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I always take with 20lt's of "Cape Town" water, no matter where we go - and then maybe a few shop bought bottled waters as well!
That P?m person is a really nice person!

Aaah P@m....that is AWESOME that you could help Moose out with the water "dilemma".....
I'm sure you are all going to have FAB holiday's in KTP....
I am soooo green: ...
I look forward to the TR'S

I would gladly hire a trailer to take extra supplies up for forumites if it meant I could be in the park right now !
But I can't....
But 10/10 to you p@m and Moose you are probably on your way now...but safe travels and wonderful sightings !!!!

By the way..I cannot and will not drink the KTP water..sometimes I will not even cook with it ! But SO often thinks the water tastes great
I guess it boils down to the fact that some of us are fussy and some of us are not. But I am probably not a true judge of the water there because I won't even drink Cape Town water out of a plastic container.
Valpre water or nothing !!!

KTP water is mainly hard alkaline because of the minerals(Calcium) that leach out of the white rocks, and which are not harmful but may not taste nice, but are not contaminted with organics, which may be bad for one. Boiling will kill any bad organics but will not change the hardness. If one don't mind the taste it is probably good for one!

Pammy !

Could you please bring me water from KTP when you return ?
Did not drink the water but, WOW....never had my hair so shiny and curly after showering in KTP !
I actually bottled some and brought it back with me

On my very firts trip to the Gemsbok park in 2003 I made myself a coffee with Kgalagadi water.

Bad mistake

Since then we always have enough canned water for cooking or drinking.

don't know what the fuss is about -- we're going anyway and taking water A couple of extra bottles is no big deal.

News from Moose -- they are there safely and saw a LIT on their first drive Headed to Nossob today.

@Matthysie -- if you want KTP water, you will get some
Would you prefer Nossob water or KTC water or TR water ?

KTC water, please Pammy
Thanks for the Moose news !

All this water talk has got me worried. Coming from overseas there seems to be such an amount of thing that you have to think of and buy before entering the KTP. I do not want to spend too much time just shopping for KTP After all, maybe it is only a question of organization and lists ready before leaving, pfui

I consider myself quite hardy & tough Moose, but I don't drink the water any more. I take mine from CT.

Can I just add twopenny worth here from London about water?

My brother, who although a professional man is a scientist by first qualifications and he told me that fresh water, out of the tap or ground is much better for us, even if, it does not taste so good.

If the KTP water is very hard, it is much better for the heart, (soft water is bad) and the minerals and bacteria is natural and good for us.

Bottled water is dead water and has often been bottled a few years ago and does not have the natural minerals AND bacteria that keep us healthy.

I am assuming, that if the water is bad a KTP, there would be a thumping great sign DO NOT drink the water!

So I would take some purifying tablets just to be safe and maybe call Sanparks just to check, then I would go ahead and drink the water if I was about to have the good fortune to travel to KTP. You lucky things!

German scientists discovered that bottled water is not so good for your health. Has to do with the PET bottles
Bottled Waters Contaminated with Antimony from PET

So it looks like the Kalahari water might be better.
btw, cook in it and loved to shower. Kinda slippery on you skin

Micetta, coming from overseas there are definitely MANY things to think about and plan for before heading north to KTP. First, if you are coming directly, you will be very jetlagged, so best to plan to spend your first night in Upington so that you get a good night's sleep before the long drive north to KTP. Second, the shops in KTP are not at all like the shops in KNP. Apart from the shop at Twee Rivieren, you cannot count on anything but basics (and sometimes not even those) at Nossob or Mata Mata, and even the shop at TR can be quite limited. It's best to bring what you will need with — even water and wood, because while these will usually be found in KTP shops, everything is considerably more expensive in the park.

What I do is make my detailed shopping list well in advance, so that when I hit the Pick and Pay in Upington, I can get what I need quickly — and even there, they can be out of stock with some items, so be sure that you have possible alternatives if you can't find exactly what you were wanting. For meat, I highly recommend the Skaapland butchery. I don't know whether you can contact them in advance to place your order, as I have never done that. However, both Skaapland and PnP will vacuum pack you meat for you in individual meal-portion packs, which is a great help as you can keep your meat frozen until you need it (you should definitely invest in a cool bag or box — I find the softsided bags that PnP sells work well — and buy ice to add when you are moving camp).

While this may sound like a lot of shopping and pre-planning, the shopping in Upington should only take a couple of hours at most and I assure you that you won't regret the preparation. You just can't really rely on replenishing in KTP, so it's best to be prepared.

I have had the a few of the same worries about food and equipment to take to the park. I have just emailed Adele at Skaapland and she said you can pre order meat to pick up when you arrive in Upington, they will even vacuum pack and freeze the meat if you prefer. The email is skaapland@gem.co.za

Bacteria are not always bad. We need them in the gut and other parts of the body and they form part of our immunity to disease and digestion of food.

When people have a very sterile diet, they become susceptible to upset stomachs.

Take the visitors who go to India and immediately go down with dysentery which the locals resist.