Ian Griesel
Trip report: Botswana (Kgalagadi and Khutse)
My wife and I have recently returned from a trip to the Khutse and the Botswana side of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and thought that my observations may be of use to readers.
As the Twee Rivieren border post is still closed we entered Botswana via the border post of Gemsbok (SA side) / Bokspits (Botswana side) near Askham early in the morning. Officials on both sides were very friendly and formalities were completed quickly. On the SA side there was a slight delay as we had to wait for their computers to boot up. On the Botswana side we had to wait a few minutes for the Port Health official to arrive to complete COVID formalities.
Because of a power failure Botswana was unable to process payment of our road transport levy and requested that we pay it at the Middelputs / Middelpits border post on our way to Tsabong. We were slightly sceptical as we knew this border post is still closed under the COVID regulations. On arrival at the Middelpits border post we found the gate locked with a chain and diverted to the police station for information. The police phoned the border post and informed as that the border officials are in attendance, and we should just approach the border post via the staff housing. We did this and were quite surprised to find six officials sitting at their posts inside the closed border post. Unfortunately, a significant delay ensued as – with the border post having been closed for two years – the computer login details of the officials have lapsed and had to be reset by IT support before they could process the payment.
The tarred road between Bokspits and Tsabong is in a very good condition with almost no potholes. The only problem we had is that a number of speed limit signs were absent – for some reason usually those telling you that you can revert to a higher speed after driving through a settlement. Being wary of possible speed fines, we proceeded unnecessarily slowly.
In Tsabong we shopped at the Sefalana Supermarket and Choppies. Beef and goat was of good quality and very cheap by South African standards. All through the trip mutton tended to be either unavailable or not of good quality. Vegetables in Tsabong were also not that great.
The gravel road from Tsabong to the Mabuasehube East Gate of Kgalagadi was quite corrugated in places. Where it joins the cutline at the border of the park it turns into deep sand.
That night we stayed at Bosobogolo 2 (Shade shelter; no other facilities). This campsite has a nice view over the Bosobogolo pan.
The next day we shifted to Lesholoago via Mpayathutlwa. The track between Bosobogolo and Mpaya is quite corrugated. Otherwise, the tracks in the Mabua area are in OK condition and as they are well-used seeds and grass on the “middelmannetjie” did not pose problems.
Lesholoago 2 is a nice roomy campsite close to the Lesholoago waterhole. Neither the campsite nor the waterhole had any water. Water was still functional April last year (and according to one report as recently as December) so hopefully it will be fixed. Unfortunately, it seems that maintenance at the DWNP campsites in Mabua is way behind and has been sadly neglected for a very long time – for example the poles of the shower structure at Lesholoago are rusted right through (and has spilled sharp rust particles right through the shower). An interesting feature of this campsite is that it has two longdrops – the one in much better condition than the other.
While camped at Lesholoago we had very heavy rain – so much so that the Mabuasehube pan went from dry to lots of water overnight. The area was very green with lush grass after a good rainy season. It was great to see it that wet and green, although it did make game spotting more difficult.
At Mpayathutlwa pan a lioness that was being rehabilitated was held in a boma (fenced enclosure). According to some other tourists she was relocated to the park after killing cattle elsewhere and was in a terrible condition when she arrived. She is now looking quite well and as we understand it the intention is that she will be released into the park as soon as the resident pride has become used to her. For that there is still some way to go. While one of the males made friendly overtures to her, we witnessed another female (that deviated from her pride for kilometres to visit the captive female) acting very aggressively toward her – repeatedly charging the fence when the captive female showed herself. It would be great if other travellers can keep the forum informed as things develop.
From Lesholoago we proceeded to Bosobogolo 1 (Shade shelter, shower enclosure, longdrop, no water). This camp has less of a view over the pan, but all in all was a nicer campsite than number 2.
From there we took the two-way trail to Nossob. This was in quite a good condition and by the time we were there grass and seeds were no longer a problem.
We stayed the next night at Nossob (try to buy your meat elsewhere – the shop prices are exorbitant) and from there went to camp at Swartpan. The road north of Nossob was corrugated as usual. The KAA access road (also known as the Kannaguass trail) was in decent condition, but not being used that frequently seeds and grass were a problem (despite the use of a seed net). Closer to KAA this improved and there were even signs of fairly recent track maintenance (bushes being cut back etc). We saw a very large herd of Eland in the area.
The access track from KAA to Swartpan was quite overgrown, especially from Sizatswe (not to be confused with Sesatswe on the Polentswa trail) onwards, and we had to stop very frequently to clear grass and seeds from the radiator and exhaust. Also with bushes encroaching onto the road you have to accept that your vehicle will be scratched. The 75 km from KAA to Swartpan took us more than four hours.
There are two waterholes at Swartpan, but neither is currently functional. According to the Tracks4Africa guide there should be water taps at the Swartpan campsites, but we could not find any sign of them (and in any event with the boreholes out of commission there would not have been any water anyway). The airstrip shown on the T4A maps was no longer visible.
