Botswana Kgalaghadi

[CapeTown]

Hi all the travel boffs. I am wanting to go to the Botswana part of Kgalagadi, Polentswa & Rooiputs but have seen somewhere that you need to travel with 2 or more vehicles on the Botswana side of the park.

I plan to travel on my own and camp at the Botswana facilities. So the questions are is this allowed and do I book the sites through the Botswana side of the park?

[Stan Weakley]

You can definitely visit Polentswa and Rooiputs with one vehicle. Yes bookings are done through the Botswana Department of Wildlife and National Parks.

There is a wilderness trail connecting Mabuasehube to Polentswa that requires more than one vehicle, but it does not seem that this is your intention.

[CapeTown]

You can definitely visit Polentswa and Rooiputs with one vehicle. Yes bookings are done through the Botswana Department of Wildlife and National Parks.

There is a wilderness trail connecting Mabuasehube to Polentswa that requires more than one vehicle, but it does not seem that this is your intention.

Thanks for the info Stan. May I ask is it feasible for me to go into southern Botswana up to Kaa gate and then travel to the camps from there? I think I have seen a clip on youtube showing this route.

[Stan Weakley]

There has always been a lot of confusion concerning the various routes between the Botswana side of the Kgaligadi National Park and the South African side. I have attempted to summarise it below, including the routes involving Kaa Gate. I think I have got it right. Please correct me as it is some years since I have done some of these routes.
Look at this copy of the official map for KTP, as can be purchased in the park. The various trails are depicted here. Starting on the right hand (south-eastern) side of the map and working towards the left (north-west).
1.Mabuasehube Bosobogolo Trail.
Also known as the “Bottom Route”. This is the trail in blue and is the most widely used to drive between Nossob and Mabuasehube. Travel is both ways, single vehicle usage is allowed as are trailers and camping overnight is permitted at Matopi 1 or 2 if you have booked them. No special permission is required to use this trail and in fact it can be done in 1 day from Nossob to Mabuasehube with an early start. Only suitable for 4 wheel drive vehicles because of the deep sand and dune climbs in the first third of the route.
2.Mabuasehube Wilderness Trail. (Or Nossob Ecotrail).
Also known as the “Top Route”. Further to the left (north-west) this trail is marked in orange. This is one-way only from Mabuasehube via Malatso and Mosomane to Nossob. This trail has to be booked through the Botswana Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) and is for exclusive use of the group. There must be more than one vehicle, 4x4 a requirement and no trailers are allowed. I think there is still a forced sleep-over at Mosomane.
3.Kaa Gate Trails.
There are 3 of these as per the map.
These do not have to be booked, can be done by single vehicles and trailers permitted. ( SEE CORRECTION IN SUBSEQUENT POST) Also suggest must be 4x4 vehicle.
a) Between Polentswa via Tweeling Rambuka and Sesatowe to Kaa Gate. Marked in red and one-way from south to north.
b) Between Kaa Gate via Lang Rambuka to Lyersdraai Waterhole. This is one-way north to south only and is also marked in red.
c) Further to the left (north-west) is a third trail marked in green. I would think this is the most frequently used of the three. This is a two-way road and is from the Kannagause Waterhole to Kaa Gate.
So your answer is, yes you can do the Kaa Gate routes in a single vehicle and they do not require bookings.
Can someone please correct me if there are any factual errors!

[Lilly Landy]

I have only used the Green route in the past - great ride both directions, and single vehicles all good to go. Will be up that way again early January.

[Henryv]

We visited the Botswana camps (Mabua/Matopi/Poletswa/Rooiputs) in September, towing a trailer, going solo as usual and no problems. The "bottom road" from Mabua to Nossob was quite tiring though, and I'm glad we slept over halfway at Matopi.

[CapeTown]

I knew I could rely on you guys. That is really helpful and will definitely do the Kaa gate route. Thanks and happy holidays

[Jode]

3.Kaa Gate Trails.
There are 3 of these as per the map.
These do not have to be booked, can be done by single vehicles and trailers permitted. Also suggest must be 4x4 vehicle.
a) Between Polentswa via Tweeling Rambuka and Sesatowe to Kaa Gate. Marked in red and one-way from south to north.
b) Between Kaa Gate via Lang Rambuka to Lyersdraai Waterhole. This is one-way north to south only and is also marked in red.
c) Further to the left (north-west) is a third trail marked in green. I would think this is the most frequently used of the three. This is a two-way road and is from the Kannagause Waterhole to Kaa Gate.
So your answer is, yes you can do the Kaa Gate routes in a single vehicle and they do not require bookings.
Can someone please correct me if there are any factual errors!

