UPDATE: SANParks Week 2015 is taking place from Monday, 14 September 2015  until Friday, 18 September 2015.  Click here for individual park details.

Spring has sprung! Like fireworks, flowers are shooting up and transforming monochrome landscapes into a blaze of colour. South African National Parks (SANParks) is giving you the perfect chance to go wild and see them for yourself. The annual SANParks Week gives South African citizens free entry into almost all of the national parks! So put a spring in your step and make a full day of it!

Last year my family had a blast hiking up to Elephants Eye in Silvermine, so I will definitely be taking advantage of the SANParks free entry again this year. The initiative is a great way to encourage South Africans, especially those from the local communities around the parks, to cultivate a sense of pride in the natural, cultural, and historical heritage of the parks. Since the first SANParks Week launched in 2006, the participating parks have experienced an influx of over 90,000 day visitors!

Silvermine_by Desiree Haakonsen

All of the parks managed by SANParks (excluding Boulders and Namaqua National Park) will be offering free entry. These include:

Eastern Cape: Addo Elephant National Park, Camdeboo National Park, Mountain Zebra National Park

Free State: Golden Gate Highlands National Park

Limpopo: Kruger National Park, Mapungubwe National Park, Marakele National Park

Mpumalanga: Kruger National Park

Northern Cape: Augrabies Falls National Park, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Ai-Ais/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park, Mokala National Park, Tankwa Karoo National Park

Western Cape:  Agulhas National Park, Bontebok National Park, Garden Route (Tsitsikamma, Knysna, Wilderness) National Park, Karoo National Park, Table Mountain National Park, West Coast National Park, Tankwa Karoo National Park.

Find out more about South Africa’s National Parks in our SANParks 101 Guide.

Augrabies National Park by Dundi Lodge (TravelGround)

Please note:

  • All South Africans must present a valid Identity Document to gain free entry into the participating national parks.
  • Children under 16 do not require an ID.
  • Free access to parks does not in include free access to accommodation facilities and other tourist activities.
  • For the Kruger National Park, groups regarded as commercial ventures ie. private safari vehicles operators, tourists coming to the park on tour buses, and overnight visitors will not be included in this free access arrangement.

For more info, visit the SANParks website.

Camdeboo National Park (Andries Stockenstrom Guesthouse)

I can’t think of a better way to celebrate spring than getting outdoors and exploring our beautiful National Parks. Which park do you recommend visiting?