Meerkat National Park, National park in the Karoo region, South Africa
Meerkat National Park is a national park in the Karoo Hoogland Local Municipality, in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. The terrain is flat and dry, with low shrubs, scattered rocky patches, and open skies typical of the Nama-Karoo biome.
The park was officially established in 2020, making it one of the newest national parks in South Africa. After its creation, fences were removed, livestock was cleared, and alien plant species were tackled so that native wildlife could return.
Access is limited to preselected days during the year, so visits must be arranged around those dates rather than made on impulse. The gravel pads with dashed yellow rings mark where the dish antennas stand, and the flat Karoo ground gives clear sightlines across the array. Check the SANParks listings for which days are opened.
The white dish antennas visible across the arid ground belong to MeerKAT, PAPER and HERA, all hosted inside the park. South Africa's Astronomy Geographic Advantage Act of 2007 lets the science minister protect this area for radio astronomy, which is why the land is managed as a national park.
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