Kruger from Marloth Park
Marloth Park is on the south bank of the Crocodile River, and Kruger National Park is on the other side. Here's how to get into the park for the day from here.
Last checked 26 October 2026
Marloth Park is outside Kruger, across the river. The closest gate is Crocodile Bridge, 15-20 km away, or about 20-30 min by car. Kruger's gates open at 05:30 from October to March and 06:00 from April to September. You only pay the daily conservation fee on days you go in: R140 for a South African adult from 1 November 2026.
The closest gate
Most people staying in Marloth use Crocodile Bridge gate, east of us near Komatipoort. From the gate, the H4-2 tar road runs 34 km north to Lower Sabie camp on the Sabie River.
Malelane gate is 35-39 km west along the N4. Use it for Berg-en-Dal and the H3 to Skukuza, or when Crocodile Bridge is closed, as it was after the January 2026 floods.
How a day in Kruger works
You drive to the gate, pay the conservation fee and spend the day on the park's roads in your own car. You may only get out at camps, picnic sites and other marked spots. Be back out through the gate before it closes, at 17:30 in winter and as late as 18:30 in summer. The usual plan is to leave Marloth half an hour before the gate opens, drive up to Lower Sabie and come back in the afternoon.
See a Kruger day trip from Marloth for leave-by times in every month, the routes, where to stop and the rules on the roads.
Gate times
Every Kruger gate keeps the same hours, and they change through the year. In November, for example, Crocodile Bridge opens at 05:30. Kruger gate times has the full table and a page for each month, with sunrise and sunset in Marloth and that month's holidays.
Fees and the Wild Card
Staying in Marloth costs nothing in park fees. You pay at the gate for each day you go into Kruger, and a Wild Card covers the fee completely. Kruger fees 2026/27 has every rate and works out when a Wild Card pays for itself.
School holidays and the festive season
In school holidays and over long weekends, SANParks limits how many day visitors each gate lets in. In recent festive seasons it also asked day visitors to pre-book for a small fee. Overnight guests in the park are exempt, but if you're staying in Marloth you're a day visitor. See quotas and pre-booking for what's known for 2026/27.
Marloth Park or inside Kruger
Staying inside the park gets you onto the roads earlier in summer, and the holiday quotas don't apply to you. Staying in Marloth gets you a whole house, often for less, with animals in the garden. Marloth Park or inside Kruger compares the two.
Hello Marloth is an independent guide and isn't part of SANParks. Book Kruger accommodation, activities and day visits with SANParks directly.
All our Kruger pages
Gate times for each month, the two gates near us, fees, quotas and how to plan a day in the park.
A day in KrugerRoutes from Crocodile Bridge, when to leave Marloth and Lower Sabie, where to stop and the road rules.
Gate timesOpening and closing times for every month, camp gate times and the late-arrival rules.
Crocodile Bridge gateThe closest gate to Marloth: distance, hours, the camp shop, the road to Lower Sabie and holiday queues.
Quotas and pre-bookingDay-visitor limits in school holidays and the festive season, the pre-booking fee and what's known for 2026/27.
Malelane gateThe other gate from Marloth: the N4 drive, Berg-en-Dal, the H3 to Skukuza and when it beats Crocodile Bridge.
Kruger feesKruger's daily conservation fees from 1 November 2026: R140 for South African adults, R70 for children. SADC and international rates, Wild Card and who pays when.
