The Kruger is one of Africa’s oldest, biggest, and most biodiverse wildlife parks, so there’s lots to say about it. But I’ve selected just six Kruger National Park facts that I think will interest you …
1. The Kruger is one of Africa’s most biodiverse parks
Kruger National Park in the far northeast of South Africa protects the heart of the massive UNESCO-recognised Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Reserve, which is a biodiversity hotspot both for flora and fauna.
Here are some quick Kruger National Park facts (using figures from South African National Parks) to help paint the picture of what a richly diverse nature sanctuary it really is:
- It has about 48,000 Cape buffaloes, 17,000 bush elephants, 1,500 lions, and 1,000 leopards
- Nearly 150 mammal species are present, including all the ‘greats’ like giraffes, rhinos, hippos, and cheetahs
- The park sees over 500 bird species, with roughly half being residents
- There are 114 reptile species, including the Nile crocodile and two species of monitor lizard
- There are 336 recorded tree species, including baobabs, sausage trees, and endemic round-leaf teaks
2. The Kruger is South Africa’s largest national park
The Kruger is a truly massive park; it covers 19,623 sq km (7,576 sq mi), making it almost as big as the country of Slovenia. It’s by far the biggest national park in South Africa. It’s also one of the biggest protected areas in sub-Saharan Africa.
For those who like their numbers, the Kruger is about 360 km (220 mi) long and 65 km (40 mi) wide. It’s therefore impossible to explore the Kruger in one day or two days, given its vast size. Give yourself a few days so you can enjoy gamespotting in various parts of the park. Helpfully, you can stay inside the park at one of its many lodges or campsites. (Check out these Kruger tours if you’re interested.)
3. The Kruger isn’t just grassland, as many people imagine
Those who’ve never visited the Kruger might imagine it to be a vast expanse of savannah (grassland), as that’s what you mostly see in photographs. But it’s much more than that.
The Kruger sits within South Africa’s lowveld, a low-lying subtropical region. In addition to plenty of savannah, the park also has hills and mountains, rivers and riverine forests, mopane woodlands, thickets and bush, and wetlands. It’s these varied ecosystems that enable it to support such a wide range of flora and fauna. The tops of the Lebombo Mountains, which form the eastern boundary of the park, are particularly known for their plant endemism.
3. The Kruger has a phenomenal density of wildlife
At nearly 2 million hectares, you might think the Kruger’s wildlife would be spread out and hard to find. Not so. The Kruger pretty much heaves with animals, big and small, having one of Africa’s greatest wildlife densities. This great density is one of the key reasons the Kruger is such a popular safari destination, especially among first-time safarigoers, as wildlife sightings come relatively easily.
I should also point out that the Kruger can boast such a high bird species count because it lies within the African-Eurasian Flyway, one of the world’s greatest avian migratory corridors.
4. The Kruger is Africa’s most popular safari park
The Kruger sees roughly 1.8 million visitors a year, making it the most-visited game park on the continent. That’s right – the Kruger sees even more visitors than the Serengeti in Tanzania.
Happily, because of the Kruger’s enormous size, visitors ‘disappear’ into the vast ecosystem, such that their impact on the wildlife and environment is reduced. Also, safarigoers themselves don’t generally feel their vehicle is jostling shoulders, so to speak, with others.
5. The Kruger is part of a transfrontier park the size of the Netherlands
An important Kruger National Park fact is that it’s actually part of a much larger transfrontier conservation area known as the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park (GLTP). The core reserves of the GLTP, linked where necessary through wildlife corridors, are:
- Kruger National Park, South Africa
- Limpopo, Banhine, and Zinave National Parks, Mozambique
- Gonarezhou National Park, Manjinji Pan Sanctuary, and Malipiti Safari Area, Zimbabwe
Established in 2001, the GLTP is about 35,000 sq km (13,514 sq mi) in total. As a fenceless reserve, it aims to facilitate greater wildlife movement and ecosystem health.
I must also point out that the ultimate plan for the GLTP is even more ambitious than what currently exists. In fact, the second phase aims to extend the park to 100,000 sq km, which would make it the world’s largest animal reserve!
6. The Kruger is the only place in Africa to have the Big Five, Little Five, Elusive Eleven, AND birding Big Six
The so-called Big Five are the animals that colonial hunters found the most difficult and dangerous to hunt. Consequently, the Big Five are the lion, Cape buffalo, black rhino, leopard, and bush elephant. The Kruger has all of these mighty creatures.
While many African parks have the Big Five, very few host all of the Elusive Eleven, which are rare animals that are also shy or nocturnal, or both. Spotting even one of these creatures in the wild is quite the coup. The Elusive Eleven are the aardvark, aardwolf, African civet, African wild cat, bushpig, caracal, honey badger, pangolin, porcupine, side-striped jackal, and serval.
Beyond this, the Kruger also has all of the Little Five: the elephant shrew, leopard tortoise, antlion, rhino beetle, and buffalo weaver. The Little Five was coined in the 1980s because their names each contain a Big Five animal’s name. Did you notice that? But the real reason for grouping them was to encourage safarigoers to take notice of the smaller creatures, as they’re also important players in their respective ecosystems.
Finally, in birding circles, the Big Six refers to half a dozen large and highly sought-after African safari birds. These are the kori bustard, martial eagle, lappet-faced vulture, saddle-billed stork, southern ground hornbill, and Pel’s fishing owl. While the raptors can be hard to spot, it’s relatively easy to find the others on a Kruger safari.
A note on these animal lists
Of course, while these lists are fun and have their uses, I must add that the real joy of a safari is in keeping yourself open to what you do see, rather than being preoccupied with a list of supposedly ‘special’ finds.
My advice: go to the Kruger, secure in the knowledge that you’ll see many, many wonderful animals, and try to leave your expectations at that.
Feeling inspired to visit the Kruger?
I must say that Kruger National Park is one of Africa’s best-managed and most visitor-friendly safari parks. I’m just not sure I could state that as a fact. Yet it’s widely agreed that the park is well-run, has good roads, and offers varied accommodations and dining options as well as lots of kid-friendly facilities. So maybe it is a seventh Kruger fact.
Linked to this, the Kruger is budget-friendly – more so than most other African national safari parks of similar size and status. I share some of the most budget-friendly Kruger packages offered by African Overland Tours below, as well as some offering more comfortable lodge accommodations.
Finally, I think it could almost be stated as fact that a Kruger safari is always a great idea, and if you go there you’re sure to enjoy one of the most incredible wildlife experiences of your life!
Note: This blog post was created by Sarah Duff in March 2017. It was completely rewritten in July 2026 by Megan Abigail White.
