Official iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority rates
iSimangaliso Wetland Park entry fees
All fees are in rand and are charged per person per entry at the gate of each section, with a separate vehicle fee. The Authority's tables do not mention VAT. Two levies come on top: a R7 conservation levy per person and, if you sleep inside the park, a R12 accommodation levy per person per night. Dollar figures on this site use R16.36 = US$1 (24 September 2026) and are rounded. Each section has its own gate and you pay again at each one you enter.
If you only want the answer
An international adult pays R130 (about $8) per entry at Cape Vidal, the Western Shores and uMkhuze, R71 (about $4.30) at Sodwana, the Coastal Forest and Kosi Bay, plus a R7 levy; South Africans pay R62 and R34. A car costs R74 at the main gates. These are the 2024/25 rates, the last iSimangaliso has published, which expired on 30 November 2025.
Gate fees per person, per entry (2024/25 tariff, the last confirmed)
| International adult: Eastern Shores and Cape Vidal, Western Shores, uMkhuze | R130 | about $8; international child R95; South African adult R62, child R45 |
|---|---|---|
| International adult: False Bay, Maphelane | R120 | about $7; international child R71; South African adult R57, child R34. Maphelane has been closed since late 2018 |
| International adult: Sodwana Bay | R71 | about $4.30; international child R50; South African adult R34, child R21 |
| International adult: Coastal Forest (Mabibi, Rocktail, Lala Nek, Bhanga Nek) and Kosi Bay | R71 | about $4.30; international child R50; South African adult R34, child R23 |
| Conservation levy, every visitor | R7 | per person, on top of the gate fee |
| Accommodation levy, overnight guests inside the park | R12 | per person per night |
| Lake St Lucia, St Lucia town and Lake Sibaya | No gate | no fee to enter the town or to reach Lake Sibaya |
Source: iSimangaliso Approved Gate Fees 2024-2025, page 1 (gate fees) and page 2 (levies), archived copy read 24 September 2026; last updated here 13 October 2026. The PDF does not define the child age; secondary sites say under 12, and under 16 in the Coastal Forest. Whether a guest staying several nights pays the gate fee once or every day is not stated in any official document; the accommodation levy is explicitly per night.
Updated 13 October 2026
Why you will see R51, R59, R64 and R2,000 elsewhere
The figures have moved three times in four years. The notice of 1 November 2022 raised the gate fees from 1 December 2022, when Cape Vidal went to R59 per South African adult and separate international rates appeared for the first time. 2023/24 carried a further 5% increase. For 2024/25, iSimangaliso's release of 13 December 2024 says the Board kept domestic gate fees unchanged and made a minor adjustment to international fees in line with the exchange rate, which is the R62 and R130 on this page.
Older figures still circulate. R51 per adult at Cape Vidal, R23 at Sodwana and R55 at Kosi Bay are pre-December-2022 rates that some St Lucia sites were still printing in late 2024. Kosi Bay is now cheaper for South Africans than that old figure, at R34. For 2025/26, lodges and gate-side guides quote about 3% more than 2024/25 (R64 at Cape Vidal, R35 at Sodwana), and some northern lodges quote a SADC and non-SADC split that is in no official table.
The R2,000 'scuba diving' line in the tariff is a daily permit for licensed dive operators, alongside the R2,000 boat and charter permits. You do not buy it as a diver: you pay the R71 Sodwana gate fee and your dive centre's price.
iSimangaliso news release: 2024-2025 gate fees adjustments (13 Dec 2024) ↗
Vehicle fees per vehicle, per entry (2024/25 tariff)
| Car or 4x4, 1 to 5 seats: Eastern Shores, Western Shores, uMkhuze | R74 | about $4.50; 6 to 12 seats R108, 13 to 20 R147, 21+ R250 |
|---|---|---|
| Car or 4x4, 1 to 5 seats: Sodwana Bay | R30 | 6 to 12 seats R57, 13 to 20 R80, 21+ R130 |
| Car or 4x4, 1 to 5 seats: Coastal Forest and Kosi Bay | R40 | R40 up to 20 seats, R46 for 21+ |
| Car or 4x4, 1 to 5 seats: False Bay | R29 | 6 to 12 seats R34, 13 to 20 R40, 21+ R46 |
| Car or 4x4, 1 to 5 seats: Maphelane | R27 | R29 for larger vehicles; the section has been closed since late 2018 |
| Boat launch, Sodwana Bay and Cape Vidal or St Lucia | R150 | per boat per day; the PDF marks it 'no change' |
Source: iSimangaliso Approved Gate Fees 2024-2025, vehicle table, categories by seating capacity; last updated here 13 October 2026. Recreational beach driving is not permitted anywhere in the park: iSimangaliso's coastal vehicle permits cover only research, filming, fishing competitions and access for physically disabled people.
Updated 13 October 2026
State campsites inside the park (per site per night, Ezemvelo 2023/24 tariff)
| Sugarloaf campsite, St Lucia town (powered, up to 6) | R420 | minimum 3 people, R140 per extra person; high season R510. A later undated listing quotes R450 for 2 standard and R1,200 for 4 in high season |
|---|---|---|
| Cape Vidal campsite | R340 | minimum 2; high season R1,000 for a minimum of 4 |
| Sodwana Bay, Gwalagwala campsite | R260 | minimum 2; Sodwana has 413 campsites in all |
| eMshopi campsite, uMkhuze | R330 | minimum 3; high season R390 |
| Kosi Bay camp, lakeshore site | R340 | other sites R290 |
| False Bay (Lister's Point), powered | R220 | minimum 2, R110 per extra person; unpowered R180, R90 per extra person |
| Mantuma rest hut, uMkhuze, 2 beds | R700 | the cheapest state room with a roof; high season R820 |
Source: Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife tariff 2023/24, valid 1 November 2023 to 31 October 2024 (mirror copy), the latest camp tariff that can be read; last updated here 13 October 2026. Treat these as a floor: Ezemvelo left the iSimangaliso camps on 1 March 2026, the Authority has published no camp tariff since, and one later figure for Sodwana cabins suggests about 7% more. The R12 accommodation levy per person per night comes on top. Several camps are being leased to private operators, so the operator and the price may change during 2026/27.
Updated 13 October 2026
Activity permits and what visitors actually pay
| Scuba diving, deep sea charter, licensed boats | R2,000 | per operator per day, built into your dive or trip price; not a personal permit |
|---|---|---|
| Game drives, Eastern Shores or Western Shores | R1,000 | per operator per day; you pay the tour price |
| Snorkelling operators | R600 | per operator per day |
| Bike permit, False Bay | R100 | per entry |
| Turtle tours | No official fee | only with a licensed concessionaire, who sets the price; no operator price verified |
| Guided game drive, Mantuma (uMkhuze) | R380 | per person, Ezemvelo 2023/24; guided walk or fig forest walk R330 |
Source: iSimangaliso Approved Gate Fees 2024-2025, page 2, and the news release of 11 November 2022 (activity permits rose on 1 December 2024); Mantuma activity prices from the Ezemvelo 2023/24 tariff. Last updated here 13 October 2026. The 2022/23 notice adds that tour operators need a daily permit to conduct tours within the park.
Updated 13 October 2026
Something this page does not answer?
Fees are the one thing park authorities change without telling anyone, and some of them publish nothing at all.
Ask us. We answer questions about the park itself, and we can usually tell you which camps work on one route and who to write to. If what you want is a trip someone else arranges, we will say so and hand you to an operator we know, and we earn a commission if that becomes a booking.
Nothing on this site sits behind the form. Every figure we have is already on the page.