Saturday 21st May

We are now making our way out of the Kgalagadi Park after spending the last four days at Rooiputs, our final camp in Botswana. The drive from the South African side back to Botswana took most of the day and again due to lack of water holes on the route we saw very little wildlife. This time the landscape was made up entirely of endless waves of red sand dunes covered with small shrubs. Rooiputs itself is once again unfenced and on the rustic side but this time we do have water to wash and shower. It was nice to be just the four of us again.

As we drove into the camp we were greeted by a couple who were staying in a neighbouring camp who we had met in Mata Mata. They were very excited (and shattered!) because a pride of eight lions had surrounded their tent the previous night and warned us that we might be in for a noisy time. We went to bed full of anticipation (and the pot and wooden spoon!) and were once again glad that we had opted for a roof top tent. As it turned out we had one of the quietest nights so far and couldn’t even hear their distant roaring, which we now hear most nights.

Driving out the next morning and within 3 km from our camp we saw why: the pride, consisting of two adult males, seven females and two juveniles, had killed a gemsbok during the night and were fast asleep in the shade of a camel-thorn tree. They had gorged themselves to the point where you could visibly see their distended bellies. We watched them for ages but there was very little activity and they looked like they weren’t going anywhere in a hurry. 

The next morning there was almost nothing left of the carcass and a lone jackel was picking the last of the scrabs of the bones.

Yesterday evening we drove into our camp for our last night in the Kgalagadi with the sun setting behind us and the full moon rising in front, a very special view. Our last campfire and having run out of ‘…first ever…’ topics our thoughts turned to ‘where next?’

And then this morning on our way out one last treat: the lions were hungry again and were crouching on a hill and lining themselves up for an ambush on a herd of gemsbok right in front of us. It was quite an incredible scene being played out, there were long periods of what looked like a stand-off with both parties just watching each other, then without any obvious reason, the gemsbok retreated, together with a large herd of springbuk just behind, stopped and then slowly and cautiously, came forward again. 

This happened several times. It appeared that one of the lionesses was trying to encircle the gemsbok from behind while the rest of the pride was waiting for the chase on the other side. And then one of the young lions caused a disturbance and the gemsbok retreated much further back. Unfortunately we had to leave them to it since we had a very long drive ahead of us so we don’t know how it ended but it was totally spell bounding to watch.

So now we are on our two day journey back to Ingogo, already reminiscing about our experiences. We did have high expectations of the Khgalagadi and it is everything it promised to be and more. The animal sightings here are probably similar to many other game parks but the solitude of the Botswana camps in particular means that quite often you experience life in the bush all on your own. The fact that the animals are less afraid of you and will tolerate you being relatively close to them makes the experience so much more special and can only be a result of there being effective poaching controls and the absence of legal hunting.

The Kgalagadi is also hailed as a model of what could be achieved for conservation in the future since it is the only game park in Africa which has been formally established by neighbouring countries. 

In terms of highlights, the lions walking into our camp and spending over an hour in our vicinity with no-one else around is a highlight which I don’t think can ever be surpassed in terms of wildlife experiences. For Don it was the leopard appearing out of no-where and crossing right the truck right in front of us. 

As for the 'where next question...' there are some old favourites which keep popping up in our conversations: The Danikil Depression is Ethiopia, The Van Zyl pass in Namibia.....

....to be continued (hopefully!)

Wednesday 5th May 2016

Our trip this year is to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park which lies within the Kalahari and spans an area between the borders of northern South Africa and Botswana and extends to the eastern border of Namibia. The idea to undertake the trip was conceived last year whilst we were sitting by the fire under a starlit sky during our trip to Namibia when we were trying to think of places similarly remote to the Kaokovelt, the most north western part of Namibia, which we were exploring at the time.

The Kgalagadi is one of the largest and considered to be one of the most unspoiled conservation areas in the world and forms a continuum for unhindered animal migration across the three countries. The sheer size of the Kgalagadi (38,000 sq km) is what persuaded us to spend at least two weeks within the park.

Kgalagadi means ‘great thirstland’ as the landscape is very dry. Although there are two main river beds that run the length of the Park, the rivers (Nossub and Auob) flow only once or twice a century. What sustains the animals within the park are 80 boreholes fitted with solar or windmill driven pumps dotted throughout Park that serve as waterholes. 

