Which Kruger Safari Is Right for You? Comparing Our 3-, 4- and 5-Day Safaris
We often get asked whether 3 days is enough, or whether you'll see more with a longer trip. The short answer? All of our Kruger Park safaris are guided by experts and offer excellent wildlife sightings. But there are real differences between the 3-day, 4-day, and 5-day itineraries — in terms of game viewing time, travel pace, flexibility, and budget.
Planning a Safari to Kruger? Here's How to Choose the Right Trip Length
To help you choose the right trip, we've broken it down below.
Kruger Safari Comparison At a Glance
Kruger Safari Comparison: At a Glance
3-Day Kruger Park Safari – Quick, Affordable & Packed with Wildlife
Zebras spotted on our three-day safari
Our popular 3-day Kruger Park safari is perfect if you're short on time but still want an authentic safari experience inside the park.
You'll enjoy:
- 2 nights in a rest camp in Southern Kruger
- 4 game drives in open safari vehicles
- Comfortable en-suite bungalow accommodation
- Transfers from Johannesburg or Nelspruit
Despite its shorter length, this itinerary still offers excellent Big Five spotting chances. Most of our guests report sightings of elephants, giraffes, lions, and other iconic animals.
Great as a first safari, a weekend break, or an add-on to a South African trip.
4 Day Kruger Park Safari – A Balanced, Authentic Experience
Lion cubs from our 4-day Kruger Park Budget Safari
With two full days inside the park, our 4-day Kruger Park Budget Safari gives you more time to explore, relax, and enjoy the bush without rushing.
This option includes:
- 3 nights inside Kruger in an en-suite bungalow
- 6 game drives
- Optional night drive or Panorama Route tour
- Small group size (max 9)
The extra day makes a big difference. You'll have more time to settle in, revisit favourite sightings, and increase your chances of spotting elusive species like leopards or wild dogs.
First-time safari-goers, wildlife lovers, and those who can spare just one extra day.
5-Day Kruger Park Safari – The Full Safari Experience
Elephant herd on the move from our 5 Day Best of Kruger Safari
If you want a deeper, more immersive safari, the 5-day Best of Kruger Safari is the way to go.
You'll stay in two different rest camps in prime game-viewing areas and enjoy:
- 4 nights in air-conditioned bungalows
- 8+ game drives
- A guided bush walk with an armed ranger
- A night drive with spotlights
- All breakfasts, dinners and transfers included
This itinerary is ideal for photography, slow travel, or travellers hoping to tick off rare sightings like cheetahs or African wild dogs.
Wildlife enthusiasts, photographers, and those wanting to maximise their time in the bush.
Not Sure Which Safari Is Right for You?
Here are some quick pointers to help you decide which Kruger National Park safari is right for you:
- Limited time? Our 3-day Kruger safari is the way to go. It's ideal for travellers on a tight schedule who still want a full safari experience with expert guides and great game viewing.
- First-time on safari? Choose our 4-day Kruger safari. It offers a great balance of travel time, game drives, and comfort — without feeling rushed.
- Want a deeper wildlife experience? Go for the 5-day safari. With more game drives, a night drive, and a guided bush walk included, this is the best option for serious wildlife lovers and photographers.
- Keen on a guided bush walk? The 5-day safari includes a thrilling bush walk with an armed ranger (weather permitting), where you'll learn to track animals and discover the smaller details of the bush on foot.
- Want to go off-road? Combine your Kruger safari with a private game reserve like Sabi Sand. Off-road driving isn't allowed in Kruger itself, but private reserves offer more flexibility for Big 5 sightings and close-up encounters.
Still not sure? Our expert team is happy to help you choose the perfect safari. Contact us for personalised advice.
Why Book with Wild Wings Safaris?
Wild Wings Safaris exploring the Panorama Route
- Over 15 years of experience
- No hidden costs — what you see is what you get
- Expert guides who know Kruger inside out
- Small groups for a personal experience
- Regular departures from Johannesburg or Nelspruit
- Excellent guest reviews and testimonials
Kruger Safari Reviews from Real Wild Wings Travellers
Curious what it's really like to go on a 3-, 4- or 5-day Kruger safari with us? Here's what our guests had to say about their experience — in their own words.
Hi Clare,
It was simply an amazing experience. One of the best weeks of my life! Communication from yourself was excellent, always quick to respond, accommodating and giving great information and making the whole process easy. The pick-up was on time, even if we quite weren't!
Nicky, our guide, was unbelievably knowledgeable and really easy to get on with. She was very clearly ensuring we had the best time we could. She was awesome, ensuring we got some great sightings and some pretty incredible full-on ones too! Always able to get the vehicle in the best position to ensure we could all see. Not sure where she gets her energy from... Even better for me, I'm a keen photographer and so is Nicky!
