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My sister Jan and I are sitting in the airplane that will carry us to Jo-burg and then travel on to the Kgalagadi. Jo-burg tomorrow, Upington Friday, Augrabies Saturday, then KTP. We're not quite sure what to expect, it is our first time. After 2 wonderful trips to Kruger, we are ready for a new adventure. We've enjoyed so many trip reports and read about all the adventures and looked at all the exciting and beautiful pictures, how awesome it all appears. All I want is to see distant horizons and red sand. Anything more will be extra. We've got a great itinerary planned that includes stays at TW, Kieliekrankie, Nossob, Grootkolk, Bitterpan, KTC, and Urikaruus. We plan on meeting up with other forumites. We are looking forward to fresh baked bread and maybe a thunderstorm.

Above all else we are looking forward to the unexpected and living life in the moment.

We leave SA October 22. But for now, there is only today. I'm leaving all cares behind. Oops, time to shut down. We are ready for takeoff, wish us luck.

Sitting in b&b in Upington overlooking Orange River. Ohhhhh. Augrabies tomorrow. KTP Sunday. All groceries, wood food and water ready for the trip. We are here!

I don't know quite how to begin. We returned on 22 Oct. I lost my picture files, then I recovered them, then I looked at them, then I was overwhelmed with them. The Kgalagadi took me away from my normal breathing pattern. I often held my breath there, now I am back to breathing normally. I'm having a hard time writing about my experiences. I guess this is a start, I'll start posting some pictures.

Here we are, thanks for your help, it's working today.

Ok, all my technical issues are resolved, thanks once again.

This is our third trip to wonderful South Africa. The last one was 2 years ago and it's been a long wait. This time we are heading to the Kgalagadi and we are super excited, there have been so many delicious trip reports to savor and fuel our appetites. I have to thank you writers for romancing me and for the support you have provided me in answering all my questions.

My sister Janet and myself flew out of Dulles Wednesday, October 5 and arrived in Johannesburg the following evening. We stayed at a wonderful place this trip, I recommend it highly and will return to it this December on my Kruger trip. The chef cooked our meal over fire and reality set in. We were back in South Africa!! Tomorrow, Upington.


3 sleeps away from KTP

Here's my sister, Janet.



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Friday, October 7. We woke up early and we were only a delicious breakfast and a short flight away from Upington. We are met at the airport and soon the paperwork for our bakkie was completed. First stop -- groceries, beer, water and wood. And a big bag of lemons. We are no strangers to gin and tonics! Our Toyota Hilux was outfitted with a fridge/freezer, so we filled it up with goodies and decided to take a drive and do some geocaching.

Our bakkie



For those of you who have passed by this landmark, there's a geocache hidden here.



Watch out for the thorns, we both had sandals on and the fallen thorns climb right up into your feet. Then they break off and you are spending the rest of the time trying to pry them out.



Our first weaver nest captured our attention for a while.



One more evening passes by and we are 2 more sleeps from KTP.





Tomorrow, Augrabies Falls.

Saturday, October 8.

We are up early and enjoy another delicious breakfast. From this point forward, we'll be cooking our own. Actually Janet will. She's decided to keep things in order. Evidently, I am too messy and disorganized for her tastes. My job is to take pictures and she will cook and drive. Pretty good deal I'm thinking. We say goodbye to our friend outside our room and begin the drive to Augrabies Falls. We will do some geocaching along the way. The weather is spectacular as we set out. Janet starts to cough and doesn't stop until after we leave South Africa. Organize THAT Janet!!



Our first cache today is on top of Treiberg hill. What a beautiful view of the countryside this hill provides, the green from the farms is amazing to see in such a dry environment. On the hill we come across our first kokerboom tree.





Here's Janet at the site of another geocache.



We arrive at the Augrabies Falls gate around noon and by 12:30 we have our Wild Card paperwork and are on our way to our first day of adventure. We are sightings hungry. What will be the first creature? A dassie!! Way off in the distance near Moon Rock. And that is the only dassie we will see today, too far away for a picture. We stop at Moon Rock and climb to the top.





The views are breathtaking and other worldly.









Off in the distance Jan spies some gemsbok. They watch us closely which makes for a nice picture. A few more appear and then they decide to ramble down the other side of the hill. They are exquisite animals.



