The Addo Elephant National Park’s four-star Nyathi Rest Camp, which opened in April, is proving very popular among both local and international visitors, says Fayroush Ludick, SANParks Communications Manager for the Frontier Region. Nestled at the foot of the majestic Zuurberg mountain range, Nyathi Rest Camp offers 11 exclusive, self-catering units – eight two-sleepers, one four-sleeper, and two family units that each sleep six. The units, in African domed hut style with thatched roofs, are built on stilts, providing views of the landscape below. For an equally relaxed viewing experience, guests can visit a waterhole that is accessible on foot within the small camp.

SANParks has also built two rock chalets and six new cottages at the Mountain Zebra National Park outside Cradock to cater for growing demand. The four-star chalets sleep four in two en-suite bedrooms, each room with a private outdoor shower. Each chalet has an open-plan kitchen/lounge and a fireplace. Each cottage sleeps two and has a sleeper couch that can accommodate one adult or two children. One of these cottages is universally accessible.

Credit: Megan Taplin

Mountain Zebra National Park is the only national park in South Africa that offers cheetah tracking as an activity. Some of the park’s cheetahs are fitted with tracking collars and guests can experience cheetah tracking by game vehicle and on foot, sometimes coming within 10m of a wild cheetah. The activity is open to people aged 12 to 65. From November 1, 2017, the cheetah-tracking rate is R400pp (€25).