Paul Kruger Gate (Kruger Gate for short) is the closest entrance to Skukuza Rest Camp. The gate’s also a good access point to the southern region of Kruger National Park.
Skukuza Rest Camp is 12km (7.5 miles) from Kruger Gate. Skukuza’s one of the most popular places to stay at in Kruger National Park. It’s the largest rest camp and has the most facilities, including banks, a golf course and a plant nursery.
You may also consider using Kruger Gate as your entrance to the park if you’re heading towards Lower Sabie. This rest camp is 53km (33 miles) away from the gate.
Kruger Gate is 442km (275 miles) from Johannesburg. It’ll take you about 5 and a half hours to travel this distance by car.
There’s a big statue of Paul Kruger at Kruger Gate, so when you see it, you’ll know you’ve arrived! You’ll need to pay the Kruger Park entry fees at the gate.
If your first stop is Skukuza, another entrance gate that you could use instead is Phabeni Gate. If you’re travelling from Johannesburg, you’ll get to Phabeni Gate before Kruger Gate.
If you enter the park at Phabeni Gate, Skukuza is further away, but it means you have more park road to drive on and therefore will be starting your safari sooner! In fact you’ll have 39km (24 miles) of safari from Phabeni Gate to Skukuza.
If you’re thinking about staying just outside the park, there are bound to be many different accommodation options for you to choose from a short distance from Kruger Gate.
Paul Kruger Gate, and of course the national park itself, is named after Paul Kruger. He was the president of the Transvaal Republic in the late 1800s. Paul Kruger was concerned about the rate at which wildlife was hunted, so he set up a game reserve. This was the beginning of what is present day Kruger National Park.