Tankwa Karoo National Park, National park in Northern Cape, South Africa

Tankwa Karoo National Park is a protected reserve in the Succulent Karoo region, featuring dry mountain terrain with sparse vegetation and open plains. The landscape includes shrubland, rocky formations, and valleys that define the semi-desert character of this area.

The park was proclaimed in 1986 at only 26,000 ha; it now covers 137,000 ha and is still being converted from grazing land. In 1998 Conrad Strauss sold 280 km2 of sheep farm to South African National Parks, and the area grew from an initial 270 km2 to 1463 km2. Nomads with livestock used the land sporadically for over 1500 years before Boer trekboers from the Cape moved north in the 18th century.

The name Tankwa has no settled meaning; proposed readings are "murky water", "place of the San" or "thirsty land", all describing the landscape. Nomads with livestock used the area sporadically for over 1500 years before Boer trekboers moving north from the Cape Peninsula in the 18th century grazed it more intensively. Since 2007 the AfrikaBurn art and music festival has been held here each April.

The park is still being converted from farmland to its original state and has almost no tourist infrastructure. Its headquarters are at Roodewerf, 52 km from Middelpos, 110 km from Calvinia, 120 km from Sutherland and 180 km from Ceres. Some areas receive under 100 mm of rain a year, and January maximums average 38.9 °C, so carry water and sun protection.

The park's name Tankwa has no settled meaning; interpretations suggest "murky water", "place of the San" or "thirsty land". Three succulent genera found here, Tanquana, Braunsia and Didymaotus, are named after or tied to this arid Karoo terrain.