SANParks Fee Increase: Kruger and Table Mountain Cost Foreign Visitors About 15% More From 1 November

South Africa's national parks will cost international visitors about 15% more from 1 November 2026, when South African National Parks (SANParks) introduces its new daily conservation fees for 2026/27. The SANParks fee increase lifts the international adult rate at Kruger National Park from R602 to R692 per person per day, while the rise for South African citizens and nationals of other SADC countries is much smaller.

The new rate card, published by SANParks and reported this week by Tourism Update and the Africa Travel and Tourism Association (ATTA), runs from 1 November 2026 to 31 October 2027 and covers all of the agency's parks. Tourism Update summed up the change by noting that the largest increases fall on international visitors.

For safari operators and travellers already holding bookings for the 2026/27 season, the change matters because conservation fees are usually charged per person, per day, on top of accommodation, game drives and transfers. On a multi-day Kruger itinerary for a family, the difference adds up quickly.

What changes at the major parks

The headline parks all move by roughly the same proportion for international guests. According to the SANParks fee schedules for 2025/26 and 2026/27, the international adult daily fee changes as follows.

Kruger National Park: R602 now, R692 from 1 November.

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park: R576 now, R662 from 1 November.

Addo Elephant National Park: R492 now, R565 from 1 November.

Table Mountain National Park, Cape of Good Hope section: R515 now, R592 from 1 November.

Table Mountain National Park, Boulders penguin colony: R245 now, R282 from 1 November.

Garden Route National Park, Storms River Mouth in Tsitsikamma: R367 now, R422 from 1 November.

Children aged 2 to 11 pay a separate, lower rate, and infants under two enter free, according to SANParks. At Kruger, the international child fee rises from R300 to R345 per day. Tourism Update put the new Kruger adult rate at roughly US$42 at current exchange rates, and the Cape of Good Hope rate at about US$36.

Smaller rises for South Africans and the region

SANParks keeps a three-tier structure, and the gap between the tiers widens this year. At Kruger, the daily fee for South African citizens and residents moves from R134 to R140, an increase of about 4.5%. The rate for SADC nationals rises from R275 to R296, or about 7.6%. The international adult rate rises about 15%.

Nationals of SADC countries covered by a transfrontier agreement continue to pay the South African rate at the relevant park, according to the SANParks schedule. That means, for example, Mozambican and Zimbabwean nationals at Kruger and Botswana nationals at Kgalagadi pay the local fee rather than the higher SADC rate.

Members of SANParks' Wild Card loyalty programme pay no daily conservation fees if they show proof of identity and their card on arrival. ATTA noted that current Wild Card prices apply until 31 October 2026 and that the 2026/27 Wild Card rates had not yet been published when it reported the change.

A second double-digit rise in a row

This is not the first steep increase for international visitors. When SANParks introduced its 2025/26 fees in November 2025, the international adult rate at Kruger rose from R535 to R602, Getaway Magazine reported at the time. Taken together, the two adjustments mean the Kruger international day fee has climbed by about 29% in two seasons.

When the 2025/26 increase was announced, Getaway reported that SANParks described the adjustment as necessary to keep up with rising operational costs, with the money going towards infrastructure maintenance, visitor facilities, anti-poaching work and conservation projects. SANParks has not given a separate public explanation for the 2026/27 figures in the coverage reviewed for this report.

Conservation fees are a significant income stream for SANParks, which manages a network that includes some of Africa's best-known safari and coastal parks. Higher fees for foreign visitors, with lower rates for locals and regional travellers, is a model used across much of the continent, including in East Africa, where park authorities also charge non-residents considerably more than citizens.

What it means for travellers

Check when your fees are charged. The new rates apply to park days from 1 November 2026. Travellers who have prepaid conservation fees should confirm with their operator or lodge how the change applies to their booking.

Budget for the difference. As an illustration, two international adults and two children on a three-day Kruger visit would pay R6,222 in conservation fees under the new schedule, compared with R5,412 under the current one, based on the published daily rates.

Consider the Wild Card. Frequent visitors, and international travellers spending many days across several parks, should compare the cost of a Wild Card against daily fees once SANParks publishes its 2026/27 card prices.

Look beyond the headline parks. Smaller parks carry lower daily fees, and Kruger remains among the most expensive in the network. For planning ideas, see our destination pages for Kruger, Cape Town and the Garden Route.

Rates are quoted in South African rand, include VAT and may change without notice, so always check the current SANParks schedule before you travel.

Photo: Dietmar Rabich / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).