A 35-year-old man was in a critical condition after being bitten by a snake near the Hartbeesspruit River in Kameeldrift on Monday, paramedics said.

Netcare 911 spokesperson Shawn Herbst said the man was bitten on the knee by a rinkhals.

Herbst said he was in a serious condition after suffering the effects of a cytotoxic bite.

He was provided with manual ventilation to assist him with breathing and then transported to hospital.