South Africa Safaris to the Table Mountain National Park

The Table Mountain National Park is one of the most popular national parks in South Africa and is run by the national parks association. It is defined by Table Mountain, a huge and attractive landmark which overlooks Cape Town. It is also the location for the Cape of Good Hope which has been a beacon for seafarers over the ages as they passed around the south African Continent before the Suez Canal was built. A typical South Africa safari route may see visitors pass from Cape Point in the south all the way up to Signal hill in the north via Silvermine and Lion’s Head. The Silvermine Nature Reserve is very popular for mountain-biking while the Lion’s Head pinnacle is a very distinctive geological feature which affords spectacular views over the city below. 

In Table Mountain Park is the intriguingly named Devil’s Peak which contains numerous hiking trails and a memorial to Cecil Rhodes who founded the diamond company De Beers. Devil’s Peak can also be seen from the Newlands Cricket Ground where the national team plays their Cape Town matches. In terms of animals, Devil’s Peak is home to game such as Wildebeest, Zebra and Elands as well as smaller mammals such as the mongoose. The Table Mountain National Park is more than ten years old and used to be known as the Cape Peninsula National Park. It was set up with the aim of protecting rare plants, especially the fynbos scrubland.

South Africa Safaris to the Greater Addo Elephant National Park

The Greater Addo Elephant National Park is a mega park near Port Elizabeth which contains a number of other game parks. Every year around 12,000 tourists visit Greater Addo. It is the only park in the world to have the Big Seven, a term coined by South Africa to acknowledge their marine heritage. As well as the Big Five of lions, buffaloes, rhinos, leopards and elephants, the sea around the Greater Addo Elephant National Park contains whales and great white sharks. It also has five out of the seven main vegetation zones in South Africa, which are known as biomes.

The South Africa Safari game parks include the Addo elephant park which was founded eighty years ago to provide a home to the rapidly diminishing elephant population. From only 11 elephants in 1931 they have run a successful conservation effort raising the number of these incredible beasts up to nearly 500 specimens. The success of the park meant that it was expanded and grew to encompass other parks and islands such as Bird Island. Bird Island got its name by being an exceptional habitat for breeding African pelicans and gannets. Today the colony of gannets now numbers more than one hundred thousand birds. As well as exceptional wildlife viewing, the Greater Addo Elephant National Park has all the amenities you need including shops, accommodation and restaurants.

South African Safaris to the Golden Gate Highlands National Park

For an insight into how humans lived in South Africa thousands of years ago, visit the Golden Gate Highlands National Park. It is the only National Park in the Free State and attracts tourists who come to see ancient cave paintings and incredible fossils. Dinosaur eggs have even been found in the Golden Gate Highlands National Park. This area near Lesotho is stunningly beautiful and it is named for its golden landscape which is even more memorable when the sun is setting. Bird watchers can see hundreds of species of African birds and there is also big game in the form of zebras and elands.