Planning a trip to Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park? Download opspoor to see recent sightings in the park and log your own.
Your chances of seeing Caracal in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
Trophy sighting. Caracal are one of the trophy sightings of Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park: hard, but never impossible. Drive early and late, and open opspoor before you head out to see where they've been spotted recently.
When to see Caracal in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
Caracal are most active at night (19:00 to 05:00). Much of their activity falls outside gate hours, so the first drive after the gates open and the last hour before they close give you the best chance.
This is Caracal's general behavior. Once enough sightings are logged in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, this page also shows when they're actually seen here.
Where to look for Caracal in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park: best roads
Drive
Kaa Access Road, Upper Dune Road and Lower Dune Road run through kalahari dunes and sandveld: good country for Caracal.
- Kaa Access Road80.2 km · kalahari dunes and sandveld
- Upper Dune Road52.7 km · kalahari dunes and sandveld
- Lower Dune Road35.4 km · kalahari dunes and sandveld
Picked from habitat, not from sightings. opspoor shows where Caracal have actually been seen recently.
About the Caracal
The caracal is a medium-sized African wild cat recognised by its reddish-brown coat, black-tipped ears with long tufts and relatively short tail. It is highly adaptable and occurs in savanna, grassland, woodland, scrub and semi-arid habitats. Caracals are primarily nocturnal hunters and feed on rodents, birds, reptiles and small to medium-sized mammals. They are powerful and agile predators capable of making spectacular vertical leaps to catch birds in flight.
How to identify the Caracal
Medium-sized wild cat with a compact muscular body, long legs, short tail and distinctive black ear tufts. Coat ranges from sandy or reddish-brown to grey, often with faint spots or markings and a pale underside.
Other species to look for in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
Other parks where you can see Caracal
Heading to Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park? opspoor shows where Caracal have been logged recently and lets you log your own, even with no signal.