SunTrips: Skukuza

Skukuza South Africa

Skukuza, located 50 km east of Hazyview in Mpumalanga, is the capital city of Kruger National Park as well as being the administrative headquarters and main camp of the Kruger National Park in South Africa. It is the largest rest camp in South Africa and also the largest rest camp in the Kruger National Park. It is also South Africa's number one safari destination and the most popular of all game reserves in the country, highly favoured by both domestic and foreign tourists alike, for simply reasons; Africa's big five game are in abundance when compared it to all other game reserves in South Africa. It is situated in a high rainfall area, well wooded and thick dense forests of the southern banks of the Sabie River in Mpumalanga Province. The name "Skukuza" was given by the local Tsonga people as a nickname for James Stevenson-Hamilton. It could be translated as 'to sweep', as Stevenson-Hamilton was perceived as to sweep the land clean of poachers and other criminals operating in the area. The area around Skukuza was inhabited by the Tsonga people until 1905, when they were forcibly removed by the Colonial Government as it was decided from the beginning that if the park were to succeed, no humans could be allowed in the reserve. The evicted Tsonga were resettled in villages around Hazyview, such as Hoxani, Cunningmore, Mkhuhlu and the greater Hazyview area where there was already a problem of overcrowding by large Tsonga speaking communities.

Recommended airport

Skukuza (SZK)

Nearby destinations