01 · Opening · Mpumalanga and Limpopo, South Africa
Two million hectares you may drive through yourself, and a time window that ends every day when the gates close.
First momentAlmost two million hectares, protected since 1898, and you may drive through them in your own car, though you may only get out at designated spots.
almost, around 20,000 km² (7,700 sq mi)
to protect the wildlife of the Lowveld
elsewhere SANParks gives 148
elsewhere SANParks gives 546
Kruger is one of the few large wildlife reserves in Africa that you may drive through on your own in your own or a hired car. SANParks explicitly calls it one of the most popular "public-entry game parks" in the world. It has twelve large rest camps, five bush camps and four satellite camps, plus bush lodges: two according to the SANParks home page, three on the camps page.
The park was established in 1898 to protect the wildlife of the South African Lowveld. SANParks gives its present area as almost two million hectares, around 20,000 square kilometres (7,700 sq mi): roughly the size of Wales.
The park authority itself gives 147 mammal species and 507 bird species in one place, and 148 and 546 in another. Both figures are on sanparks.org. We report them as they appear there instead of declaring one of them the truth.
The fences between Kruger, Limpopo National Park in Mozambique and Gonarezhou in Zimbabwe have come down. Together they form the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park.
From 1 November 2025 to 31 October 2026, international visitors pay R602 per adult and R300 per child aged 2 to 11, and they pay it for **every** day in the park, not once per stay. South Africans pay R134, citizens of SADC countries R275.
The Wild Card is valid for 365 days from purchase. International visitors can only buy the "International All Parks Cluster": R4,680 for one person, R7,310 for a couple, R8,745 for a family. At R602 a day, the single card is cheaper from the eighth day in the park, the couple card from the seventh, counting Kruger alone.
There is a cap on day visitors. Once it is reached, the park only admits guests with a booked overnight stay. According to SANParks this happens mainly on public holidays and long weekends.
02 · Skukuza and Lower Sabie
Skukuza is the largest rest camp and the park's administrative centre; Lower Sabie lies right on the river. In between, on the H4-1, is Nkuhlu picnic site, on the bank of the Sabie River under large mahogany trees.
Administrative centre on the Sabie River
The largest rest camp and the park's administrative centre, on the Sabie River.
Camp on the river
A camp on the river: the animals come to the water, so you do not have to drive after them.
Access in the south
Malelane and Crocodile Bridge are on the N4 in the south, Numbi and Phabeni in the south-west near Hazyview, and Paul Kruger west of Skukuza. These five gates lead into the busiest part of the park, with Skukuza, Lower Sabie, Berg-en-Dal and Pretoriuskop.
Legend Safaris · GetYourGuide
Pickup before sunrise in Hazyview, entry at Phabeni Gate when the gates open, at the time when the animals are most active. Ten hours in an open safari vehicle with a guide.
Departure Accommodation in Hazyview; outside the pickup area, a meeting point at Phabeni Gate instead.
According to the operator, pickup and drop-off, the open safari vehicle, the guide and water are included. Not included are food and drinks, tips and, now explicitly in the list of inclusions, the entrance fee: the page gives 602 rand per adult and 300 rand per child for international visitors, the same amounts as SANParks. Pickup is before sunrise, around 5:00 from October to March and 5:30 from April to September; if you stay outside the pickup area, you can be picked up at Phabeni Gate. Bring your passport or ID.
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03 · The rules in the car
On tarred roads the limit is 50 km/h (31 mph), on gravel 40, in camp 20. You may only get out at designated spots, no arm sticks out of the window, and the doors stay closed.
In the car
Outside designated areas you must stay in your vehicle. No part of your body may stick out of the window, sunroof or any other opening, and the doors stay closed. This is not a recommendation but the park authority's first rule.
On tarred roads the limit is 50 km/h (31 mph), on gravel roads 40 km/h (25 mph). All general traffic rules apply. Driving off-road or on no-entry roads is prohibited.
In the rest camps the limit is 20 km/h (12 mph). On the tourist roads SANParks recommends an average of 30 km/h (19 mph), because you drive more safely and see more. According to the travel page, motorcycles and vehicles with an axle load of more than 8,000 kilograms are not allowed; caravans, trailers and buses stay on the tarred roads. The park rules on the "Vital Information" page also restrict vehicles with a load capacity of more than 4,000 kilograms or more than 25 seats to the tarred roads, and ban bicycles. Open vehicles need a permit from Skukuza.
