Our rates are inclusive of Dinner, Bed and Breakfast.

A quick guide to wildlife photography for beginners

These 5 tips will help you capture the perfect shot on your mobile device.

Most wildlife photographers will tell you that the secret to being a great photographer requires a love for nature and a lot of patience. Of course, it also doesn’t hurt to have high-tech equipment but if you’re still an amateur, do you really need it or will your smartphone do the trick? Don’t be mistaken, mastering the art of wildlife photography can be challenging even for the most experienced individuals but it’s certainly possible for you to get started using just your smartphone.

Last year, wildlife photography expert, Rogan Kerr, travelled to Kruger Gate Hotel and used this luxury accommodation as his base from which to explore the Kruger National Park – a wildlife photographer’s paradise. With an abundance of animal and plant life, the Kruger National Park boasts over 2 000 plant species with 336 tree species as well as 500 bird species, six of which are known as the Big 6 and are native to the area. And, of course, it is also home to the beloved Big 5. The Park not only has a variety of living species but also contains evidence of prehistoric life, too, dating back over 500 000 years. Beyond the impressive biodiversity, the Kruger National Park possesses 254 known cultural heritage sites, which includes 130 rock art sites.

The best part is that Rogan didn’t have to travel too far for this particular adventure. This is because the upmarket 4-star hotel is situated in a tranquil riverine in the Greater Kruger Conservancy, just 100 metres from Paul Kruger Gate, and on the banks of the iconic Sabie River. The property boasts a range of elegant accommodation, all with refined Africa-inspired décor. Additionally, wildlife lovers will be pleased to know that there are a number of safari options available to guests, ranging from intimate guided game drives for couples to more interactive group game drives as well as self-drive access. Perhaps even more exciting, is that the hotel has a dedicated on-site safari concierge who will assist you in booking your perfect safari experience.

In the case of Rogan, he opted for an intimate couple’s game drive, which was led by the hotel’s knowledgeable game ranger. During this drive, Rogan captured rare Kruger Park sightings. The results were awe-inspiring.

Whilst Rogan used his professional gear to capture his experience, he also created the below list of 5 smartphone photography tricks:

  • Mix up your perspective – Try mixing up the way your camera sees things. Getting a low angle makes for much more dynamic content than shooting straight ahead of you. The same goes for high angles. Try using reflections or shooting through foliage for added nuance to your image.
  • Under-expose – It’s a lot easier to brighten a dark picture than it is to try and darken a bright one. If you overexpose you will lose any details that burn out with the light. Underexposing allows you to shoot so the bright areas are appropriately captured, and then brighten up the dark areas in post-production.
  • Use the right camera – Smartphones these days come with several camera lenses. A wide, a standard, and a zoom. All of these work better for certain scenes. For example, shooting the architecture of a room is often better on a wide angle. Play around with the different cameras and check out the “Pro” or “Professional” settings in your camera. Many modern smartphones come with these.
  • Use your features – Smartphones offer different camera features. For example, the iPhone offers standard, portrait and panoramic camera features. Use the pano setting for wide, epic scenes or large spaces; use your portrait mode for food and people. You can also make use of additional features such as night mode for scenes shot in low-light. Play around with these and see what you can get out of it.
  • Edit your pictures – The latest smartphones’ in-camera editing facilities are pretty good. You can do a lot to make your image pop with more vibrancy, contrast, noise reduction, vignettes and much more. If you are posting to Instagram, play around with the app’s built-in editing features or investigate free editing tools such as Adobe’s Lightroom app.

Yes, a high-end professional camera with a long lens will always be the setup of choice for professional wildlife photographers. For everyday visitors who only have their phones on them to capture the memories, however, these tricks should help to make the most of what you’ve got.

