Most travellers know the Kruger National Park is somewhere in South Africa, but few, with the exception of seasoned travellers, can point to it on the map.
Despite its more or less remote location, far away from the country’s tourist arrival hub of Johannesburg, the Kruger attracts some 2 million Safarists each year.
Every morning, dozens of kitted-out open safari vehicles enter the park just as the sun starts coming up and spend the day driving back and forth across the park’s spectacular network of roads, in search of the Grote 5 and more.
The Kruger has been drawing people to South Africa’s north-east for 100 years, and it shows no sign of slowing down. It covers more than 19 000 square kilometres, which means where you enter, and which region you choose, can determine your whole trip.
Where is the Kruger National Park?
You could drive the park’s full 360 km length in a day, but with wildlife, speed limits and gate times, most visitors explore one region at a time.
The Kruger National Park is in north-eastern South Africa, spread across the provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga, and it shares borders with Mozambique and Zimbabwe. Johannesburg is the nearest major city, with the drive taking about 4 to 5 hours to the nearest southern gate.
On a map, it looks like a long, narrow strip laid along the north-eastern edge of South Africa, and it runs roughly 360 kilometres from top to bottom (almost the same distance as your transfer from Joburg to the park).
On the ground, you can be standing at a lookout point, straining your eyes, and as far as you look, all you will see is the Kruger.
The park is one of the biggest in the world, and certainly the largest in South Africa, and when you stay a while, it really feels as though you are in a completely different world.
Which Province is the Kruger in?
The Kruger is in 2 provinces.
The park straddles Mpumalanga and Limpopo; the southern stretch and part of the centre lie in Mpumalanga, and the long northern reach sits in Limpopo.
This is important to know when choosing where to base yourself.
Mbombela (Nelspruit), Hazyview and Malelane are the park’s gateway towns, with Hazyview not only being the most popular gateway but also the home of Kurt Safari.
Phalaborwa and Hoedspruit are the Limpopo gateways, but these towns are not as popular for safari departures as those in Mpumalanga.
Since each gate will take you into a different part of the park, the town from which you’ll depart can, in a small way at least, determine the wildlife you are most likely to see.
The reason why Hazyview is so popular with safari companies and travellers is that it gives guests the quickest access to the Southern Kruger, a part of the park well-known for its abundance of wildlife.
Did you know that nearly all of the Kruger rangers (about 97% according to one SANParks analysis) come from Mpumalanga or Limpopo? Most of the private guides are also locals who’ve spent a lifetime exploring the Kruger, and the communities living around the park have deep, meaningful ties to it.
Which Countries Border the Kruger?
On the map, you’ll see the Kruger is bordered by Mozambique, which lies along the eastern boundary, and Zimbabwe meets the park at its northern tip, where the Limpopo River marks the border line.
Together with Limpopo National Park in Mozambique and Gonarezhou in Zimbabwe, the Kruger forms part of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, created by a treaty signed in 2002.
In places, the fences between the parks have been opened so that elephants and other wildlife can follow older, ancestral migratory routes.
Eswatini (Swaziland) sits close to the south of the park, near enough to cause confusion, but it does not border the Kruger.
Along with sharing a border with Mozambique, there is also a Kruger gate. The Giriyondo Access Point connects the Kruger with Mozambique’s Limpopo National Park, creating a cross-border route for eligible travellers.
How Big is the Kruger National Park?
De Kruger National Park covers approximately 19 485 square kilometres (about 7 523 square miles or 2 million hectares), making it one of the world’s biggest and most successful conservation efforts.
It stretches roughly 360 kilometres from north to south and averages around 65 kilometres wide, making it larger than Eswatini and roughly comparable in size to Wales in the UK.
To put that into even more size perspective, the Kruger is not a single game-drive area or a place you can see all of in a single week, but an enormous primal habitat, covered with wide-open savannah where cheetahs show off their impressive speed, green riverine forest, home to leopards, granite hills where you might see a shy duiker, dense mopane woodland and beautiful swaying grassland.
A visitor spending 3 days in the south could see a completely different environment from someone exploring the central plains or the remote northern region.
The park’s sheer size becomes obvious the moment you start driving.
