Mountain Zebra National Park
All-in-One
This page displays all information relevant to this park/camp, except the following:
The craggy heights of the Mountain Zebra National Park's Bankberg embrace rolling plains and deep valleys, and have become an entrancing preserve for the Cape mountain zebra. The proclamation of the park in 1937 saved these animals from extinction, and currently their population stands at 300. Other mammals found here include Cape buffalo, black rhino, eland, black wildebeest, red hartebeest and gemsbok, while mountain reedbuck and grey rhebok frequent the higher areas. Caracal occupies the niche of primary predator.
5 things to seek
- Black rhinoceros
- Cape buffalo
- Cape mountain zebra
- Blue crane
- Stanley's bustard
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Accommodation
- All accommodation is serviced daily and provided with bedding, towels and soap.
- Doornhoek Guest House, a restored Victorian homestead, accommodating 6 persons, three bedrooms, en suite bathrooms (bath), fully equipped kitchen.
- Four-bed family cottages, each with two bedrooms, bathroom and partially equipped kitchen.
Camping
- Caravan and camp sites with communal ablution facilities. Camp sites equipped with 220V power points.
- A maximum of six persons, one caravan with a side tent and one vehicle, or one tent and one vehicle, or one autovilla or one motorised caravan will be permitted per site.
- The camping area is sited on a mixture of earth and grass. Lawn-type grass struggles to grow in the park conditions.
To view the accommodation prices, refer to Tariffs
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Activities
Please note that all bookings for activities are done at the Park's reception.
- Game viewing from own vehicle.
- Guided game drives R100.00 per person ( adult ) R50.00 per Child (booking essential)
- Short nature trails.
- Impofu overnight hiking trail: R240.00 per person (booking essential)
- Day and night drives - bookings essential (at Reception)
- San cave paintings: R80.00 per person ( adult ) R40.00 per Child (booking essential)
- Picnic area
Facilities
- Fully licensed a la carte restaurant, also serving light refreshments.
- Shop where curios and basic commodities may be purchased.
- Barbecue and ablution facilities for day visitors.
- Swimming pool for resident guests only.
- Petrol and diesel are available in the restcamp.
Conference Facilities
- Full conference facilities for a maximum of 20 people
- Catering facilities available
- Reservations: Tel: +27 12 426-5025
- Fax: +27 12 426-5488
Wedding Receptions
- Facilities available for small wedding receptions, maximum 20 people
- Venue is adjacent to the Doornhoek Guest Cottage
- The venue should be booked together with the guest cottage
- Final arrangements should be confirmed with the park
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Park Map
Click on the maps to enlarge.
Camp Layout
Park
Map & Design [above]: Robin Frandsen
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Tariffs
-
2008/2009 Tariffs (word document or pdf document)
Members of SANParks’ loyalty programme WILD do not pay conservation fees provided that proof of Identity and their WILD card are shown on arrival.
Daily Conservation Fee for 1 November 2007 to 31 October 2008 |
|
|---|---|
South African Citizens and Residents (with ID): |
R17,00 per person, per day |
SADC Nationals (with passport): |
R35,00 per person, per day |
Standard Conservation Fee (Foreign Visitors): |
R70,00 per Adult |
Tariffs for 1 November 2007 to 31 October 2008 |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
10% on camping and family cottages from 1 June to 13 June and 13 August to 19 September |
||||||
Unit type |
No. of units |
Rate |
Base |
Max. beds |
Add. Adult |
Add. Child |
20 |
R120,00 |
1–2 |
6 people per site |
R40,00 |
R20,00 |
|
17 |
R500,00 |
1-2 |
4 single beds |
R116,00 |
R58,00 |
|
Family Cottage FA4Z (accessible to the mobility challenged) |
2 |
R500,00 |
1-2 |
4 single beds |
R116,00 |
R58,00 |
1 |
R810,00 |
1-4 |
2 double and 2 single beds |
R200,00 |
R200,00 |
|
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Tips and Hints
- Remember to bring along a hat, walking shoes, sun block, camera, binoculars and bird and mammal reference books. Hikers on both nature trails and overnight trail must carry sufficient water.
- Warm clothes are essential for the winter months.
- Visitors can only alight from vehicles at restcamp, picnic spots and certain marked areas.
- Pets are not allowed in national parks.
