National Parks in South Africa

Kruger National Park is one of the best national parks in South Africa, where you can see 147 mammal species and 500 species of birds. It is an enormous park dotted with beautiful granite hills on the south and tropical forests on the north. Majestic baobab trees, huge fig trees, palm trees, and fever trees, with their luminescent barks, dominate the landscape. The park is the finest game-viewing destination, and you can spot all the Big 5 animals, including hippopotamus, zebra, buffalo, giraffe, and lion. It also has a wide range of accommodation options, ranging from well-appointed safari lodges to luxury tented camps and self-catering bungalows.

Highlights:

• Finest game viewing destina
• Wildlife safari
• Wide range of accommodation options

Location:

Malalan Gate, Nelspruit, 1350

Best Time to Visit:

Dry winter months (September to May)

How to Reach:

From JNB OR Tambo International Airport: Several daily flights operate from O.R Tambo to the Kruger Mpumalanga airport. From the airport, you can hire a rental vehicle to reach your rest camp.

Flora and Fauna:

• Big 5- black rhino, African elephant, cape buffalo and leopard.
• Warthog, crocodiles, and many antelope species.
• Barbados gooseberry, jacaranda, Dutchman's pipe, camphor trees, sword ferns, Queensland umbrella trees, and red sesbania.

Situated in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, Addo Elephant National Park is one of the best places to see elephants in the wild. It is one of the best wildlife national parks in South Africa, housing more than six hundred elephants and other wildlife species like lions, rhinos, and leopards. You can explore the park by horseback and enjoy walking safaris and traditional Wrangler safaris. The coastal section of the park is considered one of the finest destinations for sightings of southern right whales and great white sharks.

Highlights:

• Walking safari, traditional wrangler safari.
• The only Big Seven national park.
• 4×4 and hiking trails, marine safaris and open-vehicle game drives.

Location:

Eastern Cape, South Africa

Best time to visit:

May to September, when herds of elephants gather around the waterholes.

How to Reach:

From JNB OR Tambo International Airport: From Tambo International Airport, you can board a flight to Port Elizabeth, the nearest domestic airport to Addo.From Port Elizabeth, you can book a taxi to Addo national park.

Flora and Fauna:

• Big 7- black rhino, African elephant, cape buffalo, leopard, southern right whale, great white shark, and lion.
• Greater kudu, eland and red hartebeest.
• Fuchsia, Guarri, Sneezewood, Spekboom trees and succulents.

If you're looking to have a classic African wildlife experience, you must visit Golden Gate Highlands National Park. It is situated at the foothills of the Maluti Mountains and is one of the best wildlife national parks in South Africa. As the sun hits the rocky outcrops and sandstone cliffs, the entire forest gets drenched in a golden aura. The montane forests and grassland provide habitat for endemic bird species like lammergeier and bearded vulture. You can also spot here animals like black wildebeest, springbok, eland, blesbok and Burchell’s zebra. The park is an excellent destination to learn about the rich history of the Basotho people that inhabit the area.

Highlights:

• Rare flora and fauna and bushmen paintings.
• The complex topography of beautiful valleys, sheer cliffs, and hidden caves.
• Self-drive safaris, canoeing on Gladstone Dam, and guided horseback riding.

Location:

Free State, South Africa, near the Lesotho border

Best time to visit:

October to March, when the park comes alive with greenery.

How to Reach:

From JNB OR Tambo International Airport: From Tambo International Airport, you can board a taxi or self-drive to reach Golden Gate Highlands park.

Flora and Fauna:

• Silver foxes, mountain reedbuck, the threatened oribi, the grey rhebok, Zebras, and baboons.
• Cape vulture, Jackal buzzard, bald Ibis and the Martial eagle.
• Arum Lily, Fire Lilies, Watsonias, and Red-Hot Pokers.

Towering above the city of Cape Town, Table Mountain National Park is known for its huge diversity of flora and fauna and impressive landscape. It has been declared the new 7th Natural Wonder of the World and is around six hundred million years old. It is one of the best national parks in South Africa, with more than one thousand four hundred and seventy floral species. It is also home to twenty-two species of snake, out of which half are venomous. You can hop onto a revolving cable car to reach the summit of Table Mountain's distinctive flat top.

