"How's It Possible To Go On Safari For That Long?"
This was the normal reaction of disbelief when I told someone that I planned to spend three months on safari in the iconic Kruger National Park in South Africa.
Their surprise often turned to a twinge of envy when I explained exactly how I could fulfill my dream of living in the Kruger for months on end without having to spend a fortune.
Being an independent worker myself is part of the secret, and it also helps that I'm a local, living close to the park in South Africa and been visiting it regularly for over forty years now.
The fact that I'm a travel agent in the safari industry since 2004 also gave me some insider knowledge, and coupled with all my experience it allowed me to piece together all the building blocks that go into making a long-term trip like this a possibility, at the most affordable price.
And now I'm going to share how to do a safari like this with digital nomads worldwide...
So How Much Will A Long Term Safari Cost?
The cost varies depending on the type of accommodation you choose and whether you stay inside the Kruger National Park itself or just outside on the border.
Staying inside long-term will be more expensive, not only when it comes to accommodation but also if you need to access the web regularly, as most digital nomads do.
There is limited free wifi (only available in two restaurants and not fast or reliable enough for long-term business use) and the mobile networks (Mtn and Vodacom) are expensive, charging R80 per GB of data used.
Staying outside is definately more affordable, wifi is reliable and available at no charge and lower cost supermarkets and restaurants are close by. The access gate to the Kruger Park is only a few km away so when you get tired of working you can drive to the park in no time at all.
To give you an idea of the price of either option (staying inside or outside the park) for relatively the same type of accommodation I've done a cost estimation for you below...
The Cost For A Month Long Safari
You don't have to go for a month of course, you can go for a shorter time, depends entirely on you.
I use a month as an example because it gives a great idea of the excellent value that you are getting for a safari like this. Shorter periods will work out more expensive per day.
And if you are going to take the trouble and expense of traveling all the way to Africa, you may as well spend as much time as possible on safari. As I said, I was blessed to be able to do it for three months and it was a fantastic experience that I will treasure for the rest of my life.
The costs below are based on 2023 prices and are for a self catering, self drive safari. The vehicle hire price will vary depending on the type of car you rent and fuel costs are based on traveling 1000 km per month. Grocery prices are an estimation of what it will cost on average per person.
Staying Outside The Park
Staying Inside The Park
Accommodation Details
Outside The Park
I made use of my local knowledge and a lot of research to source the best places to stay bordering the park, some with fantastic river views overlooking the reserve so that you can see the wildlife right from your own deck.
They are also very close to Kruger access gates, not more than 15 minutes drive away, so when you take a break from your work you can very quickly get there.
Single rooms include a hairdryer, private external bathroom directly across from room, Fridge / Tea / Coffee. Cooking facilities in main kitchen
Double accommodation has own kitchen, living area, bathroom and patio area. Facilities include air conditioning, hairdryer, satellite TV, towels supplied and microwave.
Inside The Park
Huts are the most cost effective places to stay here and are equipped with a fridge and air-conditioning but they have no cooking utensils, crockery or cutlery. A communal kitchen with scullery and electric hotplates is available and communal ablution facilities are used.
Bungalow units are equipped with ablutions (WC and showers, but some with baths) and air-conditioning. They have hotplates and sinks with a kitchenette including fridge.
Wifi
Outside The Park
One of the big advantages of staying on the border of the park is that wifi access is free and data isn't capped, much better for business use.
WifiOnSafaris has tested all the wifi connections at the accommodation to make sure they are up to standard and fast enough.
Inside The Park
Very limited wifi within the Kruger itself, only available at two restaurants and only sufficient really for checking e-mails, so you have to make use of the mobile signal to access the web at most of the rest camps.
Data costs R1109 for 20GB on the Vodacom network so you will have to keep tabs on how much data you use otherwise it can be extremely expensive.
WifiOnSafaris has also tested all the KNP rest camps mobile signal speeds on the MTN and Vodacom networks to see which are the fastest.
Vehicle Hire
A self drive safari is one of the best and most cost-effective ways to experience the Kruger Park, and it's really easy to do. Hundreds of thousands of local South Africans drive themselves through Kruger every year.
I know where to get the best deals on rental vehicles and I am also very experienced with self drives, having done hundreds myself over the past thirty years. I've even written an e-Book on how to Guide Your Own Safari.
So, collect your rental vehicle when you arrive in South Africa, drive to your accommodation and go on safari in the Kruger whenever your work allows. Of course, you can also make use of the local guides sometimes to experience a guided safari too. Best of both worlds.
Wild Card
Every visitor to the Kruger National Park needs to pay a conservation fee on entry which is used to help manage and protect the habitat and wildlife in the reserve.
The cost of purchasing the Wild Card for international visitors equates to staying in the park for six days or entering six times if you stay outside, so for longer stays and more visits than that it makes excellent financial sense to rather buy the card than pay per day or per entry.
Once you have bought the card all you need to do is present it at the entry gate and you won't be charged the conservation entry fee. Here are more details about the Wild Card.
Groceries
Food and drink available from the shops in the park can be relatively overpriced due to a captive market with little competition.
So my advice is to do your grocery shopping outside the park which will be much more cost-effective. Fortunately there are fully stocked and well priced supermarkets on the borders of the park which you can reach relatively easily from your accommodation for affordable self catering provisions.
And there are also a number of good restaurants inside and outside the park for the times when you want to eat out.
Go On This Long Term Safari
I know that every cent counts for digital nomads because the more you save the longer you can stay.
So you'll be pleased to know that I can book this safari for you without any markup. You will pay exactly the same using my local knowledge and experience to do all the work for you as if you do all the planning and bookings directly yourself.
So save yourself a lot of time and energy and make use of my services for free to organise this for you while you concentrate on your work.
I have over forty years of Kruger National Park safari experience and I'm a registered Sanparks agent having been active in the safari industry since 2004.
Get In Touch
Complete the form here and let me know when and for how long you plan to visit Africa and if you want to stay inside or outside the Kruger National Park.
Then I'll send you a safari proposal to let you know exactly how much the trip is going to cost.
Bruce Whittaker
Owner of Wifi On Safaris, Staycation Safaris, Top Safari Guides, African Safari Pictures and African Safari Journals