DAY 7 MATA-MATA Kgalagadi, here we come!

Even though the Twee Rivieren gate is only 37 km away, it pays to make an early start. You’ll be carrying on to MataMata and you’ll want to leave lots of time for game-viewing in the park. On your way to the gate, look for sociable weaver nests and white-backed vultures in the trees next to the road. If you’re feeling peckish, pause at Kgalagadi Lodge, which has a shop and a bakery. Stock up on fresh bread and something interesting for the braai like wildebeest boerewors (R60 per pack) or gemsbok sosaties (R150/kg). There’s also a restaurant with views of Botswana, where you can have a meal and sip a Puff Adder Weiss or a Meerkat IPA before you leave civilization behind. Twee Rivieren is a park gate and a border post, but everything usually runs smoothly and it shouldn’t take long to sign in and get a map. The road to Mata-Mata is one of the main gameviewing routes in the park, so drive slowly and take time to look for animals. The Auchterlonie picnic site is a good spot to pull over. It’s on a ridge with an expansive view of the Auob riverbed, where there’s a permanent waterhole. You should see wildebeest and springbok approaching to drink. There’s also an open-air museum where you can see how the early farmers and borehole caretakers lived: a stone cottage, a cattle kraal and a blacksmith workshop. Imagine how happy the people here must have been when they spotted the cloud of dust in the distance signalling the arrival of guests! You’re allowed to braai at the picnic site and there are toilets. From Auchterlonie, it’s about 80 km to Mata-Mata. Try to get there with some time remaining in the afternoon so you can nip out of the park and into Namibia – the Sitzas farm stall is about 200 m from the Mata-Mata border post and you can walk there. (Remember your passport!) Buy biltong, droëwors, koeksisters, rusks and preserved figs. Their lamb chops are delicious, and at R75 – R90/kg, they’re much cheaper than inside the park. Back in the park, drive to the Sitzas waterhole about 8 km from Mata-Mata. The waterhole itself is quite far from the parking area, but if you have a decent zoom lens you should get some good photos in the soft light. After your evening braai, visit the hide in Mata-Mata next to the illuminated waterhole. A herd of gemsbok might arrive to drink. Watch as they nervously inch closer, jumping at the slightest noise. It’s just a black-backed jackal, guys. Relax. Mata-Mata is small, with only 20 stands in the campsite. If you want to give the family a break from camping, treat them to a luxury self-catering unit on the riverbank where jackals will walk right past the door.

ACCOMMODATION INFO

Rates: Camping from R305 for two people, plus R88 per additional adult and R44 per child (max six per stand). Self-catering units from R1 015 per night for a twin-sleeper unit and from R2 805 per night for a four-sleeper unit with a river view. Contact: 054 561 0907