Kalahari Gemsbok National Park, Nature park in Northern Cape, South Africa

Kalahari Gemsbok National Park covers 10,000 square kilometres of the Northern Cape, about 260 kilometres north of Upington. Much of it appears to be bare sand dunes, and the herds gather in the usually dry beds of the Auob and Nossob rivers, where wind pumps still draw groundwater from wells dug when British and South African soldiers marched against German troops in 1915.

The park was founded in 1931 and covers 10,000 square kilometres in the Northern Cape, about 260 kilometres north of Upington. It adjoins Botswana's Gemsbok National Park, and the two were later combined into the cross-border Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Park, placing 42,000 square kilometres under protection. The Mata-Mata border crossing to Namibia, closed for years, reopened in October 2007.

The park lies in the Kalahari, a name from the Tswana word for 'great thirst'. The Auob and Nossob riverbeds, usually dry, hold waterholes dug when British and South African soldiers moved against German forces in 1915; wind pumps installed then still draw groundwater today, and lions hunt at these waterholes at night.

The park offers visitors several accommodation options, ranging from modern rest camps with air conditioning and pools to basic wilderness camps. Exploring the area works best through guided safaris to see wildlife safely and learn about the landscape.

The two main rivers in the area flow only very rarely, roughly once per century, yet underground water provides drinking places year-round. These hidden water sources allow wildlife to survive and thrive in what appears to be an extremely dry landscape.