How To Get to Kruger | Flights, Roads and Driving Time

How To Get to Kruger National Park – Flights, Roads and Driving Time

Kruger Safaris

Expert

By Philip Briggs

Philip is author of ‘The Rough Guide to Game Parks of South Africa’.

Philip is the author of many Africa guidebooks, including ‘The Rough Guide to Game Parks of South Africa’.

Philip lives in South Africa and has authored many Africa guidebooks, including ‘The Rough Guide to Game Parks of South Africa’.

Philip lives in South Africa and has authored many guidebooks to African destinations, including ‘The Rough Guide to Game Parks of South Africa’.

South Africa Map

Kruger National Park lies in northeastern South Africa near Mbombela (formerly Nelspruit), Hazyview and Hoedspruit. Most visitors route through Johannesburg’s O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB), southern Africa’s busiest flight hub, which offers connections all over the world.

Heading to Kruger by road, many people book a rental car at O.R. Tambo and (allow at least 5 hours* for the 375km/233mi to Numbi Gate, the closest entrance). Others book onto a guided multiday Kruger safari out of Johannesburg.

Alternatively, scheduled flights connect O.R. Tambo to three airports closer to Kruger and you can rent a car or take a tour from there. Skukuza Airport (SZK) actually lies inside the park, while Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (MQP) stands 40km/25mi outside Numbi Gate and Hoedspruit’s Eastgate Airport (HDS) is 70km/43mi from Orpen Gate.

Heading to Kruger from Cape Town International Airport (CPT), there are daily flights to Kruger Mpumalanga and Eastgate airports.

*Driving times are only a rough indication. You should always consider the possibility of significant delays.

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Airlines & Ticket Prices

Please check Skyscanner to see which airlines can take you to O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB), and what tickets would cost.

www.skyscanner.com

Domestic Flights

Direct flights connect Johannesburg’s O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB) and Cape Town International Airport (CPT) to Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (MQP) near Mbombela and Eastgate Airport (HDS) near Hoedspruit. There are also scheduled flights from O.R. Tambo to Skukuza Airport (SZK), and, as of May 2026, from George (on the Garden Route) to Eastgate.

Scheduled domestic flights can be booked with several carriers:

Airlink (Flies to Skukuza, Kruger Mpumalanga and Eastgate)
CemAir (Flies to Eastgate)
FlySafair (Flies to Eastgate)
Federal Airlines (Flies to Skukuza and certain airstrips in private reserves bordering Kruger)

Passport, Visa & Other Entry Requirements

Please check our How To Get to South Africa page to learn more about passport, visa and other entry requirements.

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