Of all the many interesting animals roaming freely in the Kruger National Park, it is the lion that has captured the hearts and minds of most of those who visit. And who can blame them? Spotting a lion while on a Kruger safari brings out the excited child in all of us. There is just nothing quite as spectacular as coming across a couple of lions or lionesses going for a walk, or spotting a pride having a lazy snooze after eating its fill after catching its prey. Not only will you want to spend the whole day just sitting there watching them, feeling like you stuck the jackpot, but you’ll be talking about it for days afterwards.
Lion sightings are always special but they are not rare. 9 times out of 10, if you are going on regular game drives while visiting the Kruger, you will come across a lion. The Kruger remains one of the best places to spot these majestic big cats and when in the company of an experienced game guide, like one of ours, your chances of having a sighting greatly increase, because they know the best places to spot these animals.
There are about 1600 lions in the Kruger, and they are fairly spread out, with almost equal amounts having been seen to the north and in the south. For the most part, the best place to have a Kruger Park safari is in the south of the park. But when it comes to spotting lions, the south is not the only good place to try your luck.
To help you out in your search for lions, here’s our top picks for the best roads and areas to travel to.
- The Skukuza-Satara Road
In about the middle of the Kruger, or at least on the road that will take you to about the middle, you have what many people consider to be the one road where seeing a lion is almost a guarantee. Satara itself is already an area incredibly popular for lion sightings, and the road that will take you from Skukuza to Satara is definitely one to drive when in search of lions.
- The S118 Road
This road runs along the Mlambane Spruit and if you drive this road in the late afternoon, you are almost guaranteed to see a lion. In this area, lion tend to frequent the area when looking for water, and when driving the loop, you have a really good chance of spotting one and just about having the sighting to yourself, as the road is a wonderfully quiet one.
- The H4-1 Road
If you are trying to stick to the south of the park, which is where most Kruger Park safaris take place, this road runs between Lower Sabie and Skukuza, and is easily accessible for day visitors. The road has watering spots as well as plenty of prey for the lions to catch, so they are naturally attracted to the area. In the opinion of some safari companies, this road has one of the park’s biggest concentrations of lion.
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