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NATIONAL PARKS

South Africa is home to 20 national parks, covering over 3% of the total land mass. They are managed by SANParks (South African National Parks) and protect the unique biodiversity the country has to offer. Many of these parks offer a variety of accommodations which makes them perfect to explore the natural beauty from within. The oldest and best-known park is Kruger National Park and was proclaimed in 1898. Together with the Table Mountain National Park they are the most visited tourist attractions.

These parks are as diverse as South Africa itself. Breathtaking mountain ranges, desert landscapes, coastal wetlands, golden sandstone cliffs, lush forests, carpets of wildflowers and the world-renowned safari destination Kruger National Park. And the best thing is that they keep on growing in size. With a declaration signed in 2024, SANParks has grown in size by over 20.000 ha.

Some of you might think that we have made a typo by saying South Africa has 20 national parks, but we didn’t. Number 20 is the Meerkat National Park in the Northern Cape province. This park houses the PAPER and HERA telescopes and is managed in partnership by SANParks, National Research Foundation and Square Kilometre Array. There are no visitors allowed in this park, therefor most tourists don’t know about this 20th park.

Whereas the Table Mountain National Park and Kruger National Park are the most visited, there are other popular parks. Located in the Free State province, the Golden Gate Highlands National Park offers sandstone cliffs, outcrops, numerous caves and overhangs with San rock paintings. Close to Port Elizabeth you can find the Addo Elephant National Park, home to the big 7, this is perhaps the most diverse park in South Africa. And along the south coast, named after the tourist region it is located in, the Garden Route National Park. A perfect combination of forest, mountains, lagoons and coastline.

Each of the 19, accessible, parks has their own unique selling points such as diverse flora, endangered fauna, semi-desert landscapes, beach relaxation or geological features. They are all worth the visit.

NATIONAL PARKS

NATIONAL PARKS

Addo Elephant National Park

Eastern Cape

Addo Elephant National Park
The Addo Elephant National Park is the 3rd largest national park in South Africa and has some breathtaking landscapes and a huge variety of wildlife. From the semi-arid Karoo in the north-west to the Zuurberg mountains in the north, down to the Sundays River Valley and some islands off the coast. Addo is home to Africa’s Big 7, the Elephant, Rhino, Buffalo, Lion, Leopard, Southern Right Whale and the Great White Shark. The Big 5 is not visible in the entire national park and can only be seen in the Addo and Colchester section.
Agulhas National Park

Western Cape

Agulhas National Park
The Agulhas National Park is located on the Southern Tip of Africa, at the meeting point of the Indian and Atlantic Ocean. The national park is a piece of land mostly covered in Fynbos and has a beautiful and rugged coastline. There are over 2000 different plant species here and some saltpans and wetlands that provide refuge for birds and amphibians. Although one of the smaller national parks of the country, it is a beautiful place with rugged nature, plentiful birds to watch, hiking trails, a wide range of flora and opportunities for whale watching.
Augrabies Falls National Park

Northern Cape

Augrabies Falls National Park
The Augrabies Falls National Park is located in the Northern Cape, near Upington and the border of Namibia and is formed around the Augrabies Falls. The entire area is rocky, dry and arid and it is no wonder that most of the other landmarks besides the waterfall are geological features like Moon Rock, Ararat, Echo Corner, Arrow Point and Swart Rante. Although there is wildlife present in this national park, they can be quite hard to spot. Most of them have adapted to the high temperatures during the day and are active at night.
Bontebok National Park

Western Cape

Bontebok National Park
The Bontebok National Park is located just south of Swellendam and lies between the Breede River and the Langeberg Mountains. These mountains often provide a beautiful backdrop. The park was established in order to save the endangered Bontebok. Although the park is the smallest of the 19 national parks in South Africa, it has the highest density of rare and endangered bird species, Fynbos and wildlife species. The park is known for its simplistic beauty and peaceful charm.
Camdeboo National Park

Eastern Cape

Camdeboo National Park
The Camdeboo National Park is located around Graaff-Reinet in the Eastern Cape, at the foothills of the Sneeuberge. This national park is most famous for the Valley of Desolation. A geological feature of dolerite pillars that formed millions of years ago. The park also has a game viewing area and supports some herbivores and small predators. Animals like the Buffalo, Eland, Gemsbok, Red Hartebeest, Springbok and Blesbok can be seen here.
Garden Route National Park

Western Cape, Eastern Cape

Garden Route National Park
The Garden Route National Park consists of several sections. The Tsitsikamma section has dramatic coastal scenery, reefs, rivers and lush forests. The Knysna section has a tidal lagoon and open estuary. The Wilderness section has rivers, lakes, estuaries and beaches. The diversity in vegetation, wildlife and activities here is enormous. Excellent for whale watching, snorkeling, diving, birding and hiking on some of the many hiking trails through the forests and along the coastline.
Golden Gate Highlands National Park

