Bus Travel

Greyhound runs daily between Johannesburg and Mbombela (Nelspruit), stopping in the city of Louis Trichardt opposite the Promenade Hotel, on Louis Trichardt Street, on the N4 toward Malelane. (The Greyhound office is opposite the hotel in the Old Mutual Building.) The direct trip takes five to six hours, but there are also buses that stop along the way. A round-trip ticket is R570, one way R285. Mbombela (Nelspruit) is 50 km (31 miles) from Kruger's Numbi Gate and 64 km (40 miles) from Kruger's Malelane Gate.

Public bus service is limited or nonexistent in Mpumalanga. If you don't have your own car, you're dependent on one of the tour companies to get around the escarpment and into the game reserves. Many of these companies also operate shuttle services that transfer guests between the various lodges and to the airport. It's usually possible to hire these chauffeured minibuses at an hourly or daily rate.

Only tour-company buses actually go through Kruger, but they're not recommended. Being in a big tour bus in the park is like being in an air-conditioned bubble, totally divorced from the bush. Also, the big tour buses aren't allowed on many of Kruger's dirt roads and have to stick to the main paved roads.