National parks in South Africa, places of thrilling wildlife and stunning sceneries
Our world renown National Parks in South Africa truly
are places of thrilling wildlife encounters..., Just watch this unbelievable video "Battle at Kruger" below.
More then 17 million people have already seen it. It's about a battle between a pride of Lions, two
Crocodiles and a herd of Buffalos about a baby Buffalo calf.
It was witnessed and videoed by tourists Jason Schlossberg and David Budzinski in September 2004 at a
watering hole near Pretoriuskop Camp in South Africa's Kruger National Park.
The national parks in South Africa are renowned for their rich heritage of wildlife and natural beauty.
Nowhere in Africa will one find such a rich variety of wildlife in one single country as in South Africa's
national safari parks and game reserves. A visit to our country would not be complete without a visit to
at least one of them.
Learn more about the National Parks in South Africa by
clicking on any of the 20 National Parks in the menu below;
Map of South Africa showing where its
national parks are situated
There are 20 National Parks in South Africa, representing the indigenous fauna, flora, landscapes and
associated cultural heritage of the country. These parks are managed by "South African National Parks" also
known as "SANParks".
15 of the Parks have overnight tourist facilities with an unrivalled variety of accommodation types and
standards, in either arid, coastal, mountain or bushveld habitats, depending on which National Park you
are visiting.
The National Parks in South Africa offer visitors an overwhelming diversity of Africa experiences, such as
guided game viewing safaris, self drive safaris, game viewing drives at night, guided bush walks, bird
watching, 4x4 trails, culinary delights under an open all stars African night sky, and cultural and
historical encounters, to name but a few.
Here one can observe the huge variety of African wildlife and scenery at close range. In a safari group
with a tour guide or travelling on your own, one can always be sure to experience unforgettable encounters
and sceneries in an untamed Africa environment.
You can even learn how to become an honorary ranger, or how to take part in organized conservation events
within the Parks. Many game and nature reserves offer special courses under the guidance of trained guides
and rangers.
The 20 national Parks in South Africa are located across the country, from the southern Cape to the
Limpopo river in the north and from the arid North West to the Indian ocean beaches of KwaZulu-Natal in
the east.
Habitats range from mountain, marshland and coastal plains to bushveld, savannah, arid desert and
luxurious green forests. The diversity of plant species, especially the wild flowers of the cape, is
unequalled anywhere in Africa.
Apart from the National Parks, there are other important nature and wildlife conservation areas and
projects in the form of Nature / Wildlife parks controlled by provincial and municipal authorities and
the many privately owned game reserves.
South Africa’s National Parks offer a wide variety of accommodation types and standards, from the grassroots
adventure type tents to self-catering chalets and five star luxury lodges. All accommodation, ablution and s
elf catering facilities are serviced and cleaned by staff of the Park on a daily basis.
Most of the rest-camps in the National Parks have retail and restaurant facilities. Fuel is usually
available in all the main rest-camps or on the Park periphery. You can visit the parks with any brand or
make of car, the roads are usually well maintained, including the gravel roads.
Returning to the camp at the end of a hot but exciting safari day - inhaling the warm air of the African
bush - a fabulous hot shower - an ice cold drink at the camp fire - a warm outdoor Africa barbeque night -
a faint bushveld breeze - a delicious bushveld dinner in the boma - a clear black night, stars blazing.
Falling asleep with the bush orchestra performing in the background - the powerful roar of a lion in the
distance - the laughter of hyenas just outside the camp’s fence - the shrill call of a jackal.
Total and utter bliss.
Beautiful sunrise in the Kruger National Park - National Parks
in South Africa
Waking up to a chorus of birdsong, you realize that it wasn’t a dream. You woke up in the unspoiled African
bushveld of the Kruger National Park.
One of the finest game sanctuaries in the world, the world-renowned Kruger National Park sprawls across
nearly 20,000 sq km of hot bushveld in the far northeast of South Africa, housing almost every species of
wildlife found in Southern Africa.
A herd of elephants amble past in single file; the
calves, some holding onto their mother’s tails with their trunks, shielded by the protective adults. Reaching
the waterhole, a bull elephant indulges in a mud bath while the others get down to some serious bathing.
The water is spurting sky high as they joyfully shower their huge bodies. The matriarch, flapping her ears
to cool off, watches the antics with a benign eye whilst happily nibbling on a “spekboom”. At a respectful
distance behind her, a dung beetle busily gets to work.
It is all happening in the Addo Elephant National Park, tucked away in the dense valley-bushveld of the
Eastern Cape.
Seagulls screech as they swoop past a lonely lighthouse
set on the bleak and rugged coast. The Atlantic and Indian oceans hurl themselves at one another in primal
fury at this southernmost tip of Africa. A graveyard of shipwrecks are grim reminders of the enormous power
unleashed by this gigantic struggle.
