SanParks National Parks Week kicks off in one week

Source: South African Tourism via Wikimedia Commons | Augrabies National Park, Augrabies, Northern Cape, South Africa

Reynold Thakhuli, SanParks general manager: media, PR and stakeholder relations, says: SA National Parks week is aimed at linking the South African national parks system to the communities and to showcase the best of our country’s national parks. During the week all South African citizens are allowed to enter most national parks for free for a day visit.”

"The week in partnership with TotalEnergies Marketing South Africa and FNB is meant to cultivate a sense of pride in South Africa’s natural, cultural and historical heritage, protected by the national parks system which is the basis for the established theme 'Know Your National Parks'. It’s important for South Africans to visit and know the importance of national parks."

SA National Parks Week dates announced

2 Aug 2022

This year SanParks will open the week in Augrabies Falls National Park. The feature element of this campaign is the free access granted to all South African day visitors carrying their official Identity Documents. Young persons under the age of 16 will be allowed free access without proof of identity.

The free access to the parks will not include accommodation and commercial activities in the park such as guided safaris in vehicles or guided walks, etc and Kruger, Addo Elephant, Augrabies, Agulhas, Table Mountain and |Ai-|Ais/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park will only have free access until Friday, 16 September. Namaqua National Park and Boulders Penguin Colony and the Cableway in Table Mountain National Park are not included in the free access.

Thakhuli says "every year SanParks aims to increase the number of citizens that are granted free access to national parks during this time. Since we started the programme in 2006, some 619,252 South Africans have been afforded the opportunity to enter national parks, and we want to see these numbers grow, especially after the last two years which halted travel around the world."

"The survival of the South African national parks system and our natural and cultural heritage lies in the people of South Africa," concludes Thakhuli.