South Africa's Fabulous National Parks
1/65Travel Wildlife South Africa Kruger National Park
A lion walks through the Pafuri game reserve in Kruger National Park, South Africa.Getty Images![A hippopotamus in Crocodile River near Kruger National Park in Mpumalanga, South Africa.]()
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A hippopotamus in Crocodile River near Kruger National Park in Mpumalanga, South Africa.Getty Images![A white rhino and calf in the Sabi Sands Game Reserve, which is part of the greater Kruger National Park.]()
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A white rhino and calf in the Sabi Sands Game Reserve, which is part of the greater Kruger National Park.Getty Images![A car drives off a road to avoid three young lions at the Pafuri game reserve in Kruger National Park, South Africa.]()
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A car drives off a road to avoid three young lions at the Pafuri game reserve in Kruger National Park, South Africa.Getty Images![A lion yawns in Edeni Game Reserve near Kruger National Park in South Africa.]()
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A lion yawns in Edeni Game Reserve near Kruger National Park in South Africa.Getty Images![A male Kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros) in Kruger National Park in Mpumalanga, South Africa.]()
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A male Kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros) in Kruger National Park in Mpumalanga, South Africa.Getty Images![A lion stalks a large kudu at the Pafuri game reserve in Kruger National Park, South Africa.]()
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A lion stalks a large kudu at the Pafuri game reserve in Kruger National Park, South Africa.Getty Images![A lion cub drinks at the bank of the Makhutswi River at sunrise in the Edeni Game Reserve near Kruger National Park in South Africa.]()
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A lion cub drinks at the bank of the Makhutswi River at sunrise in the Edeni Game Reserve near Kruger National Park in South Africa.Getty Images![A female leopard in the branches of a tree with a freshly killed antelope in Kruger National Park.]()
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A female leopard in the branches of a tree with a freshly killed antelope in Kruger National Park.Getty Images![A Nyala at the Pafuri game reserve in Kruger National Park, South Africa.]()
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A Nyala at the Pafuri game reserve in Kruger National Park, South Africa.Getty Images![A female nyala in Edeni Game Reserve near Kruger National Park in South Africa.]()
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A female nyala in Edeni Game Reserve near Kruger National Park in South Africa.Getty Images![A flap-neck chameleon (Chamaeleo dilepis) crosses a road in Kruger National Park in Mpumalanga, South Africa.]()
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A flap-neck chameleon (Chamaeleo dilepis) crosses a road in Kruger National Park in Mpumalanga, South Africa.Getty Images![Brown-hooded Kingfisher in the Kruger National Park in Mpumalanga, South Africa.]()
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Brown-hooded Kingfisher in the Kruger National Park in Mpumalanga, South Africa.Getty Images![A leopard yawns in the Kruger National Park, South Africa.]()
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A leopard yawns in the Kruger National Park, South Africa.Getty Images![A zebra stretches at the Pafuri game reserve in Kruger National Park, South Africa. Kruger National Park is one of the largest game reserves in South Africa spanning 19,000 square kilometres and is part of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park.]()
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A zebra stretches at the Pafuri game reserve in Kruger National Park, South Africa. Kruger National Park is one of the largest game reserves in South Africa spanning 19,000 square kilometres and is part of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park.Getty Images![A baboon carries a baby as she walks through the Pafuri game reserve in Kruger National Park, South Africa.]()
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A baboon carries a baby as she walks through the Pafuri game reserve in Kruger National Park, South Africa.Getty Images![A lion walks through the Pafuri game reserve in Kruger National Park, South Africa.]()
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A lion walks through the Pafuri game reserve in Kruger National Park, South Africa.Getty Images![A crocodile relaxes on an island in the middle of a lake in the Edeni Game Reserve, South Africa. Edeni is a 21,000 acre wilderness area with an abundance of game and birdlife located near Kruger National Park in South Africa.]()
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A crocodile relaxes on an island in the middle of a lake in the Edeni Game Reserve, South Africa. Edeni is a 21,000 acre wilderness area with an abundance of game and birdlife located near Kruger National Park in South Africa.Getty Images![An African rock python on a dirt road in Kruger National Park in Mpumalanga, South Africa.]()
