Karoo National Park

Karoo National Park protects a vast sweep of the Great Karoo semi-desert near Beaufort West, one of South Africa's most evocative and ancient landscapes. The park is a paleontological treasure trove — fossils embedded in its rocks tell the story of life on Earth over 250 million years, long before the age of dinosaurs. Covering 900 square kilometres of flat Karoo plains rising to the dramatic Nuweveld Mountains escarpment, the park supports black rhino, Cape mountain zebra, gemsbok, springbok, klipspringer, and the elusive black-footed cat. The night sky here is among the clearest in South Africa, making Karoo a premier stargazing destination. The Fossil Trail offers a fascinating walk through geological time.