South African National Parks (SANParks) recently announced that the Karoo National Park and Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) in the Western Cape are going cashless as part of its two-phased approach cash-free initiative which started  back in 2021.

TMNP started going cash-free at Cape Point and Boulders gates from April 1, and Karoo National Park will join the cashless rollout on June 1.

This means the popular Cape of Good Hope, known as Cape Point, and Boulders Penguin Colony entry points in TMNP will no longer accept cash as a means of payment for conservation fees.

Visitors can pay for conservation fees, otherwise known as gate entry fees, with either a debit or credit card or purchase an online gate entry ticket prior to arrival from the SANParks website and follow the prompts. Once payment has been made the ticket will be sent via email.

TMNP Park Manager Megan Taplin said: "I am delighted to see SANParks moving into the digital era and making gate entry available for purchase prior to arrival. I encourage people to purchase tickets before departing from home so that they can enjoy their visit to the park without the hassle of having to transact on arrival. We are moving away from cash and hope visitors will move online with us."

As for Karoo National Park, all trade and tourism activities, such as entrance/conservation fees, activity fees and accommodation fees, will also be cash-free.

However, the independently owned run shop and restaurant in the Park will continue to take cash as a form of payment.

The cash-free environment at SANParks is designed to improve customer convenience and reduce contact time at entry points, particularly during peak times.

"This is a step towards environmental responsibility and promotes ease of use," concluded Taplin.