Hazyview

Hazyview is a subtropical farming town on the Sabie River in the Mpumalanga Lowveld, named for the heat haze that hangs over the banana plantations in summer. It has about 4,000 residents and, by local reckoning, more hotel beds than anywhere else in the Lowveld. The reason is simple: Kruger National Park’s Phabeni Gate is about 10 km away, and the Panorama Route viewpoints are up the escarpment behind the town. If you want to self-drive Kruger from outside the park, this is where you stay.

Getting there

From Johannesburg take the N4 toll road east to Mbombela (Nelspruit), then the R40 north through White River for about 60 km. Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport, 27 km by road from Mbombela, has Airlink and FlySafair flights from Johannesburg and Cape Town and Airlink flights from Durban. The City Bug shuttle also serves the town. Phabeni Gate, built in 2002 to shorten the drive from Gauteng, is 10 to 12 km from town; Paul Kruger Gate, the one for Skukuza, is 43 km. From Phabeni it is about an hour to Pretoriuskop camp and an hour and a half to Skukuza by the Doispane road.

When to go

Summer, October to April, is hot, humid and green, with afternoon storms and the highest malaria risk. Winter, May to September, is dry, warm by day and cool at night, with thinner bush and the best game viewing. Kruger’s gates open between 05:30 and 06:00 and close between 17:30 and 18:30 depending on the month, so check the table for your dates. School holidays and December fill both the park and the town, so book well ahead for those weeks.

What to do

Kruger is the reason to be here. Day visitors enter at Phabeni and loop through the southern section, where the roads to Pretoriuskop and along the Sabie River toward Skukuza are good for game. Keep to the park speed limits; the average is about 40 km/h. Local operators run half-day and full-day guided safaris if you would rather not drive.

On a non-park day, drive the Panorama Route: God’s Window, the Pinnacle, Bourke’s Luck Potholes and the Three Rondavels above the Blyde River Canyon, with Graskop for pancakes and Pilgrim’s Rest for gold-rush history. Perry’s Bridge, a centre on the edge of town, has shops, restaurants and a reptile park open 10:00 to 17:00.

Good to know

Hazyview is in Ehlanzeni District, a high-risk malaria area according to the CDC, where antimalarial tablets are recommended. Sort this out with a travel clinic before you leave home, and cover up at dusk. The FCDO reports that SANParks advise against using Numbi Gate because of protests and violent incidents on the R538 approach road; use Phabeni or Paul Kruger instead. Fuel up in town, carry water and snacks into the park, and do not get out of the car except at designated spots. The Sabie River road to Skukuza is best avoided after heavy rain.

Last updated 6 October 2026. Sources: Wikipedia, Wikivoyage, SA-Venues, Kruger Park Lodge, UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Wikipedia.