SANParks.org Forums

Bentony,
All the replies before are correct. I'm just adding to them
April last year, one night we were in T'Shirts and shorts and the next...NO JOKES.. it went down to ZERO so it was on with gloves, scarves and beanies The next night cold but not bitterly cold and the following night shorts again!!
Have an amazing trip, sure you will enjoy every minute of it ...I know how excited you must be feeling. We are too....we leave in 11 days time

Neighbor, hope you have a great trip and that KTP shows you all its magnificent sights.

You seem well prepared - probably warm to hot, but could get cold at night.

Enjoy, and bring back some pics for us.

We are seasoned campers (Mum, Dad and two teenage kids) and want to camp at Kgalagadi in July. How cold does it get at night, practically? Would a gas heater be recommended? Thanks.

The park site says:

Climate

"The Kalahari is a semi-arid region with an average rainfall of 150mm in the southwest to 350mm in the northeast. The unreliable and irregular rains fall mostly during dramatic thunderstorms, often accompanied by strong winds and dust-storms, between November and April. The first rains transform the red dunes, covering them with the fresh yellow flowers of the dubbeltjie, Tribulus terrestris. Within two weeks fresh green grass begins to grow, but if the rains do not return, the vegetation will soon wither and the thirstland once again becomes apparent.

Temperatures vary greatly from -11°C on cold winter nights to 42°C in the shade on summer days when the ground surface temperature reaches a sizzling 70°C. During the winter months, when frost is common, the ground surface temperature can be 25°C lower that the temperature of the air. Winter in the Kalahari is a cool, dry season from September to October and then a hot, wet season from November to April."

In July 1986 we stayed one night in Twee Rivieren on our way
over into Namibia (or SWA that far back?). Even tho the above does not talk about rain in July, it absolutely poured.
Flooded out the tents of those of us who were down in the
flat area. I'd warned them after looking at the sky, but they
thought 'what does this foreign idiot know?'. This is to say that it was not below freezing that night. Still, at Fish River
Canyon we were not sure we weren't going to freeze to death. There was a skin of ice on the dishwashing pan in the morning. At least take a sweater?

Have a great trip.

Daan

Hi christof

We camped in KTP in July/Aug last year, and we were very lucky with the weather. A sleeping bag and duvet were fine for each person. But.....some friends of ours were there a week or so before us....and they had some VERY cold temps at night. The one night it reached -10, the husband woke up freezing cold and decided to make a cup of tea to warm himself up.....unfortunately the water in the container had frozen solid.....I believe it was a long wait for sunrise!

Enjoy your trip!

Just beware of the cold . . especially during the June/July period. Should you be camping . . . do'nt forget the electric blanket for each bed . . . it takes little enough space.

On the other side . . . you might be lucky . . . and not have the cold at all during your stay during those months. See what early morning 'coffee in bed ' looks like at MM . . .

http://www.reddune.info/2007/photopages/photopage83.htm


. . . .even the bottle of cooking oil frooze on the table outside !

Sedi,
Change Gharagab to Grootkolk and KK to Urikarus if you want to see animals.
And enjoy your trip

No can do - think we have come to the conclusion that right place, right time is when you see the animals....... Urikaruus on the last 2 stays did not yield much...... Thanks for the advice though!

Some trips are planned months and months in advance, and some fall together at the last minute when you least expect it

Anyway, off to the KTP in 2 weeks

What's the weather like at the moment? I'm camping all the way. I have a very fancy cold-weather sleeping bag and a thermal liner, but no matress and a useless tent. Is it that cold? Will my sleeping bag be enough? I like to be as minimal as possible when I camp, but I don't want to be ill-prepared for this one.

Also, the crowding. Last year in Nossob, I had the entire campsite to myself for a week. I know we're fully booked this time around. Are the campsites well spaced in Mata Mata and Nossob? I wouldn't know because no one was using them last time I was there (I was very, very spoiled)! Do you need to camp on top of people? Does the crowding get unbearable in the camps and on the road? Is there still proper peace to be had when KTP is at full capacity?

How is the grass situation at present? I was lucky to score 3 nights in Nossob, but i'd consider switching one for Mata Mata if I knew in advance that Nossob sightings won't be great with my tiny car. Even in December the grass was quite high, an that was pre-rain.

Gosh, I only got back from Addo a week ago, and now this. I was not expecting this! I can hardly type because i'm so excited!

As always, big thank you to Anna-Marie @ CW Sanparks desk

Have just returned from a week in KTP but unfortunately it was all in TR. The grass is long - about 60 - 80 sm (Kori bustard back just showed above grass) even on the lower Aoub which is usually very flat. That said, we were fortunate to see Leopard, Cheetah and Lion all on one day. The nights are getting cold (one ight was reported as being 1 degree!) so be prepared. The days were nice, however, going up to mid 20's. The tar road up to the gate makes access easy, but you'll have to take your luck on the grader: some of the roads become quite filling-loosening.

Whatever the grass, whatever the weather, whatever the roads, KTP remains magic!

Suggest you take some kind of insulation to put under your sleeping bag as the cold comes up from the ground. Newspapers are very good insulating material. If you are not taking a mattress, suggest a cheap/old blanket - fold into two and place a layer of newspapers below and inside the blanket.

Hi Moose!
Newspaper works very well but what we have found to be the best is corrugated cardboard which we got at our local Waltons - they stock it in large rolls of about 1.1m width at about R8 per metre. We could buy a piece as long as we needed. We taped it onto our rooftop tent base a couple of years ago and it's still in perfect condition - we've now also done the same to our trailer tent base.
We'll be in KTP - KielieKrankie 1 June
Nossob camping 2 -4 June
Gharagab 5 June
Grootkolk 6 June
Nossob 7 June
KTC 8 June
Mata Mata Camping 9 -11 June
Hope you keep warm!

Hi PNF!

Thanks for that great advice. I have an idea- corrugated cardboard AND newspaper! I'll head out this afternoon and see if I can find some cardboard.

Looks like we'll both be in Nossob June 7th. Will you be sporting a yellow ribbon? It would be great to meet and chat about our adventures in the park. I'll be in the camping section (obviously), little green Honda Jazz with a yellow ribbon

Moose - you really should be excited! We were in TR last week too - and I do agree, it is getting really cold in KTP. So go prepared. One is suppose to loose heat through your head - maybe take a bennie to sleep in as well. Getting up in the morn out of a warm sleeping bag is a bit of a challenge. I found the cold coming up through our rooftop tent - and am now going to also buy some cardboard Mid day temps were hot, as said here.

@ Moose - suggest you look at investing in an inflatable mattress - they are not that expensive - can pick up a good one for R250 - R350, plus you need a hand pump or an electric pump you can run from your car - certainly makes the sleep that much more comfortable.