2 week SA trip with late arrival to Nelspruit airport

Hello!

First time poster here :)

Me and my wife are two Canadians planning a 2 week trip to South Africa this October (likely oct 24th). At present we are thinking 5 days on Kruger Safari and 8 days Cape Town. We will be flying into Johannesburg at 2:40pm. This time has the cheapest flight.

Ive been reading a lot of different threads and decided to fly to Nelspruit instead of drive. Based on arrival flight to Johannesburg we would stay at airport and catch flight to Nelspruit airport for around 6pm.

If we arrive at this time, I believe Kruger gates are closed. Does this mean we cant book any safari lodges inside the park?

Thanks in advance!

Hi,

This depends largely on where you are planning to stay. If you are staying in a camp, you can sometimes make special arrangements for late arrivals. If you scroll down on this page to "Late Entry" you will see that you can pay extra to get a Late Entry escort to certain camps inside Kruger (those within 10km of a gate) if you're self-driving since you're not allowed to drive around alone after sunset. I think it's best to confirm that this is possible with the specific camp that you want to stay at and to organize everything beforehand to avoid disappointment. Private lodges might have their own rules and arrangements. I think the first step would be to decide where you are going to stay if you haven't already and maybe when choosing accommodation also take into account whether late arrivals are allowed.

To avoid driving in the dark you might rather consider staying overnight in Nelspruit and entering Kruger the following morning very early or alternatively organizing a transfer with your chosen private lodge that allows late arrivals.

I hope this helps :-)

Hi Lidia,

Really appreciate you taking the time to respond and provide some info. I was able to book an earlier flight and will arrive at 10am. So I think im just doing to do thr drivr out there.

I also ended up booking at a lodge outside the camp ground so i think im ok.

Hoping it all works out :)

I'm sure you'll have a great time, enjoy! :-D

traveing South Africa from 28th Oct..to 28th November....looking for travel buddies....for short or whole month
renting car in JNB...Kruger....other safaris...then the whole circle...around the cape..etc....flexible..open...& looking for someone to share expanses...safety....fun...I am in my 60s....but love to travel around the world...young at heart...retired aerospace engineer...from California....born in India

This topic has been automatically locked due to inactivity. Email community@lonelyplanet.com if you would like to add to this topic and we'll unlock it for you.