A little further down the road we come across our first springboks.





Let's put a weaver nest AND a kokerboom together, what a combination. TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER the kokerboom seemd to day.



There's a water hole that you can access from the Escape Route/Short Route. We came upon a family of ostriches heading up the hill away from the water hole. You can barely see the little ones at this distance.





We decide to head back, not enough time to complete the Extended Route. We are anxious to see the falls before dark and want to enjoy a G&T while the sun sets. On the far side of the loop, we come across a herd of female kudu.



We decide to drive to the Ararat viewpoint.









The G&Ts are calling and we head back to reception to get our cabin assignment. We get #58 and we can hear the falls and watch the comings and goings of other guests while we enjoy our first G&T, and our second, and third, and I think 4th and then the sun goes down. We end up eating at the restaurant and enjoyed a bottle of Orange River Chenin Blanc. My springbok steak was delectable, Janet had clam and cheese covered steak. Then we realize we haven't seen the falls yet, so out comes the whiskey and the tripod and we head to the falls to try and take some photographs of the falls in the dark. With the moon lighting our way we make our way through the sand to one of the view points.



One more sleep to go. And no, we never did see the falls.

I thought maybe you might like a few more landscapes from Augrabies Falls. Also, our late night sojourn to the falls actually did provide a few pictures of the moonlight.











[

I'm working through the next set of pictures to Kgalagadi and our first drive in the park. One more sleep.

This is Chickadee's sister chiming in. In the past I have only lurked in the forums reading the various trip reports. (Thanks to you all for sharing your exciting experiences) I have a need to defend myself against my OLDER sister's abuse regarding the subject of organization and cooking. First let me say she is one of the greatest photographers I have known and my beloved and favorite sister (although there is only 1 other sister).

Great photographer, yes ......... a person of organization while on vacation, no. I think it's the Gin and Tonics that lead her into this state of confusion

So, Nancy, thank the gods above that you had me on this trip to keep you fed, organized, and out of the way of charging lions.

We are the best travel partners ever!!!!
Until the next trip........your baby sister, Janet

Hmmmph! I liked it better when you were lurking.

Sunday, October 9, Part 1

Sunday morning was singing to us so instead of sleeping in we were up making coffee and getting ready for the sunrise. Each day we usually got up around 5AM and watched the world light up. As Lionspoon described, we found that an early start was more important here than at Kruger, the hours from gate opening to around 10AM were crucial to sightings. After that things got quiet. We got very interested in birds because they were on display all day. I have to say on our other trips we focused on the big colorful birds, this trip we started looking at the others, especially raptors. We were able to count from pictures I had taken around 70 or so species, a friend who had been there last March as part of a group counted 138. Wowee. I was still happy with 70, most were lifers.

We enjoyed the early morning and watched the bad baboons come back from the river cliffs and topple every trash can along the boardwalk. Ah yes, back in SA! Here's what #58 looks like.



The other thing, our bakkie's door locking had a mind of it's own. We were told to never use the automatic locking - and we didn't. We manually locked the doors using the key or didn't at all. Rather Janet locked the doors and I didn't. Still, just about every day the horn/security honked. One day when we touched the back door on the left side, horn honked. Another time, we were in and out of an unlocked car, when we touched the unlocked driver's door, the horn honked. One time we picked up the keys inside the bungalow, the horn started honking. It was embarrassing. We never knew what to expect. Worst was at Urikaruus, at 5:30 AM, the car just started honking and won't stop until we started the car. Sorry.

Once we packed up, we headed out on a short drive to the view at Oranjekom lookout. We started seeing dassies all over the place. They were enjoying the morning sunshine too. Here's a set of dassie pictures.









We still hadn't seen many springboks in our lives, so we feel lucky when we see one.



When we arrive at the lookout we find a spectacular view. There are plenty of lizards that scatter and hide if you get too close. Here is pair that stayed still for a while.



I think this is a rock martin.


Here we see a Verreaux's eagle giving me a break while flying overhead. It soon disappeared up the river.


At first I thought this was a red-necked falcon but finally decided on a rock kestrel. Any thoughts? The light made it hard for me to determine.


On our way back in a leafy green area we came upon a troop of vervets. I was surprised to see them as they ate from the trees and eventually crossed the road in front.


