{"id":96721,"date":"2015-08-10T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-08-10T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/travelstartblg.wpenginepowered.com\/five-sanparks-need-visit\/"},"modified":"2025-11-04T13:52:52","modified_gmt":"2025-11-04T13:52:52","slug":"five-sanparks-need-visit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/five-sanparks-need-visit\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Lesser-Known SANParks You Need To Visit"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Dawn<\/p>\n

SANParks Does Good Work<\/h2>\n

SANParks\u00a0manages a collective of 19\u00a0National Parks\u00a0which represent the indigenous fauna, flora, varied landscape and cultural heritage of our\u00a0country.\u00a0They are set in areas of unrivalled beauty, be it\u00a0arid, coastal, mountain or\u00a0bushveld, ranging from world heritage sites to places of\u00a0natural biodiversity. Each holding the specific purpose of conserving the game, marine ecosystems and vegetation found in their region. It is significant work.<\/p>\n

“accessible and affordable”<\/em><\/h3>\n

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Nearly all have\u00a0overnight facilities which vary in style and level of luxury, perfect to make them accessible and affordable. Activities on offer are diverse and include game viewing (guided or self drive), bush walks, canoeing and lessons in conservation.<\/p>\n

“lesser known parks worthy of a visit”<\/em><\/h3>\n

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The best known park is the\u00a0Kruger National Park<\/a>.\u00a0Proclaimed in 1898, it is the oldest\u00a0as well as\u00a0the largest at nearly 2 million. That’s a lot of European countries. As for the most popular, the Kruger Park and Table Mountain National Park<\/a> are South Africa’s most visited tourist attractions and it’s easy to see why. Yet, this is more about the unsung heros of the SANParks family, the lesser known\u00a0parks<\/strong>\u00a0worthy of a visit.<\/p>\n

1. Bontebok National Park, Western Cape<\/h2>\n

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“Perfect for a day visit, although it is wonderful to overnight here and watch the Bontebok grazing from your chalet window first thing in the morning.”<\/em><\/h3>\n

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\"Dawn<\/p>\n

Bontebok National Park<\/a>\u00a0is the smallest of the\u00a0SANParks and just gorgeous. Located on the banks of the Breede River just 5km from the town of Swellendam in the Western Cape. This places it within the Cape Floral Kingdom which\u00a0explains the rich floral offerings.\u00a0Perfect for a day visit, although it is wonderful to overnight here and watch the Bontebok grazing from your chalet window first thing in the morning.<\/p>\n

Accommodation is at\u00a0Lang Elsie’s Kraal rest camp, the first SANParks rest camp to be built according to a Touching the Earth Lightly<\/em>\u00a0ecotourism design. Named after a Khoe-Khoe Chieftain who lived here with her clan in the 18th century. The camp has ten units and\u00a0provides pristine scenery towards the\u00a0Langeberg Mountains. There’s also a very good camping site.<\/p>\n

The park is home to 200 Bontebok and the formation of this park is known to have saved the species from extinction. Main attractions include other game such as Grey Rhebuck, red Hartebees and\u00a0many other smaller mammals. Enjoy a drive around the park, bird watching from the\u00a0viewing decks, or from one of the numerous picnic and braai areas.\u00a0On my\u00a0first visit I took one of the walking trails through the aloes and spring flowers, as well as a linger down at the Breede River. If the weather is warm enough, you can swim here or simply enjoy a nap on the sandbank.<\/p>\n

\"Dawn<\/h2>\n

\"Dawn<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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2. Mountain Zebra National Park, Eastern Cape<\/h2>\n

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“On my first visit I arrived as the sun was softening on the land. About 5 minutes in a black rhino walked across the road right in front of us.”<\/em><\/h3>\n

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The 28 000 hectares Mountain Zebra National Park<\/strong><\/a> is situated about 12km inland from the town of Cradock and is accessed off the R61 towards\u00a0Graaff-Reinet. Synonymous with the Great Karoo the air is crystal clear here, the scenery beautiful\u00a0and the setting\u00a0tranquil. This National Park was originally proclaimed in 1937 to save the dwindling Cape Mountain Zebra population\u00a0and\u00a0boasts a conservation success story which has it protecting over 700 zebra as well as the endangered black rhino and reintroduced cheetah.<\/section>\n
\"DawnThe fenced off Rest Camp is located about 12 kilometers from the entrance gate and offers comfortable family cottages, a campsite with communal facilities, a good restaurant and a shop. There is also a guesthouse and two mountain cottages further into the Park. The Rest Camp cottages are a short walk from the restaurant, which allows a good chance for star-gazing after dinner.<\/section>\n

Activities in the park include self-drive and guided game viewing on the 70km of mapped out roads. Visit the San-cave paintings or enjoy the two short self-hike trails within the fenced Rest\u00a0Camp; the Black Eagle Trail of 2.5km is a more challenging climb to the top of the rocky outcrop with spectacular views over the Park while the Imbila Trail 1 km is an easy, flat trail. Also recommended is the guided Cheetah Trekking (see the video at the bottom of the page) which can be booked on arrival, a very special experience which heightens all senses.\u00a0Day visitors are welcome and there are a couple of good picnic sites in the park where you can stop for lunch.<\/p>\n

On my first visit I arrived as the sun was softening on the land. About 5 minutes in, a black rhino walked across the road right in front of us, pausing slightly before running off. A surreal experience and luck of the bush.<\/p>\n

Also read:<\/strong><\/p>\n