Within the Botswana side of the Park are several unfenced camps with facilities ranging from little more than a long drop toilet to others more ‘sophisticated’ that are fitted also with a basic cold water shower and wash basin. On the South African side, the camps are fenced in and less rustic.

Our intention is to travel from one camp to another starting with the basic camps on the Botswana side. One of the great attractions of the Botswana camps is the fact that numbers to each camp are limited to two vehicles, so you have it pretty much to yourself.  

As usual we started our trip off at Ingogo, going through our by now well rehearsed routine of getting ready; tightening nuts and bolts on the truck, airing the rooftop tents, buying supplies, cooking and freezing meals etc. 

And now we are on the road to the most southern entrance gate of the Park on the Botswana side. The four of us are once again marveling at how lucky we are to be able to undertake a trip like this and are excited about what lies ahead….

Saturday 8^th May,

We crossed into Botswana yesterday at McCarthy’s Rest border post and entered the Park via the Mabuashube Gate before making our way to our first camp (Lesholoago). Even though it is autumn here temperatures reached 30 degrees Centigrade by mid-afternoon. Our camp is on a slightly elevated area overlooking a huge salt pan so the wildlife is to be seen pretty much right here in front of us. Because there is no legal hunting and no poaching the animals are relatively accustomed to people and certain species will quite often not even move out of your way as you approach them.

The Kgalagdi Park is known for its relatively high population of lions and since there is no fencing around the Botswana camps we moved around cautiously for the first hour or so but once we had made our camp fire we relaxed. Whilst thawing our meat for the braai we were visited by a rather persistent jackel which did eventually disappear back into the bush.

The night was uneventful but I decided to take a pot and a wooden spoon to bed just in case…

Tuesday 10^th May

We have now been in the Kgalagadi for 4 days and have come to realise that it is what you could describe as an ‘all or nothing’ game park. Due to the huge size of it and the shortage of water, animals are scarce but then suddenly a leopard walks out of the bush right across your path, which is what happened a couple of days ago. 

What we are really hoping to see are the Kgalagadi’s famous black maned desert lions. We can hear their awesome roaring in the distance at night and there is evidence of their spoor all around us, but given that there are known to be forty or so prides in an area the size of Holland, we were not necessarily that confident of our chances of encountering them.

And then, guess what…..? Yesterday morning they came looking for us!

Don and Ian were sitting by the burned out fire having their early morning coffee when three lionesses walked right into our camp, about 30 meters from where they were sitting, made brief eye contact and then spent the good part of an hour and a half lazing not far from us. They looked totally relaxed and unfazed by us and at one point one even went to sleep although another one, hidden behind a bush, was on a constant look out. We were very cautious at first but once they had made themselves at home we relaxed a little more ourselves and went about our getting ready to leave routine as usual (but looking over our shoulders nevertheless!).

It appeared that they had come looking for water but there was none in our camp so eventually they headed off into the bush. It was incredibly exciting to be so close to them and we could hardly believe our luck that they had actually walked into our camp. Even more unusual was the fact that it happened in broad daylight so we had an opportunity to observe them at close range and to take plenty of pictures.

Exciting as this was, the boys still have not seen their sought after black maned male lion….

Wednesday 11^th May,

….and then this morning before leaving for our last camp on the Botswana side we found these lions relaxing by a watering hole, the male lion in full view. We were able to get within a couple of meters without the females even coming close to waking up.

Thursday 12^th May

For the past two days we have been on the Mabuasehube Wilderness trail which is a 155 km 4X4 track connecting the Botswana side of the park to the South African side. It is a narrow sandy track running from east to west and to preserve the landscape only two cars a day are allowed to traverse along it.

There are fewer animals to be seen along the route, presumably since there are less watering holes in this area, but the landscape with its unique semi-desert vegetation is nevertheless stunning. There is very little rain fall here but just a few drops can transform the reddish Kalahari desert sand with delicate flowers appearing here and there. 

Dotted along the trail are several salt pans where we found large herds of Gemsbok, a number of them using their hoofs to dig for water.

We spent last night at a halfway point along the trail, at a designated site with no facilities whatsoever, near a salt pan and parked under a large camel-thorn tree. The night sky was incredible and bush camping miles from anywhere was exhilarating. We ended the evening telling each other our ‘first ever’ jokes we could remember and there was lots of laughter around the campfire since most of the jokes were over fifty years old!

