Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

We saw much more wildlife, but not so much as in Etosha.

Good place fro adults and children - something interesting for everyone.

Accommodation - reasonable.
The only one thing which should be changed is the booking system for organised trips.
I made a booking for safari trip with my 2 friends which was not organised because of small group. It was one of the main reasons why we wanted to visit this park.

Escape to the beach.. without the water

Kgalagadi, pronounced by making a "k" sound followed by 2 successive throat clearings, is the real Kalahari. Real as in the small trees and bush on the nearest town on the map, a town called Hotazel, are replaced by sand. So much sand that Sand Surfing is a local sport. The temps while we were there were just over 40C during the day, a hint of sun, but luckily the nights cooled off to the low 20's- desert living at its finest.

Along with the day drives where all the animals are fast asleep by the watering holes in the rarity that is the shade, the Kgalagadi comes alive in the night time. with only 1 night in the park, to the night drive we went.

The best way to make friends when stuck in a confined space? Beer. Between a dozen people 'stuck' in the moving elevator that was the open topped Land Rover for our night drive, we were the guys dragging a cooler of beer onto the bakkie (bakkie = truck in the SA). 15 minutes in, the whole drive was friends. Sadly this was about the same time we got away from the camp and back into park. While the temperatures fell the animals rose. The bakkie was equipped with a few spotlights, so we took turns spotting the animals. Over the course of the drive, of all the animals we saw, by far the most exciting was an African Wild Cat. More rare than lions, the african wild cat was out hunting alone, had a moment in the spotlight, and was gone.

From the beachless dunes, to the black maned lion, to the beers with paap 'n vleis, the Kgalagadi was an excellent escape from anything resembling a cookie-cutter holiday package and the memories I walked away with won't be found in any other park in Africa.

Klaar

Like the remoteness and you can have the animals sittings to yourself

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.

A wonderful destination off the beaten path

We spent almost a week in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and the long drive was worth it. The rugged but beautiful scenery of the Kalahari is certainly one highlight of the park, being the other the high chance of viewing one or several of Africas big cats. In total we saw several lions and three cheetahs and could observe and enjoy them without the rush as in many other parks.
Entry and exit via Mata-Mata was easy and stress-free. For exploring the park by your own, a 4WD vehicle is highly recommended, as there are many sandy passages. The campsites on the South-African side of the park were very-well maintained and while Nossob, Mata-Mata and the wilderness camps give you a great and authentic experience, Twee-Rivieren is busier but still recommended for a night stay in order to explore the surroundings. The heat during the day was bearable in July but be prepared for the cold to freezing nights during the winter months.
Overall, this park is highly recommended if you want to enjoy unspoiled nature and can live with the fact that you won't be able to see the big fives.

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.

Excellent Mammal sightings and the opportunity to have accommodation in the desert

The best for raptors and Migratory Raptors and Carnivore, in Kalahari setting, Magic Sunsets and Sunrises

A Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park visit is an experience of adaption of life to a desert environment

A review of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa by Alan Crawford

The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is situated 260km north of Upington, South Africa and the South African section of the park is wedged between Namibia on the left and Botswana to the right. The term “Transfrontier” comes from the fact that the park spans two countries namely South Africa and Botswana and the park is jointly managed by both countries.
Our trip to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park was undertaken in December 2016 during summer. The weather at this time of the year is very hot with temperatures averaging between 32 degrees and 45 degrees centigrade. The heat is a dry heat without humidity and temperatures cool down in the evening into the twenties. In winter temperatures the night time temperatures can be below freezing point.
Whilst temperatures are hot at this time of the year there are advantages for game viewing as animals normally congregate close to the many water holes in the park. The geography park is a desert environment which has two dry rivers the Auob River that flows once every 10 years and the Nossob River that flows every 100 years. In summer the afternoon storms are spectacular as they are intense and occasionally are accompanied by dust storms.
The Kgalagadi is home to the black maned lions and during this year’s trip we were able to see 42 different lion at various locations in the park. Cheetahs were active as the onset of early rains resulted in the large herds of Springbok migrating off the dues into the river beds where fresh shoots of vegetation were growing. After dry periods when the first rains start you can see the change in colours overnight as the fresh shoots of grass and leaves on the “Drie Doring” (three thorn) shrubs start growing immediately. The Springbok can hold back the birth of their young until the rains come. When this takes place the cheetahs are very active hunting the young springbok lambs. Leopards, although difficult to see, are abundant in the park and often hide out in the rocky limestone outcrops where they can survey the riverbeds for prey. The Kgalagadi has high numbers of brown hyena, which are shy animals but often seen in the early morning.
A number of antelope species are found in the park with the dominant species being Springbok, Gemsbok (Oryx), Red Hartebeest, Kudu and Steenbok. During some seasons when water is scarce in the Central Kalahari in Botswana large herds of Eland, the biggest antelope in Southern Africa, migrate into the park.
The Kgalagadi is not always about the big animals but also a number of other interesting mammals such as the Honey Badger, Ground Squirrels, Mongoose, Surricates (Meercats), Cape Fox, Aardwolf, Pangolin, Black Backed Jackal, Porcupine, Caracal, and African Wild Cat that occur in the park.
Reptiles such a Tree Agamas, Cape Cobra, Puff Adders are often prey for the many small raptors, owls and eagles found in the park.
There are approximately 280 species of bird that occur in the park of which about 92 are permanent residents. During summer birdwatching is excellent as the area has a very high concentration of raptors that follow the rain fronts and feed on termite eruptions. During our trip we were able to tick off 92 different bird species.
There are three main camps Twee Rivieren, Mata Mata and Nossob. These offer a variety of accommodation from campsites, bungalows to family cottages. Only Twee Rivieren has power for 24 hours whilst Mata Mata and Nossob have generated power form 5.00am to 10.00pm. Most accommodation contains a fridge, hot plate or gas cooker top, microwave oven and the basic crockery and cutlery. Apart from the main camps there are three wilderness camps that are unfenced and offer a wilder experience being more remotely positioned but with modest “luxury’ facilities. Only Twee Rivieren has a restaurant and self-catering is required in all other camps. The three main camps have shops which carry beverages, basic food stuff, meat, curios and basic toiletries.
Apart from the South African side of the park guests can make use of two lodges on the Botswana side of the park one based at Rooiputs in the south and the other at Polenswa in the north of the park. There are also camps at Rooiputs and Polenswa that are completely unfenced and a vehicle with a roof top tent is essential as the camps are often frequented by lion.
Visitors can fly into Upington and rent vehicles to travel to the park although double cab pickup trucks will handle the gravel roads better and the higher vantage point facilitates better game viewing. Upington is a good travel hub to use as the Augrabies Falls National Park is only 112km away. Travelling into Namibia is also possible from Upington.
Further details of the park can be obtained by visiting the South African National Parks website on www.sanparks.org
For a sample of photos of the animals of the park visit https://www.flickr.com/photos/alanjcrawfordphotography/