The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (KTP)

[Panthera Pardus]

 

Yeah sounds like a fab place to visit!

 

yeah but don't get too excited - you can literally go days and drive hours and hours without seeing any big predators - this is place, as wild and beautiful as it might look like, cannot compare to the Mara or Kruger when it comes to predator cats and dogs sightings

 

one other thing at least I find rather irritating: the lack of roads. At Nossob and Twee Rivieren you have two choices (plus maybe the dune road), from Mata Mata only one, so if you don't find anything on either of them, there is nothing you can do about it (except hope for the better when you turn around to head back for camp)

 

 

I have a different experience Ice and I don't think either one of us is wrong. I have seen predators almost everyday I have been in the KTP. OK you don't get the wild dogs but whether it be lion, leopard or cheetah or brown or spotted hyena. It comes down to the choices you make. We were in Urikaruus for three days and had the same neighbours for all 3 days. We saw 11 cheetah in a day and saw a few of them every day, our neighbour went south every day of the three days and did not see any. Yes you have limited roads and yes others have gone days without seeing predators. We have found Grootkolk, Nossob and Urikaruus to deliver in all the trips we have made to KTP.

 

In Kruger we have seen lions on almost every trip, leopards on many but not so cheetah and wild dogs, Others have been to Kruger as many times as us and have not had much luck with leopards.

Edited May 8, 2013 by Panthera Pardus

[Panthera Pardus]

@@Sangeeta - two weeks would be ideal. We go for between 12-18 days. Very few days that we have not seen something exciting and no predators at all.

 

@@Game Warden - thank you GW, glad you enjoying it.

[penolva]

That's very interesting info. It gives me an incentive to look into Kruger for the future. When we are older driving in the wild places might be a bit much for us. Kruger with it's better roads etc might be the answer. I am sure we will want to see lions, elephants in the wild until we are 80+!!! Pen

 

quote name="Panthera Pardus" post="96737" timestamp="1368000852"]It is getting to the stage where it is difficult to keep count johnkok

 

@@penolva - In the KTP you will have many of your sightings to yourself or at most another 4-5 cars. There is no jostling for position as the vegetation is not dense like Kruger and so everybody can get a good view. You do at times still get unruly behaviour.

 

It can get very crowded very quickly at cat sightings in Kruger and you can get a major road block but....

 

You can still get good sightings to yourself before the next car arrives. We try to avoid the larger camps like Skukuza and Satara in Kruger. Look if you want cats, Satara is probably the best area for them. We prefer camps like Bateleur, Talamati and Biyamiti which are Bush Camps and have 15 units only (only 7 in Bateleur). The roads leading to these camps are for use only by people staying in these camps.

 

The other thing we do is go in summer (disadvantage is higher malaria risk) which is November/December/January. The camps open at 4.30am but the entrance gates only open at 5.30am so you have an hour before the tour guides and day visitors arrive. We have had many great sightings and the cat has moved on before the next car has even arrived. There gravel roads also tend to be quieter and Northern Kruger also is quieter. The south has much more game density though.

 

Kruger can offer a great experience but there will be times when there is no avoiding the crowds.

[penolva]

I'm going August 2014!

 

@@Panthera Pardus This really is a fantastic photo documentary of the park: I really appreciate you taking the time with it and I keep delving back in. Would make a great place for a ST GTG and some photography workshops...

[ice]

I certainly don't want to spoil this thread but I would neither want people who have never been to KTP believe the predator concentration is as high as in KNP or in the Mara / Serengeti system because it simply is not

 

just one example: according to SANParks own website there are appr. 450 lions in KTP (though I am not sure if this number refers to both the BOTS and the ZA side or only the ZA side); in KNP the number should be around 1.500 to 2.000 individuals, depending on what source you rely on - in addition, the entire (BOTS + ZA) KTP is almost twice as big as KNP; now if you also take into consideration that KNP has much more roads to potentially spot animals, I guess you can see my point. And the numbers for leopards are similiar: one web source says this:

 

Today we now know of 49 individuals, of which 34 are regularly seen by visitors to the KTP

 

In comparison, SANParks' website estimates that there are appr. leopards in KNP; Llondolozi prides itself that during an 11 month period their guides have spotted more than 50 individual leopards and Llondolzi has 100 km²

 

During the past eight years I did roughly 100 drives in KTP and perhaps 150 drives in KNP, plus numerous guided morning, sunset and night drives - I'm sure that's much less experience than @@Panthera Pardus has but at the same time I am also sure "my" numbers are high enough to allow some comparison: based on my personal experience, I'd say during an average stay of seven nights, in Kruger you are likely to spot twice or triple as many lions, twice as many leopards and slightly less cheetahs than in KTP - I admit, the chance to see any cheetah is bigger in KTP than in KNP; however, if you fail to get any accomodation in the northwest (like Mata Mata or KTC) your chances are greatly reduced

 

we last visited KTP late march this year and at one point it rained almost nonstop for two days - during these two days and the following two days we did not see any big predator and neither did anybody else - the sighting boards stayed completely empty

 

as for the crowds - yes, you may get them in KNP (just like in the Mara) and yes, the chances to have them are bigger than in KTP...but you still have them there as well, as this picture shows which was taken next to a cheetah sighting near Mata Mata

 

 

which brings us back to the "road problem": afaik Mata Mata has problably at least 15 different huts / bungalows / chalets and 20 sites for campers...now let's assume that only 80 % of these are actually booked and again, that only 80 % of these actually go on a morning or an afternoon drive, not counting day visitors from other camps - this still means that more than 20 different cars leave the camp within a short period of time, plus usually 7-8 cars from Kalahari Tented Camp - and they all have to go into the very same direction...now if one of the first cars stops for a "special" sighting, pretty much all the others will (or must) do the same...

