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Im off to the KTP for 2 weeks very soon and was wondering what the shops at the 3 main camps sell . Can you buy meat , fruit and veg etc etc ? Thank you in advance for any advice .

Bas you would be advised to take in everything you need for the two weeks as there is very little available at the shops. There is definitely no fruit or veges available and fresh bread or rolls also poses a problem. This is alleviated somewhat at Nossob by ordering (as soon as you check in) rooster brood and rolls from reception which will then be delivered to your accommodation by very friendly staff. Mata Mata had no ice nor did Nossob during our 16 day stay in Sept/Oct last year. The shops are really only for charcoal, wood and baked beans or beer kind of purchases. The water is very expensive in the Park and if you are staying at any of the wilderness camps then you will need plenty of bottled water as you cannot even use the camp water to cook with. Good luck! Just enjoy yourself in this awesome Park!

Yours in Parking
Penny

Hi Bas
TR in the best equipped shop. Nossob and Mata Mata is really small. My advise would be not to rely on purchasing fresh produce in the park. Food shopping only for an emergency.
All three camps you would be able tp puschase frozen meat, sausage, bacon and chicken. However you never know exactly what will be available at the time of you stay in that particular camp.
TR you can normally purchase potatoes, onions, sometimes tomatoes , apples. Cheese and yoghurts seem to be available most times. Tin grogeries, biscuits and the general basic spices, flour, sugar etc, as well as the the standard toilertry items. Saw some frozen pies on our last visit. Bread and rolls can be purchased (frozen at Mata Mata and Nossob). Do not rely on this as one day they may have and one day not Advise would be to purchase all you neccessary in Upington where there are numerous supermarkets to chose from.
The shops in the park are great for emergencies, cold drinks, (alcoholic as well), ice, and the basic items you have forgotten, e.g. matches, blitz etc.
If you do run out, you are able to at least purchase a couple of tin grogeries to keep the hunger pains away
Hope this does give you some idea

Penny wrote :

Quote:

This is alleviated somewhat at Nossob by ordering (as soon as you check in) rooster brood and rolls from reception

The rooster brood and rolls are delicious!

We are going to KTP next week for a period of ten days. It's been five years since my last visit (a shame, I know) so my memory doesn't help me on the details. We will be camping for three nights at Twee Rivieren and seven nights at Nossob. As packing space is limited, I would like to buy as much as possible in the shops in the camps. What is available?

What I can pick up is that meat is not a problem, but what is generally available in terms of vegetables (my wife wants to know, I can't fathom why)? What about things like potatoes and onions (these are not vegetables)?

Also, I am getting conflicting information about fire wood. Friends of ours were in KTP last year and warned us that we cannot buy fire wood at Nossob. Is this still the case? And Blitz?

Welcome to the forum Willem Claasen!!

We were in TR last year... I don't recall there being a great variety of veggies available at all. Or meat for that matter. I popped into the shop at Nossob - it seemed to have much less stock than TR. But rather wait for others with more recent experiences to answer you here than take what I say too seriously.

Dinkybird is correct Nossob is reliable for Cold drinks, beers,sweets, tins of food like baked beans, meatballs and little else. Bread comes generally once or twice a week and you could very well be on a game drive the day it arrives and when you get back its already finished a common problem with a full Park the last few years.
My folks used to have a large 4x4 with a big Nat Luna freezer and they used to stay at Die Eiland the night before going to Nossob and used to go to a Butcher in Upington very early the next day to pick up their 2 weeks supply of meat that was pre ordered from home, so there was no wasted time. The previous evening they would hit the Supermarket for fresh veg and other food which was kept in cool bags/boxes. We never relied on shops at Nossob and MM (Never ever stayed at TR) for items like blitz, wood, veg, tin foil etc. Rule no 1 take it with you it's so much easier. My mom also makes her own bread in Kalahari. Easy when the braai is on she has a pot of Beer bread going for the next day ....delicious and way better than living on your nerves trying to rely on erratic supplies...its half the fun anyway especially if you do the Polentswa or Bitterpan trails like we did every year in the Landy. Wood I cant remember but I know my dad told me there is a policy on wood...cant bring it in from outside or something. When I was pre school the Section Ranger at Nossob used to have wood waiting for us at "our" camp site 5 every trip which would last the full 10 days if used carefully, but those days are gone and last time he took brikkettes and found a supply of wood at Nossob (either from the shop or from a neighbour.)

This time of the year it is still hot when not raining, so I would collect all your empties in the back yard and fill them with (drinking) water and stuff them into little packing spaces in your car. It will save you a lot of money.
The local water is not palatable.

Just got back from my trip and KTP.

All the camps has basically the same stuff, even TR.
TR accepts credit cards the electronic way, and Mata Mata the old way (imprint copy wiper). Nossob does not accept credit cards (why is MM different from Nossob - I do not know).

Most of them has a wide range of canned food, some instant noodles, pasta, sweat stuff, biltong/dreiwors and alcohol (including breezers). MM & TR has some yellow cheese. Most have past expiry fresh meat which was frozen, but there was frozen chicken with exp date = Sep 2007 on all three camps, which we gladly braiied since we had no cool-box. Up until now we had no food poisoning, so it was probably good.

Elad.

Much to our surprise they had a lot of stuff, even bread
The pies they sell at Nossob are delicious, it warms your hands and fills on the cold morning stop.

Hello everybody

I've been reading the information of this forum for quite a while and have found it really helpful. This is the first time I'm posting a new question myself.
We are going to stay in KTP for 9 nights in the middle of August. I read in the forum that it would be better to buy meat for your braai in Upington - but now I'm wondering whether it's better to buy fresh or deep-frozen meat? The problem is that we are flying in from Europe so that means we will only have a cool box (that we want to buy in the supermarket, too). Doesn't the frozen meat thaw on the way to the park? And do you have a freezer in the chalets at Nossob and Mata Mata?
I'm looking forward to your answer.

Tigerlilli

Hi Tigerlilli, and welcome to the forums!
I would buy some fresh meat for the first two or three nights. You should get some boerewors (a spicy sausage, and a South African delicacy) to braai (barbecue). Then I'd buy some frozen meat for the next few nights.

I wouldn't buy meat for the full nine nights, because I would be worried about it defrosting/refreezing and going off. You can also buy meat in the main KTP camps - it's not the greatest, but it's quite tasty and edible.

I haven't ever stayed in the MM chalets, but the Nossob fridges do have freezers compartments, so I'm sure that the MM ones would too.