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Camping in Kruger National Park: SANParks sites, rates and rules

Every public campsite in Kruger is run by SANParks inside a fenced rest camp, and you book it through SANParks, not a concessionaire. A site for two costs from about R390 to R550 a night, plus the conservation fee per person.

If you only want the answer

SANParks runs all of Kruger's campsites, inside fenced rest camps and satellite camps; there is no bush camping. A site with a power point cost from R390 a night for two at Berg-en-Dal and Crocodile Bridge in SANParks' booking engine in February 2026, and R450 at Lower Sabie, plus the 1% community fund and the conservation fee of R602 per international adult per night (R692 from 1 November 2026). Bookings open 11 months ahead, and school holidays sell out first.

Which Kruger camps have campsites?

SANParks' statutory management plan says campsites in 13 of Kruger's camps can take 3,840 guests a night. The table lists the camps where SANParks' own pages, its booking widget or the main reseller's 2026/27 rate list show a campsite, with the lowest price seen. Olifants, Mopani and Orpen's main camp have no campsite on those lists; at Orpen you camp at Maroela, 2 km away. SANParks' booking codes call a standard pitch 'CK6P', a camp site with a power point for up to six people.

Camp	Region	Campsite from (per site, two people)	Notes
Berg-en-Dal	South, Malelane Gate 12 km	R390 (SANParks widget, Feb 2026)	The only camp in a rugged mountain setting; staffed information centre
Crocodile Bridge	South-east, at the gate	R390 (SANParks widget, Feb 2026)	On the Crocodile River; easiest late-afternoon arrival from the N4
Lower Sabie	South-east, Crocodile Bridge Gate 34 km	R450 (SANParks widget, Feb 2026)	On the Sabie River; shop and restaurant hit by a fire on 21 Apr 2026
Skukuza	South, Paul Kruger Gate 12 km	R423–R551 by season (reseller, 2026/27)	Largest camp and park headquarters; bank, garage, car hire
Malelane (satellite of Berg-en-Dal)	South, Malelane Gate about 5 km	R423–R551 (reseller, 2026/27)	Small camp on the park's southern boundary
Pretoriuskop	South-west, Numbi Gate 9 km	R411 (reseller, 2026/27)	Oldest camp area, granite hills, the wettest corner of the park
Satara	Central, Orpen Gate 48 km	R424–R552 (reseller, 2026/27)	Open basalt plains east of the H1, good grazing country
Maroela (satellite of Orpen)	Central-west, 2 km from Orpen	R423–R551 (reseller, 2026/27)	Caravans and tents only, on the Timbavati River
Balule (satellite of Olifants)	Central, Phalaborwa Gate 85 km	R411–R526 (reseller, 2026/27)	No electricity and a low fence; closed after the January 2026 floods
Letaba	North-central, Phalaborwa Gate 51 km	R410 (reseller, 2026/27)	Campsite reopened on 6 July 2026 after flood damage
Tsendze Rustic Camp Site	North, 7 km south of Mopani	No published rate	Rustic sites under leadwood and mopane; check in at Mopani
Shingwedzi	North, Punda Maria Gate 71 km	R410 (reseller, 2026/27)	Mopane country; reopened on 6 March 2026
Punda Maria	Far north, Punda Maria Gate 8–10 km	R399 (reseller, 2026/27)	Base for Pafuri birding and Thulamela

Reseller prices come from krugerpark.co.za's rate pages, read on 6 October 2026, and are a guide only: SANParks shows its own live price when you search a date. All prices exclude the conservation fee.

What a night actually costs

A Kruger camping night has three layers. The site itself is priced for two people, from R390 to about R550 depending on camp and date; each extra adult or child pays a supplement. SANParks then adds the 1% community fund to the booking. The third layer is the daily conservation fee for every person, R602 per international adult per night until 31 October 2026 and R692 from 1 November 2026, which is bigger than the site.

So two international adults on a R390 site pay about R1,598 a night at the current tariff, roughly $96, of which R1,204 is the conservation fee. A Wild Card covers the conservation fee but not the site. SANParks now prices sites by date: Berg-en-Dal's 'from' price was R481 in January 2025 and R390 in February 2026, so check the live price for your dates rather than relying on any table.

