Nature Reserves and Game Parks in South Africa

• Kruger National Park
  Biggest game reserve on 20,000 sq km. Unique game stock with 147 mammal and 507 bird species. Good infrastructure. Best time to travel: June to August.
• Mkhuze Game Reserve
  5 hours from Durban. 250 sq km. Large herds of blue wildebeests, kudus, nyalas, zebras, giraffes. Over 400 bird species. Observation stands. Perannual season.
• St. Lucia Wetland Park
  Lagoon, separated from the sea through chain of dunes. Swamp forests and mangroves. Numerous seabirds, crocodiles and hippos. Anglers' paradise.
• Umfolozi and Hluhluwe Game Reserve
  3 hours from Durban. Hilly savannah landscape. 1100 sq km. Many rhinos, but also elephants, buffalos, lions, leopards, giraffes etc. Perannual season.
• Willem Pretorius Game Reserve
  Small game reserve. African savannah around a dam. Rhino, herds of buffalo and giraffes. Good accommodation with chalets overlooking dam. Perannual season.
• Golden Gate National Park
  A quiet mountain world for nature lovers and hikers. Colourful sandstone formations. Zebras, wildebeests and eland antelopes. Bushman paintings.
• Royal Natal National Park
  Mountain park at the foot of the Mont-aux-Sources (3280). Roaring wild streams and thundering waterfalls. A paradise for hikers. Good accommodation and campground.
• Giant's Castle Game Reserve
  Mountain park in the southern Drakensberg. For nature lovers and hikers. A lot of game, especially elen antelopes. Breeding area for Cape and Bearded vulture.
• Addo Elephant National Park
  About 500 elephants on 12,000 ha. Also rhinos, antelopes and many bird species. Good travelling throughout the year. Close to Port Elizabeth.
• Tsitsikamma National Park
  80 kilometres coastline at the Storms River. Rainforest. Extended hiking trails. Waterfalls. Interesting tidal waves. Good accommodation and camping site.
• Karoo National Park
  32.000 ha nature conservation area. Springbuck, kudus klipspringer and tortoises. Fossiles collection. Good accommodation. Best time to travel: April to October.
• De Hoop Nature Reserve
  Enchanting dune landscape. 60,000 ha nature reserve. Nursery of the Southern Right Whale. More than 200 bird species, zebra, bontebok, eland.
• Cape Peninsula Nature Reserve
  Small nature reserve on the Cape Peninsula. Different kinds of antelopes and birds. In spring beautifully blooming fynbos fields.
• West Coast National Park
  Protected lagoon and swamp plains. Nesting place for numerous bird species. At Richtersveld National Park
  Spectacular mountain desert. Unique vegetation with numerous species of succulents. Difficult accessibility. 4WD and compass required.
• Augrabies Falls National Park
  820 sq km nature reserve. On bothe sides of the Orange river. Impressive waterfalls. Rhinos. Desert vegetation with Kokerboom trees. Best time: April to September.
• Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
  A well kept secret. 20,000 sq km in the middle of the Kalahari desert. Excellent for lion viewing. Very good accommodation. Best time: April to September.
• Pilanesberg National Park
  Quite a spectacular park with the "Big Five" in the North-West Province near Sun City.
• Bontebok National Park
  A small game Reserve in the Western Cape for the protection of the rare Bontebok antelope.
• Private Game Reserves
  There are numerous private game reserves in South Africa and Namibia. Most of them are well stocked with game, some of them even have the "Big Five".
  

Activities in and around Game Reserves in South Africa