Kruger gate times in December

December gate times

Gate	Opens	Closes
Entrance gatesCrocodile Bridge, Malelane and every other gate	05:30	18:30
Camp gatesFor guests staying inside Kruger	04:30	18:30

Last checked 26 October 2026

Sunrise and sunset in Marloth Park

Date	Sunrise	Sunset
1 December 2026	04:54	18:30
31 December 2026	05:05	18:47

Last checked 26 October 2026

Sunrise is at its earliest around the start of December, and the sun is up 25 to 35 minutes before the entrance gates open. Sunset moves past closing time during the month, so by Christmas you leave the park in daylight.

Holidays and quotas in December 2026

• Schools close on Wednesday 9 December, and the school holidays run 10 December 2026 to 12 January 2027.
• The public holidays are the Day of Reconciliation on Wednesday 16 December, Christmas Day on Friday 25 December and the Day of Goodwill on Saturday 26 December.

The daily limits on day visitors are mostly reached on long weekends and in school holidays, and December has both. Last festive season Kruger capped the number of day visitors at each gate. It asked them to pre-book online in one of three arrival slots, for a non-refundable fee of R59 per adult. Once a gate reached its limit, only pre-booked visitors got in. Overnight guests inside the park weren't affected, and Wild Card holders still paid the booking fee. This season's dates and fee hadn't been announced by 26 October 2026. Quotas and pre-booking has the details and will carry the new notice.

In the school holidays Crocodile Bridge can fill up early in the morning, so be there before it opens.

What December is like in the park

It's high summer and the middle of the rainy season, with hot, humid days and often big thunderstorms. Skukuza in Kruger has an average December high of 34 °C, the highest of the year, with an average low of 20 °C and about 96 mm of rain. Impala give birth around now, which brings out the predators, and the thick green bush makes the animals harder to see. Before a summer visit, read our malaria page.

When to leave Marloth

Crocodile Bridge is about 20-30 min from Marloth Park, so on a normal day leave by 05:00 to be at the gate when it opens at 05:30. In the school holidays, if you haven't pre-booked, leave earlier and expect to queue. Pack padkos (food for the road) and a flask of coffee for the wait.

Lower Sabie is 34 km from the gate. At the 30 km/h average to plan on, that's a little over an hour, so leave Lower Sabie by 17:15 to be through Crocodile Bridge before 18:30.

The day fee from 1 November 2026 is R140 for a South African adult. See Kruger fees for other visitors.

Other months: November, January or the whole year.