Marula Gardens
Guesthouse, breakfast included · Mtubatuba, about 30 km from Nyalazi Gate · Marula Gardens
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Budget
Outside the gate
Ownership unconfirmed
A guesthouse in Mtubatuba, known to us from its Booking.com listing: a double with breakfast at R1,000 a night for two on 24 September 2026, with a guest score of 8.8 from 102 reviews. We did not check for a website and found no statement of who owns it. Mtubatuba is about 30 km from Nyalazi Gate, the eastern entrance to the iMfolozi section, and has the nearest shops to Mpila. Breakfast before an early gate is useful, though at 05:00 in summer you may leave before it is served. Choose it as a southern base, or as a stop between the park and St Lucia.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Breakfast included
- 8.8 from 102 Booking.com reviews
- About 30 km to Nyalazi Gate
- Conservation fee only on days you enter
Cons
- Known only from Booking.com in our sources
- Outside the park, with a daily drive to the gate
- Ownership not stated
What the park charges on top
The rate above buys you a bed. Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park charges its own entry fee for every day you are inside. Here is what that adds up to.
- Park entryR320 per international adult per day at USD 1 = R16.35 (23 Sep 2026), 2025/26 tariff valid to 31 Oct 2026.
- $20per person, per day
Three nights means three days inside, so two adults pay $120 in park fees before anyone pays for a bed.
Ezemvelo's 2025/26 tariff lists no vehicle fee for Hluhluwe-iMfolozi.
Guests at Ezemvelo's own camps and at the private lodge inside the park pay the conservation fee for every day as well; it is not included in the accommodation rates.
The full fee schedule for Hluhluwe-iMfolozi ParkRates at Marula Gardens
From $31 pppn (reseller rate). Booking.com's lowest displayed price, R1,000 for a double with breakfast, two adults, one night on 14 to 15 October 2026, read 24 September 2026; about $31 each at R16.35. Prices move daily, and the listing we read did not state VAT. The Ezemvelo conservation fee (R320 per international adult a day, R160 South African and SADC, 2025/26 tariff) is extra on each day you enter the park.
What the rate covers is not confirmed. We do not know yet whether meals, drinks and activities are included, so read this as the bed only.
Every figure on this page is in US dollars.
Rates checked on 24 September 2026. Ezemvelo's figures come from its 2025/26 tariff, valid to 31 October 2026; a new tariff is expected from 1 November 2026 and had not been published on that date. The private lodge inside the park, Duiker Game Lodge's package and the Ezemvelo camps are priced from their own sources. Every other figure outside the park is Booking.com's lowest displayed price for one night, 14 to 15 October 2026, two adults, and is marked as a reseller rate; it moves daily. Dollar figures use R16.35 to the dollar (ECB, 23 September 2026) and are per person sharing. The conservation fee is extra everywhere: R320 per international adult a day, R160 for South African and SADC residents.
Questions about Marula Gardens
How far is Marula Gardens from the park?
Mtubatuba is about 30 km (around 35 minutes) from Nyalazi Gate; Mpila is 18 km beyond the gate.
Is Marula Gardens good for families?
We found no published child policy. The cheapest unit we saw was a double for two with breakfast.
Is breakfast included at Marula Gardens?
The Booking.com rate we saw on 24 September 2026 included breakfast. Check the room you book, since included board can differ between room types.