Kruger National Park in February

Daytime temperatures remain in the high 20’s and can sometimes rise into the mid-30’s. February sees the last of the summer rainfall and the occasional late afternoon thundershower can occur. The evening temperatures are usually mild.

Birding is excellent during the summer months and the far northern regions (Punda Maria and Pafuri) of the park are especially exceptional since it sees a large number of migratory species this time of year. Since the vegetation in the park is very dense this time of year, game viewing is better done in the private reserves where expert game rangers are able to track the animals off-road, something that is taboo within the Kruger.

Summer weather makes game viewing harder for a number of reasons: animals have plenty of water and are not drawn to larger water holes, they prefer to stay put in the shade during the day and thicker vegetation makes them harder to spot. On the flipside the greenery is great for landscape photography, birding is good and many summer-born animals can be seen.