4 days in Kgalagadi

**stewymac** · 2015/07/21, 10:15 AM

Hi, we will be in Kgalagadi for 4 days in Sept. We will drive from JB to Vryburg or Kuruman. Then to Twee Rivieren, possibly via Van Zylsrus. We will then have 2 nights in Twee rivieren and 2 nights in Mata Mata. Then exit to Namibia. Can anyone suggest possible drives around these areas...morning and afternoon etc. Is it worth it to drive to Nossob and back from Twee Rivieren? or is it too far? Any suggestions, much appreciated, also road condition via Van Zylsrus?

**mve100** · 2015/07/21, 11:19 AM

Drove the Van Zyls rus road on Saturday and would not recommend it. They are putting in a pipeline next to the road and there are big trucks using the road and other heavy vehicles. So the road is not in a good condition.

**Xtreme 4x4** · 2015/07/21, 11:25 AM

which is the bad patch, pipes and trucks? Kuruman to Van zyls or is it Van zyls to Askham?

**mve100** · 2015/07/21, 11:28 AM

van zyls to Askham but the section past van Zyls was not great either.

**JohnBoy** · 2015/07/21, 11:41 AM

Van Zyls to Askham is bad. We did the route from Van Zyls to Twee Rivieren via Middlepits border into Botswana. You have about 30kms of dirt, but not at all bad, then the remainder is all good tar.

**Gaitshi Gubib** · 2015/07/21, 11:47 AM

Originally Posted by mve100

Drove the Van Zyls rus road on Saturday and would not recommend it. They are putting in a pipeline next to the road and there are big trucks using the road and other heavy vehicles. So the road is not in a good condition.

Serious understatement imho .. that road from Van Zylsrus to Askham is DREADFUL, DISGUSTING

Kuruman to Askham via Upington is 125 km. further, but I'd take the longer route anytime

**stewymac** · 2015/07/21, 01:41 PM

Originally Posted by JohnBoy

Van Zyls to Askham is bad. We did the route from Van Zyls to Twee Rivieren via Middlepits border into Botswana. You have about 30kms of dirt, but not at all bad, then the remainder is all good tar.

Hi JohnBoy, how long did it take to get from Van Zyls to Twee Riviera via Middlepits? did it save you any time over going via Uppington? thanks

**valodia** · 2015/07/21, 05:41 PM

Visited KTP last year and this year. Last year we drove through Van Zyls and this year via Upington. I don't know what the state of the road is currently via Van Zyls but it was not too bad last year. We had the time last year and it was an interesting enough drive. Having done it once, we decided to just 'get there' this year. I did ask one of the locals in Kuruman and he thought the road was in a bad state (but he admitted he had not actually seen it for years!).

Regarding drives in the park - check my recent trip report, and others...

**JohnBoy** · 2015/07/21, 05:49 PM

Hi Stewymac.
We left twee rivieren 2 hours after friend of ours. They went via Upington to Kuruman, and we went via Middlepits. We touched bases when they passed Kuruman, and according to the GPS we were 2 hours 20 mins away from Kuruman. So, according to that, the Middlepits route is maybe 20 mins longer.
The Middlepits route is alot more scenic and you will need to do the border crossing either way.

**Sniper** · 2015/07/30, 08:07 AM

I just came back from KTP yesterday. I exited Twee Rivieren on the Botswana side, drove a lovely gravel road to Bokspits and from Bokspits a great tar road all along the Molopo river (just opposite the bad gravel road on the SA side). Entered SA at Middelpits.

Admittedly, the gravel road from Middelpits to Van Zyls was not too great, but not too long, just over 20km's.

@stewymac From Rooiputs (close to Twee Rivieren) we had great success in the mornings and afternoons along the Nossob River up to Melkvlei. We got Cheetah along that route multiple times. Also the lower Dune Road to Tierkop waterhole delivered Leopard, Brown Hyena and Lion - well worth it.

**stevan** · 2015/07/30, 08:50 AM

I found this map very useful traveling in the park.

http://www.sanparks.co.za/images/par..._parkmap08.jpg

The traveling times however may be a bit optimistic, and depends on the road conditions and sightings along the road.

**stewymac** · 2015/07/30, 12:20 PM

Thanks for the replies. Since I posted the first question, I managed to swap the 2nd night at Twee to one night at Nossob. Just happened to check San parks and was lucky. So we are 1 at Twee, 1 at Nossob & 2 at Mata Mata