Outdoor Experiences
The Park’s game drives and guided walks will introduce guests to the Karoo’s diverse ecosystem. Be on the lookout for various game species such as klipspringer, kudu, gemsbok, mountain zebra and red hartebeest, as well as succulent plant variants.
Now, 125 to 250 million years later, the dry Karoo has become a graveyard for the fossilised skeletons of these terrible lizards, making it one of the richest deposits of fossils in the world. After the dinosaurs died out, they were succeeded by the herds of game we are familiar with today. Springbok, black wildebeest, red hartebeest, kwagga, blesbok and eland flourished on the plains.
The game did not appear when the Karoo looked like it does today, but rather during a period of transition where there was slightly more surface water around. The dry spells that came thinned out their numbers considerably and was further diminished by those who hunted to fill their stores of meat and leather without considering that numbers are exhaustible.
4x4 Trails
There are four 4x4 eco-trails in the Karoo National Park that allows visitors to experience the park’s beautiful natural landscapes. .
The Nuweveld (90 km) and Afsaal (13 km) Trails takes you through the remote areas of the park and visitors can explore the vast open plains.
The trails divert off the Potlekkertjie Loop towards the west and takes a circular route back to the rest camp.
The trails offer spectacular views of the Nuweveld Mountain range. You’ll also be able to spot herds of klipspringer, gemsbok, mountain zebra, kudu and red hartebeest.
Birding enthusiasts can be on the lookout for kori bustards, verreaux’s eagle, karoo korhaan, chanting goshawk and martial eagles. Guests can tackle the trail in the morning and overnight at the Embizweni Cottage so that destinations can be safely reached before dark.
The area through which the trails run have very limited cellphone reception.
The Kookfontein and Sandrivier Loop Trails, which are both 7 km, branch off at the Nuweveld Trail.
It is a varied option from the ordinary and circles back to the Nuweveld Trail.
The Pienaars Pass Trail was the first of its kind established in SANParks and took 10 years to complete.
It is a 6 km trail that will take visitors to the middle plateau of the park. It is a spectacular but challenging route, so it is not recommended for beginners.
There is also a fee for the trail payable at the Park reception.
The Karoo, which is the semi-desert region of South Africa, is best experienced from its heart, Beaufort West. Known as the oldest town in t...
Located in the Great Karoo Area near Beaufort West in the Western Cape, the Karoo National Park covers over 75 000 ha of land dedicated to p...