Orpen Rest Camp
Small gate camp · Central-west, at Orpen Gate · SANParks (South African National Parks)
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Budget
Inside the park
Park-run (SANParks)
A small main rest camp at Orpen Gate on the western boundary, the gate for anyone flying into Hoedspruit (Eastgate), about 68 km away. SANParks calls it a small camp; it runs the Maroela campsite and the Tamboti tented camp, both about 2 km east on the Timbavati River. Bungalows start at R1,933 a unit and there is a guest cottage, but no campsite in Orpen itself. Satara is 48 km on. Choose it for a late arrival through Orpen Gate or a quiet base for the central-west; skip it for camping and go to Maroela. Owned and run by SANParks.
Pros and cons
Pros
- At Orpen Gate, so no gate-to-camp drive
- Closest camp to Hoedspruit by road
- Bungalows from R1,933
- Guided drives and morning walks
Cons
- No campsite in the camp itself
- Small, with few unit types
- Rates are a reseller's guideline
What's here
- Solar or 24h power
- Self-catering
Arranged from the lodge:
- Game drives
- Guided walks
- Night drives
Read from Orpen Rest Camp's own website in July 2026. Anything not listed we could not confirm, which is not the same as it being absent.
What the park charges on top
The rate above buys you a bed. Kruger National Park charges its own entry fee for every day you are inside. Here is what that adds up to.
- Park entryR602 per international adult per day at USD 1 = ZAR 16.65 (6 Oct 2026); R692, about $42, from 1 Nov 2026.
- $36per person, per day
Three nights means three days inside, so two adults pay $216 in park fees before anyone pays for a bed.
SANParks charges no vehicle fee for private cars at Kruger.
Almost every private lodge inside Kruger excludes the SANParks conservation fee from its rate, so you pay it on top for each night.
The full fee schedule for Kruger National ParkRates at Orpen Rest Camp
From $58 pppn (reseller rate). Reseller rates from krugerpark.co.za (Siyabona Africa), read 6 October 2026, for 1 November 2026 to 31 October 2027, per unit per night, self-catering. SANParks prints no unit rates and asks you to request a quote via Online Bookings or Central Reservations on +27 (0)12 428 9111. Bungalow R1,933 (1 November to 8 December 2026 and 13 January to 18 March 2027; about $116 per unit, $58 each for two) or R2,224 in peak; guest cottage R3,980. No campsite on the reseller's list; camp at Maroela, 2 km away. Extra on top: the SANParks conservation fee (R602, about $36, per international adult per day until 31 October 2026; R692, about $42, from 1 November 2026 on figures SANParks has linked but we read through secondary sources) and SANParks' 1% community fund on accommodation and activities. SANParks says its rates and fees include VAT.
Self-catering. You cook. Nothing else is included unless the entry says so.
Every figure on this page is in US dollars.
Rates checked 6 October 2026 and converted at R16.65 to the US dollar (rate of that date); re-check before you book. SANParks does not print its unit rates online, so every SANParks figure here is a reseller rate from krugerpark.co.za (Siyabona Africa) for 1 November 2026 to 31 October 2027, quoted per unit and shown per person for two sharing. Private lodge figures come from each lodge's own rate page unless the entry says reseller. The SANParks conservation fee is extra almost everywhere: R602 (about $36) per international adult per day until 31 October 2026, R692 (about $42) from 1 November 2026.
Questions about Orpen Rest Camp
How do I book Orpen?
Through SANParks: Online Bookings at sanparks.org or Central Reservations on +27 (0)12 428 9111. SANParks opens bookings 11 months ahead, on the first working day of each month. Units may be occupied from 14:00 and must be vacated by 10:00.
How do I get to Orpen?
Fly to Hoedspruit (Eastgate), about 68 km from Orpen Gate, or drive 490 km from Johannesburg via Dullstroom, Lydenburg and the JG Strijdom Tunnel (SANParks).
Can I camp at Orpen?
Not in Orpen itself on the reseller's list. Campers use Maroela, a SANParks satellite about 2 km east that takes caravans and tents only.