SANParks Karoo National Park

What was once known for being a convenient, single-night stopover for weary travelers between the Cape and inland, has become a Park offering a multitude of activities enticing guests to want to stay longer. A mountain bike trail, guided and un-guided walks, a selection of 4×4 trails, guided game drives, breathtaking landscapes and an array of plant and animal life now sees guests specifically planning visits to Karoo National Park.
Karoo National Park
The Great Karoo is a vast and unforgiving landscape of which the Karoo National Park is but a small portion. Being the largest ecosystem in South Africa, the Karoo is home to a fascinating diversity of life, all having adapted to survive in these harsh conditions. Karoo National Park is dominated by the lofty Nuweveld Mountains and rolling plains, where many species that originally occurred here now once again occupy their former ranges.

South African National Parks (SANParks) is the leading conservation authority in all national parks, responsible for 3 751 113 hectares of protected land in 20 national parks. It draws its mandate from the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act, Act 57 of 2003.

SANParks’ business operations are founded on three important core pillars:

Conservation – the primary mandate of the organisation is the conservation of South Africa’s biodiversity, landscapes and associated heritage assets through a system of national parks.
Responsible Tourism – the organisation has a significant role in the promotion of South Africa’s nature-based tourism, or ecotourism business targeted at both international and domestic tourism markets. The eco-tourism pillar of the business architecture provides for the organisation’s self-generated revenues from commercial operations that are necessary to supplement government funding of conservation management. A significant element of the ecotourism pillar is the Commercialisation Strategy, which (through the implementation of Public Private Partnerships) SANParks has adopted to expand tourism products and the generation of additional revenue for funding of conservation and socio-economic development.
Socio-Economic Development – SANParks has taken a strategic decision to expand its role in the developmental support provided to neighbouring communities as an entity of the developmental state. In addition, SANParks is required to build constituencies at international, national and local levels, in support of conservation of the natural and cultural heritage of South Africa through its corporate social investment. It has to ensure that a broad base of South Africans participate and get involved in biodiversity initiatives, and further that all its operations have a synergistic existence with neighbouring or surrounding communities for their educational and socio-economic benefit, hence enabling the broader society to be connected to national parks.

Visit the SANParks Karoo National Park website