The protected areas of South Africa include national parks and marine protected areas managed by the national government, public nature reserves managed by provincial and local governments, and private nature reserves managed by private landowners. Most protected areas are intended for the conservation of flora and fauna. National parks are maintained by South African National Parks (SANParks). A number of national parks have been incorporated in transfrontier conservation areas.
James Stevenson-Hamilton served from 1902–1946 as the first warden of South Africa's Sabi Nature Reserve, which was expanded under his watch and became Kruger National Park in 1926. The Tsonga people nicknamed him Skukuza because when he arrived at the area of the reserve he "turned everything upside down" with the banning of all hunting in the reserve and the relocation of all the native kraals. Skukuza camp and Skukuza Airport is named in honour of Stevenson-Hamilton, who is regarded as a champion of wildlife Conservation in South Africa.
Federal Air is an airline headquartered in Hangar 14 on the grounds of OR Tambo International Airport in Kempton Park, Ekurhuleni, Gauteng, South Africa, near Johannesburg.
The Timbavati Game Reserve is located at the border line between Hoedspruit in (Limpopo) and Acornhoek in (Mpumalanga), north of the Sabi Sands Private Game Reserve on the western edge of Kruger National Park. Geographically and politically, Timbavati is located in Mpumalanga Province. In Xitsonga, the name 'Timbavati' means "the place where something sacred came down to Earth from the Heavens," and refers to the rare white lions of Timbavati.
Songimvelo Game Reserve is a provincial park managed by the Mpumalanga Parks Board in Mpumalanga, South Africa. Singimvelo is a plural word that means, we are conserving nature in the siSwati language.
Ulusaba Private Game Reserve, owned by Sir Richard Branson as part of the Virgin Limited Edition luxury property portfolio, consists of about 13,500 ha of land set in the heart of the Sabi Sand Private Game Reserve. This private game reserve borders on the sprawling Kruger National Park in South Africa's Mpumalanga province and is home to an abundance of wildlife. Ulusaba means fearful in the local Tsonga Shangaan language and it was a name given to the Sabie River by the Shangaan people. The Sabie River was originally called Ulusaba by the Shangaan simply because there was once a large concentration of dangerous Nile crocodile in the river, hence Ulusaba. Before the establishment of the Kruger National Park, Ulusaba was once a home of Tsonga Shangaan people, the Shangaan were evicted from this land when the Kruger National Park was established and were relocated in nearby villages adjacent Ulusaba Private Game Reserve.
Blyderivierpoort Dam is a gravity-arch dam on the Blyde River, in the lower Blyde River Canyon, near Hoedspruit in Mpumalanga, South Africa. It also floods the lower reaches of the Blyde's Ohrigstad River tributary. The dam was completed in 1974. The 71 m high dam wall is situated 3 km from Swadini resort by road.
Ohrigstad River is located in Mpumalanga, South Africa. The Ohrigstad River joins the Blyde River at the Blyderivierpoort Dam in the Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve. Like the Blyde, it has its ultimate origin at around 2,000 m altitude to the south, on the verge of the Hartebeesvlakte conservation area, but follows a more westerly course.
The Kruger to Canyons Biosphere is a biosphere reserve. There are currentlysix biosphere reserves established within South Africa, of which the Kruger to Canyons is the largest, encompassing savannahs, grasslands and forests that roughly cover over 4.8 million hectares of land in South Africa and Mozambique. After a lengthy 5-year period in which the application form was completed, the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere received UNESCO registration in October 2001.
Sabi Sand Game Reserve is located adjacent to the Kruger National Park in the Lowveld of Mpumalanga, South Africa. Officially named Sabi Sand Wildtuin, the Sabi Sand Game Reserve consists of a group of private game reserves. The Newington Gate is at 24°52′9″S31°24′16″E and west of the Kruger Gate and Skukuza camp of Kruger Park. Other entrances are Gowrie Gate in the far north and Shaws Gate in the south.
The Panorama Route is a scenic road in South Africa connecting several cultural and natural points of interest. This route, steeped in the history of South Africa, is situated in the Mpumalanga province. The route is centred around the Blyde River Canyon, the world’s third largest canyon, and features numerous waterfalls, one of the largest afforested areas in South Africa, and several natural landmarks. The route starts at the foot of the Long Tom Pass just outside Lydenburg, following the natural descent from the Great Escarpment to the Lowveld, and ending at the border of the Mpumalanga and Limpopo provinces near the Echo Caves.
