Tankwa Karoo National Park — conditions, tracks, and what to pack
Went through last school holidays in a Ford Ranger Wildtrak. Here is the full report.
The approach road is graded gravel for the first 21km then transitions to a proper 4x4 track. We had 1 vehicles in convoy which made recovery easy when one rig needed a tow up a steep section. Total distance from the gate to our campsite was 59km and took 1 hours.
Camping: The campsite has a communal kitchen and hot showers. Signal is non-existent — exactly as it should be.
Fuel: filled up in the last town before the turn-off. Diesel consumption was around 13L/100km on the technical sections — budget for higher than your tar road figure. We carried 30L spare in jerry cans.
The solitude is genuinely spectacular. Happy to answer any questions from people planning this route.
6 Replies
Thanks for the report — this is exactly what I needed. Heading there in March with two other rigs (Ranger Raptor) and have been debating whether to take the longer alternate route. Based on your description, I think we will stick to the main track.
— steef_pretorius
Went through this one during the June long weekend and our experience was similar. The last 5km before camp was also the part that got our attention. What tyre pressures were you running? We found 1.6bar front and rear worked well on that surface.
Thanks for the report — this is exactly what I needed. Heading there in March with two other rigs (Ranger Raptor) and have been debating whether to take the longer alternate route. Based on your description, I think we will stick to the main track.
Went through this one last April and our experience was similar. The rocky section on the approach was also the part that got our attention. What tyre pressures were you running? We found 1.5bar front and rear worked well on that surface.
Thanks for the report — this is exactly what I needed. Heading there in October with two other rigs (Ranger Raptor) and have been debating whether to take the longer alternate route. Based on your description, I think we will stick to the main track.
Thanks for the report — this is exactly what I needed. Heading there in March with two other rigs (Ranger Raptor) and have been debating whether to take the longer alternate route. Based on your description, I think we will stick to the main track.
— steef_pretorius
Nice one, pieter. Did you do the shortcut via the farm road? We skipped it last time and regretted it. Adding it to the plan for our next trip.
Thanks for the report — this is exactly what I needed. Heading there in September with two other rigs (Hilux GD6) and have been debating whether to take the longer alternate route. Based on your description, I think we will stick to the main track.