Guest Reviews

(Translated by Google) I had a wonderful stay at the Kruger Gate Hotel.
It's ideally located for enjoying a safari.
The animals roam freely—I was greeted by a family of warthogs outside my room door. Monkeys roam the trees, and buffalo, elephants, and other species roam freely around the pool.
The staff is lovely and welcoming (special mention to Debrah :) ).
The room is pleasant and comfortable.
The food is delicious.
In short, a perfect place to relax and enjoy nature's bounty.

(Original)
J'ai passé un excellent séjour au Kruger Gate Hotel.
Il est idéalement situé pour profiter d'un safari.
Les animaux viennent librement - j'ai été accueilli par une famille de phacochères devant ma porte de chambre, les singes font leurs vies dans les arbres et de la piscine, buffles, éléphants et autres espèces viennent naturellement.
Le personnel est adorable et accueillant (mention spéciale à Debrah :) )
Chambre agréable et confortable.
La nourriture est délicieuse.
bref un endroit parfait pour se reposer et profiter des cadeaux de la nature.

Posted on 19/05/2025 by Google

highly commendable. simply the best.

Posted on 18/05/2025 by Google

rooms a bit dated rest are good

Posted on 13/05/2025 by Agoda

Kruger Gate Hotel was very nice with an amazing spa. Breakfast & dinner was included in our rate. They were very accomodating for me with Gluten Free requirements. They went thru the whole buffet with me and confirmed what was gluten free & what was not. Surprisingly most of the buffet was good for me. The food was amazing. I did a facial & a 90 min massage. Both were very good & highly recommend them. I did one safari with the lodge, which was extra, but so worth it. We go so close to so many animals. I would definitely stay here again.

Posted on 19/05/2025 by TripAdvisor

Stayed at the hotel for 4 nights with my partner, our room was spacious and cleanliness was very good. Good variety of food for the buffet dinner and all of the top shelf liquors available. Water supplied and topped up daily. The Safari trips were brilliant and I really recommend them. Enoch was our driver for the tour (we did an all day one which started at 5.30am with breakfast available to collect and take with you) and he was fantastic. Really knowledgeable about the area and he knows his animals. Nothing was too much for him and was happy to stop at any animal siting. Enoch is friendly, chatty and I swear he has a sixth sense on where to head out in the vast amount of land on the national park. If you get Enoch as your guide you\'re on to a winner already and have a superb chance of seeing the Big 5 which we did. Definitely going back to Kruger National Park and would stay here again.

Posted on 20/05/2025 by TripAdvisor

Hotel with enormous charm located 2 minutes from the Kruger gate. It is a faultless one! Beautiful place good meals a magical safari.

Posted on 13/05/2025 by TripAdvisor

Excellent location for the price! Courteous staff. Excellent breakfast and dinner( especially for me many vegetarian choices were offered). Staff at dinner and breakfast went out of their way to get what we wanted. Amazing safari offered by the hotel with a great guide. Couldn’t fault a thing! Can think of only superlatives to describe anything. Thanks to all staff!

Posted on 18/05/2025 by TripAdvisor

Everything was great. The staff were amazing, could not do enough for you. There was a great selection of food (I’m vegetarian). We did three safari drives and the guides would endeavour to help guests see as many animals as possible (we saw the big 5 over the three excursions). Great location right next to Kruger Gate. We also used the spa which had a lovely range of treatments. The room and bed were very comfortable. I hope to return and would recommend to anyone wanting to visit this area.

Posted on 20/05/2025 by Booking.com

Breakfast was good,all assorted,spoled for choice

Posted on 19/05/2025 by Booking.com

何から何まで、かなり洗練されていて、とても満足している。

Posted on 19/05/2025 by Booking.com

Das Hotel direkt am Kruger Gate ist wirklich beeindruckend – eine große Anlage, aber mit sehr viel Liebe zum Detail und einem tollen afrikanischen Flair gestaltet. Alles ist geschmackvoll und atmosphärisch. Besonders das Abendessen war ein Highlight: Der Bereich mit Feuerstellen, in dem gegessen wird, ist wunderschön gestaltet und schafft eine ganz besondere Stimmung.

