Area description for Holidayhouse Mhofu, Marloth Park near Kruger Park

Bordering Kruger National Park

Kruger Park General Information
The Kruger National Park is the primary destination in South Africa for many international tourists. Each year more than half a million visitors are registered. The National Park was opened in 1898 at the instigation of then-president Paul Kruger. After hunters had considerably decimated the originally rich game stock, all the land between the Sabie and the Crocodile Rivers was put under the protection of Nature Conservation to ensure the survival of the remaining animals. Only as recently as 1961 was the extended Kruger Park fenced in. The park stretches from the Crocodile River (closeby Mhofu) in the south up to the Limpopo River, which is the international border in the north. Altogether it is 350 km long, 65 km wide and comprises an area of about 20,000 sq km. A web of roads of 1863 kilometers leads through the National Park, 697 km of them being tarred. For the visitor there are numerous differently equipped rest camps, most of them scenically positioned. Within the park boundaries, travel is only allowed between sunrise and sunset. After dark one has to stay in one of the fenced rest camps. The best time for observing the animals is the dry winter season. Then the grass is low and bushes and trees don't have leaves, so that one can have an unobstructed view. Because it virtually doesn't rain in winter, the animals come to the waterholes to drink in the mornings and evenings and can easily be watched from the car.

Marloth Park

The distance between Marloth Park and Johannesburg and Pretoria is approximately 450 km. The nice highway in South Africa connects the two. Car rental companies have offices at Johannesburg airport and you can reserve a rental through the internet. If you don’t like driving the distance, you can book a domestic flight from Johannesburg to Nelspruit, the capital of Mpumalanga. Most major car-rental-companies are also represented at Nelspruit, from which it is a mere 90 km drive to our rent house in Marloth Park.

Mpumalanga/Kwa Zulu Natal

Nelspruit is the capital of the province of Mpumalanga. The city lies in the fertile valley of the Crocodile River, 330 kilometers east of Johannesburg in the hot and humid Lowveld. The Malelane Gate, southern access to the Kruger Park, is about 60 kilometers away. Nelspruit is the trading centre for the surrounding fruit growing area of Mpumalanga. Fertile soils and subtropical climate provide perfect conditions for the production of citrus and tropical fruits, mainly mango, banana, avocado, macadamia and pecan nuts. Nelspruit is very pretty in spring and summer, when innumerable bougainvilleas, bauhinias and other blooming plants transform the town into a sea of color. Nelspruit has a train station and a modern airport, which is serviced several times a day.