What are the absolute do-at-all-costs, must-see, can't-miss things at South Africa's favorite national park? If you want to enjoy the best of Kruger you'll need to work your way through Robyn Daly and the Getaway team's ultimate Kruger Park check-list...

Favourite road for game viewing: N'wanetsi River Road (S100)
You'll find an abundance of ordinary game and there's a good chance of seeing lion, leopard and cheetah. Also hop on the H10 from Lower Sabie to Tshokwane, a road that comes a close second. There you are virtually guaranteed sightings of elephants on the vast open plains. The view from Nkumbe is particularly worth the trip.

Best rest camp: Olifants
Set on the top of a hill, it looks out over a great plain and the big, meandering Olifants River. Many rondavels and chalets have a view and game sightings are usually plentiful. Other lovely camps include Punda Maria with its old bushveld atmosphere, Timbavati which has thick riverine forest and is relatively small and Pretoriuskop which has an old fashioned feel.

Best bush camp: Shimuwini
On the edge of the Letaba River, it's everything a bush camp should be: quiet, peaceful and picturesque.

Favourite picnic spot: Pafuri
Brim full of riverine giants (sycamore figs) and fantastic birding. Look out for Pafuri's special, wattle-eyed flycatchers. Well worth the day's excursion from Punda Maria. Pack bacon, eggs and a skottel and whip up a brunch under the giant figs.

Most interesting historical spot: Thulamela Ruins
Hire a guide from Punda Maria rest camp and walk back in time. One of South Africa's most significant archaeological sites, the citadel of Thulamela is said to have been occupied between AD1250 and 1700.

Favourite walking trail: Nyalaland
Up in the remote northern region of the park, the Nyalaland Trail is about as close to untouched wilderness as you get in South Africa. The ecosystem is different in the north and the baobabs and sandveld landscape give a sense of being in an otherworld, far from the daily grind.

Best camp for birders: Punda Maria
Visit the camp's hide and pootle along the Paradise Flycatcher walking trail in Punda Maria to pick camp specials which include flycatchers, of course, as well as crested guinea fowl. Raptors are abundant on the north road to Pafuri and water holes render a profusion of egrets and herons.

Best water hole: Mlondozi Dam
When there are no animals around, look at the lovely view over Muntshe Mountain. Wait, the animals will arrive .

Best view sight: N'wanetsi
Look out over the basking crocodile body of the Lebombo Mountains. Other great view sights include the one at Nkumbe with its incredible view over the park and Ship Mountain, which is visible some 70 kilometres to the southwest.

Bobbejaankrans is also not to be missed for its spectacular view over the Timbavati River and surrounding knobthorn country.

Best hide: Ratelpan
The hide overlooks the Timbavati River. There hippos lurk and crocodiles line the banks just waiting...

The good, the bad and the ugly

  • Don't miss: the Elephant Hall at Letaba for a sense of Kruger's history and to see just how humungous tusks can get.
  • Favourite restaurant: Skukuza.
  • Worst food ever eaten in Kruger: re-fried hot chips at Lower Sabie followed closely by oil-slick breakfast at Punda Maria .
  • Coolest sighting by a Getaway staffer: At Transport Dam, Chairman Alan Ramsay saw a crocodile and pride of lions engaged in a tug-of-war over a juvenile buffalo. The young buffalo escaped when the rest of the herd chased away the predators.
  • Favourite thing to do in Kruger: a night braai under the stars and trees at Shingwedzi .
  • Best 4x4 trail: Lebombo 4x4 trail. (All the others are rather dull doddles on game-management tracks).
  • Favourite rest camp swimming pool: Pretoriuskop.

This feature originally appeared in Getaway Magazine. For more, visit getawaytoafrica.co.za