General Tips and other Kalahari Gemsbok National Park, South Africa General Tips

Favorite Thing: Roads in the park have gravel surfaces. The speed limit is 40 km/hr. If you go too fast you will really kick up the dust in the air. You could also easily wreck as there are deep sandy spots as well that could quickly slow down one side of the vehicle.

Apparently, you may hire a car in advance and pick it up at Twee Rivieren. I suggest hiring a car in Cape Town or J'Berg, or even Upington. 4x4 are really essiential as the roads are low compared to the surrounding area and you need to sit high as well as deal with the sand and gravel roads.
The travelling times:
Entrance gate at Twee Rivieren to Nossob rest camp is 3.5 hours
Entrance gate at Twee Rivieren to Mata Mata 2.5 hours.

Gate Hours

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

You will be fined if you do not make it back to camp before closing.

The Park goes by a permit system. You must pick up your permit at the reception before leaving the rest camp and then deposit it back upon return.


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Favorite Thing: 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.


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