19 fascinating South African Nationwide Parks to discover

Exploring South African Nationwide Parks

South Africa enjoys an extremely various vary of natural world, from the arid deserts of the north to the plush forests of the south. The nation’s nationwide parks are a number of the greatest locations to expertise this variety, providing guests the possibility to see all the pieces from lions and elephants to uncommon chicken species and beautiful landscapes.

Some parks are higher identified than others. If you wish to discover the street much less travelled, decide one (or extra) of the lesser-known parks and head over there. Most will be explored by self-driving or guided sport drives and have lodging choices too.

There are 21 nationwide parks in South Africa that are managed by South African Nationwide Parks (SANParks). 19 of them are open to guests. The opposite 2 are Groenkloof Nationwide Park in Pretoria, the place SANParks’ head workplace relies, and Meerkat Nationwide Park within the Northern Cape, a analysis park which homes the Sq. Kilometre Array, MeerKAT and HERA telescopes.

Right here is an outline of the 19 South African nationwide parks , that are open to guests, in alphabetical order:

1. Addo Elephant Nationwide Park (Japanese Cape)

Addo Elephant Park (Picture by Mylon Ollila, Unsplash )

Addo Elephant Nationwide Park is the third largest nationwide park in South Africa. It was initially established in 1931 to guard the final remaining elephants within the area. Since then, it has expanded and has a various vary of different wildlife too, together with lions, leopards, rhinos, buffalos and hyenas.

See extra about Addo Elephant Nationwide Park.

2. Agulhas Nationwide Park (Western Cape)

Cape Agulhas

Occupying the southern tip of Africa, the place the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet, Agulhas Nationwide Park options a number of the most lovely coastal surroundings within the nation. One in all its primary points of interest is the historic Cape Agulhas Lighthouse, which was inbuilt 1848 and continues to be operational in the present day, providing panoramic views of the shoreline and surrounding space from the highest. There are a number of seashores within the park, like Struisbaai Seaside, which is fashionable for swimming and browsing. The realm across the park can be identified for its seafood, which will be loved at native eating places.

3. Augrabies Falls Nationwide Park (Northern Cape)

Augrabies Falls

Augrabies Nationwide Park was established in 1966 to guard the magnificent Augrabies Falls. It’s identified by the Khoi folks as ‘Aukoerebis’, or “Place of Nice Noise, from which the present identify was derived. Hundreds of thousands of litres of water thunder into the 18-km Orange River Gorge over the 56-metre excessive falls each second, making a spectacular sight. The panorama additionally options fascinating geological formations and distinctive vegetation, just like the quiver tree. In addition to visiting the falls, guests can go mountaineering, birdwatching or on sport drives.

Examine our expertise in Augrabies Falls Nationwide Park.

4. Bontebok Nationwide Park (Western Cape)

Bontebok Nationwide Park is the smallest nationwide park in South Africa. It was based in 1931 to guard the bontebok, a uncommon antelope species that was on the point of extinction on the time. At present, the park has over 150 bontebok, in addition to a number of different mammals and birds.

5. Camdeboo Nationwide Park (Japanese Cape)

Valley of Desolation (cc:South African Tourism)

Camdeboo Nationwide Park is located within the Karoo area, close to the city of Graaff Reniet. The semi-arid space is house to the Valley of Desolation, a dramatic panorama of towering rock formations, that rise as much as 120 meters above the valley ground. The valley additionally provides beautiful views of the encircling panorama. Widespread actions listed below are mountaineering, game-viewing, birding, 4×4 trails and watersports on the Nqweba Dam.

6. Backyard Route Nationwide Park (Western Cape)

Knysna Heads

One in all South Africa’s hottest vacation locations, the Backyard Route Nationwide Park consists of three separate sections: Wilderness, Knysna and Tsitsikamma, every with their very own distinctive landscapes and biodiversity. Wilderness is understood for its tranquil lakes, wetlands and indigenous forests, in addition to its birdlife. The Knysna part is the place you will see the Knysna estuary, a haven for birdlife and marine animals just like the endangered Knysna seahorse. The Tsitsikamma part has towering cliffs, deep gorges, and a rugged shoreline with a number of the greatest mountaineering trails within the nation.