The state of the access track and the absence of water really is a shame as Swartpan is spectacular and the area exceptionally rich in game. With a bit of track maintenance and fixing the water supply Swartpan could easily rival Mpayathutlwa.
At the moment Swartpan provides utter seclusion (the attendant at the KAA gate could not remember when somebody last stayed there) to the totally self-sufficient traveller that does not mind coping with an overgrown track.
On the way out we decided to travel along the cutlines – first north along the Namibian border and then east along the cutline at the northern border of the park. This provided a fast and easy – if somewhat boring – route.
On the bright side, the attendant at the KAA gate mentioned that there are plans to fix the waterholes (officials recently visited the area to obtain the GPS coordinates of the boreholes). The timeframe within which this may happen was not quite clear: “Perhaps this next financial year”.
From the KAA gate we took the track to Zutshwa and Hukuntsi. Note that the track to Zutshwa crosses through a concession area managed by the local community and that a transit fee is payable. There is a self-issue permit station situated in Zuthswa. The transit fee is BWP50 cash, but can also be paid in ZAR and USD. The transit fee is waived if you stay in one of the community campsites. You do get something in return for your transit fee – during our visit the track was in a decent condition with clear signs of recent maintenance (encroaching bushes cut back and fallen branches picked up). We also saw the largest herd of Springbok we have ever seen – it must have been hundreds of them.
At Zuthswa the track turns into a normal gravel road (fair condition) and at Hukuntsi it becomes tar (good condition). At Kang we stayed at Kalahari Rest Lodge. We opted for an airconditioned chalet and had dinner at the restaurant which offered a choice of T-bone, Sirloin, Rump, Fillet or Chicken Schnitzel. We found the food to be tasty and well-priced. They source their meet from Kang Meat Market and we wanted to stock up there the next day, but unfortunately they were closed at the time.
From Kang we travelled to Khutse via Lethlakeng. Between Lethlakeng and Kudumelapye there were a number of serious wash-aways and water pools that have become watering points for livestock. From Kudumelapye to Salajwe the road is very corrugated. Between Salajwe and the park the road has recently been graded and was in a good condition.
The tracks in Khutse are well-used and in decent condition. It seems that the concrete road signage is being renewed but in many cases this has not yet proceeded beyond the base coat of paint so currently much of the signage is not useable. With the aid of T4A maps this did not pose a problem.
Much of the vegetation in the area is of the “thicket” variety, so game viewing is best and easiest at the pans. Personally, I prefer the scenery in the northern part of the CKGR to that in the Khutse area, but we did have a fantastic wild dog sighting, and saw numerous giraffe, general game, raptors and signs of recent elephant activity.
At the Khutse pan there are 10 campsites, all reasonably close to the Khutse waterhole. Campsite 1 is closest to the waterhole and seems to be the most popular.
The campsites at Moreswe are more secluded than those at Khutse (where you may still be aware of your neighbours). Campsite 2 at Moreswe offers the best view of the pan. Campsites 3 and 4 are somewhat difficult to find. We forgot to take waypoints of these sites after finding them on our second circumnavigation of the pan.
After Khutse we travelled to South Africa via the Ramatlabama border post. The road south of Molepolole was severely potholed in places, but improved after the next town.
We needed a COVID test to re-enter South Africa. Note that the Ramatlabama border post does not have rapid testing facilities, so you will have to obtain your test elsewhere (according to the new SA rules this will not be necessary if you are vaccinated). We had a rapid test done at Diagnofirm in Molepolole. Diagnofirm has a large number of depots – visit their website to find the one closest to your route.
The layout of the South African side of Ramatlabama is not very logical – the port health authority that must be visited for completion of COVID formalities for entering into South Africa is located in the last building on the exit side (just before you would enter Botswana). When we were there this was not signposted and we had to ask for directions twice. At the time vaccination status was irrelevant, but they did accept our Diagnofirm rapid test without question (your mileage may vary).
We drove back to Cape Town via Bloemfontein to visit family. Our route took us over the Bloemhof dam between Bloemhof and Hoopstad. This road featured potholes the size of aardvark holes. The R700 between Hoopstad and Bloemfontein was also severely potholed and is not recommended at night or in rainy weather (we drove it experiencing both).
Final observations
It is clear that tourist numbers in Botswana have not yet recovered after COVID. Outside Kgalagadi we encountered only four foreign (South African) tourists. In Khutse all the other tourists appeared to be locals on a weekend break. By the Sunday evening it felt as if we had the park to ourselves.
High quality beef can be obtained cheaply in Botswana. In South Africa supermarkets have largely replaced traditional butcheries, but this does not appear to be the case in Botswana so you may be better served by visiting a butchery than buying meat at a supermarket. Mutton is scarce, and you may have to settle for goat. Availability and quality of vegetables is very variable.
As in the past we found Botswana officials to be quite helpful.
For a South African used to people ignoring laws, it remains a strange sight to see locals wearing masks walking next to the road miles from anywhere. This may be because of high fines, strict enforcement or general tendency to be law-abiding – I’m not sure which.
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