I write this early in the morning, but I THINK I'm correct in noting that the "two" red routes are in fact the Polentswa 4x4 route. This must be booked with DWNP, and is arranged such that a minimum of 2 vehicles travel in an anti-clockwise fashion from Polentswa via Sesatwa and then on to Lang Rambuka over a three-day period. These trails are NOT open to the public unless they have been booked as noted above.

[Stan Weakley]

Thank you Jode, I knew I had missed something. Your post prompted me to do further research. You are 100% correct and this official site is probably the most authoritative.
http://www.mewt.gov.bw/DWNP/article.php?id_mnu=194

Polentswa Wilderness Trail:
“The Wilderness Trail starts from Polentswa and is only open to 4x4 vehicles. It covers some 250 kilometres that wind from pan to pan through to the northern boundary of the park, through a new check-in point at Kaa, where trail participants may wish to have a shower and replenish water supplies. The trail then turns back into the park to follow a further route along more pans. Eventually the trail re-joins the Nossob Valley road 20 kilometres before a spot called Union's End close up against the Namibian border. The trail is only available on an advance-booking basis to 2-4 vehicles travelling together and taking a set time to complete the trail - only one group is permitted to commence the trail on any given day, thus ensuring that no others will be encountered along the way.”

This site in fact a good source of info for anyone looking into going to the Botswana side of the KTP.

[trooper]

Thanks for the info Stan. May I ask is it feasible for me to go into southern Botswana up to Kaa gate and then travel to the camps from there? I think I have seen a clip on youtube showing this route.

If you want to enter Botswana through Bokspits or Tshabong or even border posts further east,( presumably coming north from Cape Town) you open up an enormous set of possibilities. Here are a few.
- From Bokspits there is a great tar road through to Tshabong. Here you can turn north up to the Mabuasehube gate. Stay in Mabua awhile and then use the trail that Stan has mentioned to get to Nossob.
-You can also come out the Mabua gate and turn north onto the cut-line for about 26km, then west along the top of the park to Kaa Gate. Enter KTP there and drive south to Nossob. Kaa has great camping facilities and water (and lions and leopards). If you come out the Park at TR, then remember to clear Bots and RSA formalities. They are all conveniently located in one excellent facility at the TR gate. Look for some excellent reports by, for example Witklipbank. Elize is a veteran of these areas and it is worth studying her stuff.
-One route not mention by Stan is the Kaa Trail that runs inside the Park from Mogobewathlhange Pan west of Khidding. It comes out near Sesatswe Pan (first night camp on the Polentswa Trail) then on to Kaa Gate. I do not ever discourage people from taking on adventures, but I have to say this is probably for grizzled experienced campaigners. It is not mentioned anywhere, but we saw the signposts this September. You could expect log grass and disappearing roads.
- If you come in at Bray, drive up to the A2. Cornwall Lodge near Bray is a great stopover, if you are looking for something in the area. Drive the A2 to Kang and then turn to Hukuntsi. Fuel up there, and then onto the gravel to Zutshwa and down to Kaa Gate. My recommendation is to drive direct to Kaa, past Jeff Morris Pan to the Gate. A beautifull drive. It is sandy, so many folk turn north at Zutshwa and pick up a graded cutline that comes out very near Kaa Gate.
You are only limited by your imagination, sense of adventure and fuel range!

[oyshof]

Hi! I'm looking for some advice regarding the Mabua-Kaa 4x4 Access Trail that runs between Mabuasehube and Kaa Entrance Gate. I have received some mixed information about this route, and I'm hoping someone with experience can help clarify a few things.

Reportedly, the trail is seldom used and quite overgrown. Have anyone done this recently?

From what I gather, the landscape and vegetation reportedly change along the way, which some say makes the journey worthwhile. How does it compare to the cutline drive? ...or is the trail is not worth doing due to the thick bush and low wildlife density. Is this trail as overgrown and underused as reported? For those who have done both, is the cutline route a better option in terms of wildlife sightings and ease of driving?

The trail appeals to my adventurous side, but it's perhaps not worth it and it will be adventure enough just doing taking the cutline route?

Thanks in advance for any insights or advice!

[Kalahari Safari]

Not done any recently but two issues:

There is no cutline drive as such but a 2-way track between Mabua and Nossob which seems very corrugated and has some worn dune ascents.

The Northern trail is a 1-way exclusive route only booked for one party per day and requires a convoy of min 2 vehicles.
You have to overnight at designated camp site half-ways so it is a 2 day trip.

Wildlife is sporadic and in this dry spell you can't expect to see much as there is absolutely no water in any of these areas.

My taking from afar, let's have some feed-back from recent visitors then.