Partners: GoodsFromJapan | JapanVisitor | PortugalVisitor

Bloemfontein Cape Town Durban Johannesburg Nelspruit Polokwane Port Elizabeth Pretoria Rustenburg

South Africa Travel + Tourism Guide: National Parks A-G

South African National Parks

South Africa takes conservation of its incredibly rich and variegated natural heritage very seriously in the form of 21 national parks, representing a wide variety of the flora, fauna, and climates of South Africa, many of them within the same park.

Of the country's 9 provinces, only Kwa-Zulu Natal is without a national park. The majestic landscapes of South Africa are preserved in their pristine form here, complete with their unspoiled ecosystems. Most of them provide the opportunity to see big game, such as elephants, lions, buffalo, springbok, zebras, tigers, and the like, but each park has its own special focus, whether animal, aquatic, reptilian, or vegetative. Whether dense forest, grasslands, sea coast, savanna, semi-desert, or floral, South African national parks have what you want.

Some parks are very developed, offering a huge range of accommodation and recreational facilities. At the other extreme are those parks that provide little more than roads for 4x4 vehicles and almost unimproved spots to pitch a tent on. So whether you want the comfort and security of full facilities, guided tours, and cell phone access, or the challenge of what is close to wilderness survival, or any degree of independence that falls in between, there is at least one South African national park - probably several - that cater to your tastes.

The bird life protected on South African national parks makes a visit to them a must for the keen birder. Many parks preserve archeological treasures from the ancient peoples that once inhabited the land, including wall paintings and the like viewable by the tourist. Stargazers are in their element in most of these parks, as most of them are far removed from towns and cities, revealing the full starry wonder of the night sky.

Nearly all of the parks charge the visitor a daily conservation fee, usually more expensive for the tourist than for locals.

Be warned that, if driving, credit cards are not accepted for fuel. Please make sure you have cash with you for this purpose.

Do not remove ANYTHING from a national park, and take EVERYTHING with you that you brought, including litter.

Do not defecate on the ground in a national park, and if you really really have to, do it at least 50m away from paths and streams, and bury it.

To reserve accommodation at a national park, call Central Reservations in Pretoria between the hours of 7.30am and 5pm on weekdays, or 8am and 1pm on Saturdays, Tel. +27 (0)12 428 9111, or mobile +27 (0)82 233 9111.

Addo Elephant National Park

Addo Elephant National Park is over 60,000 hectares in size. It was established in 1931 to protect the Addo elephants of the area which, at that time, had been reduced to a total of 11. Today the park is home to about 450 elephants, as well as numerous other varieties of South African wildlife such as buffalo, rhinoceros, lions, leopards, antelopes, and a flightless dung beetle native to this specific area. It includes a marine reserve to the south off the coast, the islands of which are a sanctuary for southern right whales, great white sharks, and, on Bird Island, Cape gannets.

Addo Elephant National Park is about 70km north of Port Elizabeth, accessible via the R335 highway to the Addo Main Camp, (hours 7am-7pm).

Visitors are free to drive around the park to view the animals. Hire a guide to ride with you in your vehicle for R120 per 2 hours. Or, guided game drives are also available for R200 (day drives) or R225 (night drive). Guided game drives must be booked in advance (addogamedrives [at] sanparks [dot] org)

There are numerous accommodation facilities at Addo Elephant National Park, including River Bend Lodge, Fisherman's Cottages, Darlington Lake Lodge, Nguni River Lodge, Kabouga House, Gorah Elephant Camp, Kuzuko Lodge, Cottage Matyholweni, and Cottage Addo.

Check in: 1pm, check out: 10am.
Addo National Park, tel. +27 (0)42 233 8600, fax. +27 (0)42 233 8643, 7am-7pm.

Agulhas National Park

Agulhas National Park is on the Agulhas Plain, located at Cape Agulhas, the southern tip of South Africa, where the Pacific meets the Indian Ocean. It is primarily a reserve for flora, with over 2000 species of plants native to South Africa. It is also a birders' paradise. The numerous wetlands are the habitat of not only the micro frog, but a large variety of bird species. The offshore wildlife is rich and varied, including the African black oystercatcher bird, Cape fur seals, dolphins, porpoises, and, from August to November, southern right whales.

Cape Agulhas was a shipping hazard, and there were many shipwrecks on these shores. The historic Cape Algulhas Lighthouse, built in 1849, still survives as a museum, and can be visited for R15.

Accommodation is available in the neighboring towns of L'Agulhas and Struisbaai provide rest and recreation, with accommodation, dining, fishing, and swimming opportunities.

