If you google “Best Safari Parks in Africa,” chances are Kruger National Park in South Africa will be at the top of the list. At less than a 5 hours drive from one of the continent’s biggest cities, Kruger is one of the best parks to spot big game animals. In 1 day, we saw 500+ elephants and hundreds of giraffes! The other great thing about Kruger is the accessibility in the park. There are over 3,000 kilometers of roads in the park, and about 1\3 of those roads are actually fully paved! Inside the park there are several restaurants, hotels, and campsites. You can book anything from a luxury lodge to a campsite in the savanna. Kruger is the largest national park in the country of South Africa. You could easily do a 10 day safari in this one park and still not see it all!
During our Africa trip, we did game drives in iconic parks like Serengeti, Chobi, and Maasai Mara, but Kruger National Park was one of our favorite places to spot big game! Because it is so big and there is so much to see, even though the park is one of the easiest to drive on your own, we definitely recommend booking a guided tour. We booked with B1 Photo Safaris and we loved our experience. They are a locally owned and operated safari company with a lifetime of African wildlife experience. Bernhard and Hennie, the owners of the company, are also incredible photographers. During our game drive, they took some photos that looked straight off the cover of National Geographic. They know the park and wildlife like the back of their hand. Bernhard spent a few years as a wildlife ranger trainer, with the South African Wildlife College in different parks in Southern Africa, sleeping out in the bush warding off larger predators and teaching students to handle the dangerous animals! This is one of the reasons why they are able to understand the wildlife’s habits and where to go to get the best photos. It seemed like from sunrise to sunset, we were snapping away at unbelievable views.
Right when we entered the park, we saw an incredible African savanna sunrise. It looked like something straight from a movie! A few minutes later we were greeted by little hyenas playing together on the road. They were so cute and curious. They came right up to the car. It is hard to imagine an animal so cute growing up to be such a vicious scavenger. A few minutes later, we came across some full grown hyenas. A full grown hyena is as ugly as the cubs are cute. Even the way they walk looks like they are the villains of the savanna!
It was a very eventful game drive from the moment we entered the gate. Shortly down the road from the hyenas, we saw African wild dogs. These animals are actually one of Africa’s most endangered mammals and usually a rare sight to see. But somehow we got to see several adults and about 10 pups! To me, African wild dogs look less intimidating than yellow labs or golden retrievers. But Bernhard told us that these 60 lb dogs are extremely vicious hunters. They hunt in packs and have one of the highest success rates when it comes to hunting their prey. This was evident in the dogs we saw because their fur was dyed red from the blood of a fresh kill. Although they are brutal hunters, they are very social and loyal to their pack. The adults we saw were bringing back some of the food so that the younger pups could eat. It was amazing getting to see the savanna’s ecosystem in action.
After seeing the sunrise, hyenas, and African wild dogs, it was only about 10AM and we drove around the park seeing hundreds of elephants and giraffes. They were everywhere! Eating leaves, drinking water, and even walking on the road. We couldn’t believe that there were so many big game animals in Kruger, let alone along the road we were driving on. Bernhard and Hennie knew where to drive in order to help us experience the most wildlife possible. One of the coolest things we saw was a leopard lounging in a tree with its kill. I am amazed just how strong a leopard has to be to drag a full grown impala up into a tree. The leopard was further away, but it was amazing seeing him laying on a branch surveying other impalas below.
We saw hippos fighting, crocodiles snapping at each other, zebra, impalas, kudus, and dozens of other wildlife. It was amazing how Hennie and Bernhard were able to hear a bird and be able to identify it on the spot. They knew exactly where to look and how to get the best photo every time. Their expertise is how we got to see lions hunting kudus and impalas – one of our most thrilling game drive experiences during our time in Africa!
First, we saw one lioness lounging in the shade. She was difficult to see, so we continued down the road. A few kilometers later we spotted two more lionesses crouching a few feet off the road, watching grazing kudus. All of the sudden, one lion stood up and began creeping around some of the cars that were parked waiting to see what would happen. The lions were using the cars to help sneak up on an unsuspecting kudu. Just then, the second lion started running. The kudus and impalas spotted them and the chase was on! It was incredible seeing such big and powerful animals move so quietly and swiftly. We saw the lions mount another sneak attack and chase the kudus right across the road about 30 feet in front of us! Although the kudus managed to escape, watching the lions hunt was one of the most exciting things we have seen on a safari. If we were doing our own safari, we probably would have missed the entire hunt. Bernhard and Hennie knew exactly where to where to be and when to be there in order to get the best shot. There were other cars watching the lions, but because of their experience, Hennie and Bernhard would go to where the lions were going to be and not where they were. They told us where the best place was to point our camera, the best settings to use based on the action, and when to get ready for the hunt that was about to happen. After the hunt, we watched one of the lionesses walk right past our car, and they knew exactly where to go so we had the best lighting and angle to watch a full grown wild lion walk right past our safari vehicle. It was an unbelievable experience!
While Bernhard and Hennie work together on all of their tours, they technically own and operate two different companies: B1 Photo Safaris and Private Kruger Safaris. B1 Photo Safaris caters to private safari tours for professional and serious hobbyist photographers who are interested in capturing once in a lifetime photos. However, even if you are complete amateurs like us, Bernhard and Hennie help teach you the basics of wildlife photography. They said that it is an amazing feeling to see their guests learn and improve their photos throughout the safari. Private Kruger Safaris is best suited for families or couples who are interested in having a fun safari experience. Although these safaris aren’t as geared toward photography as B1’s, there are still plenty of chances to get incredible photos! With both companies, Hennie and Bernhard create custom safari packages to meet the needs of their customers.
Besides their amazing expertise, there are two other things that really set B1 Photo Safaris and Private Kruger Safaris apart from other safari companies. First, there are two guides in one vehicle. Hennie drives while Bernhard photographs. It was incredible getting to see them operate in the moment. As brothers, they work together almost as one unit. The second thing that sets B1 Photo apart is their Gimpro gimbals. These professional gimbals are mounted on both sides of the vehicle so, no matter where the animal is, you are bound to get the perfect steady shot. These gimbals made all the difference in getting the perfect shot. Whether a memory of elephants were walking past or we were trying to steady our camera for a dusktime photo, we had the perfect steady mount. Bernhard and Hennie actually worked with Gimpro to design a custom mount to fit to the frame of their safari vehicle. Now that we used these gimbals, it will be hard going on a safari without them!
On top of operating two companies, Bernhard and Hennie also run an incredible Youtube channel called African Wildlife Sightings. At the time that we were in Kruger, African Wildlife Sightings had more than 88,000 subscribers. The video footage that is on this channel is unbelievable! It’s a great way to be able to see the talents and get a taste of some of the things that you might get to see in person in Kruger National Park. On top of the Youtube channel, they are currently also working to set up game trail cameras at lodges all around the area. They have already captured unbelievable footage of African wildlife in its natural habitat. Even if you aren’t able to make it to South Africa for a safari tour with B1 Photo Safaris or Private Kruger Safaris anytime soon, it is definitely worth checking out their incredible footage on their Youtube channel.
We had an incredible experience in Kruger National Park. I didn’t know it was possible to see so many elephants and giraffes in one day! The lion chase was one of our most thrilling wildlife safari experiences ever. We are so thankful for our incredible experience with B1 Photo Safaris in Kruger National Park!
