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First of all the Northern Cape was not nearly as hot as I expected it to be. Maybe the forumites living on the Southern tip of Africa do not get to experience the heat we do in the lowveld, and thus the KTP feels VERY, VERY HOT to them

Toilet humor lightened up the trip to our first picnic site at Auchterlonie.

Light switch to the left of doo ???


I was not sure if this was politically correct ??

I thought BEE activities were to be encouraged in National Parks



When going to picnic sites in Ktp it pays to be observant. The Kalahari is about noticing the smaller animals too. Here a Striped Mouse and Brants Whistling Rat get to know one another.

Initially my wife was not jumping with joy when I said we are going to the Kalahari for 2 weeks.


But she left with a better attitude after experiencing the Kalahari.
My enthusiasm rubbed off, and had a ripple effect on my family.


Lions are abundant along the stretch from TR to Mata Mata, plus you often have them to yourself




The bulbuls here in Sabie are not as hung-over as their cousins in the Kalahari.

Thanks Duke Ellieton, great meeting you and your wife too.
@Pumbaa the youngster was an amazing sighting , he was with his brother right next to us.
One day he will grow up to look like this



@Wild about cats, I agree, the Bulbul is cool with his red rimmed eyes.

The bat eared foxes reminded me of Gremlins


We found that during the heat of the day it was best to follow the spotted hyenas example, and spend the time in the water.


Water draws unusual combinations together.

Thanks Meandering Mouse, I did see a meandering mouse taking a rest.

@Shi, are we graced with your presence again ? Missed your collective noun thread etc
@Rookie, my sense of humour is not warped , the signs were placed by Sanparks themselves.
@Vlakvarkvrou, nope no pigs to be seen up there, besides on my skottel
@Crested barbet thanks, the Bat eared foxes were cute and a daily sight.
@RayK, only serious comments allowed here
@Pam, thanks for saying Great pics...you are allowed to say more



2 Red hartebeest hoping for a mountain biker to come along , Buck Norris on You Tube is a hero ,even among the Hartebeest in the Kalahari.


The Verreaux's Eagle Owls of the Cape seemed to be more flamboyant , and tended to pose more than our shy lowveld owls.


Camel thorn, one of the easiest trees to ID in the Kalahari.

Arks I am not sure if the tree will still remember you, but it is keeping well, the tree rats have not peed it to death yet.
Thanks Lionspoon, I need people commenting here to make it look like forestgump's thread is popular



The baby springbuck were just too cute


Lets see, who knows what left these pug marks behind ??





All the camo in the world does not help if you stand exposed on a ridge !


This animal was just a hares breadth away !!


This cat would not stand still, probably wild.


The kalahari lions are beautiful,besides their hairy armpits, I suppose not carrying TB has that effect.

Its German name Reichsvogel or Kaiservogel,refers to the political colours on this bird.



Crimson-breasted Gonolek
who would have come up with a name like Gonolek ?? Shrike is much better.





Being in the Cape, I guess some of the black maned lions also dye their hair blonde.



Reading other Trs, I realised that it is compulsory to post a photo of a PCG....note it is frowned upon to call it by its full name, as this reveals that you have not seen many in your lifetime.




There are many majestic animals to be seen along the riverbeds.

Camp Gump,(also known as Twee Rivieren informal settlement), so now maybe some of you forumites who had gone underground without your yellow ribbons..like myself..will recognise this, if you were in TR.

By the way this is a lovely before photo of the caravan.We will get to what happened later. This is a SANPARKS FORUM prerequisite when making a TR,Rule #1 Try to leave your readers in suspense.



Advice given on the forum to take lots of drinking water is true, the KTP is dry, and you will need a drink on a regular basis.


Mrs Gump scanning the horizon for signs of civilisation.


I took a photo of the 3 thorn , then afterwards noticed a leopard walking in the background.


The smallest of the gump clan, still in her costume, optimistic that I will stop somewhere for a swim. Mata Mata I must apologise, I gate crashed your pool


Almost as good looking as Kudu bulls.

Ok enough suspense

I'll tell you what happened later




later....
The wheel bearing siezed on the way back to Upington. Lucky no one hurt, and thank goodness for insurance. My caravan was delivered to Nelspruit Caravans , for a make over. Thank goodness for insurance.Must thank these guys..they were great,

especially the owner Nic. He went out of his way to smoothen the process.

Songodin that photo was taken at about 6.45pm on the 16/12/2011, maybe it would have been more sharper without the dust

Another 'MP' forumite , Jb72 was also there at TR, from the 15th to the 22nd December, he left his off road trailer behind, because he had a month old baby that had recently joined his by now quite large troop. He and his troop of 5 stayed in one of the cottages.



If you look in the background you will see a cat looking down hungrily at the red meat on display.



JPCG's





Big cat sightings are one of the reasons I would encourage people to visit KTP.




Ground agamas pose no problem for photographers.


Pygmy Falcon


Yellow mongoose are always on the prowl in the campsites. Visitors from abroad who have never encountered them must remember to never show fear, and they will leave you alone.

Thanks Katydownunder



My wife warned me that the boardwalks at Augrabies would not take my weight.



By the way I am bringing out a new clothing range called JAAP , it will feature T-shirts in 2 tone khaki.
This lookout was good for spotting Black Eagles.


The views are awesome in Augrabies.