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Kruger National Park
South Africa's largest and most famous wild-animal reserve covers nearly 7,525 square miles. The park was established in 1889 to protect South Africa's wildlife and is today a world leader in environmental management. The park contains mores species of wildlife than any other game reserve in Africa. It has large herds of elephant, buffalo, kudu, zebra, impala, both black and white rhino, giraffe, as well as all the predators; lion, leopard, cheetah, hyena and wild dog. It also boasts 468 species of birds. The park is open to all vehicles and the main roads between rest camps have a hard macadam surface. Visitors are required to stay in their vehicles except at designated rest stops or viewing areas. Driving off the roads is not allowed.
Pilanesburg National Park
Only 70 miles west of Johannesburg, the Pilanesburg National Park is the fourth largest national park in southern Africa and covers an area of 212 square miles. The park is malaria-free and has a mild, dry winter climate - ideal for game viewing. The park has healthy populations of the "big five," as well as cheetah, zebra, giraffe, springbok and sable antelope. Bird watching is excellent with over 300 species recorded. The park has an extensive " Education Zone" where one can walk on marked trails.
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Hluhluwe and Umfolozi Game Reserves
Hluhluwe has been a game sanctuary since 1897. The park is not big but has a huge variety of game including black and white rhino, lion, buffalo, elephant, kudu, impala, nyala and hippo. Hluhluwe was recently combined with the Umfolozi Game Reserve to form South Africa's third largest game park. Umfolozi has the world's largest concentration of white rhino as well as 50 other animal species and over 300 species of birds.
Kalahari Gemsbok National Park
About half the size of the Kruger National Park, this semidesert park is wedged between Namibia and Botswana in the far north of the Cape Province. Proclaimed a National Park in 1931, this arid area was once home to Bushmen and a wide variety of animals. Species commonly seen today include lion, cheetah, gemsbok, red hartebeest, blue wildebeest, springbok, eland, leopard and hyena.
Private Game Reserves
South Africa has a number of private game reserves, many of which are situated on the western border of Kruger National Park. There are no fences between them and the park and animals can roam unrestricted.
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