- Firearms must be declared at the entrance gate where they will be sealed. The seal will be broken upon departure.
- Motorcycles or bicycles are not allowed.
- Medical, pharmaceutical, vehicle repair and police services available in Cradock.
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Vital Information
Travel / How to get there
The park is situated 12 km from the picturesque town of Cradock on the Middelburg-Graaff Reinett road, and is 280 km from Port Elizabeth, 800 km from Cape Town, 800 km from Johannesburg and 1 050 km from Durban. The access route to the park entrance and most of the internal tourist routes are gravel, whilst certain sections are tarred or concrete.
Climate
Summer is warm, and winter nights are cold. Rainfall averages some 390 mm per annum, with regular snowfall on high lying areas.
Office Hours
1 October to 31 March - 07:00 to 19:00
1 April to 30 September - 07:00 to 18:00
Gate Hours
1 October to 31 March: 07:00 - 19:00
1 April to 30 September: 07:00 - 18:00
Day Visitors
For people staying in Cradock, Mountain Zebra offers an excellent day visitor destination. There are a couple of picnic sites in the park to cater for day and overnight visitors.
Contact Information
For enquiries e-mail Mountain Zebra National Park or phone us on the following numbers:
Park: Tel +27 (0)48 881 2427 or 3434
Fax +27 (0)48 881 3943
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Birding in Mountain Zebra National Park
Verreaux’s (Black) and Martial Eagle and Jackal Buz za rd soar impressively over this mountain habitat. Pale-winged Starling is very conspicuous on the mountain plateau, where Ostrich, Secretarybird, Blue Crane and Ludwig’s Bustard are the larger more visible species. Grey-winged Francolin, Ground Woodpecker, Large-billed (Thick-billed) and Eastern Long-billed Lark, Cape and Sentinel Rock-Thrush, Mountain Wheatear (Chat) and Orange-breasted Rockjumper should also be searched for, while Pink-billed Lark and African Rock Pipit are less common.
The wooded kloofs and acacia stands host species such as Red-fronted Tinker Barbet, Lesser Honeyguide, Red-throated Wryneck and Southern Tchagra.
(Compiled by Chris Patton)
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Mammals
The highlight of the park’s mammalian fauna is obviously the ±300 or so Cape mountain zebra after which the park is named. These zebra differ from the plains or Burchell’s zebra, by having narrower stripes, absence of shadow stripes and orange facial colouration. Other noticeable species of the mountain plateau are the red hartebeest, eland and springbok. In the more wooded valleys visitors should search for kudu, and two of the park’s more recent reintroductions, the African buffalo and the black rhino.
Species list
| Common Name | Specie Name |
|---|---|
Order INSECTIVORA |
|
Family Macroscelididae |
|
| Cape rock elephant-shrew |
Elephantulus edwardii (?) |
| Rock elephant-shrew |
Elephantulus myurus |
| Smith's rock elephant-shrew |
Elephantulus rupestris |
| Round-eared elephant-shrew | Macroscelides proboscideus (?) |
Family Erinaceidae |
|
| South African hedgehog | Erinaceus frontalis |
Family Soricidae |
|
| Reddish grey musk shrew | Crocidura cyanea |
| Forest shrew | Myosorex varius |
Family Chrysochloridae |
|
| Hottentot golden mole | Amblysomus hottentotus |
Order INSECTIVORA |
|
| ORDER CHIROPTERA |
|
Family Molossidae |
|
| Egyptian free-tailed bat |
Tadarida aegyptiaca (?) |
Family Vespertilionidae |
|
| Cape serotine bat | Eptesicus capensis |
| Schreibers' long-fingered bat |
Miniopterus schreibersi (?) |
Family Rhinolophidae |
|
| Geoffroy's horseshoe bat | Rhinolophus clivosus |
Order PRIMATES |
|
Family Cercopithecidae |
|
| Vervet monkey |
Cercopithecus pygerythrus |
| Chacma baboon | Papio ursinus |
Order CARNIVORA |
|
Family Hyaenidae |
|
| Aardwolf | Proteles cristatus |
Family Felidae |
|
| Cheetah | Acinonyx jubatus |
| Cape wild cat | Felis lybica |
| Black-footed cat |