Highlights:

• Revolving cable car ride.
• Hiking trails for people of all fitness levels.
• Richest flora kingdom.

Location:

Cape Town, South Africa.

Best Time to Visit:

November and February, when the weather is ideal for exploring the park.

How to Reach:

From JNB OR Tambo International Airport: From Tambo International Airport, you will have to fly to Cape Town Airport. From Cape Town Airport, hire a private cab to reach the park gate.

Flora and Fauna:

• Lizards, snakes, antelopes, tahrs, Cape clawless otters, genets, and Cape Fox.
• Cape Mountain Zebras, baboons, water mongoose, rooikat, and Cape Dune Mole.
• Fynbos, Peninsula Shale Renosterveld, Proteas, Erica's, Restios.

Marakele National Park houses the world's largest breeding colonies of Cape vultures, more than 700 plant species, and 300 bird species. It is one of the most famous national parks in South Africa, known for its wide diversity of vegetation ranging from woodland and thornveld to forest and grasslands. You can go on a game drive and spot the Big 5, including lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, and rhino. Enjoy a picnic on the Tsessebe Loop section and explore the bird hide at Bollonoto dam. You can also sign up for an early morning bush walk to learn about the tracks and the geology and history of the area.

Highlights:

• Largest breeding colonies of Cape vultures.
• Early morning bush walk, morning and sunset drive.
• Picnic at the Kwaggasvlakte section.

Location:

Limpopo, South Africa

Best Time to Visit:

May to September, when animals gather around the waterholes.

How to Reach:

From JNB OR Tambo International Airport: From Tambo International Airport, you can rent a 4WD to Marakele National Park.

Flora and Fauna:

• White rhino, antelope, lion, elephant, cheetah, and buffalo.
• Buff-streaked chat, the Jackal buzzard, Cape rock thrush, and the Mocking cliff chat.
• Cedar trees, yellowwoods, tree ferns, and giant cycads.

West Coast National Park covers around one hundred and forty square miles of land, offshore islands, and sea and is renowned for its picturesque landscapes. It is one of the most famous national parks in South Africa, with small beaches that provide access to the lagoon for kite-boarding, kayaking, and fishing. From August to September, the park gets covered with wildflowers turning into a botanist's paradise. It is also a hotspot for birders, and you can spot here knot and sanderling, plovers, turnstones, stints, sandpipers, and curlews. You can see a replica of Eve's Footprints at the Geelbek Visitor's Centre and hike at Geelbek – Strandveld Trails.

Highlights:

• Annual blooming of the wildflowers.
• Eve's footprint trail
• Picnic/braai area at Tsaarsbank.
• Safari trip

Location:

120 km north of Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa.Best time to visit: August to September, when wildflowers are in full bloom.

How to Reach:

From JNB OR Tambo International Airport: From Tambo International Airport, you can board a flight to Cape Town International Airport. From the Cape Town Airport you can board a taxi to reach West Coast National Park.

Flora and Fauna:

• Eland, red hartebeest, gemsbok, steenbok, bat-eared fox, bontebok, kudu, mountain zebra, duiker and ostriches.
• Yellow Daisy-bush, Yellow Milk-bush, Proteas, Milk-bush, and wildflowers.

Garden Route National Park is one of the most famous national parks in South Africa, renowned for its sprawling coastline, lush green forests, and marine wildlife. One of the prime attractions of the park is the Otter Trail, one of the best hiking trails in South Africa. Hop into an off-roading vehicle and cruise through the massive forests of Stinkwood and Yellowwood trees, and enjoy birdwatching. You can also enjoy eco-tours, wine tasting, self-guided hikes and treks, whale-watching tours, and rock climbing.

Highlights:

• Otter Trail.
• Canopy tree tour.
• Migrating whales and dolphins at Plettenberg Bay.
• Kayaking, zip-lining expedition.

Location:

Dumbleton Road, 6571

Best Time to Visit:

February to April, when the weather is perfect for outdoor activities.

