Upgrades coming to Nossob Rest Camp in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park: What visitors should know

Travellers planning a Kalahari safari should note that South African National Parks (SANParks) has confirmed scheduled upgrade and maintenance work at Nossob Rest Camp in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. The project forms part of ongoing investment to improve infrastructure and visitor comfort in one of Southern Africa’s most iconic wilderness destinations.

Work is expected to begin around 25 February 2026 and continue for approximately four months. Planned improvements include upgrades to campsite ablution facilities, premium campsites, and riverfront units, ensuring better long-term standards for future guests.

Importantly, all existing bookings remain valid, and accommodation availability will not be affected during the upgrade period. Visitors staying at Nossob Rest Camp during these months should, however, expect construction activity, maintenance vehicles, and occasional noise, which park management aims to keep to a minimum.

These enhancements are part of SANParks’ broader strategy to maintain high-quality facilities while protecting the exceptional wilderness experience that makes the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park such a sought-after safari destination.

 

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Central Kalahari Game Reserve: Botswana issues travel warning due to heavy rains!

The Government of Botswana has issued a warning on its facebook page regarding the current weather conditions in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. Due to heavy rains, driving in the Game Reserve is not advisable at the time. Those who choose to drive in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve are therefore advised to use no less than two vehicles. For more info, see the post below:



The Central Kalahari Game Reserve is located in the Kalahari Desert in Botswana. It covers an area of 52,800km² making it the second largest game reserve in the world. The Kalahari Desert is a large semi-arid sandy savannah in Southern Africa extending 900,000km², covering much of Botswana, parts of Namibia and regions of South Africa.

Namibia: "Undisturbed Places - A Timelapse Film"

Namibia is a filmmaker's wonderland! Wondering why? Check out Maciej Tomków's fantastic video "Undisturbed Places - A Timelapse Film". The film was shot a various places in Namibia (and Botswana) during a month-long trip through the Namib and the Kalahari. Maciej collected 2 terrybytes of timelapse footage while travelling around the two countries. "Undisturbed Places - A Timelapse Film" is a selection of the most beautiful locations the filmmaker was able to film. Kudos Maciej!

Undisturbed Places - A Timelapse Film from Maciej Tomków on Vimeo.

Namibia: Both camps in the Khaudum National Park closed till further notice

update (05 Nov 2013): According to selfdrive4x4forum, the following rules currently apply to the Khaudum National Park in Namibia:

• Khaudum National Park has two (2) unserviced camps which can be used free-of-charge by campers only
• All overnighting outside these two campsites is striclty prohibited
• Entering the park and driving through the park with less than two (2) 4x4 vehicles is a criminal offence; only one (1) vehicle per group of two may have a trailer, which has to be offroad-certified
• It is a must to carry enough water and food for all travellers for a minimum period of three (3) days and nights - no food, water or fire-wood may be collected inside the park [more] 

update (21 June 2013): According to Hans from come-along.nl (update: Tourbrief now also reporting it), Khaudum National Park is open and its two campsites can be used on a first-come, first-serve basis. We highly recommend to contact Namibia Tourism or Namibia's Ministry of Environment and Tourism before visiting the National Park to confirm the information given.

According to Tourbrief, a Namibian tourism news website, both Khaudum Camp and Sigaretti Camp in the Khaudum National Park in Namibia are closed till further notice. As a result the National Park is currently also closed to the public.
UPDATE: Khaudum National Park can still be done as a day visit, but is not recommended as the terrain is extremely difficult. The company which had the concession to develop the two camps within the National Park has chosen not to pursue it.
The Khaudum National Park is located in the Kalahari desert in Namibia’s north-eastern Kavango Region. The remote National Park has a size of 3 842 km², of which only the border with Botswana and a 55-km section of the western border of the park are fenced. Khaudum is home to large herds of elephants and the African wild dog, the continent's most endangered large predator, as well as to over 320 species of birds. Khaudum Nature Reserve was proclaimed in 1989. In February 2007, the reserve was given National Park status.


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Pilgrim Relief Society: The San Story (26 min)

This video about the Pilgrim Relief Society's development project shows the struggle that the San (or Bushmen) of the Kalahari Desert are facing today. As circumstances beyond their control press for change, the San leave behind that which makes them unique: elements of their culture and lifestyle which they have practised and preserved for millennia.



The Pilgrim Relief Society is a non-profit, charitable organization dedicated to improving the quality of life of indigenous people in remote places around the world. Since its establishment in 2001, the organization has developed projects for various remote communities including the Ju!hoansi Bushmen of the Kalahari, the Bambute pygmies and Lugbara tribe of Central Africa, the Kiai tribe of Vanuatu, the Inuit community of the north pole and the Inca community of South America.

Video: The amazing night sky over the Kalahari desert

The music might be a little too 90ies, but the views in the video are simply amazing as it shows you the incredible night sky over the Kalahari desert in Namibia shot in May 2010.



The video was made at Tivoli Southern Sky Guest Farm, a guest farm specialised in "astro tourism". The farm is situated in a very flat environment about 180 km southeast of Windhoek and provides their guests with all kinds of astronomic equipment, such as telescopes from 80-500mm. It seems to be the perfect spot for all star-gazers...

Survival International calls to boycott Botswana

Survival International, a non-governmental human rights organization working for tribal peoples, today (27 Sept 2010) called for tourists to boycott the Southern African country Botswana until the government ends a brutal campaign of persecution against Kalahari Bushmen. The call coincides with World Tourism Day (27 Sept 2010), so that SI is especially blaming Botswana for using describtions such as cultural diversity and welcoming people to promote tourism in the country.
What do you think about it? Should tourists boycott Botswana?

Heart of Dryness: How the Last Bushmen Can Help Us Endure the Coming Age of Permanent Drought

I just stumbled over a very interesting book titled Heart of Dryness, which discusses how the bushmen of the Kalahari Desert can teach us what we need to know about how to live in dry climates, something we're all increasingly finding ourselves in as we drill ourselves further into a global water crisis.



The dramatic story of the Bushmen of the Kalahari is a cautionary tale about water in the twenty-first century—and offers unexpected solutions for our time.
“We don’t govern water. Water governs us,” writes James G. Workman. In Heart of Dryness, he chronicles the memorable saga of the famed Bushmen of the Kalahari — remnants of one of the world’s most successful civilizations, today at the exact epicenter of Africa’s drought—in their widely publicized recent battle with the government of Botswana, in the process of exploring the larger story of what many feel has become the primary resource battleground of the twenty-first century: the supply of water.
The Bushmen’s story could well prefigure our own. In the United States, even the most upbeat optimists concede we now face an unprecedented water crisis. Reservoirs behind large dams on the Colorado River, which serve thirty million in many states, will be dry in thirteen years. Southeastern drought recently cut Tennessee Valley Authority hydropower in half, exposed Lake Okeechobee’s floor, dried up thousands of acres of Georgia’s crops, and left Atlanta with sixty days of water. Cities east and west are drying up. As reservoirs and aquifers fail, officials ration water, neighbors snitch on one another, corporations move in, and states fight states to control shared rivers.
Each year, around the world, inadequate water kills more humans than AIDS, malaria, and all wars combined. Global leaders pray for rain. Bushmen tap more pragmatic solutions. James G . Workman illuminates the present and coming tensions we will all face over water and shows how, from the remoteness of the Kalahari, an ancient and resilient people is showing the world a viable path through the encroaching Dry Age. (src.: amazon.com)

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