If you are planning an African safari in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, you should know a few things about the park before you arrive. It is one of the largest parks in Africa and offers many opportunities for recreation, learning, game viewing, and nature photography.
Here is an overview of the Kgalagadi:
1. Uniqueness – The park is unique as it includes an endless sea of red sand dunes where herds of gemsbok, springbok, eland and blue wildebeest follow the seasons, while towering camel thorn trees provide shade for huge black-maned lions and gazebos for leopards and many birds of prey. Welcome to the Kgalagadi!
2. Location and history – The park is located in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa and borders Namibia to the west and Botswana to the east. Kalahari Gemsbok National Park was proclaimed in 1931 and merged with Gemsbok National Park in Botswana in 2000 to form Africa’s first Transfrontier Park.
3. Size – 10,000 square kilometers in South Africa and 26,000 square kilometers in Botswana, forming a huge 36,000-square-kilometer park. The South African side of the park receives more than 120,000 visitors each year.
Four. Known for – Birds of prey, wild campsites, more than fifty water holes along tourist routes and in campgrounds, fantastic wildflower shows such as devil’s claw in summer, and excellent animal and landscape photo opportunities.
5. Roads – The roads leading to the park from Johannesburg and Cape Town are all paved, but the park roads are dirt. You don’t need a 4×4 unless you are going to Botswana or staying in the Bitterpan or Gharagab wild camps. The park is located 350 km from Upington in the North Cape and about 900 km from Johannesburg. You can fly into Upington and then rent a car or drive as the roads are in good condition.
6. Climate – Kgalagadi means ‘land of thirst’ in the local San language, so summers are hot and can reach 50 degrees Celsius, while winter days are mild, but nights can be cold with temperatures below zero degrees Celsius. Annual precipitation is about 200mm, which falls mainly between December and April. Two rivers run through the park, but they flow on average once every ten years.
7. accommodation – There are three main camps (of which only Twee Rivieren and Mata Mata are air-conditioned), a luxury lodge (! Xaus Lodge) and six nature camps, all with fully equipped kitchens and en-suite bathrooms in the chalets and cabins . . There are campsites in the three main campgrounds. ‘Twee Rivieren’ in Dutch means ‘Two Rivers’ and, as the name implies, the camp is situated at the confluence of the Nossob and Auob rivers.
8. Activities and facilities– You can take morning or sunset tours, morning walks, 4×4 trails, car safaris and there are readings and slide shows. There are only four paths to spot animals: two long river paths that follow the dry beds of the Nossob and Auob rivers and two short dune paths that connect the two long paths. There are also picnic sites, tents at the three main camps, and swimming pools at the three main camps, in addition to the Kalahari Tented Camp. Nossob and Mata Mata have a hideout in the camp where you can see the animals drinking day or night. All camps, with the exception of Twee Rivieren, have their own watering hole where animals can be seen day and night. Only Twee Rivieren, being the largest camp, has a restaurant.
9. Security advice – Stay well hydrated, especially in the summer months. At night, walk around the campgrounds with your shoes on and use a flashlight as there are a lot of scorpions and stay in your vehicles when in the park!
10. Things to look for in the Kgalagadi:
1. Gemsbok: These striking desert antelopes are the emblem of the park.
2. Suricate – These hyperactive little omnivores, also called Meerkats, have a wonderfully intricate family structure.
3. Black-maned Kalahari Lions: These are the kings of the Kalahari!
4. Sociable Weavers – These little birds build huge communal nests that get so heavy they can break the branch they’re on!
5. Pygmy Falcons – The park is famous for its birds of prey and the Pygmy Falcon is the smallest falcon in Africa, often seen near colonies of sociable weavers who feed on the birds.
6. Brown hyena – this is a rare sighting – keep an eye out for them between dusk and dawn
7. The predator exhibit at Camp Nossob, the photo exhibit at Twee Rivieren and the Auchterlonie museum on the bed of the Auob river
8. Summer storms and cloud formations create amazing landscape photos.
9. Nature camps are unbeatable for a true nature experience.
10. The panoramic views from the towers at the Gharagab and Bitterpan Wild Camps
The remoteness of the park and the true sense of wild nature have a charm that persuades visitors to return year after year!