In order to avoid the Easter traffic, we booked a B&B in Nelspruit for Thursday night. On Friday morning, we decided to drive the 73km to the Malelane Gate and take a leisurely drive through the park to the Phabeni Gate near Hazyview. Our plans were thwarted -- no more day visitors were allowed because the ‘Park was Full’. Pleading had as much effect as a water pistol has in fighting an out-of-control bushfire, so we had to retrace our steps.

We arrived at Sanbonani at 1:35pm and were advised that ‘no one will be allowed into units until EXACTLY 2pm! By this time, my mother (88) and my elderly overseas visitor (74) were overdue for a relaxing cup of tea. Eventually 2pm arrived! The first thing we saw on entering the main bedroom was a huge wet patch on the carpet, with some four towels padding the area around the air conditioner! We made a call to the maintenance department and were advised to ‘keep the shower curtain INSIDE the bath when taking a shower’. Despite diligently adhering to this, it did not stop the deluge of water from the air conditioners in BOTH downstairs bedrooms! We are still working on the de Bono logic, which seems to mysteriously connect a shower curtain with malfunctioning air conditioners.

Our first evening on the patio was interrupted by a sharp ‘CRACK’ as my nose connected with the patio sliding door that had mysteriously closed itself in the space of a few minutes! Although an avid birder, the twitterings of birdsong that invaded my headspace for two hours after the event left me totally unimpressed! Despite diligent application of icepacks, the week saw me nursing a very tender nasal protuberance!!!!

The next day was going to make up for everything, of course. We set the alarm for 4:15am and I had everyone up and dressed for a trip to the park by 5am. We spent seven hours in the park and saw a lot of long, green grass and one lone elephant bull on our way out. Fortunately, he made up for the lack of numbers by chasing us about 200m down the road, much to the consternation of my Dutch visitor!!!!

On Easter Sunday, I woke with a splitting headache, earache, and a throat that felt thoroughly sandpapered! This in addition to my tender proboscis, now twice its normal size and doing its utmost to ruin my reputation as a person of sober habits! A visit to the doctor, plenty of drugs, and a whole eight days later, I still felt as though I’d been Ali’s sparring partner!!!!

I guess some holidays have to be less than ordinary in order to make one appreciate the ones where nothing goes wrong.

Be sure to keep your windows closed and air conditioning up (summer can be VERY hot). Make sure you hae enough to eat and drink in the car as getting out of the car is only permitted within the boundary of the camps. There are restaurants in all the big camps where you can get something cool to drink and something mourish to eat.

The Kruger National Park is huge – it’s about 8000 square miles and is the largest game reserve in South Africa. We spent a whole day driving round the park and air-conditioning was a godsend; without it, the heat would have been unbearable.

There are too many different species to mention, but we did manage to see some elephants and plenty of zebras, springboks, and giraffes. Also, you can break your day up at the various restaurants and cafes around the park, and even get close to the warthogs that wander around looking for left over food.

We also took a drive up to Thulamela Hill where we saw the excavated remains of an Iron Age settlement.

You can stay in the park at one of the many hotels, but if you are on a day trip, the park is open from 6:30am to 6pm every day and the entrance fee is around R30 for adults.

My main tips would be to take plenty of water, keep your camera ready at all times (as you can quickly miss the cheetahs), and lastly, keep your windows closed.

2) How to organize your day? It's best to rise with the sun around 6 o'clock. This is the best time for the safari: the animals are more numerous, the weather is cool and the light perfect for photography. You can return towards 9h30-10h00 to the camp to eat a solid breakfast or brunch. Then come the hot hours, you could rest or participate in other activities (shopping, reading, writing postcards). It is useful to go to the rangers headquarters--you can find out which places the elephants or the lions were spotted that day. After midday you can hit the road until 17h30-18h00. Make sure you return before nightfall because the gates of the camps close at sun down.

3) Types of safaris. The basic idea is to mix the pleasures--you'll have more chances to spot the famous " big 5 " (lion, elephant, buffalo, rhino and leopard). In addition to the traditional safari in an individual car, the camps propose " game watching ". This is tour organized in 4WD or truck with qualified rangers. Of course you lose some personal freedom (you would share the vehicle with other tourists), but the vehicle goes away from the usual zones, and the guide knows the places where animals go. The price is $15 for 3 hours. To get information, contact the rangers headquarters. It is recommended to book in advance (the morning for the evening). The third manner is the pedestrian safari. Organized only by the camp of Skukuza, it offers a marvelous proximity with nature. Two or three rangers armed with rifles escort a half-dozen of people; emotions guaranteed!

Night circulation is prohibited, be careful because the night falls quickly, and numbers tourists were trapped and has to spend one night additional in the lodges. There are seven different access gates. The entrance fee is about $5 per person. Maps of the park are available. They are very useful to locate the water holes and to define its way. Many and comfortable bush camps strew the reserve, the largest are those of Skukuza and Satara.