Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
IUCN Category II - National Park
Gemsbok National Park
The Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Park is a arisen by merging the Kalahari-Gemsbok-Nationalpark/Südafrika and Gemsbok-Nationalpark/Botswana nature reserve in the Kalahari desert with an area of approximately 38,000 km ². He is well known for its lions, as they are spared in the Kruger National Park of tuberculosis in contrast to those and therefore occur in relatively high density.
The transverse through the park border river Nossob may be exceeded in both directions of visitors without any border formalities. The park may, however, are generally left only to the land out of which one is driven into the park. However, there are in the camp grounds Twee both a South African as well as a Botswana border inspection posts, so an exit that, regardless of where one is driven into it, is possible through all the gates. The Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Park is bordered on the west by Namibia, the border crossing Mata - Mata is open again since October 2007.
Since it is a reaching across borders park, he is counted among the Peace Parks.
Landscape
The landscape of the park consists mainly of broad, covered with dune grasses dunes fields. They are interrupted by the running in a southeasterly direction valleys of the most dried-up rivers (Riviera ) Aoub and Nossob.
Flora & Fauna
The following plant and animal species are the most common or most prominent:
Fauna
- Oryx ( " Gemsbok " )
- Springboks
- Wildebeest
- Eland ( " Eland "; taurotragus )
- Giraffes
- African wild cats
- Springhares
- Pfeiffratten ( Parotomys brantsii )
- Weaver ( Sociable Weaver - Philetairus socius ) and their usually very large communal nests
- Kapkobras
Flora
- Camel thorn (Acacia erioloba )
- Gray camel thorn (Acacia Haematoxylon )
- Shepherd Tree ( shepherd's tree - Boscia albitrunca )
- Gemsbok cucumber ( gemsbok cucumbers - Acanthosicyos naudinianus )
- Tsamma melon
The journey in the car requires from Johannesburg and Cape Town for about a day. Since the park in the evening closes its doors in this range may be too far for a day. In the 260 km southern town of Upington, however, there are good places to stay. The border crossing Mata Mata to Namibia has been open since October 2007. However, a reservation of at least two nights in the national park must be presented, if you want to use this transition.