National Parks in South Africa

The daily conservation fee

International visitors pay R602 per adult and R300 per child aged 2 to 11, for every day in the park. This rate applies from 1 November 2025 to 31 October 2026. South Africans pay R134 and citizens of SADC countries R275. A couple spending five days in Kruger therefore pays the fee five times.

When the Wild Card pays off

Visitors from abroad can buy only one Wild Card, the International All Parks Cluster: R4,680 for one person, R7,310 for a couple and R8,745 for a family, each valid for 365 days. At R602 a day, the single card pays off from the eighth day in the park and the couple card from the seventh. For a shorter stay, pay the daily fee.

Documents at the gate

Every visitor hands in a completed gate registration and indemnity form and shows an ID document or passport. SANParks provides the form to print before you arrive. On public holidays and long weekends a cap on day visitors can be reached; then only guests with a booked overnight stay get in.

Gate times by month

The entrance gates open at 5:30 or 6:00, depending on the month. Camp gates open as early as 4:30 in November, December and January. The gates close between 17:30 from May to July and 18:30 from November to February. You may not drive before or after these times, and arriving late can cost you a fine. If you want to be out at first light, stay inside the park: the camp gates open an hour before the entrance gates in high summer.

On the road

The speed limit is 50 km/h (31 mph) on tarred roads and 40 km/h (25 mph) on gravel. You must stay in your vehicle with the doors closed, and no part of your body may stick out of the window or sunroof. Driving off-road is prohibited, and no pets may be brought into the park.

Kruger lies in a malaria area, and SANParks has recommended chemoprophylaxis since 2017. The highest risk is from November to April; which drug is right for you is a medical decision. The season also changes the clock: in November, December and January the camp gates open at 4:30, while in May, June and July the gates already close at 17:30, so the winter day in the park is shorter.

South, centre or north

The south is greener and the most visited. The central savannah around Satara is known as predator country. The north, with mopane bushveld and scattered baobabs, is the quietest part, and SANParks describes the far north as the wildest and least accessible section. If you want distance from other cars, head for Punda Maria or Pafuri.

Inside or outside the park

There are 12 main camps, 5 bush camps and 4 satellite camps. Staying inside means earlier starts and no risk of the day-visitor cap. Skukuza on the Sabie River is the largest rest camp and the park's administrative centre; Lower Sabie sits on the river, where the animals come to the water; Satara lies in the open savannah. Guided full-day game drives also start from towns outside the gates, such as Hazyview and Nelspruit.

Beyond South Africa

Since the fences to Mozambique and Zimbabwe came down, Kruger has been part of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, a cross-border protected area shared by three countries.