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An African rock python on a dirt road in Kruger National Park in Mpumalanga, South Africa.Getty Images![A yellow-billed hornbill on a branch in Edeni Game Reserve, South Africa. Edeni is a 21,000-acre wilderness area with an abundance of game and birdlife near Kruger National Park in South Africa.]()
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A yellow-billed hornbill on a branch in Edeni Game Reserve, South Africa. Edeni is a 21,000-acre wilderness area with an abundance of game and birdlife near Kruger National Park in South Africa.Getty Images![A waterbuck in the Edeni Game Reserve, South Africa near Kruger National Park.]()
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A waterbuck in the Edeni Game Reserve, South Africa near Kruger National Park.Getty Images![A waterbuck walks down a trail in Edeni Game Reserve, a 21,000 acre wilderness area with an abundance of game and birdlife located near Kruger National Park in South Africa.]()
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A waterbuck walks down a trail in Edeni Game Reserve, a 21,000 acre wilderness area with an abundance of game and birdlife located near Kruger National Park in South Africa.Getty Images![A cheetah hisses in Edeni Game Reserve, a 21,000 acre wilderness area with an abundance of game and birdlife located near Kruger National Park in South Africa.]()
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A cheetah hisses in Edeni Game Reserve, a 21,000 acre wilderness area with an abundance of game and birdlife located near Kruger National Park in South Africa.Getty Images![A lion relaxes on the banks of the Luvuvhu River at the Pafuri game reserve in Kruger National Park, South Africa.]()
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A lion relaxes on the banks of the Luvuvhu River at the Pafuri game reserve in Kruger National Park, South Africa.Getty Images![A crocodile watches a bird on a sand island in Edeni Game Reserve, a 21,000 acre wilderness area with an abundance of game and birdlife located near Kruger National Park in South Africa.]()
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A crocodile watches a bird on a sand island in Edeni Game Reserve, a 21,000 acre wilderness area with an abundance of game and birdlife located near Kruger National Park in South Africa.Getty Images![SOUTH AFRICA - DECEMBER 07: A black rhinocerus (Diceros bicornis) mother with calf pictured in the Kruger National Park on December 7, 2007 in Mpumalanga, South Africa. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)]()
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SOUTH AFRICA - DECEMBER 07: A black rhinocerus (Diceros bicornis) mother with calf pictured in the Kruger National Park on December 7, 2007 in Mpumalanga, South Africa. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)Getty Images![A vulture sits on a branch in the Edeni Game Reserve, a 21,000 acre wilderness area with an abundance of game and birdlife located near Kruger National Park in South Africa.]()
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A vulture sits on a branch in the Edeni Game Reserve, a 21,000 acre wilderness area with an abundance of game and birdlife located near Kruger National Park in South Africa.Getty Images![Vultures fly from a tree in Edeni Game Reserve near Kruger National Park in South Africa.]()
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Vultures fly from a tree in Edeni Game Reserve near Kruger National Park in South Africa.Getty Images![Hippopotamuses relax on a sand island in Edeni Game Reserve near Kruger National Park in South Africa.]()
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Hippopotamuses relax on a sand island in Edeni Game Reserve near Kruger National Park in South Africa.Getty Images![A hippopotamus bellows in the Limpopo River at the Pafuri game reserve in Kruger National Park, South Africa.]()
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A hippopotamus bellows in the Limpopo River at the Pafuri game reserve in Kruger National Park, South Africa.Getty Images![An elephant walks in the Pafuri game reserve in Kruger National Park, South Africa. Kruger National Park is one of the largest game reserves in South Africa spanning 19,000 square kilometres and is part of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park.]()
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An elephant walks in the Pafuri game reserve in Kruger National Park, South Africa. Kruger National Park is one of the largest game reserves in South Africa spanning 19,000 square kilometres and is part of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park.Getty Images![A fruit bat hangs from a hut roof in Kruger National Park near Hazyview, Mpumalanga, South Africa.]()
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A fruit bat hangs from a hut roof in Kruger National Park near Hazyview, Mpumalanga, South Africa.Getty Images![Young male lions relax on a sealed road at the Pafuri game reserve in Kruger National Park, South Africa.]()
