Witsand is a great birding site, named after its strikingly white reef of dunes that interrupt the red sea of the Kalahari sands. Adjacent to the dunes lies unexpectedly dense woodland and savanna, offering all the typical arid savanna birds of the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park (p.107), as well as species that prefer denser woodland. These include Melba Finch, Black-cheeked and Violet-eared Waxbills, Yellow-billed Hornbill, Lappet-faced Vulture and, in wet years, Monotonous Lark. Witsand is unique in hosting the only sandgrouse bird hide in the world: Burchell’s, Namaqua, and the scarcer Double-banded may be seen drinking here; numbers vary, but are greatest in winter. Witsand offers pleasant camping and chalet accommodation, immaculately maintained by the Northern Cape Nature Conservation Service. See the map (p.106) for directions: it can be approached from either the north or the south (look out for conspicuous signposts just west of Olifants-hoek, or 10 km east of Groblershoop). An isolated population of African Rock Pipit (p.125*) is found in the adjacent Langeberg mountains; turn east 13 km north of Witsand and follow the road to the Bergenaars Pass.

Northeast of Witsand, the small nature reserves adjacent to the towns of Kathu and Kuruman provide a host of woodland species and are worth visiting if you are passing through. Kathu is the most southerly place where Red-billed Francolin and Pied Babbler are regularly seen.