Having the entire stretch of this ancient untamed landscape to ourselves felt very special.

Tuesday 17^th May,

For the past five days we have been staying at Mata Mata camp on the South African side of the Park, which also serves as a border post between South Africa and Namibia. Unlike the situation in the Botswana sector of the Park, this is a gated (fenced-in) camp which we share with other campers. Even though the camp is small it did feel to us like we were arriving in the middle of Jo’burg as we drove in. As a trade-off there are hot showers, flushable toilets and a small shop with basic supplies.

The days are still hot but the nights have gotten much colder with temperatures just above freezing so we are wearing just about all our winter clothes to bed.

The mornings are again frosty and Don and Ian appear to be having an unspoken competition as to who can hold out the longest before putting on long trousers…

From our Mata Mata camp base, the daily game drive is along or across the dry Ayub River bed which is framed on each side by sand dunes. Depending on the time of the day and the position of the sun the landscape is spectacular and forever changing  

Ayub river bed

We are spending most of each day on game drives, stopping at water holes here and there and have had some great animal sightings. Due to the fact that most of the animals move within the dry river bed you never drive for more than a couple of minutes before spotting herds of wildebeest, giraffe, ostridge, gemsbok, springbok etc and less frequently the odd more solitary animals such as hyenas, cheetah and (on one occasion) lion.

The most exciting encounter for me personally was coming within close range of a Cape cobra in full fighting mode ready to strike, luckily from the safety of our truck. 

The Mata Mata region is the only part of the Khalagadi where you find giraffe, which had been hunted to extinction in the Kalahari many years ago. Then in 1990, eight giraffe from Etosha where reportedly introduced into the area and there are now more than forty in the park.

When we arrive back at camp each evening it is usually starting to get dark and within one hour the temperature drops dramatically. The conversation around the fire has now moved onto ‘first ever songs (‘My Boy Lollipop x2’, ‘Yellow Polkadot Bikini, ‘Ganz in Weiss mit einem Blumenstrauss’ and also on to first ever movies (‘Bambi’ x2, ‘Mary Poppins’, ‘Heidi’)……….

Sunset at Mata Mata

Tomorrow we will be heading back into the wilder Botswana sector of the Park once again so today is spent with catching up with laundry, doing small repairs etc.

 Still no internet, so this will be a very long blog once I am able to post it…..

Hey, guess what...

And finally....

Saturday 28^th March

We arrived back at Ingogo a couple of days ago and have been busy unpacking, cleaning, mending, drying out, sorting and repacking. In terms of ‘damage’ we have been lucky and apart from Ian having a small leak in his diesel tank (probably from a stone) and Don’s Blackberry not working

ever since he took it for a swim, we have not had any real problems. And no signs of malaria so far!

It has been a great trip and the memories will last us for a long time. In particular Kaoakoland with its remoteness and ancient landscape has left a deep impression on us and as we drove out of the area we both knew instinctively that we would be back here one day. Is it because here you feel the ancient rhythm of Africa at its best? Who knows…

And then there is the unresolved challenge of the Van Zyl pass which just won’t go away.

With a newly retired husband the possibilities are endless!

Love Gabi (and Don of course)

The Skeleton Coast, Sossusvlei and The Fish River Canyon

Thursday 17^th March, The Skeleton Coast

We left Kaokoland four days ago and have been making our way south towards the Skeleton Coast. Driving out of Kaokoland and seeing this unusual landscape at a different time of the day to when we drove in was once again totally captivating. As we drove alongside and at times inside dry riverbeds, we kept a constant lookout for the elusive desert elephants but unfortunately we did not see them.

On our second day of travelling south we came over a hill to find Ian and Heather stranded in a river bed. Although the water wasn’t very deep, the sand was very soft and Ian’s front wheels were well and truly embedded in it.

So this time the 'big toys' did come out, first the tow rope which snapped almost as soon as Don was reversing and then the winch which managed to pull Ian out. Luckily the water level wasn’t rising which is something that can happen very suddenly following rain further upstream. That night we stayed at a camp in the far south of Kaokoland where Ian and Heather had encountered the desert elephants three years ago.

