There’s no doubt that in and of itself, holiday travel is one of the best forms of self-care. Getting away from the frenetic hustle of our daily lives, leaving our worries behind and setting off towards a horizon is undeniably good for mind, body and soul, especially if you’re choosing a nature-based destination such as the Kruger Park.

Self-care is the combination of daily practices, habits and choices that we follow to look after ourselves and enjoy a healthier lifestyle. This includes regular physical activity, making healthy eating choices, looking after our mental state and managing stress, getting sufficient sleep, making time for relaxation and limiting or quitting alcohol and tobacco products.

At Kruger Gate, we know how important self-care is to today’s guests. From the luxury and comfort of your Kruger accommodation to the delicious, healthy dining options that make the most of locally sourced fresh produce, we make it easy for you to focus on your self-care habits and choices during your stay with us. If you are looking for your holiday to deliver a reset and you are thinking of ‘dry tripping’, there are plenty of fresh options on our mocktail menus.

The hotel’s facilities include a state-of-the-art fitness centre so that you can keep up your physical activity routine and enjoy a pampering African Spa experience where you can deeply relax and focus on body and skin care. It’s not surprising that chilling out at our Pool Bar with its expansive views across the Sabie River into the Park is one of our guests’ favourite pastimes. This designated quiet zone, set under a pale-green canopy of towering trees, is ideal for taking the moment to reset and immerse yourself fully in the beauty of nature. As game wanders down to the river, it is here that you can feel that unique sense of tranquillity and belonging in the real world that you can only find in a wild place.

Practising self-care while you are on holiday can help to improve your physical, mental and emotional health, boost your energy and resilience, and enhance your enjoyment of your holiday experiences and your connections with your travelling companions. All this helps you to feel stronger – more rested, refreshed, rejuvenated, and hopefully inspired when the holiday is over, and you return to normal life.

One of the reasons why nature-based travel has become such a key holiday trend this year is because of the way nature innately boosts human well-being and fosters improved self-care. Rising early to witness the sunrise and enter the Park on our open-vehicle Kruger safari tunes your body clock into the natural circadian rhythm, improving mood and preparing you well ahead of time for a good night’s sleep.

Traversing Kruger’s iconic wilderness, experiencing the amazing variety of Kruger Park sightings firsthand fills you with wonder, again and again, elevating your mood and igniting creativity. Soaking up the incredible beauty of the untouched landscape evokes much-needed optimism. As you watch a pride of languid Lions lazing under thorn trees or a herd of picture-perfect Impala peacefully grazing, you are aware that in places such as this, all is, indeed, well in the world. It’s an important and revitalising perspective in these stressful times, when we get caught up easily in ‘bubbles’ of doom and gloom. A stay with us at Kruger Gate Hotel will remind you of how much beauty there is in the world.

5 tips to enhance your self-care on a Kruger safari holiday are to:

• slow down and breathe deeply
• carve out some me-time every day
• try a digital detox
• don’t try to do everything on offer
• choose the activities that make you happy