Shuffle through the crowds, or enjoy a private holiday experience? Choosing between the Kruger National Park or a nearby private game reserve for a December holiday is a lot easier when you have a guide helping you to understand more about what to expect, what to plan for and what to look forward to.
The Kruger is surrounded by an array of private game parks which have become home to luxury game lodges and are well known for offering a Kruger experience without having to jostle the crowds that tend to flock to the area for their December holiday break.
If heading into the wild is your kind of ideal end of year holiday, then in our guide to the Kruger in December is exactly what you need in order to answer any questions you might have or to assist you in planning your much needed time away from it all
First, a note on the Mjejane Game Reserve
Although this guide is about the Kruger National Park, it is the neighbouring Mjejane that you should be considering for your December break. Being on the border of the Kruger, and having somewhat of a partnership with the world famous park, what with its open fences that allow for the natural migration of wildlife, the Mjejane Game Reserve has everything the Kruger has to offer. And a little bit more.
As it is a private game reserve, guests staying in the Mjejane will get to embark on a full safari experience whenever they like, and they won’t be competing with an abundance of other guests, because only those staying in the area are able to use the reserve. This makes for a unique holiday and with the option of luxury, private accommodation, guests can enjoy the wild solitude that the private concession offers.
And the biggest upside of staying in the Mjejane, is that since the Kruger is on its doorstep, guests can pop over the boundary and explore this incredible park, or they can completely avoid the busy Kruger, and have a Kruger-like holiday safari experience right here in the Mjejane.
When planning your December holiday, the first thing you should ask yourself is, “What is the rainy season in Kruger National Park?” The rain can put a damper on a holiday for some, but for others, the thunderstorms that end just about every day in the Kruger are a magical experience all on their own.
After a long, dry winter, the summer rains generally arrive just before the December holidays. Those first drops are like ambrosia to the soil, and the greenery quickly envelopes every bush and tree. Soon, grass is lush and there are flowers everywhere. And along with the revitalized earth, the wildlife start birthing the next generation.
In December, you will see so many new babies, born to coincide with the new green growth and water sources. This is an exciting time of the year and you should definitely bring along a camera, as the sight of baby impala and lion cubs is something you’ll want to look back on.
How hot is the Kruger in December?
Well, along with the heavy rains, the month of December brings with it heat. Incredible heat. The kind of heat that will make you thankful to be heading back to your swimming pool at your Mjejane accommodation.
The heat is not actually all that bad when you are having your safari in a vehicle with an air conditioner, and besides, since you are on holiday, you now have the perfect excuse to stop at every camp and indulge in an ice cream.
The summery weather is often broken in the evenings with a tremendous thunderstorm which brings with it bucket loads of rain.
If you are wondering how cold it gets in the Kruger, the answer is it doesn’t. The Kruger is situated in a sub-tropical area of South Africa, so while the winter mornings and evenings can be a little chilly, the days stay hot, especially if you are in the sun. In fact, it is quite easy to get sunburned in the middle of winter.
In reality, each month of the year brings something new to the park and so depending on the experience you hope to have, your ideal time to travel in the park might look a little different to someone else’s.
Generally speaking, the best time of the year to go to the Kruger National Park is not actually December, at least not for everyone. Often the best time of year is considered to be June or July, when the grass is mostly dead and the heat is not overwhelming.
When considering the best time to visit the Kruger National Park, it is not just the weather and the visibility that is worth thinking about. You should also consider how busy the park will be.
December is a notoriously busy time to visit the Kruger, because it falls into the school holidays and so the locals flock to the park for a week or two with their families. Most holiday makers will visit the south of the park where there is more wildlife to see and because the area is quite easy to access.
To avoid the crowds, you can instead head north, but to make your holiday in the north of the park means to suffer in the extreme heat, and miss out on seeing much of the wildlife that the park is so well known for. Not only are the wildlife populations smaller in the north, but those that are found at the top of the park tend to spend the majority of the day hiding away.
When staying in this gorgeous part of wildest Africa, and when staying at Jacana River Lodge, one of the leading luxury Self Catering Game Lodges in Mpumalanga, in particular, you will be able to enjoy the most memorable holiday. You can easily end up seeing the best of what the Kruger National Park has to offer, without actually driving into the Kruger.
And with the Mjejane’s quiet roads and private game lodges, you can avoid the December tourist crowds.