Bontebok National Park in Swellendam

A beautiful reserve filled with wildlife. We saw plenty of bontebok, zebra, red haartebees and tortoises. The facilities were very neat and clean as well.

I have been fortunate enough to have visited quite a few of the national parks in South Africa, and although Ive driven past the Bontebok National Park on numerous occasions I have only recently visit it for the first time. I can honestly say that taking so long to visit them was a big mistake on my part. This national park is truly a hidden gem and as it is only 2.5hours away from Cape Town it should be something on your to do list. As you arrive at the reception area you already get a glimpse of what the park has to offer. The beautiful building blends in well with its surroundings and the staff are friendly and welcoming. The park also has a a picnic site where you can go and relax, with a childrens play area and "braai" (BBQfacilities, but unfortunately there isnt a shop available for you to buy snacks etc. Except for the beautiful fauna and flora, the Lang Elsies Kraal Rest Camp (reviewed separatelyis probably the main attraction with clean, modern facilities and different accommodation types available. I was also happy to see that the staff at the rest camp were just as friendly as their peers at the reception area. There are a couple of routes available for you to go on self-drive game drives with most of the roads easily traversable in a standard sedan or hatchback, and there are even a couple of hiking trails. While we visited we saw numerous different animals, including different antelope species such as Bontebok which the park is named after. Some of the Bontebok even came into the camp which was very special. We had a great time staying here and will definitely make a plan to visit again in the future. One important thing to note if you plan on visiting: When you use Google Maps to drive to the park, rather set your location as "Bontebok National Park Reception" as going to the parks actual location takes you through farm lands and to an area from where you cant actually enter the park.

Absolutely worth every cent!!!Wow wow wow!!!From self game drives to the beautiful stands!!!Camping was amazing!!!They even have stove tops, a microwave and a laundromat!!!Well done guys Ill be back!!!

Peaceful ... no shops or amenities but just wonderful to be in nature. We loved it all!

Absolutely beautiful place. We went as day visitors and enjoyed every moment. Next time I want to go for a weekend and do all the activities like hiking and mountain biking.

Wonderful bushveld feeling in the campsite and peaceful at the river. Good facilities but maintenance can be better and staff not very friendly or efficient.

Beautiful park on the Breederivier. Ideal for hiking, cycling all the routes are open to use for that purposes. Angling and some birdwatching. Picnic spots and amenities are clean and in excellent condition. Camping sites with or without electricity available. Chalets are clean and have all the basics you would need for a overnight selfcatering stay. Will definitely visit again !!!

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What Bontebok makes such a charming park is their many activities. Beside canoeing and mountain biking, there are fishing spots as well. One can chose for several nice walking trails or have a swim in the beautiful Breederiver at the rest camp. The camping is beautiful with lots of shade; ablutions are neat and clean. And so much privacy on the camping sites, that you feel at home right away.This all makes a stay in the Park a wonderful experience and makes you come back every time again.However, we wonder what happened with the cellphone coverage (MTNesp. data, the last 2 times (March and May 2022we were there, we had hardly any connection. Hopefully, it can be fixed!?

A unique little park. Created to conserve true-breeding bontebok and the small vestige of Renosterveld, which had disappeared from many original habitats due to agriculture etc.Excellent camp site. Very interesting plants for those who are interested in the vegetation.Very clean ablutions. Some nice little cottages.

Really enjoyed our stay. Small but well equipped cabin with beautiful surroundings!

Stunning, well-maintained camp site, great hiking trails and bike rides. Highly recommend floating down the river on floaties.

Campsite with tha ablution blocks are excellent and well maintained. Weer will certainly be back.

We loved our stay in this awesome park. Neat, large stands with great ablutions and kitchen facilities. Well maintained by staff and reception staff super efficient and friendly. The hikes were great and the scenery of the river and mountains were breathtaking. Well done Sanparks.

Bontebok is a lovely reserve. We did not see all that many animals, but plenty of plant and birdlife. A good way to spend a few hours if you are visiting Swellendam.

Magnificent biome. Saw more Red Hartebees the Bontebok. Both had young at foot.

Beautiful National Park for all the smaller critters. Its a brilliant location for bird watching too.Campsites are very large, had private braai facilities, and most have electricity. Ablutions were cleaned daily.

Lang Elsies Kraal has great accomodation. The chalets are clean, quiet, and has the necessities.You have a view of the river, the mountains, and the rest of the landscape.The staff is really friendly.The "normal" and the "4x4" self game driver were spectacular.Note: the chalets are self catering. There is no shop. All the consumable you need, you will have to bring with you.

Beautiful. Quiet and lazy. Lots to do if you enjoy cycling, hiking and kayaking. Accommodation is great.

Well maintained and clean. Staff very friendly and helpful.We enjoyed our stay and the short walks mapped out

What a beautiful place and the bathrooms are super clean.The only bad thing is the contractors that stayed there.The receptionist did not mention it when we arrived.We were very disappointed because they played loud music and we could hear them braking off branches to use for fire wood.They charged their cellphones in the kitchen so we could not used the facility.I do not know why contractors stay in a camping facility for families.Please ask the receptionist when you make a booking if there are contractors staying there.When we complained when checking out she mentioned that a lot of campers were unlucky about this.

What and experience with the wild life,the ablution facilities excellent 👌

Struggled to make contact to book.We stayed at the beautiful river site. This sites does not have electricity or tap water. But are worth the while. Just keep bicycles, children and inflatable mattresses away, as the whole lawn is scattered with invisible bull thorns. No bare feet here. The river is also slowly eroding this campsite away. It does not seems that management here knows what to do or cares about it.The wildlife in the park can be disappointing to visitors expecting hordes of animals. This park is more about the river and the vegetation experience than just animals. Still worth a visit.

The scenery is absolutely stunning. We saw some bontebok and zebra but most of the time we were just enjoying the view. We did come across a puff adder on the road so I would advise people to be really cautious when hiking. It would be nice for the reception to infighting visitors on the snakes that you may find and what to do if you come in contact with a snake. Otherwise we had an overall fantastic experience. There is also a little park for children next to the river. You can also go fishing, if you would like too.

This review is for the Caravan and Campsites. The chalets look great but was not staying there to review.The braai places are simple old steel truck rims and you need to bring your own grid, but they are portable so you can arrange your site as you wish.There are normal plugs as well as the caravan sockets (not all sites are electrified).The bathrooms, communal kitchen & washup area have recently been redone.There is a nice communal braai area next to the communal kitchen.The sites are not beautifully manicured but you are camping in the bush. As there is no dangerous animals, the sites are un-fenced and we found a bontebok on our site when we arrived.

Excellent! If you bother to take the time to read about the reason for this park, you will understand, dont come here if you want enormous variety of big wildlife. It was created to protect Bontebok, and those you will see right by your tent. But if you take the time to do a hike, and really look around you, even on the ground, there is so much to see. Wildlife is not just the big animals. Small plants and birds too! And the view of the Breede river was breathtakingThe camp site is just amazing. Excellent ablution and scullery facilities. Super clean. Beautiful grassed camp sites. So quiet, so peaceful. Saw people give one star because there is "nothing to do". For me, that is why I go. This is true relaxation. Highly recommended if you go for the right reasons.

Beyond what we expected - Beautiful birdlife like Malachite sunbird, Cape Sugarbirds and raptors. Also besides the Bontebok, Rooi Hartebees and smaller mammals like Kaapse Grysbok.Thank you for keeping our beautiful renosterveld safe!

The staff are friendly and the estate is in excellent condition. We did the game drive which took over an hour and unfortunately only saw zebra.

Love this place, buck roaming around the camp site, friendly professional staff, stunning clean ablution block, modern scullery with microwave, scenic rides, hikes, bird life, plenty space for tents. Apparently does get busy on weekends as you would expect.

Good place to go and unwind. We camped there for 2 days. The kitchen and ablution facilities were very clean. Did not see much wildlife.

Great camping facilities. Showers are always hot and ablution facilities are regularly cleaned. Kids loved it. Walking shoes, swimming gear and bicycles are a must!

Outstanding little Sanpark. Must visit, lovely river. Make sure of the new main gate!

Magnificent. There are walking trails, cycle trails, canoeing and fishing. Simply relaxing

Clean & fully equipped chalets with amazing views of the Breede river. Perfect for a weekend away.

We stayed 2 nights in a chalet in the rest camp along Lang Elsies. We had a beautiful view of the river. The rest camp has chalets as, well as camping and caravan facilities. We were expecting to see a, lot more game as it is a small reserve. We did spot a, few Bontebok and also the Red Hartebeest. The chalet is very basic but beds and pillows very comfortable. You must take all your supplies with you as there are no shops at all on the reserve. Swellendam town is very close to the reserve, about 5km from the main gate. Very lovely trails, we particularly enjoyed the Bushbuck Trail.The picnic area at Die Stroom is beautiful with grassy areas and facilities to braai. Swimming is allowed at a designated area.

Getting in touch with nature. Loved the sounds of birds. And watching the bokke going about their business, from a distance of course. It was fun trying to find all the fauna on their list. Didnt tick off everything so will need to go back.

Amazing place to go if you want peace and quiet and to walk and bike in nature. If you love rowing this place is amazing and for you. A SAN Parks treasure.

We love parking off at the Bontebok Park. Comfortable and clean accommodation. View of the river as the sun sets is beautiful. Chalet 7 seems like the best view. Lovely birdlife. Also close to Swellendam which is the second oldest town in SA so historically interesting and great restaurants too.

Went for a bike ride around the park, pretty easy roads and trails. If you are on a ridged bike or gravel grinder be prepared for the last bit of the sungazer trail as its quite rocky. Saw lots of Bontebok and a Cape Cobra. The fishing section by the river looks pretty cool.Overall the park is well maintained and nice for a quick drive or ride.

A lovely small park good for a day visit and maybe one night. Beautiful flowers and 70 birds in a morning visit.

A great small reserve. Can camp with animals coming up to your tent. Nature walks and mountain bike trails take you through all the animal hot spots

Very neat and clean accommodation. We enjoyed swimming in the river and the beautiful environment. Roads are well maintained. Unfortunately not a lot of animals in this park.

If you are looking for a great camping spot that isnt too far away from normal life (Swellendam super spar is 10mins drive away from the gatebut still feel the need to be free from the hustle of every day life, then I cant recommend this spot enough.Excellent camping facilities, clean and in working order! Showers are new, and hot 🔥It can get hot in the middle of the day, so plan to do your hiking/running in the am.Excellent trail paths to go run with a vast array of wildlife to be seen.Trials themselves are well indicated with constant km updates and clear markers for easy following.The fireplaces come with grids 💪, there are electrical points but no fridges (byof). Come prepared and it will be an enjoyable stay.

It is a beautiful and peaceful. It is a nice place to unwind and relax. We were fortunate enough to see bontebokke, zebras and red hartebeests. The camping area is clean and the ablution facilities is also very clean. We will definitely be coming back.

Quiet, well managed and affordable. Swimming, hiking and fishing around the camp site. Note that you may get an unwanted visitor in your tent so keep it closed ;)

Its so easy to drive past this exquisite place if you are not aware of it. Add an overnight onto your travel arrangements. You wont be disappointed.

Its been very dry and this park is still in need of more rain before it can fully recover. Not your average game viewing park but a pivotal reserve in the conservation story of the Bontebok. Well worth a visit for its historical value and for some tranquil walks or bike rides.... Game and bird viewing are ample if youre not chasing the big 5...

The park entrance is situated on the right side of the road when you approach on the N2 from Cape Town opposite the silos, not where Google maps takes you.It is a well equipped park with camping, chalets and conference facilities. There is a host of activities to do including fishing, cycling, hiking and non motorized water sports.There are a number of picnic spots with outdoor braai facilities for day visitors.

This is a nice stop if you are driving by, but definitely dont come here on purpose. Its a nice and small game reserve with few cool spots. But it can get a bit boring if you want to spend here more than a couple of hours. Theres a beautiful river that flows gently and a lodge where can make your barbecue and pic nic. Except for that, the landscapes are not that various and the animals as well.

Great little park. Very nice camp site, well kept. Always good for a weekend away from cape town.