Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport, (KMIA for short), is the main airport, located in White River, for flights to the Kruger National Park region.
The airport is 25km (16 miles) from the regional town of Nelspruit and 46km (29 miles) south of Numbi Gate, the closest Kruger Park gate.
You can catch commercial flights to Kruger Mpumalanga Airport from the big cities in South Africa:
Cape Town- Durban
- Johannesburg
Although the airport is called an international airport, there are only two other countries which have flights to it. These flights are from a variety of beach resorts in Mozambique along with its capital city, Maputo, and from Livingstone in Zambia.
There are also a range of charter flight services which operate from Kruger Park Mpumalanga Airport and may take you to one of the few small airstrips in Kruger National Park itself – Pafuri Reserve Airstrip or Skukuza Airfield.
The Kruger Park Mpumalanga Airport building doesn’t look like a typical airport. Instead, it’s a thatched building well-themed for the tourist area it’s in and more fitting for a large safari lodge than an airport. It has paid parking and inside are the usual kind of shops; cafes, souvenir stores and service outlets.
Car Rental And Shuttles
If you’ve flown into Kruger Airport and you need to hire a car to use on your safari or around the region, the major car rental brands are at the airport.
There are also a number of shuttle bus, transfer and tour operators which run from the airport. These shuttle services will take you to nearby towns, hotels and the private lodges in and around Kruger National Park.
Transfers to the private lodges definitely need to be pre-booked and will be part of your accommodation package if you choose it. Some other shuttles may take you without a booking. You’ll need to check with the operators to see which one has the best option for you.
Malaria
Even if you’re not visiting Kruger National Park itself, KMIA is in a malaria area and you’ll need to take the necessary precautions. Your doctor or pharmacist can advise you about malaria.