trees that make good food for browsers like the giraffe.

The largest herds of grazers and browsers occur here, and consequently the area is also home to about half of the park's lions, who know a good thing when they see it.

Northern Kruger

The northern Kruger National Park area - between the Shingwedzi and the Limpopo rivers - is the driest, most sparsely vegetated and least visited part of the region.

Its environment is markedly different from the other areas. Rare, hardy antelopes like the hartebeest, roan antelope, sable and eland occur here, and the main predator in the region is the wild dog.

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