South Africa to give free access to national parks in November after postponement due to COVID-19

By XINHUA

The managing body of South African National Parks (SANParks) on Wednesday announced that annual National Parks Week will be held on November 22-28 to give citizens free access to most of its parks.

SANParks traditionally hosted the week-long event in September to cultivate a sense of pride in South Africa’s natural, cultural and historical heritage and a deeper appreciation of biodiversity. It announced a postponement in September due to concerns over COVID-19.

South Africa has 19 national parks. Since the free access week started in 2006, over 591,000 South Africans have been afforded the opportunity to enter national parks, according to SANParks.