One of the largest wildlife preserve and conservative areas of the world, the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is situated between the borders of South Africa and Botswana, comprising of two other National Parks. The area coverage of the Park is about 38,000 square kilometers of which three quarters lies in Botswana while only one quarter lies in South Africa, and is located in the southern part of Kalahari Desert.
The red sand dunes, dry river beds and sparse vegetation with the antelopes and predators creating suspense scenes provide marvelous photographic situations. For the bird lovers, this park is truly a haven. The weather in Kgalagadi goes to both extremes. In Southern Africa, the midsummer is January, when the day temperature shoots to more than 40° C, whereas the winter nights have extremely cold temperature, often below freezing point.
It is said that the rivers flow only once in a century, which is a characteristic feature of Kgalagadi. Anyway, there is underground flow of water which gives life to the camel thorn trees and grasses that grow in these river beds. After severe thunderstorms, the rivers may start flowing abruptly, which is celebrated by the entire wildlife species that flock and swarm to these riverbeds to quench their thirst. This may be the reason why the park is named Kgalagadi which literally means a ‘place of thirst’!
The Park is a host of varied wildlife in abundance. Large mammalian predators like the Kalahari lions that are black-maned, the cheetahs, leopards and hyenas consider this park as the safest shelter. Some species of large herbivores like the blue wild beast, springbok, eland and others which are migratory herds live within the park and vacate seasonally, sustaining the predators. Over 200 species of birds including vultures, eagles, buzzards and secretary birds can be found living their own lives in this park. Anyone visiting this park is sure to enjoy the varied landscapes and the biodiversity seen in the same place.