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Month by month

Kruger in April

April is when the Kruger year turns. The rain all but stops, the bush begins to dry, the gates open later, and the seasonal products switch on: the Lebombo 4x4 Eco Trail and the walking camps of the far north.

If you only want the answer

April is a good-value shoulder month: 15 mm of rain over about 2 days at the park centre, highs of 29.6°C and nights of 18.4°C. The grass is still long, but game starts to move back towards permanent water. The Lebombo Eco Trail and the Pafuri walking season start, and the top lodges stay on off-peak rates until 30 April. Avoid the Easter weekend if you want quiet.

April weather: the dry season begins

The normals give April just 15 mm of rain over about 2 days at the park centre, with highs of 29.6°C and nights of 18.4°C. Skukuza still averages 5.7 rainy days, but the storms are fading fast. The bush starts to dry.

Game viewing improves through the month as animals start to return to the rivers, although the grass is still long.

The seasonal trails open in April

The Lebombo Eco Trail, a guided 4x4 route of about 500 km along the eastern boundary from Crocodile Bridge to Pafuri, departs on Sundays from the first Sunday in April until the last Sunday in October. It takes five vehicles, up to four people in each, and no one under 12 or over 65; the 2024/25 tariff was R12,725 per vehicle.

In the far north, the Hutwini and Nkula walking camps in the Makuleke area run from April to October. In 2026 they reopened on 1 April after the floods. From April the Giriyondo crossing to Mozambique keeps winter hours, 08:00 to 15:00, until the end of September.

Gates, Easter and rates in April

From 1 April all gates open at 06:00 and close at 18:00, so the morning drive starts half an hour later than in March. The Easter school holidays can spill into early April (to 7 April in 2026, to 5 April in 2027), and the camps are full over the Easter weekend.

April is the last month of the top lodges' cheap season. Singita Lebombo's off-peak rate of R51,665 per adult runs to 30 April, and Jock Safari Lodge's peak rate also ends on 30 April 2027. Malaria tablets are still recommended until the end of May.

Sources