Even in its recovery after the floods earlier this year, the Kruger still hasn’t lost its world-class spark!
South Africa (05 May 2026) – The Kruger is often the first place that comes to mind when people think of safari-ing in South Africa.
Stretching across Mpumalanga and Limpopo, it’s South Africa’s biggest national park — and it has certainly earned its stripes, claiming a spot on multiple international lists as one of the best African safari parks, a top experience for 2026, and even one of the world’s greatest places to visit, as named by Time Magazine.
Now, our world-renowned national park has scooped yet another accolade — this time from travel platform Islands — earning its place among the ten best national parks in the world.
“..With so many fascinating national parks across the world, it was difficult to come up with ten of the best. So we have listened to tourists, travel writers, and anyone else who explores the globe to come up with this list of ten. They offer some of the best sights and activities national parks have to offer, and all are guaranteed to inspire awe and wonder.” shares Islands.
Islands credits the Kruger not only for its phenomenal Big Five experiences, but for the full breadth of wildlife encounters visitors get to enjoy. The park is home to hundreds of mammal species, over 500 bird species, and offers enough variety to keep guests busy for days. The platform also praises the range of ways to explore — join a sundowner safari with a ranger, do a self-drive, or book a guided bush walk with the pros.
Several considerations went into putting together the top ten list. Leading travel publications like National Geographic, Lonely Planet, and Condé Nast were scoured for expert opinion. Everyday traveller views were also gathered from Reddit, Facebook, travel forums, and Tripadvisor. Firsthand expert experience also informed the final selection.
“We ensured parks across all the continents were included and that each offered a variety of activities and unique sights.”
Find Islands’ full list of the World’s 10 Best National Parks below!
- Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia
- Torres del Paine National Park, Chile
- Kruger National Park, South Africa
- Galápagos National Park, Ecuador
- Fiordland National Park, New Zealand
- Jasper National Park, Canada
- Sagarmatha National Park, Nepal
- Yellowstone National Park, USA
- Guilin and Lijiang River National Park, China
- Yosemite National Park, USA
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