What a Marloth Park trip costs

These budgets use prices checked on 26 October 2026. Petrol changes on the first Wednesday of each month, Kruger's fees change on 1 November and tolls on 1 March, so we recheck them on that schedule.

What a house costs per night

Most places to stay in Marloth are self-catering houses rented whole. We checked the asking prices of Marloth Park's places to stay for set dates on 26 October 2026. The middle price is the one half the places are above and half below.

Dates	Couple's unit, middle	Sleeps 4-6, middle	Places free of 552
Weekend, 13-15 Nov 2026	R1,625	R1,800	296
Mid-week, 16-20 Nov 2026	R1,500	R1,700	359
Christmas week, 19-26 Dec 2026	R1,920	R2,266	42
Mid-week, 8-12 Feb 2027	R1,700	R1,950	461
Easter, 25-29 Mar 2027	R1,825	R2,000	357
Winter holidays, 2-9 Jul 2027	R1,530	R2,000	396

Last checked 26 October 2026

These are the prices listings were asking for those dates. Some listings add a once-off cleaning or admin fee, and we've seen cleaning fees of R260-R1,200, so compare the total for your stay. Our Marloth Park accommodation guide has the full price spread by house size and the specials hosts run.

July prices were close to November's. In December the bigger problem is finding a place at all.

December and Easter: book early

On 26 October 2026, 92% of Marloth's places to stay were already booked for 19-26 December, and the same for 28 December to 2 January. Only 42 places were still free for Christmas week, at a middle price of R1,920 a night for a couple. Easter 2027 still had 357 places free at close to normal prices. If you want December, book by the middle of the year.

Kruger fees from 1 November 2026

You only pay Kruger's daily conservation fee on the days you drive into the park. From 1 November 2026 it is R140 per South African adult and R70 per child aged 2 to 11, and R692 and R345 for overseas visitors. The full table is on our Kruger fees for 2026/27 page.

In busy holidays SANParks also asks day visitors to pre-book a time slot. Last festive season that cost R59 per adult and R29 per child, non-refundable, Wild Card holders included. See quotas and pre-booking.

When a Wild Card pays for itself

The 2026/27 Wild Card prices hadn't been released when we checked. At last year's prices and the new daily fees:

Card (2025/26 price)	Daily fees it replaces	Pays for itself after
South African individual, R930	R140 a day	7 Kruger days
South African couple, R1,525	R280 a day	6 days
South African family (2 adults, 2 children), R1,870	R420 a day	5 days
International couple, R7,310	R1,384 a day	6 days
International family, R8,745	R2,074 a day	5 days

A typical Marloth week with two or three Kruger days doesn't justify a card. Two such trips in a year usually do.

Getting here: fuel, tolls or car hire

Item	Cost	Notes
Petrol, inland 95, October 2026	R30,25 a litre	From 7 October 2026. The November price comes out on 4 November
N4 toll, Middelburg	R84	Car, one way, from 1 March 2026
N4 toll, Machado	R126	As above
N4 toll, Nkomazi	R95	Just west of Malelane, before the Marloth turn-off
N4 toll, Diamond Hill	R51	Only if you come from Pretoria on the N4
Car hire at KMIA, small car	R390 a day	Kayak's average; December is the dearest month
Car hire at KMIA, SUV	R818 a day	Kayak's average

From Johannesburg, taking the N12 to eMalahleni skips Diamond Hill, so you pay R84 + R126 + R95 = R305 each way, R610 return. From Pretoria on the N4 add Diamond Hill: R356 each way, R712 return. Johannesburg to Marloth Park is 420-440 km by road, and a car using 8 litres per 100 km burns about R2,060 in petrol for the 850 km round trip at October's price.

If you fly into Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (KMIA), Marloth Park is 100-106 km away by road. You'll need a car to get around Marloth and to drive yourself into Kruger, so budget for car hire. Our getting here page covers the route.

