Round off your time in South Africa on a Kruger Safari

One or Two day Safari’s in the Kruger Big 5 Nature Reserve

Our monkey volunteering project in South Africa is located within the Greater Kruger Big 5 Nature Reserve, just a short distance from one of the gateways to Kruger National Park. Many volunteers choose to add a safari before or after their volunteering period – it can also be done on the middle weekend, in between both of your volunteering weeks! Whenever you do it, it offer a fantastic chance to relax and to see the Big 5 in the wild. There are two ways to do this: an intimate safari run by the sanctuary team themselves, or the more traditional safari truck experience through an external provider.

Safari with the sanctuary team (1 day)

Rather than a safari truck, the sanctuary team takes you into Kruger in a standard vehicle. It might sound less adventurous, but it makes for a genuinely personal experience — smaller vehicles mean closer, eye-to-eye wildlife encounters, and a real chance to get to know the team along the way.

You’ll leave the centre in the early hours of the morning, enjoying a night-drive through the Grietjie Reserve as you head towards Kruger. From there, you’re in the park for the full day — entering at gate opening and leaving as the gates close, giving you more than 12 hours to spot animals — before returning to the centre in the early evening.

Cost (2026):

• R1,550 per person (minimum 3 people)
• R2,550 per person for 2 people
• R3,900 for 1 person

Included: full-day safari, entrance fees, transport
Not included: meals, drinks, snacks

Safari with the sanctuary team (2 days)

For a longer trip, the team also offer a 2-day safari with two full days inside Kruger and one night’s accommodation within the park itself. In the evening you can buy firewood for a campfire, or eat at the camp’s restaurant. A night drive isn’t included as standard but can be arranged separately if you’d like one.

Cost (2026)

• R2,950 per person (minimum 3 people)
• R4,200 per person for 2 people

Included: 2 full-day safaris, 2 days’ entrance fees, transport, 1 night’s accommodation
Not included: meals, drinks, snacks, night drive (available on request)

Safari with an external provider

If you’d prefer the traditional safari truck experience, this can be arranged through an external company instead. These vehicles typically seat around 12 people and are shared with other guests.

Cost (2026):

• R2,550 per person (minimum 2 people)
• R900 per person return transfer, via Modjaji Lodge — they’ll collect you from the sanctuary, take you to the safari company, and bring you back afterwards

The finer details

As these safaris are booked and paid for on the ground once you arrive, prices may have changed slightly by the time you travel. To add any of these options, just let your destination manager know when you book your volunteering time.

What makes the Kruger National Park special?

• The Kruger National Park extends over 2 million hectares and is renowned for its unrivalled biodiversity.
• The park is famous for its spectacular sightings of the African Big 5 – elephant, lion, buffalo, leopard and rhino.
• The park boasts over 147 mammal species – more than any other game reserve in the world.
• Other animals that can be sighted includes cheetah, hippos, giraffe, zebra, hyena, kudu, jackal, warthog, wildebeest, waterbuck, wild dogs, eland and various antelope.
• In addition to the more well known animals, Kruger is home to rare and endangered animals such as aardvarks, pangolins and aardwolves. The highly endangered white and black rhino are both found here.
• Six rivers flow through the park, which are home to crocodiles and hippos. You can see wonderful views of other animals coming down to the rivers to drink.
• There are over 500 bird species to be found in the park – and some of these birds can’t be found anywhere else in South Africa!
• Huge baobab trees can be found in the park, as well as over 450 other types of trees.