South Africa offers Africa’s most accessible safari infrastructure, from self-drive national parks to ultra-exclusive private reserves. The country spans five distinct biomes and hosts all of the Big Five — giving first-time visitors reliable encounters and experienced travelers endlessly rewarding terrain. Most major reserves are malaria-free or low-risk, making South Africa an easy entry point into serious wildlife travel.
Game Reserves & National Parks
Tap a reserve to open its page.
From the Journal
Recent stories from South Africa’s reserves.
Image credits
- Babanango Game Reserve — Photo: Van1985 / CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Eastern Cape Safari — Photo: NJR ZA / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Greater Kruger — Photo: Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE / CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Karoo National Parks — Photo: Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE / CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Kruger National Park — Photo: flowcomm / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Madikwe Game Reserve — Photo: flowcomm / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Mapungubwe National Park — Photo: Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE / CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Sanbona Wildlife Reserve — Photo: Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net). / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Tswalu Kalahari — Photo: Charles J. Sharp / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park — Photo: Bjørn Christian Tørrissen / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Waterberg — Photo: Bernard DUPONT / CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Zululand & the Elephant Coast — Photo: Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE / CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons