Mokala National Park is a reserve established in the

Plooysburg Plooysburg is a small town about 70 km west of Kimberley, Northern Cape, South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, ...

area south-west of

Kimberley Kimberly or Kimberley may refer to: Places and historical events Australia Queensland * Kimberley, Queensland, a coastal locality in the Shire of Douglas South Australia * County of Kimberley, a cadastral unit in South Australia Ta ...

in the

Northern Cape The Northern Cape ( ; ; ) is the largest and most sparsely populated Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa. It was created in 1994 when the Cape Province was split up. Its capital is Kimberley, South Africa, Kimberley. It includes ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

on 19 June 2007. The size of the park is 26,485 hectares. ''Mokala'' is the

Setswana Tswana, also known by its native name Setswana, is a Bantu language indigenous to Southern Africa and spoken by about 8.2 million people. It is closely related to the Northern Sotho and Southern Sotho languages, as well as the Kgalaga ...

name for the magnificent

camel thorn Camelthorn or camel thorn is a common name for several plants and may refer to: *''Acacia erioloba'', a tree native to southern Africa *''Alhagi ''Alhagi'' is a genus of Old World plants in the family Fabaceae. They are commonly called came ...

, a tree species typical of the arid western interior and common in the area. There is currently 70 km of accessible roads in the national park.

History

The new park effectively replaces the Vaalbos National Park , which was deproclaimed to comply with land claims and diamond prospecting rights. In 1998,

SANParks South African National Parks (SANParks) is the body responsible for managing South Africa's national parks. SANParks was formed in 1926, and currently manages 19 parks consisting of , over 3% of the total area of South Africa. Many parks offer ...

undertook a study of five areas to determine the best replacement locations. A 19 611 hectare tract of land, Wintershoek, was subsequently selected. In 2005, the land was purchased and plans for the re-introduction of game were formed. The first five animals, a group of

giraffe The giraffe is a large Fauna of Africa, African even-toed ungulate, hoofed mammal belonging to the genus ''Giraffa.'' It is the Largest mammals#Even-toed Ungulates (Artiodactyla), tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant on ...

s, were released into the reserve in June 2006, and a year later it was officially proclaimed. The cultural diversity of the area consist of many San rock engravings and

Anglo Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...

battlefields.

Climate

The Northern Cape is a dry region with fluctuating temperatures and differing topographies. The weather is typically that of desert and semi-desert areas. The annual rainfall is never high (between 300–500 mm, average 400 mm) and is always lower than the rate of evaporation. Summers (from December to February) are hot with temperatures usually between 33 °C and 36 °C. Although not common, summer temperatures in the Northern Cape can exceed 40 °C. During the summer months, the rainy season thunderstorms occurs in the central and eastern areas and is often accompanied by heavy thunderstorms, whereas winter rainfall occur mainly in the western region. During winter (June to August), day temperatures are generally mild to warm (22 °C), but at night it can be cold, often below 0 °C.

Landscape

This region is the transition zone of the

savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...

(

Kalahari The Kalahari Desert is a large semiarid sandy savanna in Southern Africa covering including much of Botswana as well as parts of Namibia and South Africa. It is not to be confused with the Angolan, Namibian, and South African Namib coastal d ...

and

Nama Karoo Nama Karoo is a xeric shrubland ecoregion located on the central plateau of South Africa and Namibia. It occupies most of the interior of the western half of South Africa and extends into the southern interior of Namibia. Climate The climate o ...

) biomes; the former being flat and sandy dotted with camel thorns, umbrella thorns, puzzle bushes and haystack-like

sociable weaver The sociable weaver (''Philetairus socius'') is a species of bird in the weaver family, endemic to Southern Africa. It is the only species in its genus ''Philetairus''. It is found in South Africa, Namibia, and Botswana, but its range is cente ...

nests constructed in the larger trees, and the latter characterised by rocky lava outcrops,

calcrete Caliche () is a soil accumulation of soluble calcium carbonate at depth, where it precipitates and binds other materials—such as gravel, sand, clay, and silt. It occurs worldwide, in aridisol and mollisol soil orders—generally in arid or s ...

and shales. The southern region of the park, closest to the entrance gate, is more plains-like, with isolated camel thorns and tall grasses. The central regions of the park consist of the Karoo-like habitats, with long rows of rocky outcrops interspersed with flat areas of grass and scrub. The base and lower slopes of the outcrops receive extra run-off and are better vegetated.

Wildlife

This park is home to a number of endangered species and the main purpose of the park is to protect these species.

Cape buffalo The African buffalo (''Syncerus caffer)'' is a large sub-Saharan African bovine. The adult African buffalo's horns are its characteristic feature: they have fused bases, forming a continuous bone shield across the top of the head, referred to ...

black rhino The black rhinoceros (''Diceros bicornis''), also called the black rhino or the hooked-lip rhinoceros, is a species of rhinoceros native to East and Southern Africa, including Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namib ...

and roan antelope are to be found, besides a range of smaller species. There are

mosquito Mosquitoes, the Culicidae, are a Family (biology), family of small Diptera, flies consisting of 3,600 species. The word ''mosquito'' (formed by ''Musca (fly), mosca'' and diminutive ''-ito'') is Spanish and Portuguese for ''little fly''. Mos ...

es during summer, but it is a

malaria Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...

-free zone. The list of mammal species is not inclusive but rather shows the most common or special ones *

Aardvark Aardvarks ( ; ''Orycteropus afer'') are medium-sized, burrowing, nocturnal mammals native to Africa. Aardvarks are the only living species of the family Orycteropodidae and the order Tubulidentata. They have a long proboscis, similar to a pi ...

(''Orycteropus afer'') *

Black-backed jackal The black-backed jackal (''Lupulella mesomelas'') is a medium-sized Caninae, canine native to East Africa, eastern and southern Africa. These regions are separated by roughly . One region includes the southernmost tip of the continent, includin ...

(''Canis mesomelas'') *

Black wildebeest The black wildebeest or white-tailed gnu (Connochaetes gnou) is one of two wildebeest species—the other being the blue wildebeest—in the family Bovidae. First described in 1780 by the German zoologist Eberhard August Wilhelm von Zimmermann, ...

(''Connochaetes gnou'') *

Blue wildebeest The blue wildebeest (''Connochaetes taurinus''), also called the common wildebeest, white-bearded gnu or brindled gnu, is a large antelope and one of the two species of wildebeest. It is placed in the genus ''Connochaetes'' and Family (biology), ...

(''Connochaetes taurinus'') *

Common warthog The common warthog (''Phacochoerus africanus'') is a wild member of the pig family (Suidae) found in grassland, savanna, and woodland in sub-Saharan Africa. In the past, it was commonly treated as a subspecies of ''P. aethiopicus'', but today th ...

(''Phacochoerus africanus'') * Eland (''Taurotragus oryx'') *

Gemsbok The gemsbok (''Oryx gazella''), or South African oryx, is a large antelope in the genus '' Oryx''. It is endemic to the dry and barren regions of Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and (parts of) Zimbabwe, mainly inhabiting the Kalahari and Nami ...

(''Oryx gazella'') *

Giraffe The giraffe is a large Fauna of Africa, African even-toed ungulate, hoofed mammal belonging to the genus ''Giraffa.'' It is the Largest mammals#Even-toed Ungulates (Artiodactyla), tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant on ...

(''Giraffa camelopardalis giraffa'') *

Impala The impala or rooibok (''Aepyceros melampus'', lit. 'black-footed high-horn' in Ancient Greek) is a medium-sized antelope found in eastern and southern Africa. The only extant member of the genus '' Aepyceros'', and tribe Aepycerotini, it ...

(''Aepyceros melampus'') *

Kudu The kudus are two species of antelope of the genus '' Tragelaphus'': * Lesser kudu, ''Tragelaphus imberbis'', of eastern Africa * Greater kudu, ''Tragelaphus strepsiceros'', of eastern and southern Africa The two species look similar, th ...

