Your South African Safari is Incomplete Unless You Visit These 5 Wildlife Parks

South Africa is one of the most popular and visited country in the African continent. Its diverse landscape encompasses verdant forests, stony deserts, soaring mountains, and lush grasslands. South Africa is home to various species of animals kept in 700 publically owned reserves, out of which 19 are national parks, and 200 private reserves. In these wildlife reserves, you can spot might white sharks, giant African elephants, beautiful penguins and flamingos. To ensure you have an unforgettable time in South Africa, make sure you book a tour package that includes visits to the leading wildlife parks in the country. Here are five must-visit wildlife parks in South Africa.

1. Kruger National Park

Kruger National Park is one of the largest reserves in South Africa. It was established in 1898 to protect the wildlife of the South African Lowveld. The park is one of the few reserves in the world to employ advanced environmental management techniques. Stretching almost 20,000 sq. km. the park offers the best wildlife experiences in Africa. You can spot the big five wild animals including lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos, and buffaloes. In addition, the Kruger National Park is also home to hundreds of other mammals and diverse bird species such as eagles, storks, and vultures. Tropical forests, bush plain, and mountains add to the wildlife experience.

2. Addo Elephant National Park

The name itself signifies the importance of the national park. It is the perfect place to spot the great African elephants. The national park was established in 1931 to save 11 elephants left and today, it is home to over 500 elephants. Spread in about 1,700 sq. km. it is the third largest national park in South Africa. Zuurberg Mountain, Sunday River valley, Sunday and Bushman river mouths, add to the beauty of the national park. Addo Elephant National Park is not only about elephants, it also has a marine reserve that boosts of second largest breeding colony of African penguins and migratory whales. You can also spot lions, black rhinos, buffaloes, spotted hyenas, antelopes, zebras, dung beetle, and secretary bird.

3. Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Reserve

Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Reserve is the oldest nature reserve in Africa. It is the perfect place to spot southern white rhinos. At its inception, the reserve had the responsibility of preserving the rhinos from saving them from extinction. Over the last century, numbers of white rhinos have blossomed to about 1800 today. A mere 2.5 hours from Durban, the reserve is one of the best park to see the wildlife. You can also spot wildebeest, giraffe, impala, nyala, zebra, lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, and the traditional black rhino.

4. Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is a multinational park with boundary less 3.6 million hectares of area that combines the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park of South Africa with the Gemsbok National Park in Botswana. The area is harsh and dry, and is widely thought as a desert, due to shifting red sand dunes, thorny trees, and dry river beds, also the reason for the name, Kgalagadi - a place of thirst. That said, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is rich in wildlife and you can easily spot huge black-mane lions, cheetah, leopard, meerkat, and pygmy falcons. The national park was declared as Africa’s first peace park in 2000.

5. iSimangaliso Wetlands Park

iSimangaliso Wetland Park is the third-largest protected area in South Africa’s. It covers no less than 3,280 sq. km. of natural ecosystems that includes lakes, swamp forests, and ancient coastal dunes, with 280 km of coastline. The park is segregated into many parks and reserves, such as Kosi Bay, Lake St Lucia, Cape Vidal, and Mkuze Game Reserve for easier management. It is probably the only park in the world where you can see some of the biggest mammals coexisting, rhinos, elephants and whales. You can also spot a rare fish specie coelacanth, leopards, buffaloes, dolphins, crocodiles, hippos, flamingos, leatherback and loggerhead turtle and thousands of water birds.

Excited to Explore the Wild?

If the list got you excited, imagine how it will be to explore the wild? Check out South Africa tour packages with leading tour operators in your city. Travel companies in major Indian cities including Delhi, Mumbai, and Ahmedabad, offer South Africa tour packages for varying durations. Book a travel package depending on your schedule and budget, and make sure it includes a wildlife safari to these five diverse and beautiful national parks.