Daily conservation tariffs to enter South African National Parks (SANParks) have increased, and this has been effective since 1 November.
These increases include the national parks in the Arid Region, which are Augrabies Falls, Mokala, Namaqua, Kgalagadi, and |Ai|Ais/Richtersveld.
Tariffs are as follows, with the first amount indicated applying to South African citizens; the second to visitors from the South African Development Community (SADC); and the third to international visitors (tariffs for children in these three groups are indicated in brackets):
- Augrabies Falls: R67 (R33); R133 (R67); R266 (R133);
- Mokala: R57 (R29); R114 (R57); R228 (R114);
- Namaqua: R55 (R27); R110 (R55); R110 (R55);
- Kgalagadi: R116 (R58); R233 (R116); R465 (R233); and
- |Ai|Ais/Richtersveld: R78 (R39); R156 (R78); R313 (R156).
In a statement, Genevieve Maasdorp, communications manager for Arid Parks, said conservation tariffs were discounted for South African citizens in view of the financially disadvantaged status of the majority of people, and the contribution by taxpayers to government funds.
All funds generated from conservation tariffs are used with the primary mandate of SANParks, which is to oversee the conservation of South Africa’s biodiversity, landscapes, seascapes and associated heritage assets through a system of national parks.
She said a community fund levy of 1% would be added to the cost of all accommodation and activity reservations. The objective of this levy is to respond to the diverse needs of communities, as well as designing sustainable and strategic partnerships with various communities within and beyond national parks.
The levy will be used to create, amongst others, health and education facilities, such as clinics and schools. It will also assist in the starting of water and sanitation projects in those communities.
A special Rhino Conservation fee will also be added to relevant parks to assist in the conservation and safeguarding of the rhinos.
For more information, contact Kgalagadi on 054-561-2050, Augrabies Falls on 054-452-9205, Richtersveld on 027-831-1506, Mokala on 053-204-8000 and Namaqua on 027-672-1948, or visit sanparks.org.
