Kruger National Park: Operating hours of the Giriyondo Border Gate have been amended!

South African National Parks (SANParks) has announced that the operating hours of the Giriyondo Border Gate between Kruger National Park in South Africa and Limpopo National Park in Mozambique have been amended effective from 01 April 2024. The Giriyondo Tourist Access Facility is now open from 08:00 until 15:00 (April – September) and from 08:00 until 16:00 (October – March). The Border Gate is only open for 4×4 vehicles as the roads within the Limpopo National Park are still being developed. It is also not open to commercial traffic as its role is to facilitate tourist movement within the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park (GLTP). 

Kruger National Park/Mozambique: Giriyondo Border Gate inaccessible due to community protests!

update (09 March 2018): Giriyondo Border Gate is accessible again!

According to South African National Parks (SANParks), the Giriyondo Border Gate, one of only two gateways with direct access between Kruger National Park in South Africa and Limpopo National Park in Mozambique, is inaccessible as a port of entry/exit due to community protests taking place on the roads in Limpopo National Park on 08 March 2018 and are blocked at the moment. Travellers are advised to use alternative border gates until further notice. We'll keep you posted!

Peace Parks Foundation: The Limpopo National Park communities (video)

The Peace Parks Foundation just released a video about their involvement in the developments taking place in and around the one million hectare Limpopo National Park in the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park. When the park was proclaimed in 2001, Mozambique requested Peace Parks Foundation's assistance in overseeing its development. Owing to human/wildlife conflict, a voluntary resettlement programme is relocating communities living in the centre of the park, while those in the park's support zone are being assisted with improving their livelihoods.



The Peace Parks Foundation was founded as a not-for-profit organisation on 01 Feb 1997 by Dr Anton Rupert, HRH Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands and former South African president Dr Nelson Mandela. The mission of the Peace Parks Foundation is to facilitate the establishment of transfrontier conservation areas (peace parks) and develope human resources, thereby supporting sustainable economic development, the conservation of biodiversity and regional peace and stability.

Kruger National Park to introduce new border gate crossing regulations

Visitors who travel through the Kruger National Park (KNP) using its northern border gates, like Pafuri or Giriyondo, as ports of entry or exit through to the neighbouring countries such as Mozambique will be required to produce a valid overnight booking in either Kruger National Park or Limpopo National Park, effectively from 01 December 2011.
To allow visitors who have already planned their holiday schedule in Mozambique but have not secured accommodation booking yet, an additional fee of R150 per person will be charged to allow one to travel via the Park; however one should still provide valid proof that no accommodation is available in either of the two National Parks and possess the required travel documents. This option will only be available for a period of six months, effectively from 01 December 2011.
Essentially, without a confirmed booking and confirmation that all facilities are fully booked, such travellers will be refused admission and they would need to use other routes outside the Park leading to their destination.
The new control measures were introduced to reduce and eventually eliminate the number of vehicles using the gates as a drive through basis only, which is having a negative impact on the park as well as on its regular visitors (heavy laden, un-roadworthy vehicles, speeding, road kills etc.).
According to SANPark's HOD: Public Relations, William Mabasa, the routes for the border gates are classified as tourists roads only and do therefore not allow for any commercial traffic.