Heat capacity C P (T) (2-300 K) and unit cell parameters a(T), b(T), and c(T) (5-300 K) of type-VII clathrates SrNi 2 P 4 and BaNi 2 P 4 have been investigated experimentally. The studied compounds are prepared by a two-stage ampoule synthesis. Diffuse maxima of C P (T) near 5 K along with anomalies in temperature dependencies of unit cell parameters below 10 K are observed and related to the influence of two-level systems in guest-atom substructures. Joint analysis of temperature dependencies of heat capacity and unit cell volume of both clathrates within the frames of the Debye-Einstein model allowed determining characteristic temperatures of the clathrate frameworks and guest atoms as well as parameters of the two-level systems. The relationships of the obtained characteristics and the peculiarities of the crystal structures of SrNi 2 P 4 and BaNi 2 P 4 are discussed.