This little one was hiding in the shade but eventually peeked out for us.


Then, when we entered the empty picnic area, a tribe of baboons were caught doing what they weren't supposed to be doing. There was no one there to chase them off. This one was caught red-handed.


He jumped off and proceeded to try and look as innocent as he felt he should. I'm bored but a little excited too, he seemed to be trying to say.


And then we were out of the park and heading back to Upington and on to a new road, a new park, and a new set of adventures. As we neared the turnoff to KTP, we came upon this secretary bird right on the side of the road. We watched it as it hunted and flew off. Our excitement was mounting as the kilometers ticked off.


And then we were there.

Sunday, October 9, Part 2

We were entering the Kgalagadi National Park after at least 3 years of anticipation!! I shed a tear or two and we proceeded to the check-in. This is it I thought, this is where it begins. There's nothing like the start is there? When you have all the days left and so many opportunities.

Check in was smooth and we had no problems. We were assigned our bungalow #27 and we hurried up to unload. We unpacked, lowered the tire pressure and were out into the Kgalagadi to see what we would see by 2:15 PM.

And then we were looking looking looking. And looking and looking. Hmmm. Not seeing much. "It's pretty desolate here hey Jan?" "Yeah, not much, no cars, no cheetahs, no leopards." Where are the lions?" "There's a squirrel." "It's a GROUND squirrel." "Oh ja, haha, there's 2, look!"

And so the afternoon went, a little anticlimactic I must admit. Not that I was complaining. We were just warming up. We drove as far as Auchterlonie and got out and enjoyed the warm breeze and imagined some lions in the parking lot.

Here's what we saw, pale chanting goshawk, 3 striped mouse, ground squirrel, ostrich, wildebeest, springbok, gemsbok, steenbok, verreaux eagle owl, northern black korhaan, namaqua dove, swallow tailed bee-easter, skink, agama lizard, crimson breasted shrike, black bellied bustard, common fiscal, southern anteating chat, white browed sparrow weaver, red headed finch.











This crimson shrike was demolishing the skink, smashing it to pieces on the rock.









Our bakkie with the yellow ribbon.





So we headed back to TW to enjoy our braai. Later in the evening after the night drive had gone out, Jan and I walked to the gate. It was scary in the dark. Off in the distance we heard a lion roar and some backtalking hyenas. Nice.

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Monday, October 10

We honk the horn a few times as a courtesy to those who are oversleeping and then Jan and I are on on way. We stop for a quick picture of the Kgalagadi sign - doesn't this look like a frosted cake? All we need are some candles and ice cream.



Off we head to Samevloeiing to see some leopards, lions or caracal, but instead we find springbok, wildebeest and gemsbok. Jan, I ask, can you find a different road? We're driving on a river. All the animals are on the other side. The birds too. They're too far away, I complain. We're at the water hole, where's the leopard? There's supposed to be a leopard hiding somewhere at every waterhole. Our hearts must not be in the right place I determine. Janet, your heart is not in the right place - try slowing down and appreciating the sand more. On the road we meet a yellow ribbon - Munchkin. We put on our happy smiles. Noooo, we haven't seen the cheetahs, nawwww, we've seen some laughing doves, real close, they were pecking, then they flew. Wonderful. Good luck we wish them and we and our storm clouds drive off.

Just before Leeudril we see a "professional" photographer. He is allowed to drive where he wants and is parked along side a road that is closed to the "amateur" photographers. But we can see the cape fox den he is shooting in the distance anyway. We can't see the fox, but we can see where the pro is aiming.



While photographing the vicinity of the fox, we hear some loud roars coming from just up the road. Oho, finally, here come the lions. We move off in the direction of the sound and sure enough, we have just missed a lion. He has come down from the dunes and after making a bit of noise has laid down for a nap. We watch him for a while then proceed towards Rooiputs. I've been looking forward to driving the Botswana road ever since I heard it opened up for us. Today is the day. Just before pulling off the main road a family waves us down. Jagluiperd, jagluiperd they share. Huh? Jaguar?, there's no jaguars here. What are they talking about Janet? A leopard? Alright let's go back, bye, honk honk.

We drive back to miss the cheetahs but visit the male lion sleeping one more time and then drive back to Rooiputs where we put the day into better perspective. We cross the dunes and head to Kielie Krankie where we will be staying the night. Here are some photo's from the day. I admit to being bored with these photos and have taken some liberties with the images.