Felis nigripes |
| Caracal | Felis caracal |
Family Canidae |
|
| Bat-eared fox |
Otocyon megalotis |
| Silver fox Vulpes chama | |
| Blackbacked jackal |
Canis mesomelas |
Family Mustelidae |
|
| Cape clawless otter |
Aonyx capensis |
| Striped polecat |
Ictonyx striatus |
| Whitenaped weasel |
Poeciligale albinucha |
Family Viverridae |
|
| Small-spotted genet |
Genetta genetta |
| Cape grey mongoose |
Galerella pulverulenta |
| Water mongoose |
Atilax paludinosus |
| Yellow mongoose |
Cynictis penicillata |
| Suricate | Suricata suricatta |
Order HYRACOIDEA |
|
Family Procaviidae |
|
| Rock dassie | Procavia capensis |
Order TUBULIDENTATA |
|
Family Orycteropodidae |
|
| Ant bear | Orycteropus afer |
Order LAGOMORPHA |
|
Family Leporidae |
|
| Scrub hare | Lepus saxatilis |
| Cape hare | Lepus capensis |
| Natal red rock rabbit |
Pronolagus crassicaudatus (?) |
| Smith's red rock rabbit | Pronolagus rupestris |
Order RODENTIA |
|
Family Bathyergidae |
|
| Common mole-rat |
Cryptomys hottentotus |
Family Hystricidae |
|
| Porcupine | Hystrix africaeaustralis |
Family Sciuridae |
|
| Ground squirrel | Xerus inauris |
| Family Pedetidae | |
| Springhare | Pedetes capensis |
Family Gliridae |
|
| Spectacled dormouse |
Graphiurus ocularis |
| Woodland dormouse |
Graphiurus murinus |
Family Cricetidae |
|
| Pouched mouse |
Saccostomus campestris |
| Bush karoo rat |
Otomys unisulcatus |
| Short-tailed gerbil |
Desmodillus auricularis |
| Hairy-footed gerbil |
Gerbillurus paeba |
Family Muridae |
|
| Grant's rock mouse |
Aethomys granti |
| Namaqua rock mouse |
Aethomys namaquensis |
| Multimammate mouse |
Praomys natalensis |
| House rat |
Rattus rattus |
| Striped mouse | Rhabdomys pumilio |
Order PERISSODACTYLA |
|
Family Equidae |
|
| Cape mountain zebra |
Equus zebra zebra |
Order ARTIODACTYLA |
|
Family Suidae |
|
| Bushpig | Potamochoerus porcus |
Family Bovidae |
|
| Eland | Taurotragus oryx |
| Kudu | Tragelaphus strepsiceros |
| Mountain reedbuck |
Redunca fulvorufula |
| Red hartebeest |
Redunca fulvorufula |
| Black wildebeest |
Connochaetes gnou |
| Blesbok | Damaliscus dorcas phillipsi |
| Springbok |
Antidorcas marsupialis |
| Grey duiker |
Sylvicapra grimmia |
| Steenbok |
Raphicerus campestris |
| Klipspringer |
Oreotragus oreotragus |
| Grey rhebuck |
Pelea capreolus |
| Cape Buffalo |
Syncerus caffer |
Order PERISSODACTYLA |
|
| Family Rhinocerotidae |
|
| Black Rhinoceros | Diceros bicornis |
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Vegetation
The park contains a rich variety of plant species and in spring the veld is covered with flowers. Fynbos and renosterveld bush flourish in the temperate climate where the rains come mainly during early summer and winter.
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People with disabilities
Wheelchair Access
Accommodation
The park has 18 4-bed cottages and one 6-bed guesthouse. None of these have specific adaptations, such as roll-in showers and grab rails adjacent the toilet. All the cottages have steps at their entrances, although in a couple of these units the step is low enough for a strong wheelchair user to get in unassisted. There is also a 6-bed guesthouse, which has no steps or uneven surface prohibiting entry. All the units have baths which will only be appropriate for some people. In time the park will be able to upgrade selected units into properly accessible ones.
Main Complex
Access into and within the main complex is ramped. Accessible ablution facilities could be provided and access to the shop improved.
Other facilities and activities
The park has limited facilities and activities. Game viewing is done from the comfort of one's own vehicle. The picnic sites and walking trails are fairly rustic, with no formal adaptation provided for persons with mobility or sensory impairment.
(Please see additional information on Wheelchair Accessibility)
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