Kruger National Park: safari, entry fees, gate quotas and tips

Kruger National Park, in South Africa’s Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces, can be visited as a self-drive safari in your own vehicle or on a guided safari. Entry fees (« conservation fees ») are charged per day: R602 per adult and R300 per child for international visitors, according to the latest fee schedule reported by the government news agency SAnews. This page brings together those rules, the gate quota system, official safety advice, malaria and, month by month, the sunrise and sunset times that set the rhythm of a safari day.

For the rest of your trip, see our South Africa travel guide and our page on the best time to visit South Africa.

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Entry fees and booking

The park is run by SANParks (South African National Parks). The official site could not be read on the day we collected the data; the amounts below come from an article by SAnews, the South African government’s news agency, published on 18 December 2025 and based on a SANParks statement. Check the current fee schedule on sanparks.org before you travel.

Category	Adult (per day)	Child aged 2 to 11 (per day)
International visitors	R602	R300
SADC nationals	R275	R137
South Africans, Zimbabweans, Mozambicans	R134	R67

Gate quotas

In busy periods, SANParks limits the number of day visitors. Once the quota is reached, only visitors who have booked online at sanparks.org can enter. Bookings are allocated by arrival slot: 5:30–8:00 am, 8:00–10:00 am, then from 10:00 am. A visitor who misses their slot is treated like a visitor without a booking. Guests staying overnight in the park’s camps are not affected by this quota.

Guided or self-drive safari: booking activities

You can visit Kruger in a private car on the park’s roads, or join ranger-led activities (safari vehicle drives, guided walks, night drives depending on what the camps offer). Activities and accommodation inside the park are booked through SANParks; many agencies and platforms also resell safaris from nearby towns. Before paying a reseller, check whether entry fees are included, the type of vehicle (open or closed), the number of participants and the cancellation terms.

Safety: what official advice says

The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (GOV.UK, updated 8 July 2026, read 26 October 2026) has a section on Kruger National Park:

• After a violent attack killed a tourist in the park, SANParks advises against using the Numbi gate, and there have been protests and violent incidents on the R538 road leading to it.
• In May 2026, two local tourists were killed in a rare violent incident within the park; the suspects were arrested.
• If you stay outside the park, contact your lodge in advance to find out whether any disruption will affect your trip.

The U.S. State Department (travel.state.gov, last updated August 11, 2025) adds that crime can happen anywhere and at any time, even in and around Kruger National Park. Practical consequence: plan your drives so that you reach the gates in daylight, using the sunrise and sunset table below, and check the SANParks news page for the gate you plan to use.

Health: malaria

GOV.UK (updated 8 July 2026) lists malaria among the health risks you should check before travelling to South Africa, and travel.state.gov (last updated August 11, 2025) also lists it among the common diseases. Neither page maps the risk area in detail, so ask a doctor or travel clinic before you leave about whether preventive treatment is advised for your dates and route, and use the official guidance for your country (TravelHealthPro for UK travellers, CDC for US travellers). See also our guide to malaria and travel.

Sunrise and sunset, month by month

Animals are most active early in the morning and late in the day, and the park gates open and close at times that change with the season: check the current hours on sanparks.org. The table below gives sunrise and sunset times on the 15th of each month for Skukuza, the main camp in the south of the park.

Month	Sunrise	Sunset	Day length
January	05:17	18:48	13 h 31
February	05:39	18:35	12 h 56
March	05:54	18:10	12 h 15
April	06:08	17:38	11 h 31
May	06:22	17:17	10 h 55
June	06:36	17:11	10 h 36
July	06:38	17:21	10 h 43
August	06:21	17:35	11 h 14
September	05:51	17:47	11 h 56
October	05:20	17:59	12 h 39
November	04:58	18:18	13 h 20
December	04:58	18:39	13 h 41

What the figures show: the day lasts 13 h 41 in December against 10 h 36 in June. In the southern-hemisphere winter (June–July), the sun sets around 17:11, so plan your return to a camp or gate well in advance. In the southern summer, the sun rises before 05:00 in November and December, which favors those staying inside the park.

Basic rules in the park

• Keep your entry permit and ID with you throughout your visit.
• Follow the rules posted by SANParks at the entrance (speed limits, no getting out of the vehicle outside designated areas, times to be back at the camps).
• Do not feed the animals and do not leave the authorized roads.
• Book in advance during quota periods if you are coming for the day.

Detailed rules and their updates are published by SANParks: read them again on the official site before you enter.

Car rental and preparation

For a self-drive safari, a car is essential. When renting, check that the insurance covers unpaved roads and that the vehicle is high enough to see over the vegetation. See entry requirements for South Africa in our South Africa visa guide; for mobile data, see our travel eSIM guide.

Common mistakes to avoid

1. Turning up as a day visitor without a booking during a quota period: entry can be refused once the quota is reached.
2. Arriving after your booked slot: you are then treated as an unbooked visitor.
3. Forgetting your passport: without valid ID, the standard rate applies.
4. Using the Numbi gate despite the SANParks advice relayed by the UK FCDO, or driving to the gates after dark.
5. Leaving without medical advice on malaria.

Combine with

Kruger is often combined with Cape Town. See also our map of South Africa and our page on time difference with South Africa.

Frequently asked questions

Our sources

• SAnews (South African government news agency): « Kruger National Park implements gate quotas to avoid overcrowding », 18 December 2025, consulted on 24 October 2026
• SANParks (sanparks.org): park pages could not be read on 24 October 2026 (403 errors / page not found), cited as the source to consult
• UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (GOV.UK), South Africa travel advice: Warnings and insurance, Safety and security and Health sections, updated 8 July 2026, read on 26 October 2026
• U.S. Department of State (travel.state.gov), South Africa: Safety and security and Health sections, last updated August 11, 2025, read on 26 October 2026
• Coordinates of Skukuza and the park’s provinces: Wikipedia, « Skukuza » and « Kruger National Park » articles
• Sunrise, sunset and day length: Destination de Voyage calculation, NOAA solar algorithm, Africa/Johannesburg time zone, Skukuza coordinates (Wikipedia), on the 15th of each month (year 2027)
• Our methodology

Updated November 2026.