Feeding or disturbing animals is a serious offence; the park authority points out that animals take litter for food. A strict quiet time applies between 21:30 and 6:00, and mobile phones are only allowed in camps, at gates and in emergencies. Drones are banned throughout the park and above it.
The office of the State Veterinarian is inside the park. For this reason no live animals may be brought in or taken out, and pets are banned without exception. Raw products from cloven-hoofed animals may not leave the park unless they are in their original packaging and labelled as of South African origin.
On the road
Every camp has a board where visitors record which animals were seen where. It is updated daily, and the park authority explicitly recommends checking it before you set off.
For breakdowns in the park SANParks gives a toll-free number: 0800 030 666. Every gate also has its own phone number, listed on the day visits page.
Inn Africa Camp & Tours · GetYourGuide
A full day in an open vehicle with pickup from your accommodation or a gate of your choice. Two stops for breakfast and lunch, meals not included.
Departure Your accommodation or a park gate of your choice.
The operator explicitly lists the conservation fee as not included, but with amounts that match none of the park authority's rate groups: the list of inclusions gives 454 rand per adult and 230 rand per child, the note 115 and 57 rand for South Africans. SANParks gives 602 and 300 rand for international visitors and 134 and 67 rand for South Africans. An insurance form must be completed before entry; two stops for breakfast and lunch at your own expense. Bring cash, a camera, binoculars and your passport.
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04 · Gate times and late arrival
The gates open at 5:30 or 6:00 depending on the month and close between 17:30 and 18:30. If you are still out after that, you risk a fine.
Opening and closing
The entrance gates open at 5:30 from November to February and in October, and at 6:00 from April to September; in March at 5:30. The camp gates open as early as 4:30 in November, December and January, so if you stay in a camp, you are out before everyone else.
The gates close at 17:30 in May, June and July, at 18:00 in March, April, August, September and October, and at 18:30 from November to February. By then you must be in a camp or out of the park.
SANParks puts it plainly: driving before or after these times is not allowed, the gate times are strictly enforced, and if you arrive late, you may be fined. The times valid for the day are on the green gate entry permit.
Which gate
Orpen is level with Satara, Phalaborwa level with Letaba and Mopani. Punda Maria and Pafuri open up the north. From the southernmost to the northernmost gate there are around 350 kilometres (217 mi) of park; at 50 km/h (31 mph) that is not a day trip.
Late arrivals are only allowed in emergencies, with proof, until 21:00, and only for guests with booked accommodation in a camp no more than ten kilometres from the gate. Not at all at Pafuri, Phalaborwa and Phabeni. For Skukuza, late arrival costs R500.
SANParks provides a gate registration and indemnity form that you fill in and hand in at the gate, together with an ID document or passport. If you bring it with you, you queue for less time.
For questions about times and access, SANParks publishes the phone numbers of all gates, from Crocodile Bridge to Punda Maria. For breakdowns in the park there is the toll-free number 0800 030 666.
Ama-Zing African Safaris · GetYourGuide
Eleven hours in a vehicle with an open roof, entering around 5:30 in summer. Pickup from many places in the surrounding area or at five park gates; brunch at one of the picnic sites.
Departure Nelspruit, Barberton, White River, Hazyview, Malelane, Hectorspruit, Marloth Park, Komatipoort, or at Paul Kruger, Phabeni, Numbi, Malelane and Crocodile Bridge gates.
According to the operator, pickup and drop-off, the vehicle with an open roof, an FGASA-registered guide, the game drives and a bottle of water are included. Entrance and conservation fees are now explicitly listed among the exclusions, as are breakfast, lunch, drinks and insurance. According to the description, the day usually begins at Crocodile Bridge; pickup in Nelspruit and White River is around 3:30 in summer and around 4:00 in winter. No more than six guests in the group, nine on private tours. The operator advertises a separate entrance for faster entry.
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05 · Satara and the Big Five
Around Satara the savannah opens up, with marula and knob thorn standing in the grass: the area where people look for lions. SANParks sets the Little Five against the Big Five, and the Birding Big Six for birdwatchers.
