Tankwa Karoo National Park

The Tankwa Karoo National Park is situated on the southern boundary of the Northern Cape, with a Roggeveld Escarpment in the east, the Cederberg in the west and the Klein Roggeveld mountains in the south. A four hour drive from Cape Town brings you to this truly spectacular National Park. It is situated within the Succulent Karoo Biome, where the unique features of the vegetation are combined with mind blowing landscapes – from the sheer cliffs of the Roggeveld Escarpment to the moonscapes of the Tankwa Desert. The Tankwa Karoo National Park came into being in 1986, with the conversion of approximately 27 000 hectares of state owned land into this National Park. This is the area that can still be seen demarcated on most commercial maps. Since 1996 additional land has been bought and the Tankwa Karoo National Park’s size currently stands at approximately 131 000 hectares. The Tankwa Karoo National Park has a multitude of small mammal species including steenbok, duiker, porcupine and black backed jackal. Leopards also naturally roam the area and large game species which were historically found in the area suchy as the Cape Mountain Zebra, gemsbok, red hartebeest and springbok, have also been reintroduced to join the existing kudu. Tankwa is the ideal destination for those seeking the brightest start in Africa, a once in a lifetime glimpse of a rare endemic bird or perhaps, nothing more than silence that reaches deep into the soul.

Attractions and Activities

The Tankwa Karoo National Park is still in a developmental and land consolidation phase. As such, the park offers limited visitor facilities, signage and other amenities and prospective visitors and urged to confirm availability of accommodation and other relevant information beforehand. Tankwa is a place of solitude and vast horizons. The nights are profoundly quiet with a lavish display of stars. It is a priceless additional to our National Parks system, in a world that is becoming ever more congested, noisy and threatening.