How to travel to Timbavati Game Reserve
Depending on your individual travel needs you can get to the Timbavati Game Reserve in a variety of ways. Most people choose a scheduled flight or shuttle flight to the reserve. Travellers on a long journey travelling by rental car also have easy access to the Timbavati Game Reserve.
GPS co-ordinates
S -24° 40’ 73” | E 31° 31’ 44”
Getting to Timbavati by Road
The 53 392 hectare reserve has a number of entrance gates, each accessing specific lodges in the reserve. Information concerning the correct entrance gate to use will be provided upon reservation of your accommodation for your Timbavati South African safari.
The Timbavati has one access gate. Access is via Orpen Gate road.
From Johannesburg
Distances to Timbavati from:
Hoedspruit – 52km;
Phalaborwa – 121km;
Nelspruit – 170km;
Pretoria – 469km;
Johannesburg – 495km.
Airlines & ticket prices
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Getting to Timbavati by air
Flights from Johannesburg
From OR Tambo Johannesburg International Airport it is possible to travel to Hoedspruit Eastgate Airport (HDS), Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (MQP) and Phalaborwa Airport (PHW). From all airports it is possible to continue the journey to your Timbavati safari lodge by road transfer. We recommend flying directly from Johannesburg or Cape Town to Hoedspruit, as this is the nearest airport and is serviced twice daily.
The road transfer from Hoedspruit to Timbavati takes around one hour, making it an ideal destination for a safari near Johannesburg.
Flights from Cape Town
Another possibility is to travel from Cape Town to Hoedspruit Eastgate Airport on a scheduled flight.
Flights by private charter
Certain lodges in the Timbavati have private airstrips. Private air charters are also available. Johannesburg is an excellent starting point and guests can fly straight to the lodge or to nearby Hoedspruit Airport. Transfers to the Timbavati lodges and back can be organised around flight times.
Passport, visa and other entry requirements
Passports
Please note that anyone travelling to Southern Africa must have two consecutive blank pages in their passport which lie side by side when the passport is open (i.e. a left and a right-hand page). Passengers travelling to Southern Africa with passports which do not comply with these requirements will either be stopped from boarding the aircraft or risk deportation on arrival in Southern Africa.
Visa’s
To enter South Africa, a passport valid for at least 30 days after the intended date of departure is required by all nationals. Passports must have at least two blank pages for entry stamps. Our recommendation is to ensure you have three or even four blank pages if you are traveling through more than one country. If there are insufficient pages, entry could be denied. See country specific VISA requirements here.
For more relevant information please see our terms and conditions.