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Young male lions relax on a sealed road at the Pafuri game reserve in Kruger National Park, South Africa.Getty Images![A giraffe walks through scrub in Edeni Game Reserve, near Kruger National Park in South Africa.]()
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A giraffe walks through scrub in Edeni Game Reserve, near Kruger National Park in South Africa.Getty Images![A Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) basks on the bank of the Crocodile River in Kruger National Park in Mpumalanga, South Africa.]()
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A Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) basks on the bank of the Crocodile River in Kruger National Park in Mpumalanga, South Africa.Getty Images![An African leopard (Panthera pardus pardus) in Kruger National Park in Mpumalanga, South Africa.]()
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An African leopard (Panthera pardus pardus) in Kruger National Park in Mpumalanga, South Africa.Getty Images![Lion cubs play on the banks of the Makhutswi River at sunrise in the Edeni Game Reserve near Kruger National Park in South Africa.]()
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Lion cubs play on the banks of the Makhutswi River at sunrise in the Edeni Game Reserve near Kruger National Park in South Africa.Getty Images![A giant Baobab tree at the Pafuri game reserve in Kruger National Park, South Africa.]()
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A giant Baobab tree at the Pafuri game reserve in Kruger National Park, South Africa.Getty Images![Cape Buffalo graze in Edeni Game Reserve, a 21,000 acre wilderness area near Kruger National Park in South Africa.]()
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Cape Buffalo graze in Edeni Game Reserve, a 21,000 acre wilderness area near Kruger National Park in South Africa.Getty Images![A lilac-breasted roller sits on a branch in Kruger Nartional Park near Hazyview, Mpumalanga, South Africa.]()
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A lilac-breasted roller sits on a branch in Kruger Nartional Park near Hazyview, Mpumalanga, South Africa.Getty Images![A lion feeds on a giraffe kill in Edeni Game Reserve near Kruger National Park in South Africa.]()
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A lion feeds on a giraffe kill in Edeni Game Reserve near Kruger National Park in South Africa.Getty Images![A yellow-billed hornbill perches on a branch in Kruger Nartional Park near Hazyview, Mpumalanga, South Africa.]()
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A yellow-billed hornbill perches on a branch in Kruger Nartional Park near Hazyview, Mpumalanga, South Africa.Getty Images![A rhinoceros walks to a watering hole in Edeni Game Reserve near Kruger National Park in South Africa.]()
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A rhinoceros walks to a watering hole in Edeni Game Reserve near Kruger National Park in South Africa.Getty Images![Impalas in the Kruger National Park in Mpumalanga, South Africa.]()
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Impalas in the Kruger National Park in Mpumalanga, South Africa.Getty Images![A bull elephant enjoys the scant shade of a tree in Kruger National Park in Skukuza, South Africa.]()
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A bull elephant enjoys the scant shade of a tree in Kruger National Park in Skukuza, South Africa.Getty Images![A giraffe cranes its long neck in Kruger National Park in Skukuza, South Africa.]()
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A giraffe cranes its long neck in Kruger National Park in Skukuza, South Africa.Getty Images![A zebra foal carouses near its herd at a waterhole in Addo National Park in Addo, South Africa.]()
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A zebra foal carouses near its herd at a waterhole in Addo National Park in Addo, South Africa.Getty Images![An adult warthog in Kruger National Park in Skukuza, South Africa.]()
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An adult warthog in Kruger National Park in Skukuza, South Africa.Getty Images![A herd of impala in Kruger National Park in Skukuza, South Africa.]()
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A herd of impala in Kruger National Park in Skukuza, South Africa.Getty Images![A hook-lipped rhinoceros, one of Africa's most threatened herbivores due to the illegal trade in rhino horn, is pictured in Kruger National Park in Skukuza, South Africa.]()
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A hook-lipped rhinoceros, one of Africa's most threatened herbivores due to the illegal trade in rhino horn, is pictured in Kruger National Park in Skukuza, South Africa.Getty Images![Zebras spar in a territorial scuffle in Kruger National Park in Skukuza, South Africa.]()
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Zebras spar in a territorial scuffle in Kruger National Park in Skukuza, South Africa.Getty Images![Close-up of an impala, one of the fastest running antelopes of the African veldt, in Kruger National Park.]()