(''Tragelaphus strepsiceros'') *

Mountain reedbuck The mountain reedbuck (''Redunca fulvorufula'') is an antelope found in mountainous areas of much of sub-Saharan Africa. Subspecies There are three recognized subspecies. * ''Redunca fulvorufula adamauae'' - Adamawa mountain reedbuck * ''Redunc ...

(''Redunca fulvorufula'') *

Plains zebra The plains zebra (''Equus quagga'', formerly ''Equus burchellii'') is the most common and geographically widespread species of zebra. Its range is fragmented, but spans much of southern and eastern Africa south of the Sahara. Six or seven subspec ...

(''Equus quagga'') *

Red hartebeest The red hartebeest (''Alcelaphus buselaphus caama''), also called the Cape hartebeest or Caama, is a subspecies of the hartebeest found in Southern Africa. More than 130,000 individuals live in the wild. The red hartebeest is closely related to ...

(''Alcelaphus buselaphus caama'') * Roan antelope (''Hippotragus equinus'') * Southern African ground squirrel (''Xerus inauris'') * Southern African hedgehog (''Atelerix frontalis'') * Smith's red rock rabbit (''Pronolagus rupestris'') *

Sable antelope The sable antelope (''Hippotragus niger'') is a large antelope which inhabits wooded savanna in East and Southern Africa, from the south of Kenya to South Africa, with a separated population in Angola. Taxonomy The sable antelope shares the genu ...

(''Hippotragus niger'') *

Brown hyena The brown hyena (''Parahyaena brunnea''), also called the strandwolf, is a species of hyena found in Namibia, Botswana, western and southern Zimbabwe, southern Mozambique and South Africa. It is the only extant species in the genus ''Parahyaena' ...

(''Parahyaena brunnea'') *

Southern white rhinoceros The southern white rhinoceros or southern white rhino (''Ceratotherium simum simum'') is one of the two subspecies of the white rhinoceros (the other being the much rarer northern white rhinoceros). It is the most common and widespread subspecies ...

(''Ceratotherium simum simum'') *

Springbok The springbok or springbuck (''Antidorcas marsupialis'') is an antelope found mainly in south and southwest Africa. The sole member of the genus (biology), genus ''Antidorcas'', this bovid was first Species description, described by the Germa ...

(''Antidorcas marsupialis'') *

Suricate The meerkat (''Suricata suricatta'') or suricate is a small mongoose found in southern Africa. It is characterised by a broad head, large eyes, a pointed snout, long legs, a thin tapering tail, and a brindled coat pattern. The head-and-body ...

(''Suricata suricatta'') *

Tsessebe The common tsessebe or sassaby (''Damaliscus lunatus lunatus'') is the southern, nominate subspecies of ''Damaliscus lunatus'', although some authorities have recognised it as an independent species. It is most closely related to the Bangweulu t ...

(''Damaliscus lunatus lunatus'')

Birding

A bird list is available at reception. In summer, the best time to go birding in Mokala National Park is at sunrise, particularly between 07h30 and 09h00. The level of

endemism Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

at Mokala is high. The Kalahari sandveld habitats hold more bird species than the rocky areas, especially during times of higher rainfall. The endemic black-chested prinia thrives in the arid conditions of the park. Chestnut-vented warblers are attracted to the lawns surrounding the lodges. A fairly tame pair of Cape buntings frequent Mosu Lodge, using the buildings as an artificial nest structure, while

greater striped swallow The greater striped swallow (''Cecropis cucullata'') is a large swallow that is native to Africa south of the equator. Taxonomy The greater striped swallow was described by the French polymath Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon in 1780 in hi ...

s nest beneath the eaves of the restaurant's thatched roof. The list of bird species is not inclusive but rather shows the most common or special ones * Ashy tit * Cape penduline-tit *

Southern fiscal The southern fiscal or fiscal shrike (''Lanius collaris'') is a member of the shrike family found through most of southern Africa. It is also sometimes named jackie hangman or butcher bird due to its habit of impaling its prey on acacia thorns to ...

