Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

[Desert Driver]

has anyone travelled through this park recently and where are the best places to stay. Looking more for a good camp site with only a few other campers as opposed to 30 vehicles +, best would be wild bush camping but I suppose thats not allowed

I have emailed the parks a few times but got no answer but also wanted to find out about getting a permit and the conditions of the roads once in the park.
any advice appreciated

Cheers

[itchyfeet38]

A great park.

There are two parts to the park- one in Botswana and one in South Africa. The Botswana side is the more undeveloped side. Contact DNPW in Gabarone for info. It is hard to get bookings for camping spots and you need to be self sufficient ie bring in your own water etc.

Most of the park is in South Africa. Roads are corrugated but OK. You really need a 4x4 or at least a car with good clearance. Certain roads are 4x4 only. There are 3 campsites, Twee Rivieren, Nossob and Mata Mata. they are quite big (full capacity perhaps 50 sites?) but no other option for camping.

No, there is no bush camping (any more than you can pull up by the roadside in Kruger and set up camp!).

There are also wilderness camps. These are not campsites but exclusive camps - usually with only 4 huts with their own waterhole. They are amazing but about 1000 rand a hut a night.

Go to the SAN Parks website and check out the KTP section - there is loads of info, a good map etc. Be warned there are very limited places in the park. Though it is huge it only has 1% of the bed/camping capacity of Kruger (because it has very limited water). The result is it is often fully booked for many months in advance. Also be aware of the size - for example it is not possible to drive between some camps within it in one day.

I hope you get to go - it is one of my favorite places.

[Desert Driver]

thanks for the speedy reply, I will call the parks people in the morning as it seems from what you are saying it fills up fast and don't want to be left with no space and having to detour around the park. I have fully prepared landrover with an extra 60 litre spare fuel so hope that will be enough.

Reading a post somewhere I got the impression that some of the campsites were small with just a few vehicles and a water tap, is that not the case?

[itchyfeet38]

Definitely not on the SA side - camping only possible in three big rest camps with chalets, a shop, fuel station and office and campsites. They are OK though.

Check here for more info:

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park - SANParks - Official Website

You can also do real time availability checks and book online.

On the Bots side it is much wilder usually no water, sometimes basic facilities ie a long drop, sometimes not. Much fewer camping spaces there though and harder to make bookings.

[taniyamorris]

Great park - one of our favourites. As Itchy38 says the camp sites on the Botswanan side are by far the best - remote & widely spaced, so you may as well be wild camping. I wouldn't worry too much about booking in advance. We went up during their busiest period (SA school holidays) & took a chance at the gate (no replies form the Botswanan Tourist Board like you). The camps on the SA side were all fully booked, but we had no problems at all getting into the Bots camp sites. Go - you will love it.