Planning a Trip

Getting There

By Car -- If you're traveling from Johannesburg, take the N12, which joins up with the N4, the main artery between Pretoria and Nelspruit, capital of Mpumalanga. When you reach the cool heights of Belfast, turn north onto the R540 to Dullstroom and Lydenburg, then take the R37 east to Sabie. From here the R532 runs north through Graskop along the Panorama route.

By Plane -- From Cape Town: SA Express flies daily to Hoedspruit's Eastgate Airport--this is the best airport to fly to if you want to do the Panorama Route as a day trip. From Johannesburg: SA Express flies daily to Hoedspruit's Eastgate Airport. Note that you can also fly from Cape Town, Johannesburg, and Durban to the relatively nearby Kruger-Mpumalanga International Airport.

Visitor Information

Golden Monkey (tel. 013/737-8191) is one of the few centralized sources of information on the Sabie, Graskop, and Hazyview areas. To book accommodations in Dullstroom, speak to Les Adams at the local tourism bureau, Shop 9, Hugenote Street (tel. 013/254-0254; www.dullstroom.biz; Mon-Fri 8am-5pm, Sat 9am-5pm, Sun 9am-2pm); she'll also help you out with reliable information on what the town has to offer. In Sabie contact Panorama Information, at Sabie Market Square (tel. 013/767-1377; www.panoramainfo.co.za; Mon-Fri 8am-5pm, Sat-Sun 9am-1pm). A better service, Graskop Information, is offered at Graskop, located in the Spar Centre, Pilgrim's Way (tel. 013/767-1833; www.blyderiversafaris.co.za; Mon-Sat 8:30am-5pm).

Getting Around

Most lodges supply transfers from the airport; otherwise, contact Eastgate Lodge Transfers (tel. 015/793-3678; bookings@eastsaf.co.za). For the ultimate glam transfer, contact Mpumalanga Helicopter Co. (tel. 084-505-2052; www.mhelicopter.co.za). For car rentals, Avis and Budget have desks at all three airports in the Kruger region.

Unless you're heading directly (and only) to the lodges in a private game reserve, this region is best explored in your own car, at your own pace. Roads are relatively empty, signposted, and well maintained. Since the Kruger officials have introduced game drives and walks, using an outside operator to explore the park also seems pretty futile. However, if you don't want to think about where to go, eat, or sleep, Thompson's Indaba Tours (tel. 013/737-7115; www.indabasafaris.co.za) offers a range of overnight and day tours: Open-vehicle safaris with an experienced game ranger to Kruger cost around R845 ($117/£60) per person for a full day (5 or 6am to 5:30pm) or R685 ($95/£49) for a morning; prices exclude meals. Walking safaris in Kruger (weather dependent) will run you R605 ($84/£43). Thompson's also offers night safaris, which take place in Kapama, and can include an afternoon visit to the Hoedspruit Research & Breeding Centre (R925/$128/£66; dinner included). The Panorama Route tour, with a stop for lunch at Pilgrim's Rest or Graskop, costs R710 ($99/£51) per person.

Stock up on the Way to Kruger

If you're traveling on the Sabie-Hazyview road, stop at The Windmill Wine Shop (tel. 013/737-8175; open Mon-Sat) to snack on a tapas platter or stock up on deli fare (cold meats and cheeses, pickles and olives, bread) and wine -- a picnic to enjoy on your veranda in a Kruger Park rest camp.