In the middle of the savannah
In the middle of the open savannah: the area where people look for lions.
„Buffalo, elephant, leopard, lion and rhino: the Big Five. The park sets the Little Five against them: buffalo weaver, elephant shrew, leopard tortoise, antlion and rhino beetle.“
Kruger National Park · leopard in the morning grass
What to look out for
For birdwatchers the park names six species to look for: ground hornbill, kori bustard, lappet-faced vulture, martial eagle, Pel's fishing owl and saddle-billed stork.
In Kruger, SANParks runs cameras at Olifants, Orpen, Punda Maria, Satara and Talamati. Three of them stream video, the others a still image every minute. For trip planning it is the most honest view of landscape and weather.
Kruger National Park: landscape and origins
Kruger is not a park you are guided through. It is a road network through a wildlife reserve the size of a small country, on which you drive yourself: at 50 km/h (31 mph) and on condition that you stay in the car.
It was founded in 1898 to protect the wildlife of the Lowveld, half a century before safari tourism was even a word. Today SANParks counts 336 tree species, 507 bird species and 147 mammal species; elsewhere it gives 148 and 546. Both are on the same website, and we report both.
The park lies in two provinces and stretches from the Crocodile River in the south to the Limpopo on the border with Zimbabwe. The south is greener and the most visited, the central savannah around Satara is known as predator country, and the north, with mopane bushveld and scattered baobabs, is the quietest part. If you want distance, head for Punda Maria or Pafuri.
Since the fences to Mozambique and Zimbabwe came down, Kruger has been part of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park: a cross-border protected area created because three countries agreed to give wildlife back its old routes.
SANParks: Kruger National Park ↗
The park in numbers
06 · Camps above two rivers
North of Satara there are two camps on rivers: Olifants on a ridge high above the Olifants River, and Letaba on the Letaba River with the Elephant Hall, a museum about the park's great bulls.
Camp with a museum
A camp on the Letaba River, and the museum about the park's great bulls.
Letaba camp has a museum about the park's great bulls. SANParks lists it among the natural and cultural attractions you should see.
Reading the trees
Baobab, fever tree, knob thorn, marula and mopane: five species that the park itself highlights as landmarks of the landscape. Mopane dominates the north, where the baobab stands alone on the plains.
07 · Punda Maria and Pafuri
The park authority calls the far north the wildest and least accessible part of the park. At Pafuri picnic site on the Levuvhu River, the site attendant keeps a list of more than 200 bird species.
The quietest part
The wildest and least accessible part of the park, according to the park authority.
In the north
The park authority describes the far north as the wildest and least accessible section, and for exactly that reason the most appealing for travellers looking for distance.
The park preserves San rock paintings and the Masorini and Thulamela sites: evidence of centuries of settlement, long before the reserve was founded.
08 · Sunset, night and on foot
After the gates close, nobody may drive on their own. The sunset drive leaves the camp before dusk and searches with a spotlight on the way back; SANParks calls the night drive the only way to see the animals of the night.
Guided from the camp
These drives leave the camp before dusk and return after sunset, about three hours in all. On the way back the guide searches with a spotlight.
Night drives start at 19:30 or 20:00 depending on the season and last around two hours. They are the only legal way to be out in the park after the gates close.
An afternoon game drive takes you to a spot with lanterns and open fires, where game meat, sausages, vegetables and salads are served. The drive back is in the dark, with about half an hour of night game viewing. Book at the camp, subject to availability.
Morning drives leave half an hour before the official gate opening, so you are the only ones out. They last three to three and a half hours in an open vehicle, with a guide.
Guided drives have an age limit: children under six are not allowed for safety reasons. Adults and children pay different prices.
Kruger Gateway Safaris · Sunset · from Phabeni Gate
In the late afternoon through Phabeni Gate into the south of the park: a game drive in an open safari vehicle with a guide as the sun sets and the nocturnal animals become active. According to the description, from 16:00 to 19:30. The operator itself writes that you see fewer animals than on a morning drive; the drive is meant as an introduction and for anyone short on time.
