Make your Kruger National Park reservations early to make sure you get the accommodation you want. Accommodation in and around the park is incredibly popular and can be booked out months in advance.
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There’s a variety of accommodation styles around Kruger National Park, ranging from pleasant backpackers to inspiring and beautifully presented luxury lodges.
Check out these favourite options on Booking.com, where you’ll find pictures, availability and reviews:
Booking.com’s service includes 24/7 customer support, free cancellation for most properties plus no booking fees.
Foxy Crocodile Bush Retreat
Foxy Crocodile Bush Retreat, Marloth Park, Mpumalanga, South Africa
Booking.com
Jock Safari Lodge
Jock Safari Lodge, Kruger National Park, South Africa, is named after the famous story, Jock of the Bushveld, published in 1907.
Booking.com
Lion Tree Bush Lodge
Lion Tree Bush Lodge with family-sized, self-catering thatched accommodation
Booking.comKruger Riverside Lodge
Kruger Riverside Lodge with Crocodile River and Kruger National Park views
Booking.comSabie River Bush Lodge
Sabie River Bush Lodge is set on the banks of the Sabie River overlooking Kruger National Park
Booking.comAfrican Bush Backpackers
African Bush Backpackers in Marloth Park, bordering Kruger National Park
Booking.comSANParks Bookings
Standard accommodation, which makes up most of the places to stay within the official boundaries of Kruger Park, are made through South African National Parks (or SANParks). Their website is the most convenient way to book. You can see which accommodation is available at each rest camp for the days you plan to be in the park. You can also phone their central reservations number on +27 (0)12 428 9111.
Plan your safari and review the SanParks rest camps you’re interested in staying at. We use TripAdvisor, a well-known global travel company, with a huge collection of travellers’ ratings. Find the best deal, compare prices, and read what other travellers have to say at TripAdvisor about Kruger National Park.
What are Travellers Thinking?
We’ve set out the rest camps run by SANParks in Kruger Park. They’re sorted by region, either southern, central or northern. Clicking on the links will take you directly to TripAdvisor’s site where you can read and consider in-depth traveller reviews for each one.
Southern Camps
Berg-en-Dal
Berg-en-Dal Rest Camp, in renowned rhino spotting territory, has the Rhino Perimeter Trail within its boundaries. Check out Berg-en-Dal on TripAdvisor.
Biyamiti
Biyamiti Bushveld Camp is a beautiful woodland escape 30 mins drive from Crocodile Bridge Gate. Check out Biyamiti on TripAdvisor.
Crocodile Bridge
Crocodile Bridge Rest Camp is highly accessible being just beyond Crocodile Bridge Gate. Check out Crocodile Bridge on TripAdvisor.
Lower Sabie
Lower Sabie Rest Camp is about an hour’s drive from Crocodile Bridge Gate. Check out Lower Sabie on TripAdvisor.
Malelane
Malelane Rest Camp is a short way beyond Malelane Gate. A good choice to stay at if you’re arriving near gate closing time. Check out Malelane on TripAdvisor.
Pretoriuskop
Pretoriuskop Rest Camp, the oldest camp in Kruger National Park, is 15 mins from Numbi Gate. Check out Pretoriuskop on TripAdvisor.
Skukuza
Skukuza Rest Camp is the “capital” of Kruger National Park, being the biggest camp and the administrative centre. Paul Kruger Gate is about 15 mins away. Check out Skukuza on TripAdvisor.
Central Camps
Balulue
Go to Balule Satellite Camp and go back to nature. There is no electricity at this camp situated on the banks of the Olifants River. Check out Balule on TripAdvisor.
Letaba
Letaba Rest Camp, home of the mighty Elephant Hall, is about 70 mins drive from Phalaborwa Gate if you’re coming from within South Africa. Otherwise, Giriyondo Gate, on the border of South Africa and Mozambique, is under an hour’s drive. Letaba on TripAdvisor.
Mopani
Mopani Rest Camp is about 2 hours’ drive away from Phalaborwa Gate or 1.5 hours if you’re coming from Giriyondo Gate, on the border of Mozambique. Check out Mopani on TripAdvisor.
Maroela
Maroela Satellite Camp in the vicinity of Orpen Rest Camp. Check out Maroela on TripAdvisor.
Olifants
Olifants Rest Camp high up on a hill, has a magnificent sweeping view over Olifants River. It’s quite some distance from the closest South African entrance gate, being about 3.5 hours from Phalaborwa Gate. Check out Olifants on Trip Advisor.
Orpen
Beautifully peaceful Orpen Rest Camp is just beyond Orpen Gate. Check out Orpen on Trip Advisor.
Sable
Sable Sleepover Hide, a secluded spot for a basic night’s lodging overlooking Sable Dam, is 15 mins from Phalaborwa Gate. Check out Sable on TripAdvisor.
Satara
Centrally located Satara Rest Camp is about 75 mins drive from Orpen Gate. Check out Satara on TripAdvisor.
Shimuwini
Shimuwini Bushveld Camp, over an hour’s drive from Phalaborwa Gate, exclusively has cottage accommodation for travellers fully prepared to self-cater (there are no shops in this camp). The camp is the departure point for the Lonely Bull Backpacking Trail. Check out Shimuwini on TripAdvisor.
Tsendze
Tsendze Bushveld Camp, a camper’s haven, is about 10 mins from Mopani Rest Camp. Check out Tsendze on TripAdvisor.
Northern Camps
Bateleur
Bateleur Bushveld Camp, named after the bateleur eagle, is only for travellers self-catering. Check out Bateleur on TripAdvisor.
Punda Maria
Punda Maria Rest Camp, at the very top of the park, is just 15 mins drive from Punda Maria Gate. Check out Punda Maria on Trip Advisor.
Shingwedzi
Shingwedzi Rest Camp is at least 2 hours’ drive south from Punda Maria Gate. Check out Shingwedzi on TripAdvisor.
Sirheni
Sirheni Bushveld Camp is over an hour’s drive from Punda Maria Gate. Check out Sirheni on TripAdvisor.
There are many travel agents which also make Kruger National Park bookings for you. Ask your nearest travel agent about it.
When you make your reservation, consider travelling times and distances between:
- Entrance gates and rest camps
- Different rest camps
You need to consider travelling times while booking because the speed limit is only 50km (31 miles) per hour on tar roads and 40km (24 miles) per hour on gravel roads. If you’re game watching you’ll probably be driving even slower anyway.
On top of this, you might be held up by wildlife, like buffalo crossing the road, and interesting sightings where you’ll want to hang around for a good 20 minutes. Of course, you’ll also want to stop for lunch on the way 😉 A rule of thumb is to travel less than half the vertical distance of the park in a day. That only gives you about 160km (100 miles) to play with!
In addition to accommodation costs, you’ll need to pay an entry fee at the park gates. It’s a conservation fee for every day you spend in the park. If you have a Wild Card (a SANParks loyalty card) which covers Kruger National Park, you won’t have to pay the conservation fee.
Kruger Park is in a malaria area. Remember to visit your doctor or a travel clinic to get anti-malaria medication before going to the park. There are different types of medication and your doctor will prescribe the best one for you.
When to Visit
There are different points of view about the best time of year to visit Kruger National Park. Winter has warm to hot days averaging 26°C (79°F) in the day. It’s dry, meaning the savannah is less bushy. This in turn means you’re more likely to see animals deeper in the bush than in summer.
Summer is very hot averaging 34°C (93°F) and is the rainy season. It hasn’t actually rained much though in our experience. If it does rain, it probably won’t last long and will be in the evening.
In hot weather, make your Kruger National Park booking with air conditioning in mind!