See issues to do within the Backyard Route.

7. Golden Gate Highlands Nationwide Park (Free State)

Golden Gate Highlands Nationwide Park

Situated close to the Lesotho border, the Golden Gate Highlands Nationwide Park is called after the golden glow that the sandstone cliffs give off throughout dawn and sundown. The park is understood for its breathtaking surroundings, which encompasses spectacular sandstone formations, rolling hills, and plush grasslands. A must-see is the Brandwag Buttress, a towering sandstone formation that provides beautiful views of the encircling panorama. Different highlights embody the Echo Ravine waterfall, the Basotho Cultural Village, and the Vulture Restaurant, the place guests can watch endangered Cape vultures feeding.

Examine our expertise in Golden Gate Highlands Nationwide Park.

8. Karoo Nationwide Park (Western Cape)

Spanning over 750 sq. kilometres, the Karoo Nationwide Park is understood for its rugged, semi-arid panorama, that includes rolling hills, deep valleys, and stark plains. Its fascinating geology includes a number of rock formations and historical fossils. One can study concerning the cultural historical past of the world on the park’s customer centre, which options displays on the San individuals who as soon as inhabited the area. Wildlife contains black rhino, Cape mountain zebra, crimson hartebeest, a number of species of antelope, in addition to a wide range of chicken species.

9. Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (Northern Cape/Botswana)

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (Charles James Sharp from Wikimedia Commons)

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is a big wildlife reserve and conservation space situated within the southern Kalahari Desert, straddling the border between Botswana and South Africa. Established in 2000, the park covers an space of over 3.8 million hectares and helps a various vary of wildlife, together with leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, giraffes, zebras and lots of species of birds. It additionally has a big inhabitants of Kalahari black-maned lions, that are a desert-adapted species of lion discovered solely within the Kalahari Desert.

10. Kruger Nationwide Park (Mpumalanga /Limpopo)

Elephants In Kruger Nationwide Park

Most likely probably the most well-known nationwide park in South Africa, Kruger Nationwide Park is the scale of a small nation.  It is likely one of the largest and most well-known sport reserves in Africa and is understood for its unimaginable variety of wildlife sightings and exquisite pure landscapes. The “Large 5”, cheetah, wild canines and umpteen extra species of wildlife and birds will be seen right here. It is usually an vital birding vacation spot, with over 500 species recorded inside the park.

Examine our experiences in Kruger Nationwide Park.

11. Mapungubwe Nationwide Park (Limpopo)

Mapungubwe Nationwide Park is called after the traditional Kingdom of Mapungubwe, a pre-colonial civilization that after thrived within the space and left behind a wealth of archaeological treasures courting again to the Iron Age. These will be seen on the Mapungubwe UNESCO World Heritage Web site, situated within the park. Wildlife contains elephants, lions, leopards, hyenas, giraffes, and lots of species of antelopes and birds.

12. Marakele Nationwide Park (Limpopo)

Marakele Nationwide Park

Situated within the Waterberg Mountains, Marakele Nationwide Park is about in a surprising mountain panorama, with scenic drives that provide panoramic views of the encircling countryside. The park is split into two sections – a standard sport part and a wild Large 5 part. The latter is fenced off and accessed by way of an digital gate after passing by means of a tunnel. The Large 5 and different species of animals and birds, together with endangered Cape vultures, will be discovered within the park.

Examine how we acquired caught on a mountain in Marakele Nationwide Park.