Departure Meeting point according to the page: Perry’s Bridge Trading Post in Hazyview (safari vehicle with a cheetah emblem, "Kruger Gateway Safaris"); according to the description: Phabeni Gate. Pickup possible from accommodation in Hazyview and from Kruger Gate Hotel at Paul Kruger Gate. Ends at the meeting point.
According to the list of inclusions, the guide as driver and bottled water are included. The conservation fee is not included; like SANParks, the page gives 602 rand for international adults and 134 rand for South Africans, and children under 12 pay half. Contradictions: the itinerary shows "free admission" at both stops. The page gives the duration three different ways: 5.5 hours in the header, 16:00 to 19:30 in the description, 3 hours in the booking option; for the start time it only gives a window (Monday to Thursday 13:00 to 18:00, Friday to Sunday 12:00 to 18:00), and the operator gives the exact time. According to the description the meeting point is Phabeni Gate; according to the meeting point details it is Perry’s Bridge in Hazyview. The page calls the drive private, for your own group only. According to SANParks the gates close between 17:30 and 18:30 depending on the month, after which you may no longer be out in the park. The page does not say who runs the drive inside the park or how the 19:30 finish fits in. Clarify before booking. The booking details provide for infants and for children from six years; SANParks does not allow children under six on its own game drives. The description calls some drives wheelchair accessible, the page "not wheelchair accessible". Book up to 48 hours in advance; the operator confirms manually; free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance.
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On foot
Most camps offer guided walks daily in the early morning and the afternoon. No more than eight guests head out with two armed guides into the wilderness around the camp for a few hours. Children under 12 are not allowed. You need comfortable shoes and clothing in natural colours; you may bring a camera and binoculars.
Walks, bush walks and multi-day wilderness trails only take place with experienced, armed guides. The park also lists 4x4 routes, birdwatching, mountain biking and a golf course at Skukuza.
Vomba Tours & Safaris · Guided walk · 3 hours
From the gate, a safari vehicle takes the group to a set spot in the park, then you continue on foot for three hours: reading tracks, learning about plants and their uses, experiencing animals up close. No more than eight guests, pickup and return from Hazyview.
Departure Pickup at hotels in Hazyview, drive to a park gate; the page does not say which one.
Included are pickup and drop-off in Hazyview, the guide and mineral water. Not included are the park's conservation fees (for international visitors 602 rand per adult and 300 rand per child per day), tips and food. The page gives no age limit; on the park authority's walks, children under 12 are not allowed and two armed guides go along. Not suitable for people with reduced mobility. Bring your passport and comfortable shoes, no large luggage. Free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance.
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09 · Airport, camps and malaria
Twelve main camps and five bush camps: you stay inside the park itself, in camps with their own gate. Scheduled flights land at Skukuza every day, in the middle of the south.
Where to stay
Each of the twelve main camps has electricity, a first-aid post, a shop, braai and communal kitchens, laundry facilities, a restaurant or cafeteria, public phones and a filling station. There are information centres at Letaba, Skukuza and Berg-en-Dal.
The five bush camps, Bateleur, Biyamiti, Shimuwini, Sirheni and Talamati, are smaller and more remote. They have neither a shop nor a restaurant, and only guests booked there may enter. Every unit has a fridge, a stove and its own bathroom.
Boulders, Pafuri Border Camp and Roodewal are private lodges that can only be booked in full. They have no reception; you check in at a gate or main camp.
The park authority points out that the new Skukuza units can only be booked directly with the camp until 31 October 2026. Online booking opens only from 1 November 2026.
SANParks says so itself: for decades all rest camps have had mice, rats, bats and insects, attracted by buildings and by food that guests leave outside. The park counts 25 rodent species and 43 bat species.
How to get there
There are daily flights from Johannesburg to Skukuza, Phalaborwa and Hoedspruit and to Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport between Nelspruit and White River; you can also fly direct to Skukuza from Cape Town. Skukuza Airport lies inside the park itself. Hire cars are available at KMIA, Hoedspruit and Phalaborwa airports and at Skukuza camp.
Four-hour game drives start at Numbi, Phabeni and Kruger Gate, one in the morning and one in the afternoon; in winter each starts and ends half an hour earlier. The service is run by SANParks together with Vuswa Fleet Services and is meant to create jobs for communities on the edge of the park. You book by phone with the operators SANParks lists.
