LIMPOPO – The 21st annual South African National Parks (Sanparks) Week is set to take place from Monday, September 7 to Sunday, September 13.

Not all parks offer full week

This annual initiative provides South African day visitors with free access to participating national parks during the designated week.

However, for Kruger National Park (KNP), West Coast National Park and Augrabies Falls National Park free access will be from Monday, September 7 to Friday, September 11 only and excludes the weekend.

Namaqua National Park, the Boulders Penguin Colony Section of Table Mountain National Park and the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway are not included in the free access week.

This highly anticipated Sanparks campaign opens the gates of participating national parks to South African day visitors at no charge, creating an opportunity for families, communities, schools, nature lovers and first-time visitors to experience some of the country’s most spectacular protected areas.

ID required, but not for children

According to Sanparks spokesperson, JP Louw, in order for people to qualify for free access, South Africans must present their identity documents whilst children below the age of 18 will not be required to provide identification.

“The free access does not include accommodation, guided activities, game drives or other tourist activities as these carry their normal fees.

“Individual parks may also have different entry conditions and visitor limits,” he said.

For respective dates on when different parks will be observing SA National Parks Week and allowing free access please visit the Sanparks website.

Campaign has drawn thousands since 2006

Since its inception in 2006, the initiative has become one of Sanparks’ flagship public awareness initiatives, attracting hundreds of thousands of day visitors and helping to strengthen public appreciation of South Africa’s national parks and the vital role they play in conservation.

In 2025 alone, more than 105 000 visitors took advantage of the free-access initiative.