Eastern Cape Highlands Gain 10,225-Hectare Grasslands National Park Near Rhodes
South Africa's protected-area map has been redrawn with the official declaration of the Grasslands National Park, a sweep of highland country folded into the Eastern Cape between the town of Nqanqarhu, formerly known as Maclear, and the mountain village of Rhodes. The declaration took effect on 9 October 2026 through Government Gazette No. 55531, bringing 18 separate properties totalling 10,225.9 hectares under formal protection. Management responsibility has been assigned to South African National Parks.
Geographically, this places the newest park within reach of the southern Drakensberg, a landscape of rolling open grassland, dramatic mountain passes and working farmland that has long attracted a quieter, more independent kind of traveller. The region already carries a reputation among fly-fishing enthusiasts, hikers and road-trippers who favour gravel passes over highways, and the arrival of national park status lends it a level of recognition it has not previously enjoyed.
The conservation logic is compelling. Grassland ecosystems remain among the most under-represented habitats in South Africa's protected-area network, overshadowed for decades by the savannah reserves and fynbos corridors that dominate the country's tourism marketing. These highlands also form part of the Eastern Cape Drakensberg Strategic Water Source Area, meaning the park safeguards not only biodiversity but the water security of communities far downstream. For a continent where water stress increasingly shapes destination planning, that detail carries weight well beyond the Eastern Cape.
What makes this declaration genuinely unusual is the mechanism behind it. Rather than acquiring land outright, authorities built the park through a biodiversity stewardship model. Participating landowners keep ownership of their farms while committing to agreed conservation and management standards. Compatible agricultural activity may continue alongside the protection measures, which means livelihoods and conservation share the same ground rather than competing for it. The initiative emerged from cooperation between the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, SANParks, WWF South Africa and several other partners, and it offers a template that conservation authorities elsewhere on the continent will be watching closely.
Here, however, comes the point that every consultant must handle with care. National park status does not currently translate into visitor access. The announcement confirmed no opening date, no public entry arrangements, no tourism activities and no visitor facilities. Because the land remains privately owned under stewardship agreements, travellers cannot simply arrive and expect gate entry in the way they would at Kruger or Addo. Existing access arrangements across the region continue to apply, and anyone planning a journey to Rhodes or the surrounding highlands should verify arrangements with SANParks before building the park into an itinerary.
This distinction matters commercially. Clients who read international headlines about a new South African national park may well walk into an agency expecting a booking product that does not yet exist. Managing that expectation professionally, while still selling the genuine appeal of the surrounding highlands, is where trade expertise proves its value. The guest houses, trout waters, mountain lodges and scenic driving routes around Rhodes and Nqanqarhu are bookable today and remain an excellent fit for travellers seeking something beyond the standard Garden Route circuit.
Looking ahead, the trajectory seems promising. Should access arrangements and visitor infrastructure be developed over the coming seasons, the Eastern Cape highlands could emerge as a meaningful addition to South Africa's nature-based tourism offering, particularly for the slow-travel and conservation-minded markets that are growing steadily across Europe and North America. Agencies that familiarise themselves with this corner of the country now, building relationships with local operators before the destination matures, will be positioned to act first when the park eventually opens its doors to visitors.
