Witsand Kalahari Nature Reserve – Location and Accommodation

Witsand Kalahari Nature Reserve in the Northern Cape provides tourists with a nice stopover between Gauteng and Namibia or the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. The word ‘stopover’ is, however, not completely appropriate. You could easily spend a couple of days, even a week, at the reserve and never be bored. This is a must-see destination in anyone’s budget holiday as the prices are reasonable (even cheap for camping).

We used the Witsand Kalahari Nature Reserve as a stopover in 2005 and stayed for only two days. In 2007 we rectified our mistake and spent a couple of days more at the resort.

Where is Witsand Kalahari Nature Reserve?

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From Gauteng you take the N14 towards Upington. Just after Olifantshoek, you will find a road sign indicating the turnoff to the reserve. From here it is a gravel road and depending on the season, the road can be a little hair-raising for tourists travelling with a small sedan or normal caravan. The turn-offs to the resort is well-marked and if you happen to miss the first turn-off from the N14, you will find another one a couple of kilometers further on. Their web site www.witsandkalahari.co.za provides all the details one could require. 

Accommodation at Witsand Kalahari Nature Reserve

You can choose between camping and staying in self-catering chalets. The campground is well maintained and although shade is at a premium on some sites, especially during the hot summer months, overall camping at the reserve is a pleasant experience.

Be careful during the summer months as the resort is in the Kalahari region of South Africa and the temperatures can be scorching. During winter months, make sure you have adequate blankets because although the days are moderate and pleasant, the nights can be downright freezing.

During 2007 we elected to make use of the camping facilities and being December, we had quite a bit of rain (with the inevitable leaking nylon tents) and very hot temperatures. So, check where you pitch the tent so that you don’t end up in a river of water during the night.

The self-catering accommodation is more than adequate and comfortable. Fully equipped kitchens, lounges and crisp and clean bedrooms are the order of the day.



Management of the reserve tried to cause as little disturbance to the vegetation as possible and natural bush surrounds all the chalets. You might even, like we did, get visits from Steenbuck and a variety of other animal life around the camp. They even provided a birdbath and drinking point for the animals at the chalets, so sitting on the porch and relaxing with a cold one, could be very rewarding in the early morning and early evening.

With friendly staff, adequate accommodation and plenty to do and see, this is an ideal destination for any tourist travelling through the Northern Cape Province of South Africa. In the next post I will tell you what to do and see in the area. Trust me, if you are a nature lover, you don’t want to miss out on all the activities this wonderful resort has to offer. Even the off-road enthusiast will have a blast.

Tarred Road Between Askham and Twee Riviere

The first time I visited the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park the road between Askham and Twee Riviere was still notorious. Reports of vehicles breaking down, corrugations shaking your teeth loose and tires being towed behind vehicles were in the order of the day. To me...it meant excitement.

Bad road conditions led to few people venturing to that part of our beautiful country and those are the places I love. Nature tends to be unspoiled when fewer human footprints litter the area - a sad state of affairs, but unfortunately all too true. So, we packed the car, at that stage a Pajero and the off-road Explorer caravan (bad choice, but that is a story for another day) and set off in the middle of the night to reach Molopo Lodge at Askham where we would overnight before embarking on THE ROAD.

We reached the lodge just before sundown and thanked our lucky stars that we reserved a chalet for the night. THE ROAD had to be embarked upon well before first light if you wanted any chance of arriving at the gate at Twee Riviere by eight when it opened. So, by five 'o clock we were on our way. The road proved to be everything it was reported to be - and then some.

After ten kilometers (and more than half an hour later) I thought the Pajero would lose at least some of the wheel nuts. Anything that could shake loose, did and I shuddered at the thought of the mahem I would find inside the caravan. We drove on every possible side of the road and sometimes even next to the road, but regardless of how fast or slow or where you drove, the corrugations hammered away at the car and your body. (I suspect the idea for the Vibro Shape belt originated on this road) Dust whirled around the cars and we had to keep a substantial following distance from our companions to be able to see the road ahead.  

Just before eight we arrived at the gate of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and watched the sun rise over the huts of the Botswana Twee Rivieren camp. The sixty-odd kilometers took nearly 3 hours to negotiate. What a wonderful start to a holiday in the bush!

During 2008 we entered the Kgalagadi again from Askham, and despite rumors of the road being tarred, I still held some hope that parts would be gravel. The freshly tarred surface continued to the gate of the park and we traversed the same stretch of road in less than an hour.

Now, I may be completely wrong about this and it is purely my own opinion, but I wonder if the tarring of the road didn't contribute to the influx of tourists to the park. During the time when access to the park was still limited to a few people who didn't mind "roughing" it a bit, we experienced no traffic congestion on the main roads, no motorists driving at excessive speeds and virtually all the people we met, were there solely for the purpose of experiencing nature and drink in the unique ambience of the Kalahari Desert.