Guided drives into Kruger

If you'd rather not drive yourself, operators collect you in Marloth and drive you into Kruger through Crocodile Bridge. Typical prices per person, with the conservation fee included:

Drive	From
Afternoon, about 4.5 hours	R1,340
Morning, about 6 hours	R1,410
Full day, about 10 hours	R1,770

Last checked 26 October 2026

These are "from" prices with no end date given, so confirm when you book. That operator doesn't take children under 3, and takes 4- and 5-year-olds on private bookings only. More options are on our game drives page.

Three budgets, with the working

All three are for South Africans driving from Johannesburg. They include the house, petrol, N4 tolls and Kruger fees. They don't include food, braai wood, game pellets, Lionspruit entry, cleaning fees or travel insurance.

The budget column uses the lower-quarter house price for those dates, the middle column the middle price, and the upper column the upper-quarter price plus a guided drive instead of one self-drive day.

Trip	Budget	Middle	Upper
Weekend for 2, 13-15 Nov 2026	R5,610	R6,560	R10,710
Family of 4, 4 nights over Easter, 25-29 Mar 2027	R11,263	R13,231	R21,611
Week for 2, 7 nights in November 2026	R13,359	R15,459	R22,919

Weekend for two

Two nights, Friday to Sunday, in a couple's unit, with one day in Kruger. A sedan using 8 litres per 100 km, 1,000 km in all with local driving.

• House: 2 x R1,150 = R2,300 (budget), 2 x R1,625 = R3,250 (middle), 2 x R2,500 = R5,000 (upper)
• Petrol: 80 litres x R30.25 = R2,420
• Tolls: R610
• Kruger: 2 x R140 = R280. The upper budget has a guided afternoon drive instead, 2 x R1,340 = R2,680, fees included
• Totals: R5,610, R6,560 and R10,710

Family of four at Easter

Two adults and two children aged 6 to 11, four nights in a house sleeping 4 to 6, two days in Kruger. An SUV using 10 litres per 100 km, 1,250 km in all.

• House: 4 x R1,508 = R6,032, 4 x R2,000 = R8,000, 4 x R2,790 = R11,160
• Petrol: 125 litres x R30.25 = R3,781
• Tolls: R610
• Kruger: 2 days x (2 x R140 + 2 x R70) = R840. The upper budget has a guided morning drive for four at 4 x R1,410 = R5,640 plus one self-drive day at R420
• Totals: R11,263, R13,231 and R21,611
• If day-visitor quotas apply over Easter, pre-booking two days would add 2 x (2 x R59 + 2 x R29) = R352 at last season's fee
• A family Wild Card (R1,870 last year) isn't worth it for two Kruger days costing R840

A week for two

Seven nights in November in a couple's unit, three days in Kruger. A sedan, 1,450 km in all.

• House at mid-week November prices: 7 x R1,200 = R8,400, 7 x R1,500 = R10,500, 7 x R2,100 = R14,700
• Petrol: 116 litres x R30.25 = R3,509
• Tolls: R610
• Kruger: 3 days x R280 = R840. The upper budget swaps one day for a guided full day, 2 x R1,770 = R3,540, plus two self-drive days at R560
• Totals: R13,359, R15,459 and R22,919
• Some hosts give 20-35% off stays of five or seven nights. At 20% off, the house costs R1,680-R2,940 less

If you're visiting from overseas

The biggest difference is the daily fee: R692 per adult and R345 per child from 1 November 2026. Two adults pay R1,384 for each day in the park, so a house in Marloth with a couple of rest days between Kruger days saves more for you than for a South African. An International All Parks Wild Card for a couple cost R7,310 last year, which pays for itself after six days in Kruger. Add car hire from KMIA or Johannesburg to the house price and fees above.

When Marloth isn't the cheapest option

If you're happy to camp, a Crocodile Bridge campsite costs R488 a night from 1 November to 8 December 2026 (guideline rate), and you wake up inside the park. Couples on a tight budget will find a slightly lower middle price in Komatipoort (R1,200) and Malelane, though there are far fewer places to choose from. Our pages on Marloth or inside Kruger and where to stay near Kruger compare them in full.