Experience the remoteness of the Kalahari

The Kalahari Desert is a large semi-arid sandy savanna in Southern Africa extending for 900,000 square kilometres (350,000 sq mi), covering much of Botswana and parts of Namibia and South Africa. A semi-desert, with huge tracts of excellent grazing after good rains, the Kalahari supports more animals and plants than a true desert, such as the Namib Desert to the west.

The climate of the Kalahari is subtropical (average annual summer temperature of 40°C or more, average annual winter temperature below 18°C).

The native flora includes acacia trees and many other herbs and grasses.

The Kalahari is home to the lion, cheetah, African leopard, spotted hyena, brown hyena and African wild dog. Birds of prey include the secretarybird, martial eagle and other eagles, the giant eagle owl and other owls, falcons, goshawks, kestrels, and kites. Other animals include wildebeest, springbok, gemsbok and other antelopes, Cape porcupines and ostriches.

Highlights

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

Scenery

Black-mained lions of the Kalahari

Red dunes

Fauna and Flora

Map

South Africa

Start Point: Upington

Day 1 - 4

Kgalagadi TP Kgalagadi Lodge

Day 5

Upington (No accommodation)

End Point: Upington

Day 1

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

There's nowhere quite like South Africa for a top-notch safari experience, and your tour begins now – lucky you! We'll let you know what lies ahead, then get this trip of a lifetime started.

One of the world’s largest protected areas, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park extends across 38,000km² of the malaria-free Kalahari, split between South Africa and Botswana. Even as you drive to the entrance gate, a full 250km from the nearest town, you feel like you’re entering an older, wilder and more remote world. Once there, a landscape of red dunes and rolling seasonal grassland is hemmed in by dry riverbeds where gemsbok, wildebeest and springbok graze in the shade of ancient camelthorns. And while there are no elephants, rhinos or buffalo in Kgalagadi, few safari destinations are so rewarding for big cats, smaller carnivores and birds of prey.

Activities Day 1

Morning

You will meet your guide before 12:00 in Upington. Depending on your accommodation the previous night, the time and place will be confirmed before the start of the tour.

Afternoon

We visit a supermarket to buy snacks and refreshments for the drive to the Kgalagadi., Upington
Drive in convoy on tarred roads to the Kgalagadi. As we drive northwards, the Kalahari will start to reveal herself to you. She will welcome you with views of red dunes and salt pans next to the road.

Evening

Prepare your own meal at the fully equipped chalet or eat at the local restaurant., Kgalagadi Lodge

Night

Relax and enjoy the sounds of nocturnal birds and animals., Kgalagadi Lodge
It seems as if the stars are so close that you can touch them., Kgalagadi Lodge

Accommodation Day 1

Kgalagadi Lodge

Chalet

Rooms at Kgalagadi Lodge come in different shapes and sizes, but they're all big and bright and well looked after; some have cooking facilities. The Black Mane Butcher & Grill is the excellent onsite restaurant, and facilities include a swimming pool, a small supermarket and bottle shop where you can pick up supplies. The lodge is well-positioned close to the park entrance.

Day 2

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

Where the red dunes and scrub fade into infinity and herds of gemsbok, springbok, eland and blue wildebeest follow the seasons, where imposing camel thorn trees provide shade for huge black-mane lions and vantage points for leopard and many raptors... this is the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park.

Kalahari is derived from the Tswana word Kgala, meaning "the great thirst", or Kgalagadi, meaning "a waterless place". The Kalahari has vast areas covered by red sand without any permanent surface water. One of the unique facts about it is that most of the desert is not considered a real desert, due to the amount of rainfall the area receives. The Kalahari Desert has been home to the native San Bushmen for over 20,000 years. It is the second-largest desert in Africa.

Activities Day 2