Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Up your game
see where the mighty Indian and Atlantic Oceans collide at the Cape of Storms.
A pic of you straddling the cairn which marks the spot is an Insta-must. Visit the Cape Agulhas lighthouse which stands guard over a rocky coastline littered with shipwrecks.
Bird enthusiasts can try to spot the endangered African black oystercatcher and, between June and September, keep your eyes peeled for southern right whales as they backflip by.
This is an easy detour on a longer road trip, but if you want to stay, there are a few options inside the park, and the popular seaside resort of Struisbaai next door has plenty of B&Bs and restaurants.
GARDEN ROUTE NP
This sprawling reserve on the glorious Garden Route – one of the most famous scenic drives in the world – is made up of three equally stunning sections: Wilderness, Knysna Lakes and Tsitsikamma.
They encompass beautiful beaches and wetlands, kayaking and adrenaline-fuelled adventures, dramatic gorges, valleys of fynbos (unique Cape “fine bush”, which includes South Africa’s national flower, the protea), and spectacular hiking and mountain-biking trails through ancient forests and across jagged coastlines.
There are plenty of towns in the area, including the wonderful Knysna, which sits on a lovely lagoon spilling out to sea through two glowering heads.
There are thousands of accommodation options in and around the parks – our top tip is a wooden chalet right on the seafront at Storms River
Mouth in the Tsitsikamma section.
GOLDEN GATE HIGHLANDS NP
This park is in the eastern Free State province, on the northern border of landlocked Lesotho... and here be mountains – the majestic Maluti range, which forms part of the 600-mile long Drakensberg escarpment.
There are several species of antelope and many smaller beasties in this park, but you’re not here for the wildlife... you’re here for the dramatic golden sandstone formations which hide caves filled with San rock art and dinosaur fossils.
Stay at the Golden Gate Hotel for full-service luxury, or self-cater at the Basotho Cultural Village Rest Camp, which is built in the style of an 18th century Basotho village. You can even go on a herbal walk with a village traditional healer.
Nearby activities include golf, white-water rafting, quadbiking, ziplining, fly fishing – and in winter you can even go skiing! The nearby town of Clarens is very pretty and arty.
KGALAGADI TRANSFRONTIER PARK
This remote park is in the pointy bit between neighbouring Namibia and Botswana – in fact two-thirds of this 15,000 square mile desert reserve is in Botswana. Just one glimpse of the golden sand dunes and dry red scrubby landscape will tell you why the park’s name translates as “place of thirst” in the local Tswana language.
This is home to the fabled black-maned lions and the iconic desert oryx – known as gemsbok. There are also cheetahs, leopards, hyenas, wild dogs, giraffes and antelope that survive in these arid conditions.
There are three main rest camps and several wilderness camps – 4x4 vehicles are recommended for self-drivers, and you can join the 185-mile four-day Nossob eco-trail. This is a place of extremes – summer temperatures can reach 45°C and in winter it can hit -10C.
KAROO NP
The stars of this park are the stars. With very little light pollution you can see the Milky Way like you’ve never seen it before.
This 300 square mile wilderness is in the middle of the vast Karoo semi-desert, were you can drive for miles and see only big blue skies, red-baked earth, sparse scrubs, low kopjes (hills)
and creaking windmills serving sprawling sheep farms (Karoo lamb is spectacular).
The main motorway – the N1 – which stretches 900 miles between Cape Town and Johannesburg cuts through this wilderness, so the park is easy to get to. There are plenty of antelope – red hartebeest, eland, kudu and springbok, as well as rhino, baboons and zebra, and predators like bat-eared foxes, brown hyenas and genets.
Stay at the main camp in fully equipped Cape Dutch chalets or family cottages.
Enjoy hiking, 4x4 trails and game viewing.
CAPE VIDAL KZN PARKS
Three hours north of Durban on the KwaZulu Natal coast you’ll find the spectacular world heritage site of iSimangaliso Wetland Park – a vast protected area with Lake St Lucia at its heart.
Stay right on the beach at Cape Vidal, which has an abundance of marine and bird life, as well as endangered samango monkeys.
Depending on the time of year, you’ll find humpback whales, whale sharks, marlin and dolphins, as well as sea turtles which nest on the beaches here. Inland lie bigger reserves with big game – black and white rhino, elephant, crocs and hippos.
The coast here is perfect for rock-pooling and snorkelling – there’s even a shipwreck you can explore.
Enjoy miles of unspoiled beaches and rolling sand dunes, and you can go ski-boat and surffishing. There are groovy self-catering log cabins to stay in, or you can rough it in the campsite.
MORE INFO See sanparks.org, kznparks.com, southafrica.net. All parks are currently closed.