Often overshadowed by its more illustrious cousins such as Addo and the Baviaanskloof, the Mountain Zebra National Park near Cradock probably doesn’t feature on your list of Eastern Cape places to visit before you die.
At most you probably view this Susan Boyle of national parks as a convenient place to overnight on your way down to the coast on your annual December holiday, not so? But like Rocky Balboa, Forrest Gump, the Karate Kid and other underdogs of this world, there’s much more to this underrated park than meets the eye.

Off-roading among special zebras

For starters, two new 4x4 trails were recently added to the growing list of things to do in the park.
Let’s be honest, these two trails probably won’t make your top 10 must-do off-road-destinations list either, but while neither trail is aimed at testing your vehicle’s capabilities, they both offer off-roaders the chance to escape the main drag and get across the open plains and onto the ridges with Karoo views that are hard to beat.

Both circular routes, the Sonnenrust 4x4 Trail is 14.2 km of stony track in the northwest of the park and skirts the base of Saltpeterskop with wide-open views from its plateau, while the Juriesdam 4x4 Trail offers 10 km of Karoo grassland and explores the park’s eastern plateau.

Don’t let the short distances put you off though. Each trail may only take a little more than an hour to complete, but what’s the rush?
This is the Great Karoo after all.
In fact, meandering along the Juriesdam Trail at a slow idle early evening, you’re likely to spot some of the park’s resident aardwolf, who ignore passing vehicles as they forage for harvester termites.
Cape mountain zebra move along the open plains while kudu blend into the acacia and dark rock of the descent track, which cuts along the cliff tops and back down to the main road.
The Sonnenrust Trail keeps you out there longer, with a few tricky turns and angles to negotiate on the accent section before emerging onto an open plateau.

Those perfect Karoo mornings are made for the Sonnenrust Trail − crisp air and views that just keep on going forever.
While the obligatory herd of mountain zebra may stare intensely at your passing vehicle, it’s the small stuff that can keep you entertained for hours here – like the energetic bunch of ground squirrels that scurry up and down the mound of soil at the edge of the track, busily gathering grub while cautiously keeping an eye on your every move inside the vehicle.

With the rest camp less than 10 km from the start of each trail, driving either loop in the soft early-morning or late-afternoon light can make spotting wildlife in the warm glow of the Karoo much more rewarding.