As I spent my year with my family, we had a car to drive round the Kruger Park, but it is also possible to do an organised excursion, though you do not get to stop when you want or go at your own pace.
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.