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I have had many trips to the Kalahari since 1987 and have never seen anyone stuck! I agree with both the above posts - a 2x4 is adequate on all main roads. In December/Jan be prepared for thunder storms and consequent muddy roads in the river bed, here again lower tire pressures will help. If you do get stuck, enjoy the experience! Someone will come past and pull you out........!

I have been doing some car homework, as I will have to replace my beloved car, a Honda CR-V in the future. I keep getting back to the diahutsu Terios as a reliable, all rounder. Its main draw back seems to be in the luggage space. On my own it would not be an issue, but it is a 1.5 litre described as having "legit off road capabilities."

It is also not too bad on fuel consumption which would also leave a bit of money in the pocket.

I know a lot of forumites from overseas have rented one as it is certainly a lot less expensive than other 4x4 options.

Kalahari lion at eye level - taken through the passenger's window

Same lion after he backed off a bit.

Some of my "eye level" pix

Will be interesting to see the report back. Hope those naughty lions of Nossob are around Rosyntjiebos and Swartbas to ensure your tyre pressure are correct and the ground clearance OK

And then Bertha will also test your skills.

Don't get confused with vehicle body ground clearance and axle/differential ground clearance.

In general, hardcore 4x4's differential clearance should not be a problem - as the wheel should always travel over the highest point of an obstacle (simple 4x4 driving rule). This means that the axle/differential will clear the obstetrical with ease, as it is mounted on a solid axle. The exception is of course the "middelmannetjie" or center hump experienced on some jeep tracks, where you are forced to drive on the lower bit. In the case of hardcore 4x4's, the clearance quoted is that of the lowest point of the vehicle - almost without exception the lowest point of the differential. These vehicles are typically made to carry +/- 1 metric tone, so even at max load you will not reach the minimum (differential) clearance.

With soft off-roaders with soft suspensions, vehicle body ground clearance is another issue. The claimed ground clearance is by far not what you will experience with a vehicle packed for a week away in the Kgalagadi. These vehicles have independent suspension on each wheel and although this is great for road-holding on tar, it is bad off road. They are made for passenger comfort and safety and not really to carry a heavy load, so vehicle body ground clearance will go out the door when loaded.

@son godin, Bertha should be OK in winter - will not be the beast we tackled mid summer @ noon.

Hi There

Is there someone who could PM me the details of decent 4x4 hire companies in Upington (ideally at the airport). Seems that giving commercial contacts on the forum gets edited out.

many thanks

My wife and I are planning a trip to the main rest camps in the Kgalagadi during September 2013. I've been checking these forums and the SANParks information pages for information on what kind of car is suitable. SANParks says that the gravel roads in the parks are "not sedan friendly" but I've also seen many mentions of the roads being okay for a 2WD car during the dry part of the year.

We normally rent the smallest car that we can manage and were planning to drive from Cape Town and drive up via the Tankwa Karoo and through Upington. If we need a larger (more expensive & more fuel hungry) vehicle, we may be better off flying into Upington. We had no problems with a standard rental in KNP, KZN the Western Cape or Namibia as far as Etosha and then down the coast.

Can anyone offer some more-or-less up to date advice on driving in the Kgalagadi?

Thanks very much!

Hi dpadams and welcome to the forum.

I've been going to KTP for many years. I'm very fuel efficiency conscious but at the same time I like a degree of comfort on corrugated roads. The best choice for me therefor is a 2wd with a 2litre engine. And I tow a lite campimg trailer. That works for me.
Also a 2wd, or what we call a soft SUV, affords you a higher ride and by implication a better game viewing option. The minimum size tyre for me is 15 inch for KTP.
The roads, taking the remoteness/location into account, are fair. They are graded regularly but in a window of 4-6 days they could go from fair to bad in certian parts of the park, because of traffic load. The roads are sandy very few stones.
In Tankwa you'll find the roads harder with lots of stones so you would need to take care not to damage your tyres.
Assuming you are not camping, I think a 2wd would do the trick.

Hi dpadams and Welcome!

You should be just fine with a smaller car in KTP. Altho many prefer a high clearance vehicle, I actually prefer to be on 'eye level' with lions and other critters rather than looking down on them. As well, for me as a solo traveller, the costs for a 4x4 are prohibitive, I prefer to spend my funds on more nights in the park. Thus, I have always visited in a sedan: Toyota Corolla (1992), VW Polo (2007 and 2012) and Ford Fiesta (2010). You need to be careful of occassional deep sand and there's always the risk of a puncture whatever you drive, but in case of such rare problems, you'll find other visitors (as well as park staff) very helpful.

Have a great trip!

Morning all from beautiful Twee Rivieren. Just a quick warning:
KTP petrol stations do not accept credit cards any longer to fill up your car, only garage cards.

We used a normal credit card at the beginning.of the year. This has change so don't get caught like we have and have to draw money.

hi Forumites, as a long time lurker on the SANParks forum I have to say what an amazingly friendly and helpful place this is ! The advice I got from the forums really helped make our KNP trip last year.

This year we are going to KTP (I went once in 1989 so am really looking forward to it and have talked it up big time to my fiancee). Even July/Aug/Sept is seriously booked up and I am having to take what I can get rather than what I want. But that doesnt really concern me as having read up on here, I think all the camps offer something different.

The query I would like to sort out once and for all is whether we can get to Gharagab in my Subaru Forester which has AWD, not 4x4. I need to make sure its practical I also want to check that I wont get stopped by the park officials I know this has been covered before, but I have read conflicting advice and stories and would love an "official" opinion. (sorry for the long post )

Thanks in advance everyone

Welcome to this side of the forum Scops.

The best person to answer your question(s) would be Kgalagadi Guru, as he would be the one to administer any fine if applicable.

Better pop into his office at 2R to say hi, as well.

Hi there Scops,

Welcome to the forum, hope you will have a great time here.

Regarding your question on the 4x4, unfortunately only 4x4 vehicles will be allowed to drive on the road to Gharagab.

If thereis anything else I can help with please do not hesitate to contact me.

Regards

KG