 

I admit, the chances are low but if it does happen, there is hardly aynthing you can do except to wait - or turn around and drive back to camp, at least when you are in Mata Mataor KTC

Edited May 9, 2013 by ice

[ice]

@@ice - have you had days with no animals at all? Other than birds?

 

I'm not sure what you mean by "animals", especially since birds are animals as well

 

have we had days without any big predators? yes, I'd say 3 out of 14

 

have we had days without any mammals at all? no, never but once again, in comparison KNP has twice as many different big (not counting mice, rats, etc) different mammal species, compared to KTP and the density in KNP is also much bigger

[ice]

maybe I have now left you with the impression that I absolutely prefer KNP over KTP which actually is not true: as I've pointed out before, during the past eight years we've spent almost as much time in KTP as in KNP; however, when we book KTP we accept that we will most likely see much less big predators, at the same time we know we will be rewarded with a much "wilder" and more remote environment

[Panthera Pardus]

At the end of the day ice, it is the luck of the draw. What you say about Predator density, Parks sizes, roads is all true, BUT....

 

In the KTP the roads and waterholes are in the Riverbeds and that is where the game tends to be. You cannot compare KNP to KTP when it comes to variety of game as Kruger wins hands down. Kruger also wins on say a drive of 20km from Point A to B, you will see more game in Kruger.

 

What I am saying is if Raptors or cats are your bend then KTP, in my experience is the better place. Yes, cheetah are concentrated between Mata Mata and Urikaruus, but so are leopards and Lions as you will see. Grootkolk has not failed us when it comes to leopards and Nossob has always produced lion and brown hyena sightings.

 

To summarise: If you are to stay 7 days in the KTP you are likely to see more raptors than you will in Kruger. You have a better chance of seeing the big cats than in Kruger and I have seen over a 100 leopards in Kruger. It all comes down to area. You have a very low chance of seeing cats in Northern Kruger, BUT when you do the quality of the sighting is better than in the South.

[Panthera Pardus]

maybe I have now left you with the impression that I absolutely prefer KNP over KTP which actually is not true: as I've pointed out before, during the past eight years we've spent almost as much time in KTP as in KNP; however, when we book KTP we accept that we will most likely see much less big predators, at the same time we know we will be rewarded with a much "wilder" and more remote environment

And I do not want to give the impression that I absolutely prefer KTP to Kruger - They are too different and we go to each one for a different experience

[ice]

I agree with what you say about raptors but I totally disagree when it comes to the big cats and after seven years and appr. 100 / 150 different drives I don't think our experience can still be attributed to "the luck of draw"

[kittykat23uk]

What about things like meerkat, caracal, gemsbok, honey badger and other mammals not found or found in lower densities in Kruger? What is the hit rate for those in your experience?

[Panthera Pardus]

Meerkat, Gemsbok, bat eared fox and cape fox - very good chance of seeing

 

Caracal - seen two in KTP in 7 trips, none in Kruger in 70 trips

 

Honey badger - seen 12 in KTP 2 in Kruger

 

African Wild Cat - seen 9 in KTP, one in Kruger

 

Porcupine - seen 2 in KTP, 2 in Kruger

 

Brown Hyena - many in KTP. It is claimed to occur in Kruger

 

Leopards - 14 in KTP in 7 trips, 105 in Kruger in 70 trips

 

Cheetah - more in KTP in 7 trips than in Kruger in 70 trips.

Edited May 9, 2013 by Panthera Pardus

[Panthera Pardus]

We first saw Caster on 09 October 2011 at Craig Lockhardt Waterhole. We were on our way to Kalahari Tented Camp from Twee Rivieren. We had just seen Lisette at 14 borehole with 4 cubs.

 

Caster had just made a kill and had 2 cubs at the time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 9, 2013 by Panthera Pardus

[ice]

What about things like meerkat, caracal, gemsbok, honey badger and other mammals not found or found in lower densities in Kruger? What is the hit rate for those in your experience?

obviously, there are no gemsbok in KNP, in KTP you'll have multiple sightings each day

 

caracal: 3 in KTP, none in KNP

 

honey badger: 1 in KTP, 1 in KNP

 

pangolin: 0 in KTP, 1 in KTP

 

aardwolf: 1 in KTP, 0 in KNP

 

brown hyena: good chances in KTP, none in KNP (there is a heated discussion at the SANParks board whether they do exist in KNP or not)

 

AWC: great chances in KTP, good chances in KNP

 

Serval and porcupine: I've seen much more in KNP than in KTP

[kittykat23uk]

Thanks both, that is really helpful information. It's the smaller stuff that really interests me as regards KTP, plus raptors etc. Not too bothered about lions . Of all the big cats in Africa i think Cheetah are ones I have seen the least. Well anyway looks like Kruger is where we are going this time, but definitely got KTP firmly on our radar as a future trip. Thanks again!

