johan rebel

Let me clarify this.

In the Kruger National Park (KNP) you can:

- go on a game drive in your own or rented vehicle. You may only use the designated public roads, and only at certain times (roughly sunrise to sunset, so times vary seasonally).

- go on a guided game drive organized by a private commercial operator. This will generally be in an open safari vehicle (OSV). Same rules as above apply.

- go on a game drive organized by SANParks. Their guides may, in addition to the public roads, also use certain management roads and fire breaks. In addition, they may drive at hours that others may not. This allows for game viewing in places to which one otherwise has no access, and at times when there is no other traffic (well, when there should be no other traffic. In certain parts of Kruger there's a surprising amount of traffic at night). In other words, you get a degree of exclusivity. SANParks guides may not
go off-road, but I've known them to do it anyway on more than one occasion (Sssh!).

In private game reserves:

- the network generally consists of gravel roads or two-track trails. This network is much denser than in the KNP and guides can leave the tracks and drive off-road where conditions allow.

- game drives are per definition guided and conducted in 4x4 OSVs.

Just to confuse everybody, it is necessary to distinguish between private reserves on private land, and those operating concessions in the KNP and other national parks. The latter are subject to SANParks rules and regulations on off-road driving, which are a lot more restrictive than on private land, where anything goes.

Now for the tricky matter of what is "way better". I'll try to keep it brief.

Obviously, the ability to go off-road allows you to get close to animals, and the dense road network as well as the fact that most private lodges use trackers makes it easier to look for and find specific species/animals. In the KNP there's a greater element of luck involved (more so if you are self-driving than when on a guided drive), but that is to a certain extent made up for by the fact that you can drive greater distances and cover larger areas in the same amount of time.

Although private reserves specialize in getting guests up close and personal, in the KNP you can sometimes get much closer to animals. Or rather, the animals get much closer to you. This is partly because many animals in the KNP are totally blasé about cars, and partly because a closed vehicle makes it perfectly safe.

Private reserves offer exclusivity, but only up to a point. Very few (usually the very expensive ones) offer single vehicle sightings. More commonly you have to share with two to four other vehicles. It is also quite common for each vehicle to be restricted to a time slot (ten minutes or so), after which they have to leave the sighting to make room for the next vehicle.

There's a lot more to be said about private reserves vs. self-drive vs. guided drives in national parks, but this will suffice for now. Happy to answer specific questions, though.

Johan