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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.