Tankwa Karoo National Park

As luminous clouds of dust swirl through the ancient landscape, a tortoise patiently wanders in search of succulent morsels; a lizard basks in the sun while gemsbok and red hartebeest share the arid plains with mongoose, orb-web spiders, skinks and leggy toktokkies.

Situated on the southern boundary of the Northern Cape, with the Roggeveld Escarpment in the east, Cederberg in the west and Klein Roggeveld Mountains in the south, a four hour drive from Cape Town brings you to this truly spectacular National Park. Situated within the Succulent Karoo Biome, 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.

Tankwa Karoo National Park has a multitude of small mammal species including duiker, steenbok, porcupine and black-backed jackal. Leopards also naturally roam the area and large game species such as Cape mountain zebra, red hartebeest, gemsbok, eland and springbok, that were historically found within the area, have been reintroduced to join the existing kudu.

Tankwa is the ideal destination for those seeking the brightest stars in Africa, a once in a lifetime glimpse of a rare endemic bird or, perhaps, nothing more than a silence that reaches deep into the soul.