Outlines of gemsbok silhouetted against a vast skyline. Red dunes where the wind blown sand transforms into ever changing patterns. Long dirt roads adjacent to the open dry river beds of the Nossob and Auob. Premium sightings of cheetah, lion and birds of prey. A desert paradise that you will fall in love with and keep returning to – that’s the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park.

Before planning and embarking on a “first trip” to the beautiful Kgalagadi make sure you read a few blog articles but in the meantime keep reading the tips below:

Handy Tips

• The Kgalagadi falls under Sanparks and has a variety of accommodation options. Throughout the year many of these options are fully booked. As a result, you need to plan a trip to this area a year in advance.
• VERY important – lose at least 4 kgs before visiting the park. Indulging in large quantities of condensed milk, biltong, chips, red wine, chocolate, etc will have consequences.
• Purchase a good bottle of tequila to warm the cockles of the heart.
• Take along a bird book to help with identification. Alternatively, invest in the Roberts Bird Guide App but make sure your phone is charged. You may even want to consider going on a birding course to identify predator birds. They are seriously confusing to amateur birders.
• Temperatures drop to -10 degrees, or lower, in the Kgalagadi in the winter months. Ensure you have a beanie to sleep with at night to avoid brain freeze. Furthermore, gloves help to avoid losing fingers whilst pouring a cup of coffee.
• Bring your own blanket – it comes in handy for the early morning drives.
• Many camps run on solar power so there is no chance of charging anything. If you having a bad hair day you unfortunately won’t be able to haul out the trusty hairdryer, never mind charge a camera battery. Consider taking along a power bank as back-up.
• Don’t always bank on using a credit card machine – it is remote in the Kgalagadi. In other words make sure you have cash as a back-up.
• Put water in the kettle the night before in case everything freezes, including your fingers and nose.
• Be nervous – the weavers are in force at the picnic sites. They give the monkeys in Kruger a run for their money.
• Always think ahead – petrol can be on short supply and the shops may not have had their delivery of stock. We were limited to 20 litres of petrol and one tin of condensed milk at Nossob – scary stuff!!
• Check there is sufficient gas in the tanks at your wilderness camp as you may have to man up for an early morning ice cold shower.
• Remember – where there is no river there are no animals. However, the scenery never fails to disappoint.
• Avoid visiting the park in August if you can. At the end of July we were starting to experience the winds that drive most things to the ground.
• The most sought after accommodation is without a doubt the Kgalagadi wilderness camps. We have stayed in 4 of them – the Kalahari Tented Camp, Grootkolk, Gharagab and Klein Krankie. It is well worth the effort of getting up at 4.00 in the morning and checking for new cancellations and availability online.