How to book a Kruger campsite

Booking is central and simple compared with most African parks: one authority, one website, one phone number.

Book on SANParks Online Bookings, through Central Reservations on +27 (0)12 428 9111, or at the head office counter in Groenkloof, Pretoria.
Bookings open up to 11 months ahead, and the 11th month opens on the first working day of each month. For South African school holidays (in 2026: 30 March to 7 April, 29 June to 20 July, 24 September to 5 October, and from 10 December) book the day the month opens.
Pay by card online, by card at a reception desk only if the card holder is present, or by EFT with the reservation number as reference (allow two to four working days).
Arrive before the gate closes and report to reception before you set up. Sites are yours from 14:00 and must be empty by 10:00.

The gate clock decides your camp

All gates, entrance and camp alike, close at the same time: 17:30 from May to July, 18:00 in March, April, August, September and October, and 18:30 from November to February. With a 50 km/h limit on tar and 40 km/h on gravel, and SANParks recommending an average of 30 km/h, a drive from a gate to a northern camp can take two to four hours. Arrive at a southern gate after about 14:00 in winter and Satara or Letaba is out of reach.

Late arrival is allowed only in an emergency, until 21:00, at camps within 10 km of a gate, with an escort and a fine for repeat offenders; there is no late entry at all at Phabeni, Phalaborwa or Pafuri. For a first night after a long drive or flight, pick a camp close to your gate: Crocodile Bridge, Berg-en-Dal, Pretoriuskop or Skukuza in the south, Punda Maria in the north.

Rules inside the camp fence

You may sleep only at a booked SANParks site or unit. There is no bush camping anywhere in the park.
Noise is restricted from 21:30 to 06:00.
No pets: no live animal may be brought into or taken out of the park.
You may bring raw meat and dairy in for your own use, but raw products from cloven-hoofed animals may leave through the South African gates only sealed and labelled as South African.
Drones, bicycles, skateboards and motorcycles are banned.
Feeding animals is a serious offence, and that includes the monkeys at your table.

Wildlife at the campsites

Kruger's camps are fenced, a practice that began in 1932, and the fences keep out large animals, not small ones. SANParks' own warning is about vervet monkeys and baboons: they have learnt to open fridges and cupboards, so keep food inside the car or a locked box and never leave a tent open. Honey badgers raid camps at night, Maroela being known for them, and spotted hyenas patrol the fence lines after dark.

Rodents, bats, snakes, scorpions and spiders live in every rest camp; carry a torch at night and report snakes to reception. Balule's fence is low by design, and that is part of its appeal: you hear the bush closer than in any main camp. All roofed SANParks accommodation has netted screens against mosquitoes; in a tent, bring your own repellent, because NaTHNaC recommends antimalarial tablets for Kruger from September to May.

Camps after the January 2026 floods

Heavy rain from about 9 January 2026 flooded large parts of the park, and the environment minister said on 22 January that 15 camps had closed. Since then Shingwedzi reopened on 6 March, the Letaba campsite on 6 July, and Letaba's remaining units are due back in phases by 30 November 2026. Balule's status after its planned mid-July return has not been confirmed, and Lower Sabie's shop and restaurant were affected by a fire on 21 April 2026.

Camp status changes month to month, so check SANParks' Kruger notifications page before you book a route through the north or centre.

Which campsite suits you

First time in Kruger with two or three nights: camp at Lower Sabie or Skukuza and drive the Sabie River roads, where the leopard chances are best and the roads busiest. Choose Crocodile Bridge or Berg-en-Dal for a cheap first night close to the N4 and a gate you can reach after a late start.

With a week or more, go north through Satara and Letaba to Punda Maria, where the camps are quieter and the birding in the Pafuri area is the best in the park. Choose Maroela, Balule or Tsendze if you want a small, basic camp with fewer people; skip them if you need a shop, a restaurant or electricity at the site.

Something this page does not answer?

Kruger's campsites book out on school holidays the day the month opens. If you cannot find a gap that fits your route, ask us.

Ask us. We answer questions about the park itself, and we can usually tell you which camps work on one route and who to write to. If what you want is a trip someone else arranges, we will say so and hand you to an operator we know, and we earn a commission if that becomes a booking.

Nothing on this site sits behind the form. Every figure we have is already on the page.

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