South Africa Travel Tips – See The Wildlife Parks By Car
If you’re visiting South Africa this year then Autumn’s the perfect time to go, as the weather cools and the lush landscapes take on the inviting hue of late summer.
This is the time when you can really get the most of the country, by jumping in a hire car and going on safari in one of the many exotic wildlife parks – check out our guide to South Africa’s nature reserves…
There are game parks and wildlife reserves scattered all over South Africa, so it really depends on where you’re landing in and what your priorities are:
Southern Region:
Located near Langebaan, some 150 km from Cape Town, is the popular West Coast Nature Park. Spanning some 30,000 hectares of coastline and swampland, it’s home to a myriad of exotic birdlife; from oystercatchers, flamingos, gannets and cormorants to various sea birds. Ideal for keen birdwatchers, you can get around the park on foot or rent a canoe and float along the Langebaan Lagoon.
Table Mountain Nature Park is another superb spot located on the Cape Peninsula, again just a short drive from Cape Town. It’s a spectacularly exotic flower park with lush flynbos vegetation and a scattering of baboon families residing in the colourful foliage. This national park is home to two of South Africa’s most famous natural landmarks – Table Mountain and the Cape of Good Hope, and you can take it all in on foot.
Fans of the larger variety of African wildlife should certainly stop by the Addo Elephant Nature Park. Located just off Port Elizabeth, this expansive nature reserve is home to some 500 elephants, 400 cape buffalo, 50 black rhinos and various other species such as lions, hyenas and antelopes.
Heading up towards the middle of the country you’ll stumble across Karoo Nature Park – a small desertland reserve populated by springbok, riverine rabbit, black rhinos and panther tortoises. Formerly a huge sea inlet, it now has many ancient sea creatures fossilised into the landscape – which of course makes for fascinating viewing!
Other wildlife parks in the area include: Tsitsikamma Nature Park, Wilderness Nature Park, Bontebok Nature Park, De Hoop Nature Reserve and the Mountain Zebra Nature Park.
Northern & Eastern Regions:
Kruger National Park is the largest wildlife park in the country, spanning across some 20,000 km. Originally opened in the late 19th century to protect species from game hunters, the park has a complete range of landscapes and a colourful collection of species, including 114 different types of reptile, 507 different species of birds and 147 types of mammal. It truly is amazing, and if you’re only going to visit one park then this should be it. With some 2000 km of road networked into the grounds it’s ideal for seeing by car, so be sure to pencil it into your itinerary!
Relatively young compared to its counterparts, Mapungubwe National Park is situated right in the north of the country, at the point where South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe meet. What sets this park apart from the others is that it’s more concerned with the history of the local people and their towns. Smattered with eye opening architectural sites and ancient monuments, it provides a fascinating insight into the ancient trading peoples of the area, who swapped goods with various countries around the Indian Ocean up until the 13th century. Check it out for something completely different!
Back on the more conventional route, you’ll find the Marakele National Park, situated just 250 km north of Johannesburg. Here you’ll find all the quintessential South African species, from lions, leopards and rhinos to antelopes, hippos and elephants. Its landscape also provide more than an eyeful – the yellowwood trees and enormous cedars provide a splash of colour, while the endangered Cape Vultures are a unique and particularly eerie sight! Check it out, you’ll probably need a 4×4 though, as the roads are a touch on the rough and rugged side!
Last but by no means least comes the Golden Gates Highlands National Park, situated in the Free State, just off the Lesotho Border. Covering an are of 41 km, this park is well known for its gold tinted sand cliffs, and it’s an ideal park to go hiking and trekking. You won’t find too much wildlife here so it’s fairly safe to tackle by foot, but just watch your step as some venomous snakes populate the area.
Other nature parks in the area include Giants Castle, Pretorius Game Park, Tembe Nature Park, Ithala Nature Park and the Greater Saint Lucia Wetlands Park.
Other Regions
Elsewhere in South Africa you can check out the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, a sprawling desertland park in the north west of the country. Crossing both South Africa and Botswana, this fascinating park is part of the famous Kalahari desert. Other parks worth visiting include the Richtersveld National Park, famous for its unique halfmensboom (half-person) trees.
Of course if you’re really fancy touring South Africa from top to bottom then the best way to get around is undoubtedly by car. Just click here to get to Nova’s South Africa car hire page, and we’ll fix you up with a top of the range, smooth running motor, perfectly tailored to suit your needs.
A few things to remember: some of the roads and tracks are less developed than others so always check with the parks first if you need a 4×4! Another thing is to always keep the fuel tank topped up – if you’re travelling out into the wild a place to fill up the tank can be hard to come by, though plenty of parks are decently equipped with petrol stations and restaurants. Finally, if you’re going to have a picnic just be careful – hungry, wild animals can be aggressive, so choose your spot carefully, and if in doubt, stick to the car! For the very best deals in car hire check out our Car Hire South Africa page.
Don’t forget to check out our sister site PlacesToStay for a full range of top quality hotels at the lowest prices.
We hope this guide has been of use to you, and remember to give us a shout in the comment box below if you have any questions, suggestions or things you want to say. Enjoy the outback!