Travel in africa

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park general information

The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is a huge park with the border between South Africa and Botswana cutting right through. It comprises of two adjoining national parks: Kalahari Gemsbok National Park in South Africa and Gemsbok National Park in Botswana. The total area of the park is 38,000 square kilometers (15,000 sq miles). Two thirds of The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is in Botswana but most of the infrastructure is on the South African side.


Kgalagadi means 'place of thirst'. The park is located largely within the southern Kalahari Desert. The Park is dominated by the two dry riverbeds of the Nossob and Auob rivers. The rivers are said to flow only about once per century but can occasionally be filled for a few hours by large thunderstorms.

With the outbreak of World War I in 1914 the government of the Union of South Africa drilled a series of waterholes along the Auob River to provide their troops with water along this route in case of a South African Invasion. Guards recruited mainly from the local community, were hired to protect and maintain the bore holes. The waterholes are still maintained and they make spectacular places for game spotting.

Animals and birds in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park.

The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is famous for cats such as the black maned Kalahari lions, cheetahs and leopards. This park is excellent for game viewing with its low vegetation and arid appearance. We must have seen Lions two or three times per day during our week in the park.

Large herds of grazers such as oryx, blue wildebeest, springbok, eland, and red hartebeest also found and move seasonally within the park. In the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park there are other nice sightings like the bat eared foxes and meerkat or suricate. Snakes and turtles are also frequently seen. 

More than 200 species of bird can be found in the park, including vultures and raptors such as eagles, buzzards, and secretary birds. When driving along the riverbeds, it is always worth looking up into the trees because you could possibly see owls resting there. We saw lots of eagle owls and white faced owls on our visit to the park.

Roads and infrastructure.

In the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park roads are in quite good condition most of the time. In the rainy season however the can go from decent to really bad in hours so a sedan is not advised in the park. 4x4 is the way you should travel in the Kgalagadi.

Most, almost all, of the roads are on the South African side and they follow the two dry riverbeds. There are some roads connecting the two riverbeds and there are also some 4x4 tracks and loops in the park.  The loops have a limited number of vehicles that are allowed on them and they must be booked either in advance or at Two Rivers Camp. There is a map of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park at SANparks website among more useful information.

There are plenty of viewpoints and some parking and picnic areas along the riverbed. There is also a small but interesting museum about 40 km up the west road from Two Rivers. It shows how the settlers that maintained the waterholes lived their lives.

Accommodation.

Within the South Africa side of the park there are three traditional tourist lodges, called "rest camps" Twee Rivieren, Mata Mata and Nossob. These are full-service lodges with air conditioning, shopping, fuel and swimming pools. There are also six wilderness camps in the park. The wilderness camps Bitterpan, Grootkolk and Kalahari Tent Camp provide little more than shelter and water for washing. Visitors must supply their own food, drinking water, and firewood.

On the Botswana side the camps are very rustic. The Tow Rivers camp just opposite the Twee Rivieren camp provides water and abolutions. If you camp and are self sufficient it is an excellent alternative to the crowded camp at Twee Rivieren. The other camps on the Botswana side Rooipute and Polentswa have long drop toilets and a bucket for showering apart from that there is nothing, but they are nicely situated in a little elevated terrain and spending your nights there will give you the absolute tranquillity of the Kgalagadi. You will be literally camping with the lions!

How to get to Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park.

The entrance at Twee Rivieren Gate is situated approximately 260 km north from Upington. The road up is in good condition and the drive will be about 3 hours in a steady pace. This is the only way to get in to the park from South Africa an I strongly recommend that you get all your supplies and fuel in Upington since there are no more opportunities on the road up to the park. The shops in the park have a limited selection and are for emergencies only.

There are two entries from the Botswana side Kaa and Mabuasehube. Coming in from Botswana you need to be fully self equipped with fuel and water when you come to the gate of Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park.

Gate times Twee Rivieren

January to February		06:00 – 19:30
March		06:30 – 19:00
April		07:00 – 18:30
May		07:00 – 18:00
June and July		07:30 – 18:00
August		07:00 – 18:30
September		06:30 – 18:30
October		06:00 – 19:00
November and December		05:30 – 19:30