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Thanks Jabes. We will most likely follow this cutline which should be quicker. There does, however, appear to be a trail which is a direct route from Mabuasehube to Kaa Gate. The fellow at Two Rivers confirmed this but the booking office at BWNP did not seem to know of it!

Hi there Luca,

Very warm welcome to the forum, hope you will have a great time here and enjoy every moment.

As per your post it seems you will be visiting the park in 2014 December? It’s still a way to go and I believe that the road in mention will be open by that time. The current contractors are working very fast and we hope that within the next 4 months the road will be done.

I will keep you informed regarding the progress of the road.

KG

Welcome back KG!! Hope your week away was nice, and that you are well rested for all our questions again!


So in December I will be driving on the new road! WOW!!

Good morning Jannie! It is 2012 this year.

Cool! That means that we can use the Nossob road too!
Is it going to be as low as the "old" road, or should we be able to see out of our sedan windows?

Honestly speaking KG I would visit the park first in december 2012, for the 2014 I still have to decide...
So, do you think the road will be open on next december?
Thanks a lot.
Bye, Luca.

Morning all,

The new 'old; road will be a bit higher to deal with the water in the rainy season. The road should be ready by December to drive on.

The week off was nice, just too much driving and the quick visit to Skukuza was eventfull, plenty rhino, elephant and also found Leopard stalking impala right in front of us

Afternoon All,

Kindly takle note that the road from Leeuwdrill to Kij Kij is officially open , the new road has been upgraded to about 7,2 Km before Kij Kij waterhole. The last 7.2 Km is gravel but has been graded to be able to open the road all the way.

KG

That is awesome news - thanks so much. Thank goodness we won't ever have to drive that piece of road on the Botswana side again - that April morning drive to Melkvlei made me seriously doubt the mental capacity of a large amount of KTP visitors but hey, it did add to our American friend's Afrikaans vocabulary didn't it so it will be nice to drive on a "normal" road again

For the people who are not too well versed in the geography of KTP, a map!

WOOHOO!

The Bots road wasn't so bad, come on, passing was difficult (in either direction) and there was just not much on it to see.

BB,

The road on the Bots side was bad (when was the last time you drove it?). Passing caused serious damage to the vegetation on the sides of the road and so many people still made roads to the closed road.

January. DId it deteriorate a lot since then? If so I take it back.

Anyway I like the 'new' road. Skiddy corner is no more!

Hi there BB,

Due to the heavy traffic the road was carrying it surely did deteriorate, the new road is an absolute pleasure to drive. Unfortunately skiddy corner just had to go

What is the official policy and programme now for the South African side of the Kalagadi TFC park as far as road improvement and maintenance goes? With the tar road now all the way to Tweerivieren there are it seems as of last week when my wife and I were in the park for an all too short visit, that a lot more "soft skin" vehicles ( with plastic bumpers for lions to play with) as well as the more traditional vehicles one associates with this park that will tax I think the authorities in keeping a road grading programme in place? Considerable expenditure has been undertaken on the Nossob Road but the Mata Mata route was more corrugated than ever last week? People with old small and low clearance cars ( or those with too much computer control via delicate engine management systems) should, I suggest, still think twice about going to this park as it is a hell of a long way to have a broken vehicle recovered all the way to Upington for repairs!

One does not want even a good 4x4 to be shaken to pieces even with softer partially deflated tyres so I hope there is still to be a regular gentle grade-off in winter when its very dry and in the wet season ( when it has rained) a heavier grade-on to the Mata Mata road? The interconnecting 4x4 tracks probably need very little maintenance but the wide major roads are taking a hammering these days!
Still one of Africa's most unusual and exciting parks... we were only in the park for a day yet we saw much plus Lions and three cheetah not far from each other in the vicinity Kij Kij and so many Kori Bustards last week! Fantastic! Back this coming September for a slightly longer visit!

To me, the dirt roads are part of the experience! Was in the park 2 weeks ago, roads was fine. KTP is doing a great job in maintenance of the roads. Deflate your tyres to 1.4 and it will be fine.

SJ