[Panthera Pardus]

You welcome @@kittykat23uk.

 

So in October 2011 we had 3 nights booked in Kalahari Tented Camp followed by 3 nights in Urikaruus. In those 6 days we saw Caster and her cubs everyday. She made 3 kills in that time. We saw them feeding on the first one in the previous post. We saw the second one which was on 11 October 2011. The springboks went flying past us, I missed Caster flying past and one springbok was dead about 400 meters further down.

 

 

 

Caster dragged the kill under a tree and the cubs were on to it immediately

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the 14 October Caster had made another kill and we saw them feeding again

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next I will tell you more about Lisette.

[Panthera Pardus]

I have not done the Botswana camps but if you stay in Rooiputs and Polentswa you will be on the Nossob Riverbed. I would definitely recommend that you also stay on the South African side at Urikaruus and Kalahari Tented Camp for the best oppurtunity to see cheetah. I will still be posting a lot on this area and cheetah sightings.

 

November is a quite time of the year. It can get hot but you are likely to see many little cape foxes. It is also lambing season for some of the antelope so you could get lucky in seeing a birth of a wildebeest, springbok or haartebeest.

 

April will be busy and therefore more difficult to get bookings. Most of the migrant raptors will stiill be in the KTP getting ready to return to their breeding areas but the resident raptors are around all year round.

[Panthera Pardus]

We first saw Lisette in December 2009. She had 2 cubs at the time. On our trip in Octber 2011 we saw her again - she had 4 cubs this time round. We saw her with the four cubs and Caster with the cubs on all 6 days that we were in the area. We also saw Smith and Smit twice and Elena once during those 6 days.

 

Our Best sighting of Lisette on this trip was at 14 Borehole on 14 October 2011. We drove north from Urikaruus and they were sat a disatance from the road but in a clearing.

 

 

 

The cubs then came to the waterhole, but were nervous, as can be seen from their expressions

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lisette came to the waterhole and all was OK

 

 

They then walked for about 5km towards 13 Borehole.

 

next more about Elena.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ice]

 

 

to add to @@Panthera Pardus answer: April is the end of the rainy season, so you might literally get stuck, as we did last month (actually, it was the end of march) - after heavy rains you might not see any predators for days, also, as a result of heavy rains, some road sections might be closed, so personally I'd choose November over April, despite the heat

 

also, in November the gates are open for a much longer period of time: 5:30 - 19:30, compared to 7:00 - 18:30 in April

[Safaridude]

Just got back from Kgalagadi and what a surprise... to find this thread. Excellent.

 

KTP is addictive. It's incredible. Already thinking about returning...

[penolva]

What is the opinion of everyone about giving these wild animals "names"? Is it fault of the BBC or Wild Cat Diary? I called a lioness we saw in Lebala camp last year "Beauty Spot" but just for us. I just wonder? Pen

[Game Warden]

Just got back from Kgalagadi and what a surprise... to find this thread. Excellent.

 

KTP is addictive. It's incredible. Already thinking about returning...

 

That better not be the trip report...

[Sangeeta]

Just got back from Kgalagadi and what a surprise... to find this thread. Excellent.

 

KTP is addictive. It's incredible. Already thinking about returning...

 

@@Safaridude - Been thinking about you every time I read another installment on this thread. Love it when I hear the word 'addictive' from you

 

PP: How wet is May as a rule? If April is the end of the rainy season, then is May a cusp time or mostly dry?

 

@@ice - the reason I asked about 'animals' was precisely because I was not referring to the usual predators - my focus would be on brown hyena, meerkat (still haven't seen those and they are high on my list) and caracal would be cool. But on this one I would also like to generally savor the wildness that both you and PP refer to.

[ice]

@@Sangeeta

 

well, to quote the OP: with these little guys I would say it's mostly the luck of the draw:

 

brown hyena - very good chances, especially if you leave camps as soon as the gates are open and throw in a few guided morning, sunset or night drives

 

meerkat - slightly less likely, since they are so small and can (from a distance) easily be mistaken with yellow mongooses and squirells (of which there are plenty in the park)

 

caracal - easily the toughest one: as I've mentioned before, I do have 100+ drives in the park and have only spotted caracals four times, twice they just ran past us, with absolutely no chance to get any pictures at all, the third time I had good visibility but the cat was rather far away, the fouth time however, was one of the best sightings I ever had in KTP - a caracal with a steenbok kill, less than 10 m away from the road...from what I heard and read from other tourists, it pretty much stayed at the same position for three continous days (I posted some pictures in another thread)

 

I'm not sure if this has been mentioned before but just like in KNP they do have sightings boards in KTP as well, these may help a little bit at least when seaching for brown hyena and meerkats

[COSMIC RHINO]

Thanks for the good report and wonderfull photos.