What is a Wild card?
If you’re a regular visitor to some of our most popular parks and reserves, having a Wild card will end up saving you a lot of money. When you’re a member of SANParks’ loyalty programme, Wild, you get one year’s unlimited entry to more than 80 national parks and reserves in South Africa and eSwatini. In other words, you won’t have to pay the daily conservation fee when you show your membership card upon arrival.
The card can be used at SANParks, CapeNature, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife (not all), and Msinsi (resorts near Durban and Pietermaritzburg) reserves – see 🖰 wildcard.co.za for a comprehensive list. You can buy a membership for all parks or only specific clusters.
There are different membership packages available: You can buy it as an individual, a couple (any two people) or a family (two adults and up to five children under 18). The rates until 31 October 2022 for an all-parks pass are as follows: R755 for an individual; R1 245 for a couple; and R1 520 for a family.
You can buy a Wild card at a park, but it’s much easier to do so online: 🖰 sanparks.org/wild_new/
GARDEN ROUTE NATIONAL PARK
Indigenous forests, burbling rivers, estuaries full of birds, beaches scenic enough to paint… This park has three sections – Wilderness, Knysna and Tsitsikamma (Nature’s Valley and Storms River Mouth) – spanning both the Western and Eastern Cape.
DO THIS: The five-day Otter Trail (45 km) runs from Storms River Mouth to Nature’s Valley. It’s a popular hike and you’ll have to book up to a year in advance. R1 450 p.p.
For something shorter, try the Drupkelders Trail (4,5km) in the forest north of Sedgefield. It ends at a big, clear mountain pool. R50 p.p.
Wilderness: R50 per adult; Knysna: R42 per adult; Nature’s Valley: R60 per adult; Storms River Mouth: R68