13. Mokala Nationwide Park (Northern Cape)

Situated close to the city of Kimberley, Mokala Nationwide Park is Sanparks’ latest park. It’s named after the camel thorn tree, a useful useful resource to the wildlife within the space. The park was established in 2007 and options rolling hills, open grasslands, and wooded valleys. Wildlife to look out for are the tsessebe antelope, Cape buffalo, and black rhino.

14. Mountain Zebra Nationwide Park (Japanese Cape)

Mountain Zebra Nationwide Park was established in 1937 to guard the endangered Cape mountain zebra, which was then on the point of extinction. There are actually over 1000 within the park in addition to different wildlife, together with lions, cheetahs, black rhinos and buffaloes. The park is characterised by rugged mountain terrain, rolling grasslands, and deep valleys.

15. Namaqua Nationwide Park (Northern Cape)

Namaqua Nationwide Park in Flower Season

Namaqua Nationwide Park consists of the inland Skilpad wildflower reserve part and the coastal Groen River part, that are vastly completely different. The inland part consists primarily of valleys, plains, inexperienced hills and rocky outcrops, whereas the coastal part, which is lesser identified, includes rocky shores, white sandy seashores and dunes, and exquisite bays. In season, the park has a number of the most beautiful wildflower shows on this planet. A spread of wildlife will be seen within the park like antelopes, meerkats and caracals. Within the coastal part, one can see seals and dolphins too.

Examine our expertise in Namaqua Nationwide Park.

16. Desk Mountain Nationwide Park (Western Cape)

Desk Mountain

Extending from Sign Hill in Cape City to Cape Level, Desk Mountain Nationwide Park is a part of the Cape Floral Kingdom, a UNESCO World Heritage Web site. It’s named after Desk Mountain, it’s most iconic attraction and one of many New 7 Wonders of Nature. A few of its different highlights are Boulders Penguin Colony, Cape Level, the Cape of Good Hope and Kirstenbosch Nationwide Botanical Backyard. The park helps an extremely various vary of natural world, and there are a myriad of actions within the space.

17. Tankwa Karoo Nationwide Park (Northern Cape)

Tankwa Karoo Nationwide Park is a protected space within the Karoo area, which is understood for its semi-arid local weather and sparse vegetation. Regardless of the cruel situations, the park has all kinds of antelopes, zebras, ostriches, and numerous different small creatures and chicken species. The park additionally options a number of geological formations, such because the Elandsberg Mountains and the Tankwa River Canyon, in addition to quite a few mountaineering trails for guests to discover. There are nice stargazing alternatives too, because the park has minimal gentle air pollution and a transparent sky, making it an excellent location for astronomy fans.

18. West Coast Nationwide Park (Western Cape)

Langebaan Lagoon

Located on a stretch of the South African shoreline that’s famend for its rugged magnificence, the West Coast Nationwide Park is a scenic nature reserve with a various vary of plant, chicken, and animal life. Established in 1985, the park is understood for its spectacular landscapes, secret seashores and pristine mountaineering trails. Throughout wildlflower season, it is likely one of the greatest locations within the Western Cape to see the spring flowers. One other spotlight of the park is the pristine Langebaan Lagoon, a well-liked spot for water sports activities comparable to windsurfing and kayaking. Guests may also see a variety of wildlife, together with the uncommon black harrier and southern proper whales (throughout whale watching season)

Examine our expertise in West Coast Nationwide Park

19. |Ai-|Ais/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park (Northern Cape/ Namibia)

Straddling the border between South Africa and Namibia, this park is house to the Richtersveld Cultural and Botanical Panorama, a UNESCO World Heritage Web site, and options a number of the most unusual landscapes and richest desert crops on this planet. The park is collectively managed by the native Nama folks and the South African Nationwide Parks.

Tip: When you plan to go to a number of parks, get the Wild Card, which provides you one yr’s limitless entry to 80+ Nationwide Parks, Reserves and Resorts round Southern Africa.

What number of of those South African nationwide parks have you ever visited? Which one is your favorite?

For extra data, go to South African Nationwide Parks.