Southern Africa's Parks From a Zambian Game Reserve to a Grassland Park Founded in 2025

South Luangwa was founded as a game reserve in 1938 and became a national park in 1972, which makes it the earliest protection on this path. It covers 9,050 square kilometers in the Luangwa River valley in Zambia's Eastern Province, with the Muchinga Escarpment to the west, and its lagoons support more than 400 bird species and more than 60 mammal species.

Chobe, established in 1967, is Botswana's first national park and its most biologically diverse. It covers about 11,700 square kilometers along the Chobe River floodplain in the north, partly bordering Namibia's Caprivi Strip, and it is known for large elephant herds that gather at the river.

Tankwa Karoo, established in 1986, protects about 1,436 square kilometers of Succulent Karoo, one of the most arid parts of South Africa and part of a recognized biodiversity hotspot. Before the park existed only a two square kilometer reserve protected this vegetation, so the founding multiplied the protected area many hundred times over.

Mapungubwe was first protected in 1998 as Vhembe-Dongola National Park, then renamed and formally opened in 2004. It lies where South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe meet, and it keeps Mapungubwe Hill, capital of the Iron Age Kingdom of Mapungubwe and the find site of the Golden Rhinoceros figurine. Its landscape was recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage cultural landscape in 2003.

This peace park was formed in 2003, when Namibia's Ai-Ais Hot Springs Game Park was joined with South Africa's Richtersveld National Park by agreement between the two presidents. It covers about 6,045 square kilometers, includes the Fish River Canyon, and preserves the traditional pastoral lands and language of the Nama people.

Mokala was established on 19 June 2007 near Kimberley, replacing the former Vaalbos National Park. Its name is the Setswana word for the camel thorn tree, and the park was created to safeguard Cape buffalo, black rhino and roan antelope while also preserving San rock engravings and Second Boer War battlefield sites.

Meerkat National Park was declared on 27 March 2020 on Northern Cape land bought in 2017 to host the Square Kilometre Array project. It now holds the MeerKAT, PAPER and HERA radio telescopes beside quiver tree forests, and public access is limited to preselected days to protect the radio quiet environment.

Grassland National Park was established on 17 October 2025 by South African National Parks and WWF South Africa, and it ends the path as the newest stop. It currently covers about 102 square kilometers, drawn from privately held land joined through voluntary stewardship agreements, with plans to reach about 30,000 hectares to protect under-protected grassveld.