Previously known as Gemsbok National Park (or Kalahari Gemsbok National Park on the South African side), this vast and desolate dry park east of Keetmanshoop on the Botswana/South African border requires at least three days to see fully. It offers the opportunity to see dry-country antelope such as gemsbok (oryx) and springbok, but is most famous for its wealth of carnivores, of which the most commonly seen include cheetahs, bat-eared foxes, leopards, black-backed jackals and the famous black-maned Kalahari lions.
More than 200 species of birds have been identified as well, including the kori bustard (the largest bird that flies), dazzling swallow-tailed bee-eaters and many species of raptors. The most striking avian-associated feature of this landscape is the massive and rather untidy sociable weaver nests that adorn the treetops. The landscape is an unforgettable mix of thornbush and red sand dunes. 260 mi/420 km southeast of Windhoek.
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