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Close-up of an impala, one of the fastest running antelopes of the African veldt, in Kruger National Park.Getty Images![A herd of elephants arrives at a waterhole in Addo National Park in Addo, South Africa.]()
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A herd of elephants arrives at a waterhole in Addo National Park in Addo, South Africa.Getty Images![African Elephants are pictured in Addo National Park in Addo, South Africa.]()
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African Elephants are pictured in Addo National Park in Addo, South Africa.Getty Images![A zebra in Kruger National Park in Skukuza, South Africa.]()
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A zebra in Kruger National Park in Skukuza, South Africa.Getty Images![Elephants seek respite from the heat in a waterhole in Addo National Park in Addo, South Africa.]()
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Elephants seek respite from the heat in a waterhole in Addo National Park in Addo, South Africa.Getty Images![A cow elephant and her calf are pictured in Addo National Park in Addo, South Africa. Unlike Asiatic elephants in which females are tuskless, female African Elephants bear short tusks.]()
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A cow elephant and her calf are pictured in Addo National Park in Addo, South Africa. Unlike Asiatic elephants in which females are tuskless, female African Elephants bear short tusks.Getty Images![A spotted hyena in Kruger National Park in Skukuza, South Africa. Though reputed to be scavengers, hyenas can be pretty efficient hunters. Their strong jaws make them quite formidable.]()
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A spotted hyena in Kruger National Park in Skukuza, South Africa. Though reputed to be scavengers, hyenas can be pretty efficient hunters. Their strong jaws make them quite formidable.Getty Images![A warthog in Kruger National Park in Skukuza, South Africa.]()
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A warthog in Kruger National Park in Skukuza, South Africa.Getty Images![An impala in Kruger National Park in Skukuza, South Africa.]()
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An impala in Kruger National Park in Skukuza, South Africa.Getty Images![An impala poses for a photograph in Kruger National Park in Skukuza, South Africa.]()
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An impala poses for a photograph in Kruger National Park in Skukuza, South Africa.Getty Images![A Cape Buffalo, reputed as one of Africa's most dangerous animals due to its unpredictable temperament, in Kruger National Park in Skukuza, South Africa.]()
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A Cape Buffalo, reputed as one of Africa's most dangerous animals due to its unpredictable temperament, in Kruger National Park in Skukuza, South Africa.Getty Images![Elephants in Addo National Park in Addo, South Africa.]()
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Elephants in Addo National Park in Addo, South Africa.Getty Images![A vervet monkey in Kruger National Park in Skukuza, South Africa.]()
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A vervet monkey in Kruger National Park in Skukuza, South Africa.Getty Images![The sun sets in the Edeni Game Reserve, South Africa. Edeni is a 21,000 acre wilderness area with an abundance of game and birdlife located near Kruger National Park in South Africa.]()
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The sun sets in the Edeni Game Reserve, South Africa. Edeni is a 21,000 acre wilderness area with an abundance of game and birdlife located near Kruger National Park in South Africa.Getty Images
South Africa has 19 national parks of which the two featured in this gallery are the Kruger National Park and the Addo Elephant National Park.
First protected in 1898 and formally established in 1926, Kruger is South Africa's oldest and largest national park, which borders Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Spread over nearly 20,000 square kilometres in the provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga in northeastern South Africa, it extends 360 km from north to south and 65 km from east to west. Kruger is part of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, a peace park linked to the Limpopo national park in Mozambique and the Gonarezhou National Park in Zimbabwe. Kruger National Park reports the presence of 147 mammal species, the most for any park in Africa, and include the Big Five -- African Elephant, Black Rhino, Cape Buffalo, Lion and Leopard. Kruger National Park also has 517 species of birds and 114 species of reptiles including 3,000 crocodiles. Entry to the park is through nine gates.
Addo Elephant National Park is South Africa's third largest national park and is located close to Port Elizabeth. Established in 1931, the park has 450 elephants, 400 Cape Buffalo, about 48 endangered black rhinos and a number of antelope species including impala, kudu, nyala and gazelle.
