South Africa is the 51st most visited country in the world, the reason people visit is largely due to the national parks which offer Safari’s and wildlife only found in Africa. The ranking is based on over 2.2 million users and is based on travelers marking South African National Parks as either been or wished for. Those destinations are also mapped and provide stats such as percentages of wished for destination visited.
Here are the most visited South African National Parks as per South African and International travelers:
1. Table Mountain National Park is a world wonder and is found between North Cape Town to the Cape Peninsula’s most Southwestern point in Africa which is Cape of Good Hope. There is the mountain which offers views of Cape Town which can be accessed by Cableway.
2. Kruger National Park – largest game reserves in Africa and also the most visited African Safari in the world. It also boarders a lot of private reserves that are part of the same ecosystem. There is a high density wild animals including lions, elephants, buffalos, rhinos, leopards, ostriches and more.
3. Addo Elephant Park – The part started as a conservation effort for remaining 13 elephants in the area, now the park has over 600! The park is located in Eastern Cape, near Port Elizabeth.
4. Tsitsikamma National Park is famous for its suspension bridge which crosses Storms River. It has lots of trails and includes a marine reserve with gorges and beautiful vegetation which is ideal for those that love hiking. While there are many birds, there are also a few small mammals such as bush pigs.
5. Karoo National Park is a wildlife reserve found in Western Cape, it is located near Beaufort West. It has a semi desert area which is home to species that can survive in this harsh climent including: Zebra, hartebeest, Kudu and many other birds and reptiles. There are lots of activities to do such as mountain biking, 4×4 trails, game drives and hikes one can do in this national park.
6. Ukhalamba Drakensberg Park – it is found in the KwaZulu- Natal province and is a world heritage site. There are 12 protected areas set up to protect the natural area which includes highest elevations in Southern Africa and has gorges, rivers, mountains and even ancient rock paintings. It is famous with mountaineers, skiers and hikers.
7. Golden Gate Highlands National Park – It is home to Zebras, Mongooses and over 100 birds. It is famous for its caves and San Rock paintings as well paleontological finds including dinosaur skeleton and eggs. The park is located near Lesotho border, in Free State.
8. West Coast National Park – it is found north of Cape Town, it is part of UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Program. It is famous for spring flowers which peaks between August to September, it is also home to many birds. Making it an idea location to those that love birding and parks.
9. Wilderness National Park – is found in the heart of Garden Route, and has lakes, rivers and beaches with forest and mountains found around. There are a lots of trails and rivers which offers visitors a chance to bath, fishing and bird watching.
10. Augrabies Falls National Park – Is found along Orange River, and has a 60 meter high waterfall and there is also a 240m deep gorge just below the fall. It is home to the famous Giant Tree Aloe, as well as to unfortunately endangered south-central black rhinoceros, as well as some game such as springbok and gemsbok for those looking for the safari.
11. Agulhas National Park – is a South African National Park found in Western Cape about 2-3 hours from Cape Town. It is found along the coastal water, while it is one of the smallest national parks, it has a lot of variety of plants and birds. It is alos famous of including Cape Agulhas the tip of Africa which is where Indian and Atlantic oceans merge. For those that love whale watching, its the place to see the Southern Right Whale during the whale season which runs from November to January.
12. Mapungubwe National Park – This is a great safari park when Limpopo River is not in flood the animals migrate from Botswana and Zimbabwe and back. You can see elephants, Rhinos, lions, leopards, cheetahs, wild dogs, hyena’s, wildebeest, hippos, zebras, giraffe’s, warthogs and baboons to name a few. Located in the Limpopo province it was also the site of the ancient African Kingdom, it was home to a powerful tribe which traded with China and India, archaeologists excavated the famous golden rhino and other artifacts.
13. Mountain Zebra National Park – The park was founded as a conservation effort back in 1937 in Eastern Cape to help preserve Zebras. At the time of its establishment there said to be only 2 male Zebra’s left, currently there are over 700 zebras found in the park. While the national park is fenced, there were 3 lions introduced recently with all camp grounds having fences now.
14. Namaqua National Park – Found at the edge of the Atlantic coast and is found in the semi-desert which has the largest concentration of succulent plants in the world. Most visitors visit the park during the spring bloom. The park is about 20 km from Kamieskroon.
15. Bontebok National Park – Is the smallest of all national parks in South Africa, was established in 1930s to preserve the Bontebok, which is an antelope which is endangered. The park is found at the bottom of the Langeberg Mountains next to the Breede River, in the Western Cape region.
To see the full list of South African National Parks, or check off national parks in other countries use the travel tracker app, Visited. Available in 30 languages, and has been used by over 2 million travelers and is free to download. The app lets you map your travels, count how many countries you have been to and get inspired by discovering new destinations.
