Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

城市概覽

History The Kgalagadi tribes-people with the local Khoe-inhabitants of the desert were the first humans to inhabit this desolate desert habitat. Although they were nomadic, the name stayed. The name Kalahari was derived from the Kgalagadi word Makgadikgadi, meaning great thirstland or saltpans. The first Afrikaans/Dutch speaking settlers in the area came to trade with the people living in the Kalahari. The Kalahari Gemsbok National Park in South Africa was established in 1931 and the Gemsbok National Park in Botswana was established in 1938. These parks shared a common border. Since 1948 there has been informal cooperation agreements between conservation agencies in Botswana and South Africa to ensure the well being of animals in both parks and to control development in the area. The two parks were combined in 1999 and on 12 May 2000 the new Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park was formally opened by South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki and Botswana's President Festus Mogae and was the first Transfrontier park in Africa. Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park Communities Some of the original inhabitants of this wilderness area still live around and within the park.

Mier Community The Mier (the Afrikaans word for ant) community of the Kalahari mainly originated more than 150 years ago settled across a large area that reached up to the Orange River and into the German West Africa (now Namibia) and Bechuanaland (now Botswana). They mainly farmed with sheep, goats and cattle in the hardveld south of the Kalahari dunes.

Khomani Community The Khoe-speaking community of Southern Africa is not one tribe but a collective of different peoples with different languages and cultural practices. They are united by their experience of being hunters and gatherers in the Kalahari Desert. The environment they live in has been inscribed on the world heritage list as the "ǂKhomani Cultural Landscape". Today there are about 100 000 Khoe-speaking people in these parts. They live in small, scattered po

如何抵達

You may enter the park from either country and even use the park as a transit between Botswana and South Africa, provided that your documentation (passport, visa) is in order. The Twee Rivieren (South African side) and Two Rivers (Botswana side) gates act as border posts. Hired cars may be collected at Twee Rivieren provided that an advance booking is made with a car hiring company.

By car

From Botswana Drive from Gaborone for about 550 km until Tsabong. From there travel for about 310 km on gravel road. This road is negotiable by 4 x 2 vehicles during the dry season and 4 x 4 vehicles during the wet season. The alternative route is to travel from Gaborone to Hukuntsi on tarred road for 565 km followed by approximately 110km of sand road which is negotiable by 4 x 4 vehicles only.

From South Africa The park is about 250 km from Upington in the far northern Cape and 904 km from Johannesburg. Visitors driving from Gauteng or Mpumalanga have a choice of two routes, either via Upington on a tarred road or via Kuruman, Hotazel and Vanzylrus (about 340 km gravel).

By plane Easiest way to get to the Kgalagadi is to fly to Upington and then hire a car and drive yourself to the park. Car rentals available at Upington Airport include Avis, Budget, Tempest, and Hertz. Three flights daily from Cape Town and Johannesburg on SAA. Light aircraft may land on a tarred runway at Twee Rivieren. Prior permission must be obtained from the park.

當地交通

You can freely explore the whole park, regardless of what country your entered from. Provided that you exit at the same gate that you entered from, you do not even need to carry a passport. No roads in the park are paved, all have gravel surfaces. 4x4 vehicles are needed in the Botswana parts of the park. All roads in the park have gravel surfaces and can get badly corrugated at times. When driving from one rest camp to the other, travelers should depart with travelling times in mind to ensure arrival before sunset as no traveling is allowed in the park after dark. Gate times in the park are strictly adhered to and you may be fined when arriving late in the camp.

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

必看景點

Kgalgadi Museum. Open an hour after park gates and closes an hour before. Entrance is free. Meerkats. These animals are fascinating to watch and you could easily do so for hours. There is a gang of them at the Twee Rivieren Visitors Centre. These little rascals are so entertaining that they even star in their own TV show, the highly acclaimed Animal Planet program Meerkat Manor.

體驗活動

Self drive game viewing. 4 x 4 Routes, ☏ +27 54 561-2000, fax: +27 54 561-2005. R500, priced per vehicle with 5 occupants. Additional day conservation levy of R30 per person. Bookings is made at Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. Game drives, Twee Rivieren and Nossob camps. Early morning, sunset and night. Maximum of 20 people per gamedrive. Adults R110, children R55. Holiday programs, Twee Rivieren camp. Slide shows and lectures Day walks, All three major camps. Game watching. Let the wildlife come to you and spend a day next to the more than 120 waterholes in the dry riverbeds Locate a mob of meerkats and follow their frenetic foraging and vigil antics in the dunes Have brunch at one of the many picnic spots and get intimidated by the complete silence of the Kalahari Say hello to the visitors in the chalet/ rondawel next to you and share stories of your day's sightings over a fire and some 'skaap tjops' (lamb cutlets). Kalahari Safaris, ☏ +27 824350007, [email protected]. Specializes in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (3 -10 days) and Augrabies falls national park safaris.

購物

No real shopping in this remote desert area but look out for little San/ Bushman children selling seed-jewellery near the Twee Rivieren Gate. The three shops at the main camps Twee Rivieren, Mata Mata and Nossob offer some curios like ostrich eggs, some coffee table books and field guides, but they are mostly overpriced. Use the shops to buy your daily food like bread, meat, milk, eggs and anything else you might need in the middle of nowhere.

美食

The Kgalagadi offer no real unique food but do try the main camp shops for some ostrich steak or springbok biltong. A must try for your BBQ at night is the delicious Karoo lamb cutlets which is a South African classic. If you feel at a loss, just ask around at night in any of the camps. Every local South African sitting around their campfire with a beer will be more than willing to give you a taste of their pap and boerewors (Maize porridge and sausage).

飲品與夜生活

Make sure you drink loads of water and keep emergency water in your vehicle. This desert is extremely harsh. Tap Water is safe to drink, but is often very salty and not good for making coffee or tea. Bottles of still water can be boug