Best time to visit Marloth Park

Summers in Marloth Park are hot and winters are mild. Most of the rain falls in summer. Our Marloth Park weather page has the temperatures and rainfall month by month.

Dry winter: May to September

Winter days are mild and the nights are cool, so pack a warm top for early starts in an open game drive vehicle. The bush dries out and thins, and Kruger's animals move towards the rivers and waterholes, where they're easier to find. This is the best time of year for game viewing. Late winter and early spring are especially good, because the rivers and dams are at their lowest and the animals stay close to what water is left.

Gates open later and close earlier in winter. From April to September Kruger's gates open at 06:00, and from May to July they close at 17:30, so you get a shorter day in the park. See Kruger gate times.

The June-July school holidays are the busy part of winter. In 2025 SANParks ran day-visitor quotas at the Kruger gates from 28 June to 21 July. House prices in Marloth stay steady in July: the middle price for a couple's unit for 2-9 July 2027 was R1,530 a night, close to November's.

Spring heat: October and November

The heat builds through October. By November it's hot and humid, and the summer rain and afternoon thundershowers start. Until the rain comes the bush stays thin and dry, so game viewing is still good. Marloth is quieter now too. 359 of Marloth's 552 places to stay were still free for a mid-week stay from 16 to 20 November 2026, and hosts run off-season specials. From November the rest-camp gates inside Kruger open at 04:30, an hour before the entrance gates.

From the end of November into December, Kruger fills up with newborn animals and the summer migrant birds arrive.

Wet summer: December to March

Summer is hot and humid, with thunderstorms in the afternoon. The bush turns thick and green. It looks lovely, but it hides the animals, so sightings take more patience. This is the best time for birding. Do your Kruger drives in the early morning and late afternoon, and pick a house with aircon in the bedrooms. Summer nights stay warm, and a cool room helps you sleep before an early start.

Heavy rain can close roads and gates. Floods closed Crocodile Bridge gate to day visitors from 14 to 21 January 2026, and people staying in Marloth used Malelane gate instead. Before a summer day in Kruger, check the SANParks news page.

February is quiet once the schools go back. On 26 October 2026, 461 of Marloth's 552 places to stay were free for a mid-week stay from 8 to 12 February 2027.

Malaria

Marloth Park and Kruger are in a malaria area. The Malelane to Komatipoort area is rated moderate risk on the national malaria map, and antimalarials are recommended for travellers from September to May. June to August falls outside that period. See a doctor or travel clinic before you come. In any season, cover your arms and legs from sunset and use repellent. Our malaria page has more.

School holidays and long weekends

The South African school holidays decide how busy Marloth and the Kruger gates are. These are the next ones:

Holiday	Dates
December holidaysSchools close 9 Dec and reopen 13 Jan	10 December 2026 to 12 January 2027
March and Easter holidaysGood Friday is 26 March 2027	20 March to 5 April 2027
Winter holidays	26 June to 19 July 2027

Last checked 26 October 2026

Over the festive season and other busy times, SANParks limits the number of day visitors at each Kruger gate and asks them to pre-book a time slot, for a fee. This doesn't affect people sleeping inside Kruger. If you're staying in Marloth over a school holiday, pre-book your Kruger days as soon as SANParks opens bookings. Our quotas and pre-booking page covers each season.

Prices and places free through the year

These are the same Marloth Park places to stay, priced for different dates on 26 October 2026:

Dates	Places free of 552	Couple's unit, middle price	Sleeps 4-6, middle price
Mid-week, 16-20 Nov 2026	359	R1,500	R1,700
19-21 Dec 2026, 2 nights	83	R1,920	R2,550
Christmas week, 19-26 Dec 2026	42	R1,920	R2,266
New Year, 28 Dec 2026-2 Jan 2027	42	R1,895	R2,391
Mid-week, 8-12 Feb 2027	461	R1,700	R1,950
Easter, 25-29 Mar 2027	357	R1,825	R2,000
Winter holidays, 2-9 Jul 2027	396	R1,530	R2,000

Last checked 26 October 2026

Prices go up in December, and finding a place at all is harder. Only 42 places were left for Christmas week. Easter and the July holidays still had plenty of choice at close to normal prices. For the cost of a whole trip, see what a Marloth Park trip costs.

Which season suits you

If seeing animals in Kruger is the main reason for your trip, come in winter, from May to September. Skip the July school holidays if you can, or pre-book your Kruger days.

If you'd like a quiet Marloth, plenty of houses to choose from and off-season specials, come in October, November, February or March. You'll need to be fine with the heat.

If December is the only time your family can get away, book the house months ahead. Choose one with aircon and a pool, and pre-book your Kruger days.