"Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park " a Kalahari Gemsbok National Park Travel Page by Waxbag

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, also known by Kalahari Gemsbok Park, covers an area of 2,369,000 acres / 960,000 ha situated on the Northern peninsula of South Africa between Namibia and Botswana. There are three main rest camps and two main roads that go right up the Auob and Nossob Rivers where most of the game can be spotted due to bore holes that provide water. All roads are gravel or dirt roads.

This is South Africa’s second premier park and is now getting a lot more press and attention. It is very popular during school holidays so book ahead during January and February and during the three week holiday in July

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is the middle of the Kalahari Desert. It has sparse vegetation and most of the water is found in the dry riverbeds of the Auob and Nossob Rivers. This is a fantastic park to find predators and to see large herbivores that constantly search for water and sweet grasses. Lion, leopard, cheetah, spotted hyena, brown hyena, honey badger, black back jackal and bat-eared fox are some of the predators you may find here. Springbok, gemsbok, blue wildebeest, red hartebeest, steenbok are common and eland and giraffe uncommon. Ground squirrel and suricates (meerkats) are prevalent. There are no larger game here such as buffalo, elephant or rhino, but the amazing landscapes and the better opportunity of spotting predators make up for that lacking.

Buy a “Wild” Card and Save Money
The Wild Card program has been recently introduced in the South African National Park system to make the parks more affordable for those making multiple entries. The card has a small computer chip in it that stores and process information. South African residence may buy a card specific to one region or “clusters”. For instance the Bushveld Cluster would include Golden Gate, Kruger, Mapungubwe, and Marakele National Parks. International tourist pay the same no matter what. The price is good for one year no matter how many parks or how many times you visit.

For all parks South African Residence pay R195 for individual, R335 for a couple, and R440 for a Family.

For International tourist the card is R795 for individual, R1395 for a couple, and R1795 for a family.

Other benefits like 5% cash back on accommodation, car rental, refreshments, etc. may also be available with the card.

Kruger and Kgalagadi Parks costs R120 a day per person. Other parks are less expensive, but if you are planning to spend a lot of time in the South African national Parks, absolutely get the card.