The Kruger has an extensive, well-maintained road network of tarred and gravel roads (roughly 850 km tarred and about 1 444 km gravel) linking rest camps, viewpoints, rivers and wildlife-rich areas.
Speed limits are capped at 50 km/h on tar roads and 40 km/h on gravel roads, with a 20 km/h limit inside rest camps. SANParks recommends an average speed of around 30 km/h for safer driving and better game viewing.
But instead of getting caught up in the size of the place, it is far better to measure your safari less in kilometres and more in sightings.
A herd of elephants crossing the road, a leopard resting in a tree, or a lion sighting can hold up traffic for 20 minutes or more, and that is exactly what most visitors come for: the wildlife and the opportunity to take your sweet time.
Driving the full length of the Kruger without stopping would take the better part of a long day, and doing so would defeat the entire purpose of a safari.
With wildlife, gate times, rest stops and slower game-viewing speeds, most travellers are better off choosing 1 region and exploring it properly, which is exactly why our 3-day, 4-day and 5-day Kruger Packages all focus on just 1 part of the park.
The Southern Kruger is best for first-time visitors and shorter trips, and it has the highest chances of Big 5 sightings.
The Central Kruger, with its open grassland, has larger herds and more predator sightings, but it’s better for a longer trip.
And the Northern Kruger is just the place for fortnight-long safaris, and birders, photographers and travellers wanting roads and a wilder atmosphere will really love this part of the park.
So rather than trying to “do Kruger,” treat it as a destination worth returning to, again and again, because it is absolutely worth it.
But even a small corner of the park can give you an unforgettable safari and leave plenty more to see on your next visit.
How Far is the Kruger from Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban and Cape Town?
The distances somewhat depend on which gate or town you will be travelling to, but these are the approximate figures to the southern gates:
| Starting city | Approx. distance | Approx. drive time | Better option |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johannesburg | 400 to 450 km | 5 to 6 hours | Drive or Fly |
| Pretoria | 370 to 420 km | 4.5 to 5.5 hours | Drive |
| Durban | 750 to 850 km | 10 to 12 hours | Fly via Johannesburg |
| Kaapstad | About 1 900 km | 20 hours or more | Fly |
The gates open at first light and close at dusk, and the times change ever so slightly with the seasons.
A late arrival in the morning means you miss the best hour of the day for wildlife sightings, while a late arrival when leaving the park means a locked gate.
If you have booked a Kruger Park safari package, gate times won’t be a problem as your guide will make sure you are in the park at first light and gone before dusk settles in.
As for the ideal way to reach the park, a road transfer is best (unless you are flying in, which is always a faster and more convenient way to get to the park, though it can be pricey).
Road transfers, like those included in every Kurt Safari package, allow you to hand over the stress and the logistics to an experienced driver who will collect you in Joburg, or from an airport closer to the Kruger, and take you straight to your accommodation for the tour.
Which Airports Are Closest to The Kruger?
There are 4 airports close to the park:
- Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (Mbombela): Capable of handling both local and a few international flights.
- Skukuza Airport: Inside the park, in the south-central region, Skukuza Airport usually caters to private flights and smaller aircraft.
- Hoedspruit Eastgate Airport: Close to the central Kruger and Orpen Gate, this airport is ideal for those travelling to places like Sabi Sands for a signature tour.
- Phalaborwa Airport: This airport is almost right at the Phalaborwa Gate in the central-north.
Most flights connect through OR Tambo International in Johannesburg, usually taking just over an hour. Routes and schedules can change, so it is always best to confirm current flights before making your booking.
Southern, Central or Northern Kruger: Which Area Suits your Trip?
Since the Kruger National Park is so large, the region you choose can completely change the safari experience you have.
The south is lush, busy and wildlife-rich; the centre is wide open, and since it has a big predator population, dramatic hunts can sometimes be seen; and the north is really remote, scenic and wonderfully peaceful, with hardly another guest in sight.
No area guarantees a particular animal, but choosing the right one can improve your chances and meet your travel expectations.
