Punda Maria Rest Camp
Small northern rest camp with campsites · Far north, 8 to 10 km from Punda Maria Gate · SANParks (South African National Parks)
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Budget
Inside the park
Park-run (SANParks)
SANParks' northernmost main rest camp, 8 km from Punda Maria Gate by the camp page (its travel section says 10 km). It is the base for the Pafuri area and for the guided Thulamela heritage trail, which leaves at 07:00 for the stone-walled Iron Age site. Like every main camp it has electricity, a shop, a restaurant or cafeteria, communal kitchens, laundry and a filling station. The campsite is the cheapest on the reseller's 2026/27 list at R399 a site. Choose it if you are driving the north from Louis Trichardt (550 km from Johannesburg); skip it if your trip is the south, because the drive down takes most of a day. Owned and run by SANParks.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Cheapest campsite on the 2026/27 reseller list, R399 a site
- Base for Pafuri and the Thulamela heritage trail
- Full main-camp services: shop, restaurant, fuel, laundry
- Sunrise, sunset and night drives from the camp
Cons
- 550 km from Johannesburg by road
- SANParks names no nearest airport
- Rates are a reseller's guideline until you get a SANParks quote
What's here
- Restaurant
- Campsite
- Solar or 24h power
- Self-catering
- Laundry
Arranged from the lodge:
- Game drives
- Night drives
Read from Punda Maria 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 Punda Maria Rest Camp
From $12 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. Campsite R399 (about $24 per site, $12 each for two); bungalow R1,275 (13 January to 18 March 2027) or R1,423; safari tent R1,522 or R1,671; two family cottages from R3,329. 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 Punda Maria Rest Camp
How do I book Punda Maria?
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.
Which gate is closest to Punda Maria?
Punda Maria Gate, 8 to 10 km away (SANParks gives both figures). Gates close at 17:30 from May to July and 18:30 from November to February, and late arrivals are allowed only in emergencies, so plan to reach the gate early.
Is Punda Maria good with children?
SANParks publishes no child policy for this camp. Children aged 2 to 11 pay the child conservation fee (R300 a day for international visitors to 31 October 2026), under-2s are free, and SANParks guided walks take no one under 12.