Mountain Zebra National Park

Mountain Zebra National Park was proclaimed in 1937 to save a species down to a handful of animals. It worked. The Cape mountain zebra herd on the Bankberg slopes above Cradock now numbers in the hundreds, and the park has grown to about 284 square kilometres of grassy plateau, rocky kloofs and Karoo plains. It is small enough to cover in a day, malaria-free, and one of the few places in South Africa where you can track cheetah on foot.

Getting there

The park lies about 12 km from Cradock in the Eastern Cape on the R61 towards Graaff-Reinet. From Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) it is just under three hours: N10 north to Cradock, then the R61. Gates open 07:00 to 19:00 from October to April and 07:00 to 18:00 from May to September.

When to go

The park sits between about 1,087 m and 1,828 m, so weather is sharper than you might expect from the Karoo. Summer days (October to April) run warm to hot, sometimes above 40 degrees, with afternoon showers rather than long rain. Winter nights in June and July regularly drop below freezing and snow falls on the high ground some years. Most people prefer October to April for warmth; regulars say to bring warm clothes whatever the month.

What to do

Two self-drive loops do most of the work. The Rooiplaat loop runs across the grassland plateau north of the camp, where zebra, springbok, blesbok, black wildebeest, red hartebeest and gemsbok graze in the open. The Kranskop loop to the south has less game but far better mountain scenery. The Sonnenrust 4x4 trail climbs onto the plateau in the north-west near the Salpeterkop rock formation.

Cheetah tracking is the park’s special thing. A guide locates a collared animal by radio, drives you close, and you walk the last part. Book a day ahead at reception; the age limit is 16 and up. Cheetah were brought back in 2007, buffalo in 1998, black rhino in 2002, brown hyena in 2008 and lions in 2013, so the plateau is no longer the predator-free place older guidebooks describe.

Short walks start at the camp: Imbila (1 km), Black Eagle (3 km) and Idwala (10 km). The three-day Impofu trail is for the serious. Guided tours visit three San rock art shelters, and a sunset drive in an open vehicle goes out daily at 17:00 for about two hours (no children under six). Around 216 bird species are recorded, including blue crane, secretarybird and martial eagle.

Good to know

• Accommodation is the Victorian Doornhoek guest house on a dam, family cottages, two mountain cottages reached by 4x4 (gas stoves, solar lights, no mains power) and a 20-site campsite.
• There is a restaurant and a shop selling braai wood and meat, but several visitors suggest self-catering.
• The park is malaria-free, which makes it an easy add-on for families driving between the Garden Route and the Karoo.

Last updated 6 October 2026. Sources: Wikipedia, Wikivoyage, South African Tourism, SafariBookings, SA-Venues blog.