The cook, Riana, kept us well-fed with fantastic food. Even the early starts were no problem due to the excitement of the day ahead! My 20-year-old son, who is not the best at getting up before midday, was up on time, just...! The accommodation was lovely, but we didn't spend very long there!
We all loved it, and I highly recommend Wild Wings to anyone going on a safari.
Thank you!
From Richard, UK, travelled with us during July 2024
Afternoon Ilaria,
We had the best time on safari - hands down one of the best trips and experiences we've had. The pickup/transfer with the external company and then Wild Wings Safaris into the park was super smooth, as was the trip back to J’burg for us on the transfer bus for our evening flight.
The safari itself was exceptional - we felt 4 days was perfect for us - we were really fortunate to see the whole magnificent 7, and the way the guides communicate with each other to help ensure that all clients get a great experience in the park was fantastic. As you know we were the only people on our safari and the experience of having Rufus to ourselves and timings/locations, then being entirely flexible was excellent - we were surprised at how little free time we had by the time we'd been out on a drive, detoured to various sightings and then popped back for a brief lunch, before back out again and home for dinner.
Accommodation was simple (as described) but perfectly clean and serviceable for what we needed. Rufus cooked for us each evening, and this was also great - plenty of tasty and varied food. We thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Rufus and sitting with him. Both of us were astonished at how nice ostrich was and the meals Rufus made were delicious, with us still having a few hours in the evening before sleeping ready for the next day.
A really fabulous trip with great communication and smooth pick up/organising. We would (and already have!) recommend you to friends/family as a fantastic tour provider.
Thank you so much for your help and organisation along the way!
From Alice and Sam, UK, travelled with us during July 2024
Hi Ilaria,
Thanks for the follow-up. We made it home safely and on time. The safari was absolutely fantastic! We really enjoyed our trip. Our guide and cook were amazing and we enjoyed meeting the other family that safaried with us. Absolutely no complaints, and we will be sure to recommend Wild Wings if we talk to people who are interested in an African safari.
Thanks so much!
From Eric, USA, travelled with us during July 2024
Dear Lauren
The trip was amazing!
The pickup and drop-off worked perfectly, everyone was very punctual. When we arrived in Hazyview, Emanuel was already waiting for us. Emanuel was an awesome guide; he was really motivated and told us so many things. He really went the extra mile, and we saw and learned a lot. He had a great program planned for us, and we even saw the rhinos that are really hard to spot. We saw so many different animals! The only animals we missed were the leopards (I saw one running away for a sec) and the cheetahs. Apart from that, we saw almost all the animals that even exist in the park.
We really enjoyed our time with Emanuel, you could really feel that the animals are his passion. He was also very open to our inputs, and he let us decide on the program and how long we wanted to stay on a game drive, etc. We had so many interesting discussions with him, also regarding life in SA in general.
I would absolutely recommend it to everyone, it was especially awesome that we had the car for ourselves so we would switch sides whenever there was a sighting. So many other cars were filled with a lot of people, so that is a huge advantage. We also loved, that we had the same guide for all the days and game drives, so we could get to know each other quite a bit.
The accommodation was also nice, cleaned daily. Only thing that we noticed was that there is no WiFi, not a problem for us, as we had a SA Sim, but might be good no mention for some people that depend on it. In the restaurants, there was WiFi.
The food was also great, we went to a lot of different restaurants and places, depending on the location of the game drive. So we were able to see a lot of different places and eat different food too.
Overall, 10/10 experience!
Thanks a lot for the great organisation!
From Viviane and Pedro, Switzerland, travelled with us during April 2025
An unforgettable experience from start to finish! The lodge, the guides - Simon, Rufus, and Manuel - and the attention to detail were exceptional. We made incredible memories, and the whole team felt truly looked after. Wild Wings Safaris were amazing and super helpful throughout the whole process! We'd recommend them to everyone and can't wait to do it again.
From Alice (Halian), UAE, travelled with us during June 2025
Thanks Clare! It was amazing. Simon and Emmanuel were awesome guides. Our whole group had a great time! I will be recommending Wild Wings to all my friends!
From Joyce, Canada, travelled with us during April 2025
Hi Clare,
We had an amazing trip!! You made everything super easy and were a dream to work with. You explained everything and made sure all the details were covered. Thank you!!
