In the private Kruger, you will benefit from a rich interpretative experience courtesy of keen and knowledgeable guides.
You and fellow game drive participants share a guide and a vehicle, usually with your tracker sat on the bonnet. The guide explains your surroundings and what is happening in the bush around you, and is a rich source of insight. The guide is also responsible for your safety. The tracker reads the signs of the bush and helps to lead you to the best possible sightings. The top teams operate seamlessly together in these complementary roles.
With no more than ten people per vehicle, maybe less if the lodge is quiet or particularly exclusive (some restrict numbers to six), the experience is intimate and tailored to your visit.
Over a few drives you will get to know your guiding team, and they will work to ensure that you enjoy a varied experience, for example working to show you the Big Five, if that is what you want.
Equally, if you are interested in birding or want to take some great photographs, your wishes can be accommodated within the needs of the group.
The standard of guiding is uniformly high in Kruger’s private lodges as competition is tough for the rewarding pleasure of introducing new spirits to the wonders of the bush.
Most lodges recruit guides with the Trails Guide rating, which is the advanced accreditation to allow walking from the lodge. This allows a pair of armed rangers to lead a group of up to eight guests into areas with dangerous game. Your safety is their priority, and their training also ensures that they minimise the stress caused to the animals who encounter you.
By choosing one of these venues, you can justifiably expect exciting encounters with the vaunted Big Five. You could drive yourself around the Kruger for a whole day without seeing as much as an elephant, if you were unlucky. Here, Guides will not give up until you have been rewarded with some memorable sightings – it is a matter of professional pride for them.