PCG, I'm not sure where we got our best pictures


Here's our first male lion


My favorites after this trip


We returned looking for the jagluiperds and the lion had moved a bit.


After returning to the Rooiputs cutacross road we came upon this meerkat sentinel. We saw only one other, but the rest must have been on the other side of the hill. Still, this was the only thing I wanted to see this trip, the rest that follows is icing on the cake.




We are wannabe meerkats. No you are. No you are. I like being a squirrel. I have a cool tail.




Restrooms


Gembsbok


Ostrich


Ostrich and family on dune


Water hole and herons, we saw a martial eagle here


Dikkop on nest


Steenbok


Chat


Approaching Kielie Krankie


When we got to KK, we were escorted in by Willem. Have you ever been here, he asked, No. And then he told us to keep the doors closed, there were cobras around and here you go, here is the view, and I must admit I was overwhelmed by the sight. I lost it. The view from the decks at KK are too beautiful for words. We had number 4, so lovely and wonderful.


another view


inside


Jan and deck


Jan


Sparrow


Bulbul


After some rest, we head out towards the waterholes for an evening drive. Willem says some folks saw 5 leopards late in the day yesterday. We find a male lion and a few females, continue down the road but see little.


There's a fox along the road, we have missed her kits this evening.


Closer to KK we come upon a BBJ. Also, I ask, what is that NOISE???? Barking geckos is what.


Back at KK we light up the braii


BACK AND FIRE


Helloooo, helllooo, I disturb our neighbors. We've got a lot of those geckos coming into our kitchen. What about them I ask. They're just sneaking in no matter what. "Oh, it's OK they say, let 'em in. But you might want to keep your kitchen door closed, the cobras come in that way." Africa is not for sissies they say….



Hyenas came up to see us tonight, "your hearts are OK" they said.

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Tuesday, October 11, Part 1

Last night I had an awful dream where I stepped on a barking gecko and squished it between my toes. In the dream I woke up and walked into the kitchen where at some point I interacted with the barking gecko. Without realizing I had encountered the gecko in this disturbing manner, I climbed back into bed and still in the dream went back to sleep. I then woke up, but was really awake, when I remembered my dream and believed I had the said squished gecko on my foot in the bed. Janet: "what's wrong?". Me: "I think I have a dead dried barking gecko between my toes." Janet: "Do you need a flashlight?" Me: "Huh? A flashlight. Why?" Janet: "To make sure." I think the dead skink from the crimson breasted shrike was involved also.

Anyway, we hated to leave Kielie Krankie. The peace and quiet of the camp re-establishes itself as the barking geckos end their gossip and head to their quiet places. My notebook shows another annotation "Janet honks horn @ KK in AM" and then we're on our way. We turn right onto the Mata Mata road and Janet likes the look of the ridge. She pulls over and takes up the binocs and, as she has done in the past, finds movement and then excitedly, 'it's a honey badger!" Off in the distance on top of the ridge, sure enough. That honey badger is moving! We watch as as he covers the ground quickly, his little foot pads curling up as he moves along. What purpose on this little animal. Here in the States the honey badger has become a popular animal due to this YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4r7wHMg5Yjg

Before long he has moved out of range, but here is our proof.



While congratulating ourselves over the honey badger sighting, I notice some more movement in the river bed. Squirrels! But then, no, something different. We back up along the road with these little dears as they race along the riverbed, then halt up, look around, and race again. They were very protective of their little ones. All the while they move closer and closer to the road. Before too long they are heading directly at our bakkie where they wanted very obviously to cross the road and climb the dune on the other side.













So with the meercat and the honey badger highs still feeding our adrenalin, we come upon the cape fox mama from the evening before. This morning she has 2 kits with her, altho I am only able to get pictures with one at a time. Now, for all the photos I've taken so far this trip that have been off in the distance, and let's put it out there--rather dull, you don't expect me to give you just one shot of cuteness do you? No, you are going to get a full on attack of sweet, now take that!





And that!













We'll come back this way later. It's amazing how fast the little ones developed in a weeks time.

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Tuesday, October 11, Part 2

A little ways on we come across a dassie!



We find some springboks fighting in earnest.



