Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park Information

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

The Gemsbok National Park (Botswana) and the Kalahari Gemsbok Park (South Africa) have been formed into one unit creating the first of a series of 8 Frontier Parks to be established in Southern Africa - the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park.

The absence of man-made barriers (except to the west and south of the Park) has provided a conservation area large enough to maintain examples of two ecological processes that were once widespread in the savannahs and grasslands of Africa. The large scale migratory movements of wild ungulates; and predation by large mammalian carnivores.

It is a vast area of unspoilt countryside with low vegetation-covered dunes, grasslands, scrub bush and woodlands. Its pans are bordered by high peripheral dunes. The pans fill up with water during the rainy season and contain nutrient-rich soils, and salts.

In the southern part of near Bokspits, are large, red dunes which are a spectacle to watch and a challenge to climb. Because of its tough terrain, many parts remain virgin waiting to be experienced.

Despite this dryness and low rainfall, the Kalahari supports a diverse and abundant mammal fauna. The best time to visit the park is towards the end of the rainy season, roughly March to May, however, game can he seen at any time of the year. The area supports numerous Kalahari ungulates which include wildebeest, eland, hartebeest, gemsbok and springbok, and a healthy population of large predators - lions, leopards, cheetah and hyena.

Because of the sparse vegetation and concentration of animals in the dry riverbeds of the Auob and Nossob Rivers, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park offers premium mammal viewing destinations anywhere. It is especially renowned for predator watching and for the seasonal movement of large herbivores such as blue wildebeest, springbok, eland and red hartebeest. Ground Squirrel andSuricate (Meerkat) are two more of the park’s more prominent species. Both these ground dwelling species live in large family groups for added protection and can easily be seen throughout the park. Honey Badger (Ratel), Pangolin (Scaly Anteater) and Bat-eared Fox are some of the park specials to search for. But it is the predators that are the park’s biggest attraction. Excellent chances of seeing cheetah, leopard, brown and spotted hyena and the definitive black-maned lionexist.