Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park - Wilderness Camps
Bitterpan
Elevated above the red sand dunes of the Kalahari and suspended in time is Bitterpan – an exclusive, stilted camp overlooking a waterhole.
Bitterpan is situated in the center of the wilderness - opening up a new 4x4 route through the Kalahari dunes from Nossob to Mata-Mata and the Kalahari Tent Camp. It is on a ONE-WAY route starting from Nossob. It is approximately a 2,5 hr drive from Nossob to Bitterpan, while from Bitterpan to Craig Lockhart on the Auob tourist road takes another 2.5 hrs, and thereafter 15 minutes to Mata-Mata, or a two hour drive to Twee Rivieren. It is strictly a 4x4 route, but BIG 4x4’s such as Unimogs (heavy vehicle 4x4) are not allowed.
Guests should consider staying at Nossob before their departure for Bitterpan, as it is approximately 3 hours drive from Nossob along a one-way 4x4 route. Guests much check in to Bitterpan at Nossob. They cannot do so at Twee Rivieren or Mata-Mata. Nossob itself is at least a three-and-a-half hour drive from Twee Rivieren.
Accommodation
Bungalows - 2 bed
- This camp is NOT fenced and a Tourism Assistant is on duty at all times
- Loose standing bathroom, with a shower, washbasin and toilet
- The accessible unit with appropriate ablution facilities are available for visitors with mobility impairment
- There is a communal kitchen and barbeque area
- Bedding, towels and cooking and eating utensils are provided
- There is GAS for hot water and cooking and SOLAR for lighting
- The walls of each unit are made of reeds and canvas, whereas the roof is a corrugated iron sheet, covered with reeds
- The camp is built on stilts with a wooden walkway adjoining the units
- A six-metre lookout tower allows exceptional views over the pan, waterhole and across the dunes
Extra Information
- 4x4 access only
- The camp and its access roads are strictly for the use of its residents only
- Visitors must supply their own firewood or charcoal
- Visitors must supply their own drinking water
- No Trailers (even 4x4 trailers) will be permitted
- Visitors should be aware that there is limited driving opportunity once at the camp
-
Only a one-way 15 km game drive, however visitors staying longer than one night may use the escape route to Moravet to go onto the tourist routes and back
- The entrance and exit roads (and the 15 km game drive) are strictly one-way
- No fuel and no shop, nearest facilities at Nossob and Mata-Mata
Extra Information
Day travellers
There are communal ablution facilities at Twee Rivieren, Nossob and Mata Mata rest camps and picnic sites at Melkvlei, 50 km (north of Twee Rivieren), Dikbaardskolk, 56 km (South of Nossob) and at Kamqua between Twee Rivieren and Mata-Mata.
Handy Hints
- Binoculars and cameras should be easily accessible at all times
- Stopping for little things often produces interesting things that were not apparent.
- Sun cream is advisable
- Drinking water available in all shops
Official hours
Office Hours - 07:30 to sundown
Gate Hours
| Gate Times | Jan - Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun-Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov-Dec |
| Gates Open | 05:30 | 06:30 | 07:00 | 06:00 | 06:00 | 06:00 | 06:30 | 06:00 | 05:30 |
| Gates Close | 19:30 | 19:00 | 18:30 | 06:00 | 06:00 | 06:00 | 18:30 | 19:00 | 19:30 |
Take note
- Pets are not allowed in a National Park.
- Firearms must be declared at the gate where they will be sealed. The seal will be broken upon departure.
- Shoes are essential on summer evenings for protection against the possibility of scorpion stings.
- Keep an emergency supply of 10 litres water in your vehicle.
- In the event of a breakdown, remain in your vehicle – it is the safest place.
- This is a low risk malaria area. Consult your chemist.
- Roads in the park have gravel surfaces.
- Light aircraft may land on a tarred runway at Twee Rivieren. Prior permission must be obtained from the Park.
- Hired cars may be collected at Twee Rivieren provided that an advance booking was made.
- The travelling time from the entrance gate at Twee Rivieren to Nossob Rest Camp is 3.5 hours and to Mata Mata is 2.5 hours. When driving from one rest camp to the other, travellers should depart with travelling times in mind to ensure arrival before sunset as no travelling is allowed in the park after dark.
Visitors to Botswana
Until such time as the entrance gate into Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Park is completed (the amalgamation of Kalahari Gemsbok National Park, South Africa and Gemsbok National Park, Botswana) the following procedure still has to be followed. Visitors visiting the Park have no need for a passport unless the park is exited via a different gate than entry. A passport is essential when entrance from one country and departure to another will be undertaken. For this purpose, a border post is situated at Twee Rivieren on the South African side and at Two Rivers on the Botswana side of the Park. (Twee Rivieren border post office hours: 07:30 – 16:00).
Guests utilising Botswana trails and campsites must be in possession of the correct permits obtained through Botswana Central Reservations.
Climate
The Kalahari is a semi-arid region with an average rainfall of 150mm in the southwest to 350mm in the northeast. The unreliable and irregular rains fall mostly during dramatic thunderstorms, often accompanied by strong winds and dust-storms, between November and April. The first rains transform the red dunes, covering them with the fresh yellow flowers of the dubbeltjie, Tribulus terrestris. Within two weeks fresh green grass begins to grow, but if the rains do not return, the vegetation will soon wither and the thirstland once again becomes apparent.
Temperatures vary greatly from -11°C on cold winter nights to 42°C in the shade on summer days when the ground surface temperature reaches a sizzling 70°C. During the winter months, when frost is common, the ground surface temperature can be 25°C lower that the temperature of the air. Winter in the Kalahari is a cool, dry season from September to October and then a hot, wet season from November to April.
