How to have a true wilderness experience on an African safari, without ‘having a hard time’!

If you are looking for a true wilderness experience without having to “have a rough time”, then you must visit the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park wilderness camps! All of these wilderness camps are unfenced, which makes the park so attractive to people who want to be really close to nature.

Some facts about the camps before we discuss our experiences at each:

• There is a tour assistant/camp manager on duty at all times and, to maintain the serenity and exclusivity of the wilderness camps, a maximum of eight people are allowed in each camp, two people in each of the four cabins .

• All accommodation units at Wilderness Camps have en-suite bathrooms, gas coolers and geysers, while solar panels provide electricity for lights. All units have cookware, cutlery, ceiling fans, linens and towels, and are cleaned daily.

1. Kieliekrankie

This is the highest camp, situated on one of the highest dunes overlooking a private watering hole. The four dune cabins are spacious with number four being the most private as it is at the end.

Daytime views are magnificent as you can see for miles. We have had regular sightings of brown hyenas, gemsbok, black-backed jackals, cape cobras, secretaries and falcons. At night we have seen leopards, caracals, African wild cats, steenbok, porcupines, scorpions and owls. When there is a storm the view is spectacular with the sky changing colors and lightning lighting up the sky!

The watering hole is about 120 meters away, so you’ll need at least a 400mm lens to photograph drinking animals. However, the resident leopard walks between the huts to and from the watering hole!

2. Urikaruus

This camp is built on stilts in the dry bed of the Auob River and the four riverside cabins are connected by raised walkways. The bedrooms and bathrooms are upstairs, while the kitchens, dining rooms and terraces are downstairs.

The views are not as impressive as in Kieliekrankie and Gharagab, but we have seen huge herds of gazelle, wildebeest and Tessebe passing by the huts. We have seen lions, brown hyenas and cheetahs at the private watering hole during the day and even at night. For wildlife photography, this campground is great, especially if you don’t have a long lens, as the watering hole is only 50 meters from the cabins. One year we had a lioness walking through the camp while our neighbors unpacked her vehicle!

3. Bitterpan

The camp is situated in the dunes and is built on stilts with wooden walkways linking the reed huts. Bitterpan is ideal for small groups of friends as there is a communal braai (barbecue) and fire pit area.

Behind the cabins is a twenty-foot-high observation tower that offers great views over the basin, watering hole, and dunes. The road that leads to the campground is a 1 way road and you must have a 4X4 to drive this road.

4. Grootkolk

Grootkolk, like Bitterpan, has a common kitchen area, making it ideal for small groups of friends. However, each desert hut has its own braai in case you want your privacy. We found the units to be a bit cramped.

The water hole is about 70 meters from the cabins and it is not easy to see if the grass is long. We have seen lions and leopards in the area.

5. Gargab

The camp is located on the northern edge of the park and the four log cabins are built on top of a dune offering magnificent views of the surrounding dunes and forests. Additionally, there is an observation deck behind the cabins that offers a 360-degree view of the area.

The private watering hole is about 70 meters from the cabins and we have seen lions drinking here most mornings and afternoons. Opportunities to photograph sunrises, sunsets, and thunderstorms are excellent here. The road that leads to the camp is 1 way and a 4X4 vehicle is required.

6. Kalahari Tent Camp

This camp is the largest of the wilderness camps, boasting 15 ensuite desert tents made from sandbags and canvas.

The spacious tents are situated on a high sand dune overlooking a private watering hole in the dry bed of the Auob River. This is the only wild camp that has a pool and where children under 12 are allowed.

This camp and Urikaruus are the only two camps where we see giraffes. We have also seen lions and large herds of wildebeest and gazelles. The water hole is about 120 meters away and the middle shops (numbers 6 to 10) are the closest to the water hole.

The tents are set up on wooden platforms and yearling hyenas chased and killed a young wildebeest under our neighbor’s tent. You can imagine the noise – they were terrified and used a knife to cut through the back tent so they could get out and ‘escape’. The camp manager assured them they were safe, but the next day they left. Needless to say, they returned a few months later – the Kalahari desert experience is truly addictive!