Wreck of the “Meisho Maru” at the southern tip of Africa
Photograph by Nick Reed
Little wonder the aptly named “Cape of Storms” struck fear in the hearts of the ancient mariners who
attempted to conquer the wild seas off the southern tip of Africa, dreading sea-dragons and expecting to
sail over the edge of the world at any moment.
We are now at the dividing point where the two oceans meet in the Agulhas National Park.
Lit by the sun, the distinctive white blaze on the
faces of a herd of bontebok almost seems to glow as they graze contentedly. Sturdy young rams, bursting
with energy, mock charge one another across the open grassland.
Some Cape Mountain Zebra saunter past and rudely interrupt a stately Secretary bird’s earnest reverie. Carp
and Large-mouth Bass break the surface of the gently flowing Breede River, producing ever-increasing
concentric ripples that are coaxed into the river’s tranquil pattern once again.
With a sigh we start our car and continue our game drive in the Bontebok National Park
Few sights are as awesome or a sound as deafening as
water thundering down the 60 metre Augrabies waterfall when the Orange River is in full flood. The local
Nama clan of the “Khoy” people named it “Akoerebis”, meaning “Place of the Great noise”.
In the stark beauty and harsh environment of the 12.000 hectare Augrabies Falls National Park, only the
fittest survive whilst the Quiver Trees bear silent witness. Small succulents share the fairly inhospitable
terrain with dainty Klipspringer, reptiles, fleet footed Springbok and the majestic Gemsbok.
Slowly we are taking in the awesome sights around us here in the Augrabies Falls National Park
Several Black Eagles drift around on the rising air
caused by the heat on the valley floor below. They ignore us, intent as they are on spotting a rock dassie
among the rocks on the slopes around us. The valley is barren and desolate, yet fascinating by what looks
like huge perilously balanced dolerite pillars up to 120meters high, rising up dramatically from the slopes
around it.
Aptly named the “Valley Of Desolation”, it is the prime attraction of the Camdeboo National Park, previously
known as the “Karoo Nature Reserve”. Apart from its unique and dramatic landscape, it offers exciting flora
and wildlife, together with highly interesting palaeontological sites.
Breathtaking stuff here in the Camdeboo National Park
With a magician’s dramatic flourish, the sun starts to set, transforming the ochre sandstone formations with their purple hues into a molten gold fortress. Shadows gently embrace a massive buttress, painstakingly sculpted by wind and rain, which keeps vigil over a valley liberally sprinkled with red hot pokers, lilies and watsonias.
As a meandering stream smoothes its way amongst Weeping Willows and fairytale surroundings, the rare Bearded
Vulture and Bald Ibis nest on the ledges of the steep sandstone cliffs. Distinctive mushroom-shaped rocks,
dark caves and deep shelters all add to the landscape’s mystery and splendour.
Yes, we are in the Golden Gate Highlands National Park in the Free State province of South Africa
Picture an ancient freshwater lake set inland, so vast
it appears to stretch into infinity. Imagine the roar of dinosaurs and the heavy thud of their feet as they
venture forth into the marshy surrounds of the gradually subsiding basin. Climb into a time capsule and
hurtle 240 million years into the future.
Alight into a stark landscape. Prehistoric glory has evolved into an arid landscape in winter. The lake has
been replaced by dusty plains and rocky outcrops, Dinosaurs by Springbok and Cape Mountain Zebra, and the
luscious foliage of the marshes by ash-coloured Karoo bushes.
We have landed in the Karoo National Park in the north-east of the Western Cape Province of South Africa.
Buried beneath the shifting sands of the Kalahari, lies
the legend of a lost city and the stilled voices of a past civilization. Scientists, philosophers and artists
alike have all been fascinated by the secrets of the shimmering red dunes and many have been captivated by
the intense silence and raw beauty of the landscape.
Life has been streamlined for survival under the burning sun. A Gemsbok warily scents the air while
scattered Camelthorns and scrub provide scant protection to a slithering lizard closely watched by a
Bateleur Eagle. A Leopard, replete after a successful hunt, stretches out in the shade, disdainfully
ignoring some Springbok.
We have arrived in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, the result of a vision shared by the people of both,
South Africa and Botswana.
Beautiful sunrise in the Kruger National Park - National Parks
in South Africa
Huge perilously balanced dolerite pillars up to 120 meters high
in the valley of desolation - National Parks in South Africa
Characteristic landscape of the Golden Gate Highlands National
park - National Parks in South Africa
The unforgiving and yet so awesome and dazzlingly beautiful
landscape of the Great Karoo - National Parks inSouth Africa
