Advertising May 2020 Trips to Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park with Chalo Africa

It’s home to the black-maned Kalahari lion. It’s said to be one of the top two places on the planet to see the cheetah. It has 19 key predators including lion, cheetah, hyena, jackal, fox, African wildcat, and caracal. And when it rains with the spectacular thunder of the Kalahari, lillies start to bloom.

There are no crowds, sorry.

Yes, this is not a garden-variety safari. This is for adventurers and explorers, people who welcome surprises. The Kgalagadi is an Undiscovered Country, all the way from Mabuasehube (in Botswana) to Twee Rivieren (in South Africa).

Trip Highlights
• The Kalahari lion (sightings are common)
• The cheetah (sightings are common)
• The pure Kalahari sky, with full-spectrum sunsets and dense star clusters, and a special photogenic light at sunrise
• Spectacular thunderstorms and rains that bring out the smell of red sand dunes
• The possibility of seeing less visible animals such as the leopard, meerkat, brown hyena, honey badger, porcupine, and pangolin
• Herds and herds of picture-perfect oryx/gemsbok
• Genuine solitude and silence in camp, but perhaps interrupted by owls and other raptors, yellow mongooses, barking geckos, and all manner of iridescent birds

Brief Itinerary
Day 1: Arriving in Gaborone, Botswana
Day 2: To the KTP, and then to the Mabuasehube Region. The possibility of seeing predators, raptors, etc. begins today itself.
Day 3: Mabuasehube Pans and Waterholes.
Day 4: The Matopi Region. This is true wilderness like you may have never experienced before. This is the area for stargazing, solitude and silence.
Day 5: The Polentswa Region. Here you can sometimes see bird-hunting black-backed jackals, a special treat. These jackals have learned to ambush birds coming to drink at the waterholes here.
Days 6 & 7: Polentswa along the Nossob Riverbed/Waterholes. The KTP may be the best place on the planet to observe the ungainly but very swift red hartebeests in large numbers, as well as brown hyena!
Day 8: The Mata Mata Region in South Africa. The Mata Mata region and the Auob Riverbed are good places to experience red sand dunes that look like ocean ripples when viewed from the sky.
Days 9 & 10: Game Drives in Mata Mata along Auob Riverbed/Waterholes. This is predator central, especially for lions, cheetahs and spotted hyenas.
Day 11: The Rooiputs Region in Botswana. There is a possibility of honey badger sightings here, as well as black-backed jackals and brown hyenas.
Days 12 & 13: Rooiputs along the Nossob & Auob Riverbeds/Waterholes. Don’t leave without watching springboks pronk!
Day 14: From the KTP to Upington, South Africa. Take a flight to Johannesburg for your onwards flight home.

NOTE: The day-by-day description below is shown for the group 1 trip, which starts in Botswana and ends in South Africa. The group 2 trip is the same but in reverse, starting in South Africa and ending in Botswana. The trip is guaranteed to run if either group is full.

Vehicle

A modified 4×4 Toyota Landcruiser V8 with fully collapsible sides equipped with gimbals, USB and 220v chargers.

The cost includes: 

• Transport by car during the full trip between Gaborone and Upington in a custom 4×4 Toyota Landcruiser V8
• Fuel, drivers, and English-speaking guides
• Accommodation in spacious tents with high-end, elevated cots (stretcher beds) with pillows, sheets, duvets and towels.
• Meals as indicated
• Daily activities as indicated

The cost does not include: 

• Flights to get to Gaborone and on leaving Upington for group 1, and flights to get to Upington and on leaving Gaborone for group 2.
• Any applicable visas
• Travel insurance