Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

Utterly fabulous, if you like that sort of thing

Kgalagadi is a superb place to visit at any time of the year, but November/December marks the transition from the end of the dry season as the rains can come at any point. It's hot, very hot, but worth is to see some incredible wildlife at close hand. The heat and lack of vegetation means a lot of action around the waterholes - great for predators but not so much fun for the prey. The landscape is, at times, breathtaking (if you like it dry and empty). Steer clear of the madding crowd around Twee Rivieren, head up to Mata Mata and/or Nossob for a wonderful and exciting experience but be prepared for basic accomodation.

I'm a pro wildlife photographer and I've been three times now (December, March and June). It's my favourite destination and I just love this park.

The park is excellent for photographing the animals and birds, especially the big cats.

The park offers so much in terms of very often a exclusive opportunity to be with wild game, be it the many different antelope species found there or some of the big cats like, cheetah, leopard and lion. Another plus is the fact that one gets quite close to the animals since most are very tamed. Then if one is real lucky, a kill by a predator is often seen in the park by visitors, so for photography, it's excellent. There are two points in my view that needs attention, namely the bad condition of the gravel roads and lately also the pile-up of vehicles at a "cat-sighting" that seems to occur more-and-more.

Animal sightings were tremendous - Gemsbok. Not crammed with people, rolling thunderous storm that hit the plains - incredible.

It is the wilderness paradise, lonely, large, and far from anywhere.

Less crowded than other parks, as it is not so easily accessible; so you feel more frequently in the bush than in other places. Landscapes are particular as it is a semi desertic dry savana; wildlife is abundant but road network is limited

Awesome Kgalagadi, The best kept secret in Southern Africa abundant wildlife, birding, range of acco

The sceneray and the wildlife in is park are spectacular. There is a range of accomodation types to suite every budget. The roads within the park are accesible to all, but some areas you will need a 4x4. The camp I stayed in on the first day was Twee Riveren. The accomodation was comfortable and the self catering chalet was well appointed. Te supply store was adequately stocked. This is your main entrance into the park from the nearest town of Uppington, arriving from Kimberley, JHB, or Bloemfontein, Bethlehem,Harrismith, PMB and Durban.

The weather experiened was unusually cold. The self catering chalets was well appointed to be able to make your own food. I experienced this park as part of a Photographic Couse run by Peter Craig Cooper and Emmanuel Maria. Our guides were Melissa and Willem. They were excellent guides and were very knowledgeable about the fauna and flora of the region.

The special highlight for me was the spotting and photographing the young male leopard on a orning drive from the Nossob camp. In the evenings there is a Hide at the waterhole fed by a borehole pump, that attracts a range of animals at night to this hide. Nossob Camp is also well appointed.

One does get the goodfeeling of being in the bush sort of get the bush vibe. The spectacular morning and evening skies are unmatched in beauty.
My best photos are posted here
http://www.flickr.com/photos/31649747@N08/sets/72157622309088405/
havev a look.

All in all as a local resident of the country it honestly a wonderfull place to experience a diiferent biome of Southern Africa.

Regads
Prakash Bhikha

Awesome Breathtaking Game Park. The best kept secret in southern Africa.

I went to the park on a Photographic Safari. We had Two vehicles and 10 photographers, with Mellisa and Willie as our guides. The weather was exceptionally cold that year, reching to -10 degrees celcius in the mornings. I stayed at Twee Revieren and at Nossob Camps. Nossob Camp was our main camp and we did daily drives from the camp to the various watering holes and spotted many wild game species during the early morning and late afternoon drives.

Wildlife spotted the Lion, Cheetahs, Leopard, Wildebeest, Gemsbok, Springbok, Meerkats, Jackals, Ostriches, Owls, Eagles, Goshawks, Bee-eaters, Kories.
The desert scenery and the skies are spectacular, especially the quality of the light and the air as this area is not inundated with any form of pollution. The evening skies are clear and the stars shine in the night sky. The Nossob Camp has a hide and a webcam. The hide is well visited by different animals at night, and during the day. We took the self catering camps so we carried our own food and cooked on the site our meals. The little shop is stocked with the bare necessaties and is a little expensive, as they have to cart the supplies in from quite a distance. The Twee Revieren Camp is the main entrance camp and the store is more stocked up with groceries.
Transportation, we had two game vehicles and guides. The game vehicles were perfect for the photography course. One can self drive through the park, but parts of the areas are accesible only via 4x4 vehicles.

Our guides were very knowledgable about the ecosystem and the fauna and flora of the park.

Higlight for me was the spotting of the young male leopard.

Regards
Prakash.

A park experience beyond your Wildest dreams

I loved my trip to Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park - it exceeded every expectation. I was able to see lions, cheetahs, giraffes, gemsboks, springboks, blue wildebeests, red hartebeests, sociable weavers, crowned plovers, fiscal shrikes, brubrus, African drongos, tawny eagles, meerkats - and so much more. As a child, I dreamed of being close to wild lions; at the Kgalagadi, this dream came true - two lions were only feet from our vehicle!

My group arranged to stay at a barracks in the middle of the park - don't worry there was a fence - which means we were surrounded by the sounds of the night. A sight I will never forget is seeing the Kgalagadi yawning open around us as the sun rose. This location also gave us the opportunity to rise early and to view parts of the park before other tourists could reach them.

The services provided at the main points of entry were more than enough to meet the needs of the average visitor - clean bathrooms, postcards for sale, and even ice cream! There is nothing like a cool treat in the heat of the Kgalagadi.

I cherish my memories from the trip and look forward to returning to such a beautiful place one day soon.

Remote not as busy as Kruger.
Large vistas in semi desert makes game views easier.
Large herds of springbok and the ever present silhouetted Oryx catching the breeze on the summit of sand dunes.

Kgalakadi is where less is more. The South African camp sites are crowded and noisy but have 24/7 access to hides at Mata Mata and Nossob.

Getting a booking on the Botswana side is winning the mini lotto so you have to plan one year in advance. The camp sites are about 170m apart with six at Rooiputs and 3 at Polentswa. If you have Monopoly money (USD or Euros) then stay at the Luxury lodges on offer.

This park is the best park for seeing and spending time with the large cats of Africa. The entry is limited so is tends to be quieter. Seeing the animals surviving in the dessert environment is humbling.