Getting to and from the safari location in Southern Kruger

The drive to Kruger Park / Sabi Sand from Johannesburg takes about 6-7 hours.

The transportation from OR Tambo in Johannesburg starts with a shuttle (a small reliable and quality bus company that does regular drives from/to the airport). The shuttle starts at the OR Tambo airport and ends in Hazyview.

The shuttle is a great road trip tour and quite fun. You do get to see much of South Africa when driving and get to meet new people from interesting backgrounds. The road travels though towns and past coal mines, down the escarpment (with nice scenic mountains and forests) down to the lowveld and ultimately the Kruger Park / Sabi Sand.

It is a long trip, however most of the way is highway and most guests do the safaris via road transfer, due to the affordability of it. Thinking about it, it is not really that far (just manageable).

Flights come at an additional cost on top of a safari package rate that already includes transport by road.

From Hazyview, you will have a transfer to the safari location on a private vehicle or with other passengers doing the same safari.

The shuttle cost is part of the safari package rate and is the most affordable way to get to the safari location.

Domestic flights are however more convenient and recommended, should you be able to afford them. This can also help, should your international arrival flight land too late to join the safari on the same day it starts.

In the safari quotation, we can include pick-up and drop-off to the following airports / locations:

1. OR Tambo International Airport (in Johannesburg) or Kempton park only hotels
Pick-up time: 6:30 am for 7:00 am
Alternative pick-up time: 10:30 am for 11:00 am (only offered for safaris accommodated in the rest camps of Kruger Park on the first night – then the first activity will be a night game drive)
Drop-off between 16:30 and 18:00 pm

2. Skukuza airport – inside Kruger Park (1 hours’ drive to Sabi Sand)

Arrival should be preferably around 12:00 pm and departure around 12:30 pm. A 30 minute check-in / check-out is fine for domestic flights. Please do an online flight check-in before departure.

Ask your consultant about the flight times you wish to book, as we are aware that direct flights from/to Cape Town do not always perfectly match the required arrival and departure flight times. You will still be in time for your flights should you pre-arrange these type of flights with us. You consultant will explain the requirements in such cases.

Also do take note that this airport is located inside the Kruger National Park.

Therefore, park entry fees upon landing or at the gate on-route to the airport gets paid by us (we include additional park fees required, as it replaces the shuttle costs). Please just note that we will not pay for these entry fees, should you change from a shuttle to a flight on short notice.

Please book these flights yourself on http://www.flyairlink.com/

3. Nelspruit airport (KMIA/MQP) – 2 hours from Kruger Park and 3 hours from Sabi Sand
Arrival flights before 12:00 pm preferably.
Departure flights after 13:00 pm preferably.
Please book these yourself on http://www.flyairlink.com/

4. Any address or location in Hazyview
Pick-up by 12:00 pm.
Drop-off by 12:00 pm.

5. In case your flight logistics just doesn’t fit, we can also offer a any-time private transfer at an additional cost of ZAR 9000 on top of the safari price (one way) for the whole group. Please just note that you still need to take the start time of your first activity into account in this case. Groups with 5 people or more get private transfers included as standard at no additional cost on all safaris.

Pre- and post-safari accommodation, activities and transfers:

Should you have a pre-/post-safari accommodation in Johannesburg, we can book an airport transfer for you if you need one. Also for the last day, should you stay overnight in Johannesburg. These cost R850 one-way per transfer, not per person (not included in our safari rate). This is something we usually book at https://airportlink.co.za/ (so can do it in your behalf if you need it).
We can also assist to book a basic B&B with included airport transfers in Johannesburg.

Day trips in Johannesburg can also be offered, should you stay extra nights in the city.

You’re welcome to advise me regarding this.

Details about recommended flight check-out timeframes:

Please allow for 2.5 – 3 hours check-in and check-out of international flights and 1-2 hours check-in and check-out for domestic flights. Online/internet flight check-in on the day will save some time.

Shuttle tickets, transfer driver contact numbers etc. will be sent through a week before the trip when all is arranged.