Free State

Golden Gate Highlands National Park
The Golden Gate Highlands National Park is located between Clarens and Phuthaditjhaba. It protects a unique highland landscape of rolling hills covered with grass, sandstone cliffs, rock outcrops and a rich flora and fauna. When the sun shines on these sandstone cliffs, especially at sunrise and sunset, they glow in beautiful orange and yellow colors. There are a couple of hiking trails in this park and a fair number of big game and birds of prey to watch.
Karoo National Park

Western Cape

Karoo National Park
The Karoo National Park is located on the western side of Beaufort West. The landscape is characterized by valleys, vast plains and the slopes and high peaks of the Nuweveld Mountains. The park was founded in 1979 in order to preserve a small portion of the Nama-Karoo biome. Although the national highway N1 is right outside this park, it is still a haven of peace and tranquility. This national park is an excellent destination to experience the beautiful Karoo landscape and spot game animals by driving some of the many 4x4 trails.
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

Northern Cape

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is Africa’s first peace park that allows visitors to move freely between South Africa and Botswana. The total size of the park is some 3.7 million hectares. The scenery of this semi-arid landscape is as much of an attraction as the wildlife that lives here. The vastness of the park allows large herds of antelope to migrate, which in turn attract many predators. Although there are many big cats here, you will not find the Big 5.
Kruger National Park

Limpopo, Mpumalanga

Kruger National Park
The Kruger National Park is THE safari destination of South Africa and attracts tourists from all over the world. With almost 2 million hectares, it is the biggest national park in South African. This park has something for everyone: a vast pristine wilderness with a large bird population in the far north, the land of the ‘Big Fellows’ in the north, the ‘Big Cat Capitol’ in the center and the Big 5 safari in the south. The activities range from game drives to self-drives and 4x4 trails, and from hiking trails and guided walks.
Mapungubwe National Park

Limpopo

Mapungubwe National Park
The Mapungubwe National Park lies in the far northeast of the country. It is not known for its wildlife safari’s but more for its spectacular landscape that is dominated by sandstone formations. The summer months offer great contrast between the orange and red colored rock formations and the green colored vegetation. The center piece of the park is Mapungubwe Hill. Although safari may not be the prime attraction, there are quite a lot of animals to be seen here like the Elephant, Giraffe, Buffalo, White Rhino, Gemsbok, Hyena, Leopard and Lion.
Marakele National Park

Limpopo

Marakele National Park
The Marakele National Park is located right into the transitional zone of the drier western side and the wetter eastern side of South Africa. This means that there is an abundance of mammal, bird an plant species in this park. The landscape is just as impressive with the stunning Waterberg Mountains right in the heart of the park. Marakele is also a Big 5 game park and has an abundance of wildlife. All the large game species are present, such as the Elephant, both Rhino’s, big cats, Giraffe, Zebra and a large number of antelope species.
Mokala National Park

Northern Cape

Mokala National Park
The Mokala National Park is located south of Kimberley and is the newest addition to SANParks. The park has 2 main types of landscapes, large open sandy plains and dolerite hills known as Koppieveld or Koppies. One of the main goals of the park is to breed disease-free Buffalo and a variety of endangered antelope like the Tsessebe, Roan and Sable. There are no big cats present here, but still there are quite a large number of different animal species like Black and White Rhino, Giraffe, Zebra, Eland, Wildebeest, Kudu, Impala, Gemsbok and Springbok.
Mountain Zebra National Park

Eastern Cape

Mountain Zebra National Park
The Mountain Zebra National Park is located in the Eastern Cape province, just to the west of Cradock. It lies in the transitional zone of the Grassland, Nama-Karoo and Albany Thicket biomes and conserves an important ecological process. The park was established in 1937 to conserve the small population of Cape Mountain Zebra. Today there are an estimated 1.000 of these zebras roaming the park. The park is surrounded by mountains and they provide a beautiful backdrop to the rolling plains and valleys inside the park.
Namaqua National Park

Northern Cape

Namaqua National Park
The Namaqua National Park is located in the Northern Cape province, close to Kamieskroon. It is known for its beautiful colors during the spring months, when the succulent plants start to bloom and the plains are covered with millions of flowers. Butterflies, bees and birds dance over the sea of colors, provided by over 3.500 different plant species. Namaqua offers a beautiful coastal landscape, giant rock formations, rolling hills, dunes, rock pools and a couple of mountain passes. Ideal for a weekend get-away, out of the city and into the natural world.
Table Mountain National Park

Western Cape

Table Mountain National Park
This World Heritage Site is best known for Table Mountain and Cape of Good Hope. It stretches from Signall Hill in the north to Cape Point in the south and has many beautiful valleys, bays, beaches, mountains, and indigenous forests. Along the entire coastline lies a Marine Protected Area and the Fynbos covered area is packed with hiking trails. Swimming, hiking, scuba diving, rock climbing, cave exploring, it is all possible in this national park.
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