Ein absolutes Highlight ist der beheizte Infinity Pool mit Blick auf ein Wasserloch – das dazugehörige „Viewing -Deck“ ist traumhaft zum Entspannen, Cocktails genießen und einfach die Natur auf sich wirken zu lassen.
Leider wurde unser Erlebnis dort etwas getrübt: Trotz klarer Hinweisschilder zum Ruhebereich hielten sich einige Gäste nicht daran und verhielten sich sehr laut. Schade war, dass das Personal in dieser Situation nicht eingeschritten ist – gerade in einem Bereich, der zur Entspannung gedacht ist, wäre mehr Rücksicht wünschenswert gewesen.
Abgesehen davon ist die Anlage für ihre Größe wirklich hervorragend gestaltet – mit viel Atmosphäre und Komfort. Wir würden wiederkommen, hoffen aber auf etwas mehr Achtsamkeit im Ruhebereich.

Posted on 13/05/2025 by Booking.com

Location to gate of Kruger national park
Staff were polite and helpful
Rooms were good sized and comfortable
Good diverse food options

Posted on 21/05/2025 by Booking.com

Absolutely perfect location for access to the Kruger Park, setting and atmosphere created the African experience.

Posted on 20/05/2025 by Booking.com

Very good breakfast, I enjoyed it. Would like to have better variety of fruits, though

Posted on 20/05/2025 by Booking.com

Perfect location and suitable for the family

Posted on 15/05/2025 by Booking.com

Very friendly and helpful staff! Beautiful pool deck with the best pizza’s. Lovely buffet, both at brekkie and dinner. Handy location right by Paul Kruger Gate.

Posted on 13/05/2025 by Booking.com

Kruger Gate Hotel exceeded my expectations! Lovely staff, great ambiance, excellent breakfast and dinner! Our server, Given, was excellent the first night and recommended some good African Wine. Our first game drive ever was a great experience as our driver tried his best to find the Cats. Thepo|Thope was our server for my wife's birthday dinner, and he was phenomenal, along with the Chef and the crew. We experienced African hospitality! Will recommend Kruger Gate Hotel to friends and family and I hope to come back!

Posted on 13/05/2025 by Booking.com

Extreme hospitality in a beautiful setting. Everyone was kind and smiling. Great food. Clean spacious rooms. Adjacent to Kruger Gate

Posted on 20/05/2025 by Booking.com

De tudo. Desdo café da manhã, a piscina, o mini golf, os funcionários, até o jantar.

Posted on 20/05/2025 by Booking.com

Ein traumhaftes Hotel mit freundlichem und jederzeit hilfsbereitem Personal, top ausgestatteten Ferienhäusern und einem Abend- und Frühstücksbuffet mit einer großen Auswahl. Der Ausblick vom Pool auf den Krüger Nationalpark ist einzigartig und lässt einen täglich was Neues entdecken.
Wir haben 2 Privatsafaris mitgemacht und unsere Guides sind dabei stets auf unsere Wünsche eingegangen und haben es uns ermöglicht, die Big 5 zu sehen.
Es hätte für uns keinen besseren Abschluss unserer Südafrika-Reise geben können.

Posted on 18/05/2025 by Booking.com

We enjoyed the staff, the food, the amenities and the location.

Posted on 14/05/2025 by Booking.com

Sehr schöne, grüne und gepflegte Anlage, mit Blick auf den Sabie River und Krüger. Die Lage ist top, da man in weniger als 5Min im Park ist. Super freundliches und aufgestelltes Personal! Leckeres Essen! Gut geeignet auch für mit Kindern!

Posted on 18/05/2025 by Booking.com

Uitstekend

Posted on 17/05/2025 by Booking.com

Safari
Vue panoramique
Proximité porte

Posted on 17/05/2025 by Booking.com