Mpumalanga and the Kruger National Park

Mpumalanga, "the land of the rising sun" to its Siswati- and Zulu-speaking residents, extends east from Gauteng to Mozambique and Swaziland. To many visitors the province is synonymous with the Kruger National Park, the real draw of South Africa's east flank, and one of Africa's best game parks. Kruger occupies most of Mpumalanga's eastern flank as well as that of Northern Province, and covers over 20,000 square kilometres - an area the size of Wales or Massachusettes. The Kruger is the easiest African game park to drive around in on your own, staying at one of its many well-run rest camps. Joined to its west, a number of private reserves offer the chance to escape the Kruger, with well-informed rangers conducting safaris in open vehicles.

Apart from the irresistible magnet of big-game country, Mpumalanga also has some spectacular scenery in the mountainous area known as the Escarpment, a couple of hours' drive west of Kruger and easily tacked onto a visit to the park. With the exception of Pilgrim's Rest, none of the Escarpment towns merits exploration, but they make good night stops to and from Kruger, and there are some famously stunning views as you drive around, where the bottom drops out of the mountains and hits the Lowveld. The most famous viewpoints - God's Window, Bourke's Luck Potholes and Three Rondavels - are along the lip of the Escarpment, which can be driven as a 156-kilometre looped day-trip from Sabie. The views of Blyde River Canyon are most famous of all and, while you can't drive into the canyon, there are some fabulous hiking opportunities in this area.

Descending the Escarpment on one of four mountain passes takes you into the tropical-fruit-growing and bushveld country of the Lowveld, with impressive views back towards the towering massif of the Escarpment. A number of places close to the Blydepoort Dam at the foot of the Blyde River Canyon can be taken in as bushveld breaks on the way to or from Kruger. In the same vicinity, around the tiny centre of Hoedspruit, roughly 90km via an eastwardly-arching route from the Escarpment, a number of small game farms offer cut-price game experiences that are good for an overnight stop but shouldn't be confused with the real thing. This you'll find in nearby  game lodges and private game reserves as well in Kruger itself.