Crocodile Bridge cooks. It is one of the hottest places in the country, with summer temperatures often soaring above the 40°C mark. It is the most eastern entrance into Kruger, some 12km from Komatipoort, the closest town to the main border gate between South Africa and Mozambique.

In 1940, ranger Sinias Nyalunga was awarded the Bronze Medal of the Royal Humane Society for risking his life to dive into the river to rescue a woman and her baby who had been swept off the bank by floodwaters.

The Crocodile River would almost certainly have been the northernmost border with Swaziland had a rather dubious 19th century land deal not been conducted between the Transvaal Land Commissioner, Abel Erasmus, and an unnamed Swazi chief, in which the Swazi border was pushed 80km southwards in exchange for 12 cases of gin.

The Crocodile Bridge area is a juxtaposition of open grassland and dense thorn thickets. It's one of Kruger's driest areas - receiving about half the average Park rainfall.

The Gate is named after the Crocodile River, which forms the southernmost boundary of the Kruger Park. The river gets its name from the number of crocodiles that it has and would certainly be one of the most dangerous to try to wade across.

Crocodile Bridge is the most direct access point to the game-rich south-eastern grasslands of the Park, and sighting opportunities open up very quickly after entering the Park. The game drives here are part of what is known as the "Southern Circle" which has a reputation for good lion-spotting. Several prides operate in this area, each with its own distinct hunting techniques and behaviour patterns.
Left: Crocodile River at Hippo Pools. Photo: Brett Hilton Barber

In recent times, this has often led to problems of lions crossing the Crocodile River and attacking livestock outside the Park. At one point during the early 1970s, the situation got so bad that 26 escaping lion had to be shot during an 18-month period. The Crocodile Bridge area also has the highest percentage of Kruger's white rhino population.

Crocodile Bridge area specialities: Animals

• White rhino
• Giraffe
• Spotted hyaena
• Lion
• Cheetah

Birds

• Black-bellied bustard
• Black-bellied starling
• Orange-breasted bush-shrike
• Yellow-rumped tinkerbird
• Purple-banded sunbird