Right, this is for all of you who are (relatively) new to the game.

The idea is to provide some information that may be helpful when trying to decide which part of the Lowveld to visit, or which lodge to pick. The focus will be on factors which are not necessarily mentioned in promotional material, yet may make all the difference.

What follows covers the area of South Africa known as the Lowveld, which consists of the land between the Drakensberg and Lebombo mountain ranges in the Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces. The Lowveld is characterized by mild, dry winters; and hot, wet summers. The altitude ranges from 100 to 600 meters a.s.l. The Kruger National Park (KNP) covers about half the Lowveld.

I'm going to divide the options into three broad categories :

1. SANParks rest camps in the KNP
2. Private lodges in the KNP (exclusive concessions)
3. Private lodges in private game reserves.