South African National Parks

Description

South African National Parks, known as SANParks, is the body that manages South Africa’s national parks. It was formed in 1926 and now oversees 21 national parks and 10 marine protected areas. Kruger National Park, its best known and oldest park, is also its largest. Many of its parks offer visitor accommodation.

SANParks runs a central reservations service so visitors can book stays and activities in the parks. A customer care team handles enquiries and directs them to the right department. The organization also operates a whistleblowing hotline where the public, tourists, suppliers, contractors and employees can report fraud, corruption or related misconduct. Its head office is in Pretoria.

Beyond the national parks themselves, other protected areas such as game and nature reserves exist outside SANParks’ formal park network. Table Mountain National Park, alongside Kruger, is among South Africa’s most visited tourist attractions. Through these protected areas SANParks works to conserve the country’s natural heritage while providing recreation and tourism opportunities for visitors.