Private Kruger Safaris · Three-day tour · from Skukuza Airport
Pickup at Skukuza Airport, which lies inside the park, then two nights at Skukuza Safari Lodge and private game drives in an open vehicle: on the first afternoon until the gates close, on the second day with a lunch break in the south of the park, and on the third morning once more before your return flight.
Departure Skukuza Airport inside the park; the pickup time depends on your flight's arrival.
According to the operator, two nights with breakfast at Skukuza Safari Lodge (subject to availability), the private game drives and the airport transfer both ways are included. Not included are meals, drinks, tips, a night drive or morning walk and the daily conservation fees. For these the page gives two different amounts, 535 and 460 rand per person per night; SANParks gives 602 rand per day for international adults. Contradictions: the itinerary shows "free admission", while the list of inclusions excludes the fees; on the second day the accommodation is called "Skukuza Safari Hotel", while the overview mentions bungalows. Not wheelchair accessible. Book up to two days in advance; the operator confirms manually. Non-refundable: if you cancel, you get no money back.
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Africa Moja Tours & Safaris · GetYourGuide
Three days from Johannesburg or Pretoria with pickup at your hotel or the airport: an afternoon drive, a full day with a lunch break at Skukuza and a morning drive in the park. Both nights are spent at Tembo Guest Lodge in Hazyview, outside the park.
Departure Hotels in Johannesburg and Pretoria and Johannesburg airport.
The national park fees are explicitly in the list of inclusions, alongside the game drives, the transfers and accommodation in a bungalow or chalet. Contradiction: the short description promises a safari with two nights in Kruger National Park and game drives at night as well; the itinerary names Tembo Guest Lodge in Hazyview, outside the park, as the accommodation and only daytime drives. Clarify before booking. The operator gives February to May as the malaria risk period, SANParks November to April.
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Malaria
Kruger lies in a malaria area. Since 2017 SANParks has explicitly recommended taking prophylaxis, and it names November to April as the period of highest risk. Mosquitoes bite mainly between dusk and dawn; all accommodation in the park has mosquito screens.
Between the bite of an infected mosquito and the first symptoms there can be 12 to 35 days. If you develop a fever without an obvious cause during this time, get tested for malaria; a blood test is the most accurate. Prophylaxis lowers the risk but does not rule out the disease. At the same time, SANParks describes the risk in Kruger as mostly low, even in summer.
10 · Before you go
The fees apply until 31 October 2026, and the gate times change with the months. The times valid for the day are on the green entry permit you get at the gate.
Film by the park authority
A good four and a half minutes from SANParks itself, released in July 2025 for the meeting of the G20 environment working group in the park: sunrise over the bush, hippos in the river, a lioness, arrival at the airport inside the park, game drives in an open vehicle, then accommodation, a museum, kitchen and shop in the camps. A promotional film by the park authority, not a guide. In English.
Source: SANParks · South African National Parks · View channel ↗
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Opening and closing times change monthly with the daylight.
Late arrivals are only allowed in emergencies and with proof until 21:00, and only for guests with booked accommodation in a camp no more than ten kilometres from the gate. Not at all at Pafuri, Phalaborwa and Phabeni gates. For Skukuza, late arrival costs R500.
Climate through the year
Best months by the climate data: May to August. Average daytime highs of 25 to 28 °C, lows of 11 to 14 °C, 7 to 11 mm of precipitation a month. The wettest month is January (121 mm), the driest June (7 mm). The hottest month is December, with average highs of 32 °C.
| Month | High °C | Low °C | Precipitation mm |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32.0 | 19.6 | 121 |
| February | 32.0 | 19.7 | 88 |
| March | 31.0 | 18.7 | 85 |
| April | 28.8 | 16.5 | 48 |
| May | 27.5 | 13.9 | 11 |
| June | 25.3 | 11.6 | 7 |
| July | 25.0 | 11.0 | 7 |
| August | 27.7 | 12.7 | 7 |
| September | 30.3 | 14.9 | 16 |
| October | 31.5 | 16.6 | 45 |
| November | 31.9 | 18.0 | 86 |
| December | 32.3 | 19.3 | 110 |
| Year | 631 |
Modelled values, not a weather station: NASA POWER (MERRA-2) for a grid cell of about 55 × 65 km around the map point Talamati (24.56° S, 31.56° E), with an average cell elevation of about 550 m. Averages for 2001–2020. Higher ground and valleys can differ markedly.
