3-Day Kruger Safari from Johannesburg: Big Five Wildlife Tour
Wake before dawn to track the Big Five across Kruger's open plains.
A 3-day safari tour from Johannesburg to Kruger National Park with two nights at a game lodge in Hazy View, daily early-morning and afternoon wildlife drives, meals, and park fees included. You depart from your Johannesburg hotel or airport, travel through Mpumalanga's highlands to the lodge, then spend two full days driving the park's interior roads with a guide, stopping at waterholes and Skukuza Camp for lunch, before returning to Johannesburg on the final afternoon.
Step-by-step itinerary
Day 1: Travel to Kruger and lodge check-in
- Pick up from Johannesburg or airport
- Travel through Mpumalanga scenery
- Check into game lodge in Hazy View
- Have lunch inside Kruger National Park
- Dinner and relax at lodge
Day 2: Full day Safari in Kruger Park
- Early morning wildlife drive
- Breakfast at camp
- Visit waterhole to see hippos and crocodiles
- Lunch at Skukuza Camp
- Afternoon wildlife tracking
- Return to lodge and relax
Day 3: Morning Safari and return to Johannesburg
- Morning 2-hour Safari drive
- Travel back through Mpumalanga highlands
- Arrive in Johannesburg around 4 pm
What’s included
- Bottled water throughout the tour.
- all Kruger National Park entry fees.
- a live English-speaking driver and guide.
- breakfast each morning at the lodge.
- hotel or airport pickup in Johannesburg and drop-off on return.
- overnight accommodation at the game lodge in Hazy View for two nights.
Times
- Every day 07:00
Before you book
Operated by Africa Moja Tours & Safaris
Prices and times updated 4 days ago
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The experience
The tour picks you up from your Johannesburg hotel or O.R. Tambo International Airport and drives you through Mpumalanga's rolling landscape toward Hazy View, where you'll stay for the next two nights at a game lodge. The journey itself carries sightings: the terrain shifts from farmland to bush as you approach the park. Dinner waits at the lodge once you arrive, and you settle in before the early start the next morning.
Both full days in the park follow the same rhythm: you leave the lodge at 5am with your guide to hunt for the Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, rhino, buffalo) while the animals are most active. The drive takes you past waterholes where hippos and crocodiles gather, through open grassland, and along the park's interior roads. Breakfast happens at the lodge before you depart. Lunch comes at one of the park's restaurants: Skukuza Camp on day two. You return by 5pm to rest, review photos, and prepare for the next morning's drive.
On the final morning, you have one last two-hour safari before leaving the park. The return drive to Johannesburg follows the same Mpumalanga highlands route you came in on, and you arrive back in the city around 4pm. Bottled water, all park fees, and your guide are included throughout. Breakfast is provided each morning.
Is this one for you?Book this if you're arriving in Johannesburg and want a guided 3-day safari focused on tracking the Big Five across Kruger. The itinerary is fixed, so it works as a standalone trip or the opening leg of a longer South Africa visit.
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Top questions
Can children come?
Yes. Ticket types: Youth (12 to 17 years); Child (3 to 11 years); Infant (under 3): free.
What animals will I actually see on a 3-day Kruger safari?
The Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, rhino, and buffalo) are the main draw, and the operator states a 99% chance of seeing them across the two full days of drives. You'll also encounter hippos and crocodiles at waterholes, plus a variety of other mammals and birds throughout the park.
How early do the safari drives start each day?
Drives depart at 5am, when wildlife is most active. Breakfast is served at the lodge before you leave, and you return by mid-afternoon to rest before dinner.
Where do I stay during the 3 days?
You stay at a game lodge in Hazy View, just outside Kruger National Park, for two nights (nights one and two). The lodge provides overnight accommodation and meals. You return to Johannesburg on the afternoon of day three.
Does the tour include meals?
Breakfast is included each morning at the lodge. Lunch during the safari days is at restaurants inside the park. You stop at one on day two at Skukuza Camp. Dinner on arrival night is served at the lodge. Gratuities and other meals or drinks are not included.
What's the pickup process from Johannesburg?
The guide picks you up from your hotel or guesthouse in Gauteng, or from O.R. Tambo International Airport if you're arriving that day. The drive to Hazy View takes several hours through Mpumalanga, and you arrive at the lodge in time for dinner and rest before the first early safari.
3-Day Kruger Safari from Johannesburg: Big Five Wildlife Tour
3d · EN · at your hotel
from US$ 653 per person
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