Kruger National park opening times vary from month to month. Gate hours also differ between rest camps and entrance gates. We’ve put some handy reference tables together to help you find the answers to your questions!
Did you know that the opening hours of entrance gates and rest camps aren’t the same?
Entrance gates open from 5:30am to 6:00am depending on the season. The shortest operating hours are in winter and the longest in summer.
At rest camps, opening hours vary from 4:30am to 6:00am.
Ouch! That’s early (especially if you’re not a morning person!), but that’s when the wildlife gets up and when animals are out and about the most! It’s worth making the effort to get up and be ready to leave around gate opening time.
The still of the morning is a great time to see animals. We took the photo above of a hyena at dawn. It was our best hyena sighting on one particular Kruger National Park safari. It ran along right next to our car for some distance!
Be back on time
All gates close between 5:30pm and 6:30pm. Don’t be late getting back to your rest camp! The Kruger National Park staff want to ensure that all visitors are back to their rest camps before it gets dark. If you come back after closing time, you’ll get a warning. If you do it again, you’ll be fined!
Kruger National Park hours
| 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 |
If you’re out in the park at sunset, you’ll be able to take magical photos. If you’re driving around at this time, make sure you know when your rest camp or the park gate you plan to leave by closes.
If you’ve just made it back to your rest camp before closing time, the camp’s reception office will typically be open for a short while after that time.
Sometimes parts of the game reserve can flood, especially in the summer rainy season. In extreme circumstances, even some rest camps flood and are forced to close. During these watery times, some roads may be closed, but Kruger National Park will still be generally open.
Days the park is open
We’ve told you about the opening hours, but we haven’t mentioned on what days the park is open. This is something you needn’t worry about at all! The park is open every single day of the year, including long weekends, public holidays, Christmas Day, New Year’s Day and over Easter.