Ian had gone for a stroll while Heather was sleeping and when he came back to their truck with Heather sleeping in it, it was surrounded by the elephants which were feeding off the tree the truck was parked under. It must have been magic! Sadly we found out that the elephants had left this area two weeks ago and were on their way south in search of water.

We continued towards the Skeleton Coast spending an afternoon and the night at our last game reserve, called Palmweg Desert Rhino Reserve. Driving through the park at five miles per hour with temperatures again in the forties and the landscape comprising almost entirely of sun-reflecting red rock and not much else, on top of that a hot wind blowing (not unlike having your hair dryer blowing into your face), Heather and I reached a bit of a melting point and were LONGING for cooler temperatures.  

The next morning our wish came true! We only had a couple of hundred kilometres to go before reaching the entrance to the skeleton coast. As we drove closer to the Atlantic the temperature dropped from 38 degrees to 17 degrees within a couple of hours and when we reached our camp for the night we were ‘freezing’. The landscape was pretty bleak and eerie and with a combination of lingering fog and a constant wind blowing it felt more hostile than anything I have encountered on this trip.

We drove south along the coast the next day stopping at a couple of ship wrecks. The San people call this region ‘The land God made in anger’ and early Portuguese sailors called this coast ‘The Sands of Hell’ due to its treacherous coastline. If you survived being washed ashore (more than 100 ships have run aground on this coastline) you then faced a walk of at least 60 km inland through hot dusty desert. To add to the agony, lakes appearing at regular intervals on the horizon turned out to be nothing more than mirages.

Needless to say, it was a walk to certain death, hence the name ‘Skeleton Coast’.

We spent pretty much a whole day travelling south along the coast, the foggy bleakness only interrupted by stopping at a Cape fur seal colony which has existed in this location for over 400 years. The pups were about three months old (they are all born in mid-December) and it was a real delight to watch them. All in all, this colony is populated by 26,000 seals and the smell and sound is something to be experienced to be believed.

The colony also marks the spot where the first European, the Portuguese navigator Diogo Cao, set foot on the cost of south-western Africa in 1486.

Saturday, 21^st March

We are now on our way to the Fish River Canyon which is the last item on our itinerary before heading back into SA. Following our drive along the Skeleton Coast we spent a couple of nights in a town called Swakopmund. For the first time we had to camp in a town campsite and it felt strangely claustrophobic having other travellers around us. Thus far we have been mostly on our own in the various camps and even on the roads. The town itself has a distinct German feel to it due to its architecture and the German tourists here and were it not for the palm trees you could think you were in a little town in Bavaria.

We treated ourselves to an evening in a Bierkeller drinking Weizenbier but since we were by the sea we opted for the fish rather than the Schweinehaxe mit Sauerkraut.

Before heading inland we made one last stop on the coast to visit a flamingo colony which was a real treat since they were right up close. Liam, you would have loved this! We reckon there must have been about a thousand flamingos, all moving and changing direction in unison as if performing some magic dance.

We then headed east towards the Namib desert and an area called Sossusvlei. This area is thought to be one of the oldest landscapes on earth and is famous for having Namibia’s highest sand dunes, some reaching as high as 300 meters. The sand forming the dunes is thought to have originated  in the Kalahari desert millions of years ago, was washed down towards the Atlantic by the Orange river and swept northwards by the Benguela current to be deposited along the coast. The best time to see the dunes is at sunrise when the reflection of the sun makes the dunes appear in all different shades of red and orange. When we left our camp it was still dark and although there was some cloud cover when the sun did come up the views were stunning. Again, not something you can capture in a photo but here is one anyway

 Sunday 22^nd March, The Fish River Canyon

This 160 km long and 27 km wide gash in the earth is incredibly impressive but the total lack of plant life and incredible heat reflected off the exposed rock surfaces is quite startling. The canyon has been carved out of rock by the Fish river and is thought to be approximately 400 million years old, half as old as the earth itself! Now days the river is no more than a trickle.

The guidebook recommends a four day hike through the base of the canyon to ‘live it’ rather than ‘see it’. With the wildlife here consisting mostly of snakes, spiders and scorpions I was relieved when there was no interest expressed in a hike. Phew!

By the way, we stayed in a camp a couple of nights ago which had a tame springbok running around the camp site and which took a real liking to Don…

The look on the poor animal's face when we left...