The Best Gates to Use When Travelling to the Kruger National Park

November 02, 2022

The Kruger National Park welcomes visitors. There are plenty of picnic places, rest stations, and day visitor areas. At the entry gates, a map shows all of these stops. Before your vacation, plan how much you can travel and see in a day.

The park has tight speed restrictions and large distances between locations. Know the opening and closing hours of gates and which picnic spot or waterhole you’ll visit. Each park gate offers different amenities. Game viewing highlights vary by gate, so prepare beforehand.

How to Get to the Kruger National Park

There are three main ways to reach the Kruger National Park namely:

By plane to Johannesburg, followed by an almost four-hour drive to the park
By domestic flight from Johannesburg to Kruger Mpumalanga airport, followed by an hour’s drive
By internal aircraft from Johannesburg to Skukuza directly

Which Gates to Use When Travelling to the Kruger

Before embarking on your trip, take note of the following opening and closing times of the Kruger National Park Gates:

Nov-Jan 05:30 – 18:30
Feb 05:30 – 18:30
Mar & Oct 05:30 – 18:00
Apr 06:00 – 17:30
May-July 06:00 – 17:30
Aug-Sept 06:00 – 18:00

There are 10 entrance gates at the Kruger National Park. The best gates to use when travelling to the Kruger National Park are the Paul Kruger, Malelane, and Phabeni Gates.

Paul Kruger Gate: The Paul Kruger Gate is the nearest entry point to Skukuza from Kruger’s capital.
Malelane Gate: The Malelane Gate is the only camp on the Kruger National Park’s southern border, with fewer people than the other major camps, it makes for a more personal wilderness experience.
Phabeni Gate: Built in 2002, the Phabeni Gate, with its modern indigenous inspired rondavels, allows travellers from Johannesburg or Pretoria via Hazyview to easily access the Kruger.

Where to Stay

Discover a unique Kruger Safari Experience at the Kruger Gate Hotel. The Kruger Gate Hotel is situated just beyond the Paul Kruger Gate, overlooking the breathtaking Sabie River. Enjoy all of the conveniences of a luxurious 4-star hotel at the Kruger Gate Hotel. Elegant lodging options vary from Deluxe to Family rooms, Luxury suites, and our Nkanyi presidential suite.

Where to Find Us

Find us on the banks of the Sabi River, a stone throw away from the Kruger National Park’s Paul Kruger Gate, R536 in Skukuza, Mpumalanga, South Africa.

We encourage our guests to use the Paul Kruger, Malelane, and Phabeni Gates to access and leave the park.

Directions to the Kruger Gate Hotel:

Book Your Stay

Book accommodation close to the Paul Kruger Gate at the Kruger Gate Hotel, where you’re sure to experience the best of what the Kruger has to offer

Guest Reviews

(Translated by Google) An excellent experience the accommodation, the food, the service, the staff. The girl who gave me the massage was very good. Bravo for everything

(Original)
Μία εξαιρετική εμπειρία η διαμονή, το φαγητό, η εξυπηρέτηση, το προσωπικό. Η κοπέλα που μου Έκανε μασάζ ήταν πολύ καλή. Μπράβο για όλα

Posted on 26/03/2026 by Google

The hotel is located directly at the entrance to the Krugerpark.
All rooms and public areas are tastefully renovated and give the impression of a comfortable Safari Lodge.
The staff is friendly and very attentive.
The new (additional) pool with lounge deck and snack bar offers fantastic views of Kruger Park. Here you can often observe animals such as elephants, hippos and of course impalas.

In particular, the location and comfort make this hotel the best value for the southern Krugerpark.

Posted on 25/03/2026 by TripAdvisor

Beautiful hotel with a beautiful structure that gives the impression of being suspended in the trees. The decoration is superb and the location, right in front of Kruger National Park, is exceptional.
The table is excellent, with high quality dishes.
The staff is very welcoming and particularly attentive.
A truly memorable experience!

Posted on 29/03/2026 by TripAdvisor

I could not recommend the Kruger Gate Hotel more! Our experience from start to finish was flawless. We were greeted at Skukuza airport and driven through Kruger National Park to get to the hotel. That meant that even our taxi journey to the hotel featured animal sightings. The staff at the hotel were so efficient and got us checked in so quickly, even though we were a large family/friends group. We stayed for four nights and decided to do 1x full day safari, 1x morning safari and 1x afternoon safari. This allowed us to explore the National Park but also enjoy the beautiful facilities at the hotel. The safaris were excellently organised and the guides were incredible. We saw 4 out of the big 5 (sadly no leopards, although we had two very near misses where we had just missed a leopard sighting) and countless other animals. In our down time we enjoyed the three swimming pools, one of which overlooked the river and where we could see elephants on the opposite banks, and our wonderful rooms. The group was split between Deluxe Rooms and the self catering chalets. The rooms were stunning and the chalets were excellent for larger groups. The food was AMAZING! Every night we were treated to an extensive buffet in the boma with amazing singing. The ambience was incredible. On the two mornings we weren\'t on game drives we enjoyed the buffet breakfast, which was also delicious. While there a large number of our group booked treatments at the spa, which we all raved about. The trip was to celebrate my 30th Birthday and we were a large group visiting from the UK. I would like to thank everyone at the Kruger Gate Hotel for making our stay so special. I really hope that I return again in the future. Thank you again!

Posted on 30/03/2026 by Booking.com

Nice set up with a lovely pool by the river,feels amazing right in the bush

le cadre exceptionnel, la gentillesse du personnel, c\'était mon 2eme séjour dans cet hôtel et j\'y retournerai surment une 3eme fois.

Posted on 29/03/2026 by Booking.com

La structure, la decoration, l’emplacement et la table