The park, 40 km northwest of Kimberley, incorporates a productive area of grassland and savanna, and is reached by a signposted left turn 19 km west of Barkley West. It also includes a stretch of Vaal River frontage, rich in alluvial diamond deposits. Indeed, mining and other pressures have reduced the park to the point where it may be facing deproclamation within the next few years. It remains well stocked with big game though, including Buffalo (Syncerus cafer) and Black (Diceros bicornis) and White (Ceratotherium simum) Rhinos.

Vaalbos’s main attraction for birders lies in a largely isolated population of Short-clawed Lark, more typically a bird of overgrazed countryside in southeastern Botswana. At Vaalbos, it is uncommon: search for it where the open grassy plains are punctuated by small acacia trees, such as those near Block Dam (a map is obtainable at the gate). The open savanna areas around Block Dam are worth searching for Buffy Pipit and Rufous-naped Lark, while the nearby patch of trees holds such typical arid savanna species as Brubru, Shaft-tailed Whydah, Crimson-breasted Shrike, Pririt Batis (p.85*) and Golden-breasted Bunting. Wooded habitats throughout the park hold Red-crested Korhaan and, scarcely, Little Banded Goshawk. Grassland, such as that below the southern powerlines, offers Northern Black Korhaan, Anteating Chat, and Clapper (p.116*) and Spike-heeled Larks. The Vaal River banks, accessed from the Riverside picnic site, offer African Black Duck, Giant Kingfisher and White-fronted Bee-eater.