Mokala National Park

Mokala National Park is the newest addition to SANParks. It is situated in the Northen Cape about 80 km from Kimberley on the N12 towards Cape Town. Mokala is the Tswana name for the Camel Thorn tree (Acacia erioloba) that occur in the park. These trees can grow up to 16m and grow in arid, sandy environments.

The park started out as Vaalbos National Park a few kilometers away from the current placement of Mokala. After a land claim in November 2002 the park was forced to move. This move happened in 2006 and the park relocated to the newly bought land on the Wintershoek farm on the N12 to Cape Town. Game translocations happened soon thereafter to stock the new land. Species included giraffe, red hartebeest, blue wildebeest, buffalo, white and black rhino, sable antelope, roan antelope, kudu, eland, ostrich, tsessebe, springbok and gemsbok.

Mokala National Park is still a fairly new park and in park activities are limited to game drives and self drives. Mountain biking, day walks and bush braais will be on offer soon. At the Lilydale camp you can enjoy canoeing and fly fishing (catch and release). Around Mokala National Park there are a variety of activities and cultural heritage sites to explore. The area around Kimberley was once a battleground for the second Boer War and also for diamond mining. The Big Hole in Kimberley is proof of this. A man made hole in search of these precious stones.

This park is peaceful and secluded and you will provide many great sightings and amazing sunsets.

For more information about Mokala National Park follow the link to the SANParks website - http://www.sanparks.org/parks/mokala/

Written by: Joné Fick

Program Coordinator

Mokala National Park