Simon was a terrific guide for our Kruger Park portion. He helped us have some amazing views and encounters at Kruger. His meals were top-notch. Very fun guy to tour around Kruger Park with; we were always laughing. He even surprised my parents with some champagne to help celebrate their 50th Anniversary. The transport and lodging were very comfortable. The family lodging was nice as we could all share time together but still have our own rooms.
Our time at Kambaku was magical. My parents and kids were blown away by the level of service, as well as the accommodations. Having an adjoining room with the kids was a nice surprise! My husband and I had a nice private room, but, we were still close enough to the kids to feel comfortable. The kids loved the "kids club" and got to go out on their own game drive and cast lion prints to take home (very cool). The meals here were 5-star, we even got to experience a bush dinner (one of our favorite experiences). Savannah and Sharon (managers) welcomed us, and made us feel like family. Our guide and tracker (Aidan and Moses) ensured we had some once-in-a-lifetime encounters on our game drives. They were quite knowledgeable and answered every question my kids had (and they had a lot LOL).
Overall, this was an 11/10 experience!! Every day brought some new experience and we always felt safe and cared for. Thank you for helping us have a magical holiday.
From Katie, USA, travelled with us during June 2024
Hey Clare!!
The trip was overall amazing and exceeded what we hoped for. This was my dream trip and Tyler was unsure how he would like it, but he said it was his favorite trip and we spent a lot of the time talking about where in Africa we wanted to go to next.
The transfers were all very easy and we had no issues. Everything was clear and smooth! The lodging was great- our room at the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge was AMAZING, the Chobe Marina Lodge was very nice, the Kruger accomodations were simple but lovely, and Inyati was just next level (we easily could have stayed there a week- it was heaven).
Everyone was so nice and helpful. Our safari with Nicky was so much fun- we did an all-day 11-hour safari with another younger couple and it was one of our favorite days. She is so much fun and knowledgeable.
I cannot thank you enough for planning this and really hearing and understanding what we were looking for in our vacation. You have been so communicative and responsive which made this huge trip to an unfamiliar place feel so easy.
When we narrow down where we want to travel to next in Africa, I will definitely reach out to you!! We were all over the map talking about the gorillas in Rwanda, the Kalahari, Zanzibar, the great migration so who knows what we will land on next! 😃
Thank you again for everything!!
From Jade, USA, travelled with us during May 2024
Dear Ilaria,
We returned home well from our trip last week. The trip was wonderful and the safari was definitely the highlight of our trip to South Africa. It was very well organised and you provided us with all the information we needed before departure and always answered our questions immediately.
We also had a great time with Nicky, our guide, who infected us with her passion for animals. We learnt so much from her about animals and plants, but also about South African culture. We really managed to see a lot of animals and generally made the most of our time as we always left very early in the morning and returned to the camp when the park was closed. We were glad we chose to do 4 days of safari as it allowed us to take more time to observe the animals.
Nicky cooked us a really hearty breakfast each day and a great dinner with samples of typical dishes. We really couldn't have asked for a better guide. Thank you again for your helpfulness and professionalism.
From Judith, Italy, travelled with us during January 2024
Hi Tanja,
Hope you are doing well.
We are now in Cape Town, in the Congress, enjoying the beauty of Cape Town.
We had an amazing experience in our Safari!! Simon is the best barefoot guide on earth. He was a wonderful host, and we think we made a good team.
We managed to see the big 5 on many occasions (we saw 6 leopards in 5 days!), and so much more: cheetahs, wild dogs, giraffes, zebras, baboons, hyenas, hippos, crocodiles, jackals, honey badgers, warthogs, wildebeest among others, and most of them with their cute puppies.
We saw 141 bird species!!! (although it was extremely hot those days). Simon is an incredible birder! He knows all species, their sounds and behaviour, which was very helpful in finding them in the park. And he was really patient and generous with us, sharing all his knowledge.
Our highlights of the Safari were:
- A cheetah chasing two impalas in front of us!
- A patient mother lion and her three little explorer cubs (1 month old)!
- A leopard going up and down a tree to eat his kill!
- A couple of female lions grooming each other.
- and the elephants, we loved them!!!
Everything went perfectly: transfers, timing, accommodation, food, etc. Brunches and dinners were delicious and in lovely atmospheres.
Thank you for the great experience from the beginning, with your helpful assistance at booking, till the end!!!! We will never forget those days!
From María, Uruguay, travelled with us during November 2023
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About the author
Dianne Kokkonidis was born in Johannesburg, grew up in the Transkei and spent years exploring Europe. She returned to South Africa to live on a farm in the Outeniqua Mountains when the call of Africa got too loud to ignore. She comes from a family of storytellers, so it's no surprise she's now found her way into writing about one of the oldest stories known to mankind - the lure of Africa.
