Throughout Kruger National Park there are a host of wonderful rest camps. Each camp is protected by a guard and electrical fences to ensure both your safety, as well as animal safety. These wonderful “communities” had a petrol station, help desk, and a market with toiletries, gifts and food. Laundry facilities, a pool and a restaurant made us feel as if we had everything we needed after an exhilarating day of checking out the animals! Our bungalow was perfect for our family of four. The master bedroom was air conditioned with a king size bed, with another room boasting bunk beds for the boys. A full bathroom with a shower and a kitchen outside (brilliant to keep bugs out of the bungalow) completed the package. There was even daily housekeeping service at no additional charge!
In case dollar signs and question marks are floating around your brain, here is a quick rundown of the financial logistics. Our expenses included park fees ($25 per day) and our bungalow ($75 per day). Yep, five days for five hundred dollars at one of the largest and most beautiful national parks in the world. Food and car rental were relatively cheap and unlike Western theme parks, bottles of water do NOT cost five dollars a pop!
During our 5 day stay, we saw everything from cheetahs and elephants to mating rhinos and a straight out of National Geographic lion/water buffalo standoff! Each morning we checked with the information desk for a recent "sighting" chart. On a large map, park rangers posted different colored tacks for the different animals (leopards were black tacks, lions were orange ... ).
One of the great thrills our boys still talk about to this day was matching up the poop on the side of the road to the animal it came from (we actually had a book about it courtesy of the gift shop in our rest camp!). I could go on and on (and on) about the beauty, the awe of seeing animals in their natural habitat and the images that will stay with you a lifetime, but I won't. Instead I implore you to go see for yourself- an African Safari truly is one of the greatest memories to make with your family!