There are eleven Kruger National Park gates. To get into the game reserve, you must enter through one of them. Most gates are in the south-west of the park because this is the direction the majority of people travel from.
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Gates Map
The map below has all the park gates, rest camps and some local towns marked on it. It may help you determine which is the best entrance gate for the part of the park you’re visiting.
Gates Closest to Towns
If you’re staying at a town near Kruger National Park and making day trips into the reserve, it’s handy to know how far you’ll be travelling to the park. The following table lists local towns in Mpumalanga or Limpopo, as well as Johannesburg, and distances to their closest gates:
| Town | Closest Gate | Distance (km) | Distance (miles) |
| Hazyview | Phabeni | 10 | 6 |
| Hoedspruit | Orpen | 70 | 43 |
| Johannesburg | Malelane | 406 | 252 |
| Komatipoort | Crocodile Bridge | 10 | 6 |
| Nelspruit | Malelane | 66 | 41 |
| Phalaborwa | Phalaborwa | 2 | 1.2 |
| Sabie | Phabeni | 55 | 34 |
| White River | Numbi | 35 | 22 |
Gates Closest to Rest Camps
If you’re heading to a rest camp in Kruger Park, the table below sets out which gates are closest to which rest camps.
| Gate | Rest Camp |
| Crocodile Bridge | Biyamiti, Crocodile Bridge, Lower Sabie |
| Giriyondo | Bateleur, Boulders, Letaba, Mopani, Shingwedzi, Tsendze |
| Malelane | Berg-En-Dal, Biyamiti, Malelane |
| Numbi | Pretoriuskop |
| Orpen | Balule, Maroela, Olifants, Orpen, Roodewal, Satara, Talamati, Tamboti |
| Pafuri Border | Punda Maria |
| Pafuri | Punda Maria |
| Paul Kruger | Lower Sabie, Skukuza |
| Phabeni | Pretoriuskop, Skukuza |
| Phalaborwa | Balule, Boulders, Letaba, Mopani, Olifants, Roodewal, Shimuwini, Tsendze |
| Punda Maria | Bateleur, Punda Maria, Shingwedzi, Sirheni |
Gate Hours
Kruger Park gates open at variable times depending on the season, with shorter hours in winter and longer hours in summer. The following table lists the gate times in full details.
It also includes gate hours for rest camps, which from November to January, open an hour before entrance gates. Click here for full information about opening times.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
| Entrance gates open (am) | 5:30 | 5:30 | 5:30 | 6:00 | 6:00 | 6:00 | 6:00 | 6:00 | 6:00 | 5:30 | 5:30 | 5:30 |
| Rest Camp gates open (am) | 4:30 | 5:30 | 5:30 | 6:00 | 6:00 | 6:00 | 6:00 | 6:00 | 6:00 | 5:30 | 4:30 | 4:30 |
| All gates close (pm) | 6:30 | 6:30 | 6:00 | 6:00 | 5:30 | 5:30 | 5:30 | 6:00 | 6:00 | 6:00 | 6:30 | 6:30 |
Border Post Gates
Two of the gates act as border posts with Mozambique. If you enter via the Giriyondo and Pafuri Border gates, you will have come from Limpopo National Park in Mozambique which adjoins Kruger National Park.
Of course, you’ll need your passport to get through either of these two gates!
Entrance Fees and Advance Bookings
You must pay the game reserve entrance fee at a gate, unless you have a Wild Card.
Day visitors may need to book their entry in advance as their is a certain quota of visitors allowed into Kruger National Park each day.
Nearby Accommodation
If you’re looking for accommodation outside the park near one of the Kruger National Park gates, there’s plenty to choose from for all budgets.
Many places are just a stone’s throw away from one of the gates – from backpackers’ to B&Bs, hotels to luxury lodges – check out the range on Booking.com.
Booking.com