For local wildlife lovers, one of the most exciting times of the year is once again here: the SANParks free week. For this week only, locals can travel into various SANParks and not have to pay a thing in terms of the entry fee. The free week is without a doubt on many a traveller’s calendar, and since it is coinciding with the start of the spring season, now is the perfect time to take advantage of the opportunity.
The whole premise of free entry week is to encourage locals to remember and enjoy their heritage and the importance of taking care of our wildlife. With each passing year, the importance of taking care of the animals that grace our landscape becomes something of an urgency. As wildlife becomes ever more threatened by the world, and as people become more disconnected from the need to be reminded that wildlife is sacred and that if we don’t play our part, it could one day disappear from our world.
What to know about the free week
Although this is a great time of the year to visit the park, there are some things you need to know. Firstly, it is not just the Kruger that is on the free week list. There are a couple of other places that you can also pop into, but it would make sense to live closer to the area in order for the second part to make sense.
The only part of the week that is free is the entrance. So if you are travelling far and need to stay over, you’ll only be saving on a little bit of your trip. As a day visitor though, you can see that you will save quite a bit of money by making use of the free week, especially when you consider just how expensive life has become in just a year.
And although it is a free week, you have to think beyond just having the option of entering the park for free. As you can imagine, you are not going to be the only one who will be making the journey to the park during this time, and as such, some careful planning is needed.
With the queues lining up, you need to make sure that you arrive early enough to make sure that you don’t end up being cut off at the worst possible time. To get to a gate only to be turned away, will be a huge disappointment as well as a huge waste of money. Unfortunately, because of the demand to get in during this week and the fact that the park can only accommodate so many people means that there often does come a point where the gates need to be closed.
Finally, consider when in the week you will be travelling. Weekends are naturally going to be insanely busy, so if you can, do your Kruger Park safari during the week.