How to Reach:

From JNB OR Tambo International Airport: From Tambo International Airport, you can board a flight to Port Elizabeth Airport. From the Port Elizabeth Airport, you can hire a taxi to reach Garden Route National Park.

Flora and Fauna:

• Bushbuck, Blue Duikers, elephants, Common Eland.
• Yellow-billed Duck, African Black duck, Cape Shoveler, goose.
• Proteas, heather, fynbos, forest elder, yellowwood, red saffron, wild grape.

Karoo National Park is South Africa's semi-desert natural region where you can find a wide diversity of wildlife species, including the highly endangered Riverine Rabbit, the endemic Cape Mountain Zebra, Aardwolf, Caracal, Cape Fox, and Aard. It is one of the most famous national parks in South Africa, with open spaces, escarpments of dolerite and rocky formations. One of the prime attractions of the park is the Fossil Trail which provides an insight into the geological history of the Karoo. The park is also a floral paradise housing the largest number of succulent plants and desert flora in the world.

Highlights:

• Fossil Trail.
• Guided day and night game drives.
• The Interpretive Center

Location:

Western Cape, South Africa

Best Time to Visit:

August to September and April to May, when the weather is perfect, and flowers are in full bloom.

How to Reach:

From JNB OR Tambo International Airport: From Tambo International Airport, catch a connecting flight to George, which is around 300 kilometres from the reserve. From George, you can book a taxi to Karoo National Park.

Flora and Fauna:

• Springbok, gemsbok, Cape mountain zebra, eland, kudu, red hartebeest, black rhinoceros, klipspringer.
• Aloes, the spiny klapperbossie, crassulas, num-num, and boegoekaroo.

Namaqua National Park is one of the most famous national parks in South Africa, renowned for its gorgeous landscapes and a wide variety of flora and fauna. Between July and October, around four thousand species of flowers bloom across the park. Drive up and down the Caracal 4x4 eco route to spot stunning rock formations and quiver trees. You can also enjoy camping in the coastal section of the park. While exploring the park, keep your eyes peeled for a speckled padloper, the smallest tortoise in the world.

Highlights:

• Strolling on the 4*4 trails.
• Camping in the coastal area.
• Wildflower blooming spectacle.

Location:

495 kilometres from Cape Town, close to Kamieskroon.

Best Time to Visit:

July and October, when four thousand species of flowers bloom.

How to Reach:

From JNB OR Tambo International Airport: From Tambo International Airport, catch a flight to Cape Town Airport. From Cape Town Airport, take a taxi to Namaqua national park.

Flora and Fauna:

• Leopard, Porcupine, Klipspringer, Black-backed jackal, Aardvark, Baboon, Duiker, and Steenbok
• Hardy shrubs, wildflowers, Pterygodium cruciform, butterfly flower

Mountain Zebra National Park is one of the best national parks in South Africa, with rugged landscapes, towering cliffs, and rocky outcrops. Since the park features elements of three biomes, thicket, Nama-Karoo, and grassland, it supports a variety of mammals and birds. It is one of the best wildlife national parks in South Africa, where you can see the largest population of Cape mountain zebras and predators, including lions, cheetahs, bat-eared foxes, and caracal. You can go for a cheetah tracking excursion to track cheetahs via satellite. If you want to learn about the origin and history of the park, you can sign up for a guided walk to the San rock paintings.

Highlights:

• Guided walk to the San rock paintings
• Cheetah tracking excursion
• Cape mountain zebras

Location:

Eastern Cape province, South Africa.

Best Time to Visit:

October to March, when the wildlife congregates around the waterholes.

How to Reach:

From JNB OR Tambo International Airport: From Tambo International Airport, fly to Port Elizabeth airport. From Port Elizabeth, take a taxi to Mountain Zebra National Park.

Flora and Fauna:

• Ostrich, red hartebeest, springbok, Chacma baboon, eland, blesbok and vervet monkey.
• Rapanea melanophloeos, Rhus lancea, Olive , Leucosidea sericea, Acacia karroo, and Buddleja salviifolia.