Source: NASA POWER, climatology 2001–2020 ↗ · retrieved 3 Oct 2026
The park is 350 kilometres (217 mi) long; the wrong gate costs you half a day.
Ama-Zing African Safaris · offer
Eleven hours in a vehicle with an open roof, entering around 5:30 in summer. Pickup from many places in the surrounding area or at five park gates; brunch at one of the picnic sites.
Departure Nelspruit, Barberton, White River, Hazyview, Malelane, Hectorspruit, Marloth Park, Komatipoort, or at Paul Kruger, Phabeni, Numbi, Malelane and Crocodile Bridge gates.
According to the operator, pickup and drop-off, the vehicle with an open roof, an FGASA-registered guide, the game drives and a bottle of water are included. Entrance and conservation fees are now explicitly listed among the exclusions, as are breakfast, lunch, drinks and insurance. According to the description, the day usually begins at Crocodile Bridge; pickup in Nelspruit and White River is around 3:30 in summer and around 4:00 in winter. No more than six guests in the group, nine on private tours. The operator advertises a separate entrance for faster entry.
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Private Kruger Safaris · Three-day tour · from Skukuza Airport
Pickup at Skukuza Airport, which lies inside the park, then two nights at Skukuza Safari Lodge and private game drives in an open vehicle: on the first afternoon until the gates close, on the second day with a lunch break in the south of the park, and on the third morning once more before your return flight.
Departure Skukuza Airport inside the park; the pickup time depends on your flight's arrival.
According to the operator, two nights with breakfast at Skukuza Safari Lodge (subject to availability), the private game drives and the airport transfer both ways are included. Not included are meals, drinks, tips, a night drive or morning walk and the daily conservation fees. For these the page gives two different amounts, 535 and 460 rand per person per night; SANParks gives 602 rand per day for international adults. Contradictions: the itinerary shows "free admission", while the list of inclusions excludes the fees; on the second day the accommodation is called "Skukuza Safari Hotel", while the overview mentions bungalows. Not wheelchair accessible. Book up to two days in advance; the operator confirms manually. Non-refundable: if you cancel, you get no money back.
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Africa Moja Tours & Safaris · offer
Three days from Johannesburg or Pretoria with pickup at your hotel or the airport: an afternoon drive, a full day with a lunch break at Skukuza and a morning drive in the park. Both nights are spent at Tembo Guest Lodge in Hazyview, outside the park.
Departure Hotels in Johannesburg and Pretoria and Johannesburg airport.
The national park fees are explicitly in the list of inclusions, alongside the game drives, the transfers and accommodation in a bungalow or chalet. Contradiction: the short description promises a safari with two nights in Kruger National Park and game drives at night as well; the itinerary names Tembo Guest Lodge in Hazyview, outside the park, as the accommodation and only daytime drives. Clarify before booking. The operator gives February to May as the malaria risk period, SANParks November to April.
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Ad · we may earn a commission if you book through this partner link. Offer details checked 27 Sep 2026. See official ticket information.
All amounts in South African rand, retrieved from SANParks on 21 September 2026.
All fees and your price for the daySeparate page: price list, calculator, opening hoursAdult rates apply from 12 years, child rates from 2 to 11 years, and children under 2 go free. A community levy of one per cent is added to accommodation and activities.
SANParks provides a gate registration and indemnity form to print out. You hand it in at the gate together with an ID document or passport, whether you are a South African, SADC or international visitor.
Legend Safaris · offer
Pickup before sunrise in Hazyview, entry at Phabeni Gate when the gates open, at the time when the animals are most active. Ten hours in an open safari vehicle with a guide.
Departure Accommodation in Hazyview; outside the pickup area, a meeting point at Phabeni Gate instead.
According to the operator, pickup and drop-off, the open safari vehicle, the guide and water are included. Not included are food and drinks, tips and, now explicitly in the list of inclusions, the entrance fee: the page gives 602 rand per adult and 300 rand per child for international visitors, the same amounts as SANParks. Pickup is before sunrise, around 5:00 from October to March and 5:30 from April to September; if you stay outside the pickup area, you can be picked up at Phabeni Gate. Bring your passport or ID.