Crimson-breasted shrike The crimson-breasted shrike (''Laniarius atrococcineus'') or the crimson-breasted gonolek, ('gonolek' - supposedly imitative of its call), or the crimson-breasted boubou, is a southern African bird. It has black upper parts with a white flash on ...

Familiar chat The familiar chat (''Oenanthe familiaris'') is a small passerine bird of the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. It is a common resident breeder in Africa south of the Sahara in rocky and mountainous habitat and around human habitation. Ta ...

* Fawn-coloured lark *

Fiscal flycatcher The fiscal flycatcher (''Sigelus silens'') is a small passerine bird in the Old World flycatcher family. It is the only species placed in the genus ''Sigelus''. It is a resident breeder in Botswana, South Africa, Lesotho, Mozambique and Swazila ...

Fork-tailed drongo The fork-tailed drongo (''Dicrurus adsimilis''), also called the common drongo or African drongo, is a small bird found from the Sahel to South Africa that lives in wooded habitats, particularly woodlands and savannas. It is part of the Family ( ...

* Grey-backed cisticola * Kalahari scrub-robin * Karoo scrub-robin * Lark-like bunting * Marico flycatcher * Mountain wheatear * Northern black korhaan * Orange River white-eye *

Pririt batis The pririt batis (''Batis pririt'') also known as the pririt puff-back flycatcher or pririt puffback, is a small passerine bird in the wattle-eye family. It is resident in Southern Africa and southwestern Angola. It is a small stout insectivoro ...

* Red-headed finch * Rufous-eared warbler *

Sabota lark The sabota lark (''Calendulauda sabota'') is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae. It is found in southern Africa in its natural habitats of dry savannah, moist savannah, and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland. It is generally sedentary bu ...

* Scaly-feathered finch * Short-toed rock-thrush *

Sociable weaver The sociable weaver (''Philetairus socius'') is a species of bird in the weaver family, endemic to Southern Africa. It is the only species in its genus ''Philetairus''. It is found in South Africa, Namibia, and Botswana, but its range is cente ...

* Ant-eating chat *

White-backed vulture The white-backed vulture (''Gyps africanus'') is an Old World vulture in the family Accipitridae, which also includes eagles, kites, buzzards and hawks. It is the most common vulture species in the continent of Africa. Description The white-ba ...

White-rumped swift The white-rumped swift (''Apus caffer'') is a species of swift. Although this small bird is superficially similar to a house martin, it is not closely related to that passerine species. The resemblances between the swallows and swifts are due to ...

* Yellow-bellied eremomela *

Yellow canary The yellow canary (''Crithagra flaviventris'') is a small passerine bird in the true finch family. It is a resident breeder in much of the western and central regions of southern Africa and has been introduced to Ascension and St Helena islan ...

Flora

Trees

* ''

Acacia erioloba ''Vachellia erioloba'', the camel thorn, also known as the giraffe thorn, mokala tree, or Kameeldoring in Afrikaans, still more commonly known as ''Acacia erioloba'', is a tree of southern Africa in the family Fabaceae. Its preferred habitat is ...

'' (camel thorn, ''kameeldoring'' in

Afrikaans Afrikaans is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language spoken in South Africa, Namibia and to a lesser extent Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and also Argentina where there is a group in Sarmiento, Chubut, Sarmiento that speaks the Pat ...

), * ''

Acacia tortilis ''Vachellia tortilis'', widely known as ''Acacia tortilis'' but now attributed to the genus ''Vachellia'' of the Mimosa Family ( Mimosaceae), is the umbrella thorn acacia, also known as umbrella thorn and Israeli babool, a medium to large canop ...

'' (''haak-en-steek'' in Afrikaans), * ''

Acacia mellifera ''Senegalia mellifera'' is a common thorn tree in Africa. The name ''mellifera'' refers to its sweet-smelling blossoms and honey. Its lumber turns pitch black when oiled. Common names of the tree include Blackthorn and Swarthaak (Afrikaans). I ...

