Mokala National Park

Mokala is South Africa’s newest national park, proclaimed in June 2007 to replace Vaalbos after that park was lost to land claims. It lies about 75 km south-west of Kimberley in the Northern Cape, in the overlap between Kalahari thornveld and Nama Karoo: red sand and camel thorns in the north, rocky koppies and open grass plains in the south. The name is Setswana for the camel thorn tree. It was set up as a breeding ground for rare antelope, so there are no lions or other big cats, which makes it unusually relaxed.

Getting there

There are two gates. For Lilydale, drive the N12 from Kimberley towards Cape Town for about 37 km, turn at the Lilydale signboard near Ritchie and follow 16 km of gravel. For Mosu, continue on the N12 to about 57 km from Kimberley, turn at the Hayfield or Heuningneskloof crossing and drive 21 km of gravel to the gate. The park sits right on the N12 between Johannesburg and Cape Town, so it works as a stopover.

When to go

May to September is the comfortable season, with warm sunny days and clear skies, though nights fall below freezing and can reach minus 4 in June and July. Summer (December to February) runs 33 to 36 degrees and has peaked at 44, with thunderstorms. Those storms matter: the gravel road between Mosu and Lilydale often closes after heavy rain in that period. It is malaria-free year round.

What to do

Self-drive game viewing on about 70 km of gravel roads is the main event. The animals to look for are roan, sable and tsessebe, which are hard to see anywhere else in the country, plus black and white rhino, buffalo, giraffe, eland, kudu, nyala, gemsbok, red hartebeest, both wildebeest species and zebra. Smaller things stand out because nothing bigger is hunting them: aardvark and aardwolf after dark, bat-eared fox and pygmy falcon by day. More than 139 bird species are recorded, including white-backed and lappet-faced vultures.

Guided early-morning and sunset drives go out from the camps. A guided heritage tour visits San rock engravings in the park. The Riet River at Lilydale allows catch-and-release fly fishing for yellowfish. The Stofdam bird hide is the best sit-and-wait spot.

Good to know

• No fuel and no shop in the park. Fill up before you turn off the N12 and bring all your food.
• High clearance is strongly advised; a low sedan struggles on some roads, especially after rain.
• Camps are Mosu Lodge (restaurant, pool), Lilydale Rest Camp (12 self-catering cottages on the river, pool), the Haak-en-Steek cottage at a waterhole, the Motswedi campsite (six sites round a waterhole, each with its own toilet and solar shower), a sleep-out bird hide at Stofdam, and the unfenced Kameeldoorn tree house with a two-night minimum.
• Phone signal is poor. One network works at Lilydale and intermittently at Mosu reception; expect nothing elsewhere.

Last updated 6 October 2026. Sources: Wikipedia, Wikivoyage, Roxanne Reid, Africa Addict, SafariBookings, Nature Reserve (nature-reserve.co.za).