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Inn Africa Camp & Tours · offer
A full day in an open vehicle with pickup from your accommodation or a gate of your choice. Two stops for breakfast and lunch, meals not included.
Departure Your accommodation or a park gate of your choice.
The operator explicitly lists the conservation fee as not included, but with amounts that match none of the park authority's rate groups: the list of inclusions gives 454 rand per adult and 230 rand per child, the note 115 and 57 rand for South Africans. SANParks gives 602 and 300 rand for international visitors and 134 and 67 rand for South Africans. An insurance form must be completed before entry; two stops for breakfast and lunch at your own expense. Bring cash, a camera, binoculars and your passport.
View tour ↗Ad · partner link · checked 27 Sep 2026
Ama-Zing African Safaris · offer
Eleven hours in a vehicle with an open roof, entering around 5:30 in summer. Pickup from many places in the surrounding area or at five park gates; brunch at one of the picnic sites.
Departure Nelspruit, Barberton, White River, Hazyview, Malelane, Hectorspruit, Marloth Park, Komatipoort, or at Paul Kruger, Phabeni, Numbi, Malelane and Crocodile Bridge gates.
According to the operator, pickup and drop-off, the vehicle with an open roof, an FGASA-registered guide, the game drives and a bottle of water are included. Entrance and conservation fees are now explicitly listed among the exclusions, as are breakfast, lunch, drinks and insurance. According to the description, the day usually begins at Crocodile Bridge; pickup in Nelspruit and White River is around 3:30 in summer and around 4:00 in winter. No more than six guests in the group, nine on private tours. The operator advertises a separate entrance for faster entry.
View tour ↗Ad · partner link · checked 27 Sep 2026
Kruger Gateway Safaris · Sunset · from Phabeni Gate
In the late afternoon through Phabeni Gate into the south of the park: a game drive in an open safari vehicle with a guide as the sun sets and the nocturnal animals become active. According to the description, from 16:00 to 19:30. The operator itself writes that you see fewer animals than on a morning drive; the drive is meant as an introduction and for anyone short on time.
Departure Meeting point according to the page: Perry’s Bridge Trading Post in Hazyview (safari vehicle with a cheetah emblem, "Kruger Gateway Safaris"); according to the description: Phabeni Gate. Pickup possible from accommodation in Hazyview and from Kruger Gate Hotel at Paul Kruger Gate. Ends at the meeting point.
According to the list of inclusions, the guide as driver and bottled water are included. The conservation fee is not included; like SANParks, the page gives 602 rand for international adults and 134 rand for South Africans, and children under 12 pay half. Contradictions: the itinerary shows "free admission" at both stops. The page gives the duration three different ways: 5.5 hours in the header, 16:00 to 19:30 in the description, 3 hours in the booking option; for the start time it only gives a window (Monday to Thursday 13:00 to 18:00, Friday to Sunday 12:00 to 18:00), and the operator gives the exact time. According to the description the meeting point is Phabeni Gate; according to the meeting point details it is Perry’s Bridge in Hazyview. The page calls the drive private, for your own group only. According to SANParks the gates close between 17:30 and 18:30 depending on the month, after which you may no longer be out in the park. The page does not say who runs the drive inside the park or how the 19:30 finish fits in. Clarify before booking. The booking details provide for infants and for children from six years; SANParks does not allow children under six on its own game drives. The description calls some drives wheelchair accessible, the page "not wheelchair accessible". Book up to 48 hours in advance; the operator confirms manually; free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance.
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Vomba Tours & Safaris · Guided walk · 3 hours
From the gate, a safari vehicle takes the group to a set spot in the park, then you continue on foot for three hours: reading tracks, learning about plants and their uses, experiencing animals up close. No more than eight guests, pickup and return from Hazyview.
Departure Pickup at hotels in Hazyview, drive to a park gate; the page does not say which one.
Included are pickup and drop-off in Hazyview, the guide and mineral water. Not included are the park's conservation fees (for international visitors 602 rand per adult and 300 rand per child per day), tips and food. The page gives no age limit; on the park authority's walks, children under 12 are not allowed and two armed guides go along. Not suitable for people with reduced mobility. Bring your passport and comfortable shoes, no large luggage. Free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance.
