Cheetah tracking and guided walk activities have opened to visitors in Mountain Zebra National Park, near Cradock in the Eastern Cape. Visitors will now be able to join a guide to search for the park’s elusive cheetahs by tracking with radio telemetry equipment.
Cheetahs were introduced to the park in 2007 following an absence in the area of over 100 years. Since then, the species has adapted well to the park, increasing from four in 2007 to over 30 today.
New activities at the park include two new guided walks; a three-hour route and a hike up the Salpeterskop to view a chessboard relic from the early 1900s.
The opening of guided walks follows the closure of all hiking trails in July 2010 following the tragic death of a hiker who was attacked by a buffalo on one of the trails.
The two short walking trails (1 km and 2,5km trails) are available to visitors as self-walk options, having been enclosed, along with the rest camp area, with electrified fencing.
The three-day hiking trail has yet to reopen but the two mountain cottages, formerly used exclusively as hiking trail huts, are now available as an accommodation option for visitors with high-clearance vehicles.