You can use our quick breakdown to help you with your decision-making:
| Area | Character | Beste voor |
|---|---|---|
| Zuidelijk | Rivers, thicker bush, the highest wildlife densities in the park | First visits, shorter trips, Big 5 hopes |
| Centraal | Open plains, big herds, strong predator sightings | Lions, cheetahs, wide views |
| Northern | Baobabs, fever trees, barely anyone else on the roads | Birding, solitude, a slower pace |
Zuidelijk Kruger
The Southern Kruger is the easiest place to get to in the park and the closest region to Johannesburg, making it ideal for first-time visitors and travellers on a shorter safari, like a 3-day trip.
It’s a mix of rivers, thicker vegetation and reliable water sources, so it supports high wildlife densities, giving visitors an excellent chance of encountering the Big 5 and more.
The area around Skukuza, Lower Sabie, Berg-en-Dal and Malelane is particularly popular for good reason; elephants, buffalo, lions, leopards and rhinos are all often sighted here, while the rivers attract hippos, crocodiles and abundant birdlife.
It is also the busiest part of the Kruger, so you can expect more vehicles around major sightings, especially during South African school holidays and the peak safari season.
Centraal Kruger
The central Kruger, around Satara, Orpen and the broad plains between the Sabie and Olifants rivers, is defined by its open grassland and big skies.
This landscape makes it easier to spot large herds of zebra, wildebeest, giraffe and buffalo, and where there are herds, predators are rarely far away.
It is often regarded as “lion country,” with lions, cheetahs and leopards all seen quite regularly across the open savannah.
The open visibility also makes it one of the best places for photographers, particularly at sunrise and sunset when animals move across the golden grasslands and the light catches their eyes and fur at just the right angle, creating a spectacular halo.
Northern Kruger
The northern Kruger is the park’s wild side, and very few get to see it.
North of the Olifants River, the scenery turns into mopane woodland, baobab-dotted sandveld, fever-tree forests and tropical riverine, mostly around the Luvuvhu and Limpopo rivers.
Wildlife sightings can be less concentrated than in the south, but if you are patient, you will be treated to spectacular scenery and exceptional birding, all unobscured by other travellers.
The Pafuri area is especially famous for rare and specialised bird species, including Pel’s fishing owl, African finfoot and white-crowned lapwing.
Where Do Kurt Safari Tours Start?
Kurt Safari tours generally start in Johannesburg, where guests are collected from OR Tambo International Airport, or from hotels and lodges within 5 kilometres of the airport.
Pick-ups from other airports can be arranged, but these are usually limited to luxury tours.
If you plan to arrive the night before, a hotel near the airport makes the morning pick-up simple. Ask for your pick-up time when you book, so your flights and the first day line up in a way that no time that could be better spent is wasted.
Now that you know where the Kruger is, let Kurt Safari take you there
You don’t need a map when you are travelling with a Kruger tour company that has been guiding safaris since 2008. Kurt Safari has a range of Kruger Park safari-pakketten available, and our tours are designed to show you the very best side of the park and its inhabitants. You can book your safari right here on our website.
Plan uw Kruger Safari Verder
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- Wat mee te nemen voor een Kruger Safari
- Geleide Safari versus Zelfrijdende Safari in Kruger National Park
- Kruger Nationaal Park Kaart & Regio's
- Big 5 Kruger Safaris
Veelgestelde vragen
Where is the Kruger National Park in South Africa?
The Kruger National Park is in north-eastern South Africa, along the border with Mozambique and Zimbabwe. It spans the provinces of Mpumalanga and Limpopo.
What province is the Kruger National Park in?
The Kruger is in two provinces. The southern and part of the central area lie in Mpumalanga, and the northern section lies in Limpopo.
How big is the Kruger National Park?
The Kruger covers about 19,485 square kilometres. It is roughly 360 kilometres long and, on average, about 65 kilometres wide.
Which countries border the Kruger?
Mozambique borders the Kruger to the east and Zimbabwe to the north. The park is part of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park with both countries.
How to get to the Kruger National Park?
You can drive from Johannesburg in about 5 to 6 hours or fly to Kruger Mpumalanga International, Skukuza, Hoedspruit or Phalaborwa airports. Alternatively, join a guided safari that starts in Johannesburg.
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