'' (blackthorn, ''swarthaak'' in Afrikaans), * ''

Ziziphus mucronata ''Ziziphus mucronata'', known as the buffalo thorn, is a species of tree in the family Rhamnaceae, native to southern Africa. It is deciduous and may grow up to 17 metres tall. It can survive in a variety of soil types, occurring in many habitat ...

'' (buffalo thorn, ''blinkblaar-wag-'n-bietjie'' in Afrikaans).

Grasses

* '' Schmidtia pappophroides'' * ''

Eragrostis lehmanniana ''Eragrostis lehmanniana'' is a species of grass known by the common name Lehmann lovegrass. It is native to southern Africa. It is present elsewhere as an introduced species. It is well known as an invasive weed in some areas, such as Arizona i ...

'' * ''

Cynodon dactylon ''Cynodon dactylon'', commonly known as Bermuda grass, also known as couch grass in Australia and New Zealand, is a grass found worldwide. It is native to Europe, Africa, Australia and much of Asia. It has been introduced to the Americas. Contra ...

Accommodation

Accommodation can be found at one of three lodges, Mosu, Haak-en-Steek and Lilydale. Mosu Lodge overlooks a waterhole, which is intended to be a gathering place for game and birds. Besides the lodges, visitors can also stay at Stofdam Bird hide, Kameeldoorn Tree House and the rustic Motswedi camping site, utilising their own camping gear. Sites at Motswedi each offer a private toilet, shower (solar geyser) and a built-in breakfast nook overlooking the waterhole. No power points are available here. Two restaurants are situated at Mosu Lodge and Lilydale; meals at both need to be pre-booked at reception and Lilydale only serves breakfast and lunch. Self-catering wilderness camps and luxury private camp sites are planned for the future.

How to get there

The park is at this point not well signposted, but from Kimberley is reached via the

Hopetown Hopetown is a town which lies at the edge of the Great Karoo in South Africa's Northern Cape province. It is situated on an arid slope leading down to the Orange River. The first diamond discovered in South Africa, the Eureka Diamond, was f ...

road (N12), after 57 km right at the Hayfield/Heuningneskloof crossing (estimated time from Kimberley to Mokala 90 minutes). From

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

's direction, follow the N12 north past Hopetown, and turn left after 65 km at the crossing. After 21 km of gravel road, the gate of Mokala National Park is on the right hand side. Access through the main entrance is arranged by intercom, as the gate is remotely controlled from the main office.

Gallery

File:Riet River.jpg, The

Riet River The Riet River is a westward-flowing tributary of the Vaal River in central South Africa. In precolonial times the Riet was known as the Gama-!ab (or Gmaap), a name meaning 'muddy'. Its main tributary is the Modder River and after the confluenc ...

flows at the eastern edge of the park at the Lilydale Lodge. File:Gemsboks (Oryx gazella) herd ....webm, Video of a herd of

gemsbok The gemsbok (''Oryx gazella''), or South African oryx, is a large antelope in the genus '' Oryx''. It is endemic to the dry and barren regions of Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and (parts of) Zimbabwe, mainly inhabiting the Kalahari and Nami ...

s in Mokala National Park File:Sable (Hippotragus niger) male grazing ....webm, Video of a

sable antelope The sable antelope (''Hippotragus niger'') is a large antelope which inhabits wooded savanna in East and Southern Africa, from the south of Kenya to South Africa, with a separated population in Angola. Taxonomy The sable antelope shares the genu ...

in Mokala National Park

References

* Anon. 16 Februarie 2007. Nuwe park in NK open binnekort. ''Volksblad'': 10. * Marais, L. 2009. In the zone. Mokala National Park. ''Africa - Birds & Birding'' 14 (1): 38-41. * Smith, P. 15 September 2007. Mokala beslis 'n besoek werd. ''Volksblad: Bonus'': 27.

External links

* {{authority control Kimberley, Northern Cape Protected areas established in 2007 National parks of South Africa Protected areas of the Northern Cape