Kgalagadi Wild Camping Tour
A self-driving overland safari adventure
Welcome to the real bush experience. Watch the film to see what to expect in the Kgalagadi.
What is this tour about?
This tour takes a small group of people on a 12-day wild overland tour through one of Southern Africa’s wildest parks. This is a real wilderness experience with some basic luxuries. The tour is an assisted/guided self-driving safari which means you will be driving one of our fully kitted out 4x4 vehicles (your guides can also drive if you prefer to just sit back and relax). The guides will assist in setting up camp, navigation, preparation of meals and safety procedures when the group comes into contact with wild animals. All of our bush meals are prepared by our guides and can be enjoyed with great wines selected with the Kgalagadi in mind by Robinson & Sinclair Wines.
Tour duration:
To get to see all the amazing sights, that the Kgalagadi has to offer, a big distance needs to be covered. Driving is unavoidable and intimately part of the adventure. To get the most out of the Kgalagadi, we recommend a minimum 12-day tour. This gives you 11 nights in the park and 1 night outside of the park.
To reduce time in the overland vehicles a flight from Cape Town to Upington will be organised. This cuts out about 8 hours of driving each way. You lose out on a lot of the scenery of the Northern Cape area, but you get more time in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park.
The tour can be extended to 16 days if a more leisurely schedule is requested. This gives you the chance to see more landmarks on the way and back and to spend less time in a car each day.
An alternative option is to book the 12-day tour and then stay a couple of extra days in Cape Town. Scenic cycling tours, guided mountain hikes, wine tasting excursions, wildlife viewing (whales, seals & dolphins) trips at sea are the types of add-ons that you can request.
Tour Dates:
Late autumn is a great time to visit the Kgalagadi. This time of year you get a great combination of weather and wildlife sightings. The days are not unbearably hot and the evenings are pleasant. Insects and strong winds are not a major concern at this time of year. You also get the opportunity to see some recently born young antelope.
The dates are very hard to change as booking opportunities in the park are very hard to come by. If you need to move the dates a bit, we will try our best to accommodate you.
Next departing tour: 20 March to 1 April
Itinerary
Inside the park
Day 1: Upington
Travel Time: 8 hours
Description: On the way towards the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park the group passes through a stunning arid landscape called the Karoo.
Keimoes is a settlement on the biggest island in the lower Orange River (the longest river in SA) region. Virtually every inch of soil is under irrigation.
Points of Interest: Enchantingly rustic Padstalle (farm stalls) en route takes you back 100 years. Incredible mountain ranges. And lush vineyards in the desert landscape make an interesting sight.
Day 2: Nossob Campsite
Travel Time: 4 hours
Description: The group enters the park as the gates open and make their way to the Nossob Campsite. Nossob Rest Camp is situated within the dry riverbed of the Nossob river. The camp is surrounded by savannah trees and is famous for spectacular predator sightings.
Points of Interest: Large herds of wildebeest, oryx and springbuck. Usually a hotspot for predators such as lion, cheetah and leopard. First bonnet lunch, coffee or beers.
Day 3: Nossob to Bosobogolo
Travel Time: 4 hours
Description: It takes half a day’s driving over rolling sand dunes and through grass valleys to get to the Botswana side of the park.
The first campsite in the Mabuasehube area has many beautiful shady trees.
Points of Interest: Due to the abundance of food, predators are often seen or heard. Lion and leopard can be spotted. Keep an eye out for bat-eared foxes jumping to catch bugs at dusk.
Day 5 & 6: Bosobogolo
Travel Time: Game Drives
Description: Some highlights to expect are: the first bush breakfast, exploratory game drives, bird watching, sundowners.
The floor of Bosobogolo pan is short, shrubby grassland, which antelope frequent to graze, accompanied, of course, by predators.
Points of Interest: Small mammals, like the Cape fox, aardwolf and black-footed cat can be seen at the pans in the evening.
Day 7 - 9: Lesholoago
Travel Time: Game Drives
Description: Breakfast in the campsite, game drives, bird watching & sundowners
Lesholoago tends to be the favourite site of regular visitors, and for good reason. The campsites are far apart, the pan has a nice waterhole with plenty of animals, and there is regular lion activity in the area.
Points of Interest: Lion and leopard area. Lots of birds of prey. Resident red-necked falcons nest in one of the main trees in the camp. They can often be seen feeding on prey that they have caught.
Day 10: Wilderness trail
Travel Time: 3 hours
Description: Group moves along the exclusive wilderness trail. Here the group will be alone within a 50km radius.
To maintain KTP’s pure wilderness experience, there are strict limits as to the number of vehicles that can travel the wilderness trails, how many nights a camping party can stay at a campsite (usually limited to one night), and how many people can camp at each campsite.
Points of Interest: Lion & springbok beautiful little pan.
Day 11: Nossob Campsite
Travel Time: 5 hours
Description: After a week of hard camping, one night of luxury in the bush before making our way home. The following day guests are dropped off at the airport for their flight back to Cape Town.
Points of Interest: Find camp details
Guides
Pieter
Many years of bush experience. Great all-round camping knowledge and skills. Interesting campfire stories.
I am totally enchanted by the feeling of sitting next to a crackling fire and listening to the sounds of the night whilst sipping on a whiskey.
I have spent many years looking for places in Africa that leave me with a sense of bewilderment and tranquillity. The Kgalagadi is this place. That’s why I keep coming back.
Zander
A mechanical engineer and currently a professional videographer in Cape Town. Many years of bush experience. Avid traveler.
Since the first time (before 1 years old) I have loved spending time in the bush. I have tried to build my life in such a way to be able to spend as much time in the wildest places in Africa.
I want to share the feeling of being surrounded by wilderness to other nature lovers.
Ané
A soon to be masters student of statistics and without a doubt the most passionate about the outdoors. A true nature enthusiast.
I love the sense of adventure of packing your car and then hitting the road for two weeks. I always come back a slightly different person.
Every time I go, I try to learn as much about the local plants and birds as I possibly can.
Menu
We have a delicious set menu prepared during your days in the bush. We try to incorporate as many local foods as possible such as rusks with coffee and tea. A wide range of game meats and veggies cooked over the fire and fresh-baked bread can be expected.
If you have any specific allergies or dietary requirements, please let us know well in advance.
Prices
25% Deposit required for all bookings.
Kick-start your adventure!