Agulhas National Park Tel: +27 (0)28 435 6222 Fax: +27 (0)28 435 6225

Augrabies Falls National Park

Augrabies Falls National Park is a 55,000 hectare park in north-western South African. It is centered on the massive Augrabies Falls, a spectacular 56 meter high waterfall on the Orange River. Besides viewing the Falls, visitors can also watch the parks wildlife, which includes birds (Verreaux's black eagle, pygmy falcon, black stork, cinnamon breasted warbler, rosy-faced lovebird, pale chanting goshawk, and mountain wheatear chat, and many more), butterflies, almost 50 species of reptiles (the local Broadley's flat lizard, the (up-to-20kg!) leopard tortoise, Cape cobra, black spitting cobra, horned adder, Beetz's tiger snake, thick-toed gecko, Nile monitor, and more), and animals (various species of antelope, giraffes, mongoose, rock dassie, Cape clawless otter, and, at night, African wild cats, free-tailed bat, bat-eared fox, aardwolf, jackals, the endangered Hartmann's mountain zebra, and more). Augrabies Falls National Park is also notable for its flora, especially the quiver tree, a species of aloe, as well as the sweet thorn tree and the camel thorn.

Accommodation is available on the park in the form of camp sites, chalets, and family cottages.

The Park is accessible by the N14 highway, accessible directly from Johannesburg or, from Cape Town, via the N7. Turn left off the N14 onto the R359 10km after going through Kakamas. The Park is 39km on from there. Gate hours: 7am-6:30pm.

Augrabies Falls National Park Tel: +27 (0)54 452 9200 Fax: +27 (0)54 451 5003

Bontebok National Park

Bontebok National Park, the smallest of South Africa's national parks, is in the south-west of the country, set against the Langeberg mountain range and through which flows the Breede River. It was created in 1931 to protect the then highly endangered bontebok antelope, numbering only about 20 at the time, but of which there are now over 3,000. Other animals include the endangered Cape mountain zebra, the grysbok, red hartebeest, and steenbok, various kinds of mongoose, foxes and aardwolves. The park offers good opportunities for birding, with Denham's bustard (AKA Stanley's bustard), the secretary bird, the blue crane, and spurwing goose, among others.

A major attraction of Bontebok National Park is its hiking trails, especially the 6-day one that goes through the Langeberg mountains. The Park also has neighboring winery areas such as Montagu (which also has hot springs), Swellendam (with its historical Drostdy Museum), Bonnievale, and Robertson.

Accommodation is available on the park in the form of camping grounds, chalets, and universal access chalets.

Bontebok National Park Tel: +27 28 514 2735 Fax: +27 28 514 2646 Hours 7am-7pm (to 6pm May through September).

Camdeboo National Park

Camdeboo National Park is a semi-desert 19,400 hectare park surrounding the town of Graaf-Reinet, about 250 km west of Port Elizabeth on the R75 highway. It dates only from 2005, and is famous for its Valley of Desolation featuring eerily manmade-looking dolorite pillars that tower up to 120 meters high over the surrounding plains and foothills of the Sneeuberg mountain range. The Park also contains the massive Nqweba Dam where you can canoe, fish, and windsurf, and which attracts a large range of animal (springbok, wildebeest, gemsbok, buffalo) and bird species (including ostrich) that come to water there. The Game Viewing Area brings you into even closer proximity with birds like the tit babbler, Diederik cuckoo, longbilled crombecale, anteating chat, and neddicky - to name a few - and over 40 species of animals like the bat-eared fox, vervet monkey, kudu, gray duiker, steenbok, springbok, blesbok, and black wildebeest.

There are three walking trails: the Eerstefontein Day Walk, the Driekoppe Night Trail, and the short (less than 1 hour) Crag Lizard Trail.

Visits to Camdeboo National Park should be reserved in advance.

Accommodation is available in the town of Graaf-Reinet.

Camdeboo National Park Tel: (049) 892 3453, Fax: (049) 892 3456

Golden Gate Highlands National Park

Golden Gate Highlands National Park occupies 11,400 hectares of grassland and woodland in the highlands that form the foothills of the Maluti mountain range in Free State in the north-east of South Africa, a little over 300 km away from Johannesburg, Durban and Bloemfontein. It was established in 1963. It offers breathtaking views of the yellow sandstone cliffs that give the park its name. Numerous dinosaur fossils have been found here. The Park is also distinguished for being one of the few places where the rare bearded vulture can be found. It has 10 antelope species, the oribi being the most endangered. Other animals there include the black wildebeest and blesbok.

There is an array of activities on offer, including hiking, walking, game viewing, environmental education courses, swimming, and horseriding.

There is a wide variety of accommodation on offer, including the Brandwag Hotel, Basotho Cultural Village Rest Camp (a whole outdoor experience in itself offering game viewing drives, museum tours, and a traditional African herbal trail), Glen Reenen Rest Camp, Highlands Mountain Retreat, Noordt Brabant Guesthouse, and Wilgenhof Environmental Education Center (with 92 beds, and where you can also enjoy canoeing and absailing).

Golden Gate Highlands National Park Tel: +27 (0)58 255 1000 Fax: +27 (0)58 255-1100 Hours: 7am-5:30pm.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Hotels in South Africa

Hotels in Nelspruit South Africa - Agoda - hotels in all locations throughout South Africa

Bloemfontein Cape Town Durban Johannesburg Nelspruit Polokwane Port Elizabeth Pretoria Rustenburg

"The Onside In-Site" Copyright © From 2000. All rights reserved. Soccerphile Ltd.