A quiet appreciation of the animals and vegetation ruled the campsites at Twee Riviere - this changed to traffic jams, tour groups and noice-filled nights. While I am all for making our national parks more accessible to everyone and wouldn't dream to shun progress, I can't help but feel a little sad that the park is following in the footsteps of the Kruger National Park and is now well on the way to becoming a more commercial enterprise. With the road between Twee Riviere and Nossob being fixed (rumour has it that it will eventually also be tarred) it feels like the last vestiges of the quiet beauty will be lost for future generations. I hope the management of the park would be able to find a balance between commercial viability and preserving the park and its riches.

That said, I continue to visit the park despite these factors and during every visit the Kalahari reveals a little more about itself. You just can't help yourself - you need to go back again and again to experience the sometimes barren and dry soil of the Kalahari Desert.

The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park should be on every tourist itinerary.

Where to Find Owls in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

With the December holidays approaching, many people will flock to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. Bird watchers will be delighted to know that there are several spots in the park where different species of owls reside on a regular basis.

Twee Riviere and Vicinity

Exit the gate at Twee Riviere in the direction of Nossob. The Nossob River bed is on your right and dunes on your left. Small trees line the road on the left. Practically within a kilometer from the gate and well before you reach the Confluence lookout point, a small tree on the left plays host to at least two Spotted Eagle Owls.

Further along the road, just before the Melkvlei picnic area there is a fallen tree on the right hand side of the road. Despite the road works during December 2008, the Spotted Eagle Owls were not disturbed and rested during the heat of the day both on the thick branch of the fallen tree and in the foliage of the tree above.

Owls in the Nossob Area

 At the gate of the Nossob camp where your exit towards Twee Riviere, an unassuming smallish tree on your right hand side usually yields a threesome of Southern White-faced Scops-Owl. These owls rest in the precious little shade of the tree during the day and at night you can hear their calls echo through the camp.

Mata Mata and Vicinity

Inside the Mata Mata camp, right in front of the small tuck shop, a huge tree provides shade to humans and animals alike.  At least two Southern White -faced Scops-Owls will stare at you from the branches of the tree. Keep checking for them as they sometimes settle down on the lower branches of the tree and affords tourists wonderful photo opportunities.

After the turn-off to the Kalahari tented camp, the road turns to the left from Mata Mata side. On the left hand side of the road, tree partially overhangs the road. A pair of Spotted Eagle Owls resides inside the tree during the day and they are easy to spot. You will have a shady spot to stand in as well, which is a bargain during the hot summer months in the Kgalagadi.

These are only a few of the locations inside the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park where owls are seen at regular intervals. You will mostly hear the African Scops- Owl, but find it difficult to see one as they are small birds and very well camouflaged.

Also, look for Barn Owls inside Sociable Weaver nests as they utilize these huge nests to raise their own young.

What Animals Will You Find in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park?

People visit the Kgalagadi to see animals in their natural habitat and enjoy the solitude and beauty of the landscape.

Before I start to give you some insight into the variety of animals one would see while visiting the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and Mabuasehube Game Reserve, I have to warn all readers... I am an avid birder who would sit and stare at an owl for hours on end rather than wait for a lazy lion to lift his or her butt just so that I can get a photograph. So if I concentrate more on birds, please forgive me as it is not intentional.

Being semi desert country and an arid region, some of the animals found here - and we can take a bet on this - will amaze you. During the summer months the temperature can soar to above 40⁰ Celsius while winter nights can have you shivering in your tent at well below zero. The animals that inhabit this are must therefore be well adjusted to survive in minimal rainfall and extreme temperatures.


Carnivorous Mammals found in the Kgalagadi (Kalahari Desert)

Most people visit the park hoping to see at least some of the Big Five. Most of the time, this is no problem. Due to the heat during the summer months, the best time to view lions, leopard (yes they are there) and cheetah are early morning and late afternoon. Once you spot a lion in the morning, the chances are good that you will find the lion in the same vicinity later during the day as well. They are lazy critters and only move to drink (so check out the water points and bore holes carefully) or to crawl into another shady spot. After dark chances are that you will see them quenching their thirst at the water holes of Mata Mata or Nossob before they embark on the hunt.

If you stay at Twee Riviere or Rooiputs, look for the leopard early in the day and late afternoon around the Confluence water point (photo on the right). From Twee Riviere side, a fallen tree on the right side of the road, just before you reach the waterhole is a popular hideout for the leopard. If you are lucky, you might find a female with her cubs, like we did last December. Nothing prepares you for the feeling of "aaww shame" when you see the small leopard cub cheekily peeking out from the grass.

We found cheetahs all along the Nossob River as well as at Mata Mata ( where we viewed them from the campsite). Hyenas frequent the Nossob River and you should keep an eye out for them from Twee Riviere right up to Unie End in the north. We were lucky enough to see a hyena cooling off in one of the drinking troughs, which made me extremely happy that I had my own drinking water.

Besides the obvious carnivores, smaller carnivorous mammals also inhabit the park. In the next post I will reveal more about them. If anyone can think of some , please comment and we'll see whose list is closest to mine.

Until next time...