By Melanie Campbell
Thinking of a place to visit on your next tour? Why not try visiting a national park in South Africa.
For people who love wild animals and nature, this is the best place to visit. You should add this to your list. And to enjoy your adventure with the animals and environment bring your family along with you. Your kids would surely love the experience.
If you are still not convinced, here are five reasons why your family should visit a national park in South Africa.
1. You Will Get a Chance to Meet the Big Five
South Africa is famous for its wild animals mainly the big five – African elephant, the Cape buffalo, the African lion, the black and white rhinos and the African leopard. You can have a close encounter with these animals if you visit one of the famous national parks in the Safaris, the Kruger National Park. You can also see them in other national parks all over the country.
If you visit Bontebok National Park, you will meet the endangered Cape Mountain Zebra, and you and your kids will surely love the presence of these lovely creatures who would welcome you and you can take a photo of them. Their calm attitude is because there are no dangerous predators around.
Aside from the Zebra, you can also spot grey rhebok, grysbok, red hartebeest, and steenbok, if you are lucky, you can also enjoy exclusive viewing without the hordes of cars for which other national parks are known.
2.You Can Visit World’s Amazing Beaches and Other Breathtaking Views
If you visit Cape Town, you will not believe what you will see if you visit the lovely beaches. You will enjoy the stunning harbors and beautiful gardens and also breathtaking views from the Table Mountain Cape Town. After the tiring adventure, you can relax with lots of shopping, nightlife, and restaurants.
You will also find the caravan sites fantastic, with several camping trailers set up where you can stay overnight. You can also set up a tent on the grass sites near the river but be careful it may tend to flood into your area, which might surprise you especially if it hasn’t rained for a long time, but has been raining upstream.
3.You Can Walk Freely
The national parks in South Africa offer nature walks – you can walk along the unique flynbos surrounding or along the Breede River in the Bontebok National Park. You will not see the big five around. Thus you can explore the park on foot, you and your family can even stop for a picnic at one of the decks in the river or the lovely Die Stroom area.
During winter you can stroll the aloe trail, and you can camp near the river where you can take a dip in warmer weather. So make sure that you bring along your camping basics if you visit South Africa national parks.
4.Enjoy the Company of the African Penguins
There is one spot in Boulders Beach near to Cape Town that is getting popular these days. Not only they have a beautiful boulder-strewn beach but there is also an area where you will have the chance to see thousands of endangered African penguins. The group of penguins that you will view at Boulders Beach is only of the 24 remaining, and penguins feel at home around people so you can get near within a few meters for really amazing photos.
5.You Will Enjoy the Best Hiking Experience and Luxury Train Journeys
Riding a train while enjoying the South Africa’s diverse landscape is an unforgettable experience. You will surely glad you visited the area. If you enjoy staying at a five-star hotel, you will surely love the luxury trains. It is like a five-star hotel on wheels, enabling the traveler to marvel at the scenery of the different terrains of South Africa as you enjoy the elegant cuisine and all the comforts of your home.
Kids are energetic they love hiking. You can do hiking and trekking at Ukhahlamba Drakensberg, South Africa’s highest mountain range and one of the largest natural parks. The Ukhahlamba-Drakensberg Park is considered as world heritage site by UNESCO because of its breathtaking Tugela Falls and the 30,000 paintings found in more than 600 caves showcasing artwork dating thousands of years ago.
If the above reasons are not enough to encourage you to visit South Africa’s national parks, then you must be from the outer space.
Bio: Melanie Campbell is an outdoor and camping enthusiast behind Ardent Footsteps, enjoying this wonderful world since 2010. She shares expert advice when it comes to camping and outdoor trekking. With the main focus on making the most out of camping and outdoor adventures, Melanie will make you want to go out today!
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