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Private Kruger Safaris · Three-day tour · from Skukuza Airport
Pickup at Skukuza Airport, which lies inside the park, then two nights at Skukuza Safari Lodge and private game drives in an open vehicle: on the first afternoon until the gates close, on the second day with a lunch break in the south of the park, and on the third morning once more before your return flight.
Departure Skukuza Airport inside the park; the pickup time depends on your flight's arrival.
According to the operator, two nights with breakfast at Skukuza Safari Lodge (subject to availability), the private game drives and the airport transfer both ways are included. Not included are meals, drinks, tips, a night drive or morning walk and the daily conservation fees. For these the page gives two different amounts, 535 and 460 rand per person per night; SANParks gives 602 rand per day for international adults. Contradictions: the itinerary shows "free admission", while the list of inclusions excludes the fees; on the second day the accommodation is called "Skukuza Safari Hotel", while the overview mentions bungalows. Not wheelchair accessible. Book up to two days in advance; the operator confirms manually. Non-refundable: if you cancel, you get no money back.
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The rules fall under the Protected Areas Act; breaking them is an offence.
Accommodation and campsites are available from 14:00 and must be vacated by 10:00 on the day of departure. Overnight guests report to reception before moving in.
R602 per adult per day and R300 per child aged 2 to 11, for every day in the park, not once per stay. The fee applies from 1 November 2025 to 31 October 2026. South Africans pay R134, SADC citizens R275.
Yes, from about a week. International visitors can only buy the "International All Parks Cluster": R4,680 for one person, R7,310 for a couple, R8,745 for a family, each valid for 365 days. With a daily fee of R602, the single card pays off from the eighth day in the park, the couple card from the seventh.
Yes, that is the normal way to visit. The speed limit is 50 on tarred roads and 40 on gravel, you must stay in your vehicle and keep the doors closed, and no part of your body may stick out of the window or sunroof. Driving off-road is prohibited.
The entrance gates open at 5:30 or 6:00 depending on the month, and the camp gates as early as 4:30 in high summer. They close between 17:30 (May to July) and 18:30 (November to February). You may not drive before or after these times; arriving late can cost you a fine.
SANParks explicitly recommends chemoprophylaxis: the park lies in a malaria area, and it has recommended this since 2017. The highest risk is from November to April. Which drug is right for you is a medical decision; SANParks names doxycycline, atovaquone/proguanil and mefloquine as the three in common use in South Africa.
No. The office of the State Veterinarian is inside the park; no live animals may be brought into the park or taken out of it. Pets are banned without exception.
You need a completed gate registration and indemnity form and an ID document or passport. SANParks provides the form to print out before you arrive; you hand it in at the gate, whether you are a South African, SADC or international visitor.
If you want to be out early, stay inside: in November, December and January the camp gates open at 4:30, while the entrance gates open at 5:30. There is also a cap on day visitors; once it is reached, only guests with a booked overnight stay get in. According to SANParks this happens mainly on public holidays and long weekends.
It depends on what you are looking for. The south is greener and the most visited, the central savannah around Satara is known as predator country, and the north, with mopane bushveld and scattered baobabs, is the quietest part. The park authority describes the far north as the wildest and least accessible section.
Every statement on this page links to SANParks.
Researched 21 Sep 2026. Not a live status. Dates apply only to the year stated. A successful automatic fetch is not an editorial confirmation; outdated automatic values are hidden and replaced by the source link.
Current information from the park ↗
Location sources: SANParks publishes GPS waypoints only for the camps, not for gates, picnic sites or the airport, and these waypoints lie up to almost two kilometres from the camps. Every point was therefore looked up individually in OpenStreetMap; the evidence is given at each point. Markers do not imply that access is permitted. Base map © OpenStreetMap contributors. Coastlines of the chapter map: Natural Earth.
The lists the park keeps itself.
Buffalo, elephant, leopard, lion and rhino are the Big Five. SANParks sets the Little Five against them: buffalo weaver, elephant shrew, leopard tortoise, antlion and rhino beetle.
End of the field book · Park authority ↗
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