Bontebok National Park
The Bontebok National Park near Swellendam in the Western Cape and in close proximity to the scintillating Garden Route epitomizes South Africa’s unbelievable natural beauty. As is obvious already, the park is a sanctuary for the Bontebok animal as well as other similar members from the same family such as the red hartebeest, the Cape Mountain Zebra, and the grey rhebok.
The Bontebok is a beautiful animal with a curious disposition; because of these traits it unfortunately was an easy target for hunters and poachers in the 1800s and by 1930 it was estimated that there were as few as 30 of these creatures left. In an effort to save this magnificent animal, the Bontebok National Park was created and became a refuge to stave off their complete extinction. Today, the park is home to hundreds of these animals and those it cannot accommodate are sent to other game reserves or private landowners that can provide a proper habitat for them; it is estimated that the total number of Bontebok found around the world now stands between 2000 and 3000. The Bontebok National Park is situated within the world famous Cape Floral Kingdom, which is the smallest of 6 other floral kingdoms around the globe.
Because of this, it boasts one of the most diverse and eclectic landscapes of plants, grasslands, and trees; visitors sojourning through the park will be able to see an impressive 470 different plant variations including the Erica, Gladiolus, and the Protea. Furthermore, the Bontebok National Park is in close proximity to the Breede River where popular pastimes such as swimming, bird watching, hiking, and camping can be enjoyed.