And then we decide to head up the road towards Urikaruus, just to see some of the road. We are heading to Nossob for the next two nights. We turn around at Urikaruus.



We try to find the steenbok for each territory as we cross the dune road.







A jackal quietly lapping some water at Cubitje.



We arrive at Nossob camp but our bungalow isn't ready so we head out once again and head north. It's hot and we try to catch the little mice that are scurrying across the road every so often.







I hope no nightmares of this. But we got our answer for one of our questions, what makes that track?



We enjoy sundowners and a quick dinner of leftovers. There are jackals in the camp and they are quiet and shy, we enjoy watching them as they pad through the scrub. Later we head down to the blind and the webcam. Wow. I was smiling. It's so cool to climb into the blind and look out over the water hole that I've watched from on-line so many times. But here is the best, while we were there, there was action going on outside the view of the cameras. A female jackal was hunting moths and insects the light drew in, hopping and twisting after the insects, very fun. But you folks couldn't see her.





I thought this shot turned out very spooky. And so ends our third day in the KTP.

Wednesday, October 12
Our 2nd night in Nossob

Janet and I are up and out of the gate at 6:09 and head south. Our plan is to head directly to Kaspersdraai and have a bit of breakfast and see what happens. There's nothing going on at Rooikop and we bypass Marie se dray. Along the way we see BBJs, the usual wildebeest and springboks, a couple steenboks, ever present ostriches and a couple secretary birds.

Sunrise


Once at the waterhole, we settle in and enjoy the birds. They never settle for long and are off and back in with a rush of wings. We're still working at identifying the common ones, so we are kept busy with that.

Jackals at Kaspersdraai


The birds are gone, and then they are back and then in an instant, something new appears out of nowhere. Oho, a honey badger! This one a lot closer. He steps up to the water for a drink, but does not like us -- the noise from my camera seems to upset him and he is off, leaving us with incredulous looks and very very happy.

HB






What a wonderful breakfast! At Kaspersdraai we also identify a juvenile gabber goshawk and a lanner falcon, 2 new raptors for us.

Kalahari Scrub Robin


PCG


We drive back to camp, but the productive hours of the early morning have passed, and not much game is seen. We meet up with Munchkin again and she agrees that no one has been seeing much. After lunch we head out again, this time north. At a very dry Kwang we come across 5 bateleurs, 3 tawnies and 2 secretary birds. There is a battle between the secretary birds and the tawnies. The tawnies give up and then a crow dips down to irritate the secretary birds, and they give up to the crow.

Secretary birds


Bateleur and tawny @ Kwang


Driving back to camp Jan notices a couple new shapes, red hartebeest. They are winding their way down the dry riverbed. We follow them along until they reach the waterhole.

Hartebeest


Fenceline


We have a sunset drive booked for 6 so we settle down to relax a bit. Unfortunately that is short-lived. Our neighbors come by to tell us there is a lion at the hide. Jan and I rush down there and she is laying off to the side under a tree. We had just missed her at the waterhole it seems. However, it seems she is still thirsty, so before too long, she gets up and comes our way. She is spectacular. Thank good she leaves before 6PM because we would have had a hard time giving her up.

Lioness at Nossob








Our guide was Leslie and the first part of our drive was very enjoyable. Leslie was very informative and provided us with interesting lore of the animals we observed. During the day part of the trip we found our lioness from the hide, sleeping off her water break. We saw steenbok, gemsbok, springbok, wildebeest, red hartebeest and way off in the distance, bat-eared foxes -- our first.

Jackal




wildebeest scene


BEF


eagle owl


We stopped for the sunset and here is where the drive turned into a debacle, no cause of Leslie. The two young men with the spotlights were absolute idiots who didn't know what they were doing. They had no sense of how to spot. They were shining all over the place and so fast. You couldn't follow their pattern, there was no pattern. I felt like a bobble head doll trying to watch where they were going. I got flashed in my eyes inside the vehicle so many times I just gave up, moved into the middle and looked straight ahead. We did see some cape foxes, more bat eared and spring hares. The spring hares weren't good enough the young gents determined, so refused to shine on them. I told Leslie afterwards, thank you, you did a very good job, but maybe you should try to determine if the spotlighters have any experience before you hand over the lights.

night sky


Tomorrow we head to Grootkolk.