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8 days to go

Having a wildcard is great my new Spotlight and Richtersveld book arrived today from Kalahari bought with points on my card.

i would like to take the opportunity to thank everyone who helped with the planning as it has been 6 years since me and SO have been to KTP / Augrabies and never to the Richtersveld / Mokala.

For those who read my last trip report the van has been serviced (different place) and was also sent to 4x4 specialist to also get the once over.

Trip Route

kuruman - red sands
Twee Rivieren Rest Camp
Kieliekrankie Wilderness Camp
Kieliekrankie Wilderness Camp
Urikaruus Wilderness Camp
Nossob Rest Camp
Nossob Rest Camp
Grootkolk Wilderness Camp
Grootkolk Wilderness Camp
Bitterpan
Kalahari Tented Camp
Kalahari Tented Camp
Vogelstrausskluft Campground
de hoop
de hoop
de hoop
Tatasberg Wilderness Camp - Reed Cabin (RC2)
Tatasberg Wilderness Camp - Reed Cabin (RC2)
port nolloth
Augrabies
Mokala - mosu
Mokala - mosu
Mokala - mosu
home

If you guys are nice i will consider doing a trip report.

Things have been hectic at work trying to finish to many things before the trip. Started packing last night and will complete the majority tonight.

SO has done most of the shopping just veg etc today and all the lights are on charge.

Cannot wait - 1 more sleep to go

Just need to have some last work meetings tomorrow morning then we hit the road for the long / slow drive with roadworks on the N14.

Reminder to self to remember yellow ribbon

Hello everyone.

Me and SO are sitting at Port Nolloth after leaving the Rictersveld this morning, it is quite windy and a little chilly. This is basically the first time since we left home 16 days ago that i have had 3g (what a pleasure) very slow thou and cell phone coverage for a few hours while travelling through NAM.

We are having a fantastic trip and leave for Augrabies tomorrow and then on to end the trip in Mokala to be back home on Sunday.

5254 photos and counting.

Hello – we made it back on Sunday safely after a fairly long drive in very strong wind and the N12 is not the greatest road.

Trip Preparation

The booking for the trip took place in February 2010 after a substantial amount of research and reading of other Forum members trip reports. We were very lucky to get booked for just about everything on the days we wanted so the plan fell into place. The focus of the trip was to basically circumnavigation the majority of the national parks in the Northern Cape during the 3 weeks we had available.

The focus of the trip would be to explore new parks and areas we had not been to for awhile. We would visit Augrabies / Kgalagadi for the first time in 6 years and we had never been to Richtersveld or Mokala. It would be just me and SO as the only travellers in one vehicle.

About 6 weeks prior to departure we commenced with the following:
• servicing of the van
• servicing the camera equipment
• buying book on the Richtersveld
• buying the food and other provisions
• getting document and passports checked / sorted for border crossing into Namibia
• cleaned the external hard drive to ensure we had 250GB free space

i got extremely busy at work leading up to leaving therefore the majority of the preparation was done by SO and some helpers. For those who followed my last trip to KNP we did not want the same issues with the van so employed an extra inspection team to help ensure everything was OK.

Savanna is the girl as you can see she needed to make sure that we had wood for cooking and that the fridge / freezer was working for all the meat etc







Savuti the boy decided that he better get in on the act and checked to make sure the bonnet protector was secure and that the gear selection for 4 wheel drive was set correctly.

SusieB, Bushbuddies, boogels – Thanks for the nice wishes – i promise i will complete the trip report

Pumbaa, Kamadejo, and Meandering Mouse – here we go again – hope you enjoy

Moggiedog – wanted to do Namaqua but need to keep something back to force another trip. I agree on the road accept that they are there and relax regarding the stop and go’s

Foxy – thanks for info regarding the book shop – did not make it there this time

Salamanda - Thanks for the nice wishes

Dabchick – you might need a lot of that as this could take awhile

Kamadejo – ye i think the cats thought that they should come with

Pumbaa – guess you will have to wait for Richtersveld (i promise it is part of the report). All i will say for now is WOW WOW

lion queen – thanks i do promise more cats – i do not think you will be disappointed

GavinW – let the journey begin


Day 1 – 1st October – Red Sands (Kuruman)

We eventually left home in Pretoria at 2.30pm (yes late) with odometer reading 140 198km. SO had packed a picnic basket for the trip and we were glad she did. As we had been informed by the forum there were many Stop and Go’s along the way but we were determined that we would still reach Kuruman. After many hours of driving we reached Kuruman at 9pm and decided that instead of trying to cook something when we arrived at Red Sands for the night we would stop and buy something in town and refuel. We found a petrol station with a steers across the road so steers it was for diner. We eventually got to the chalet at 9h45pm both exhausted so it was unpack, eat and shower fairly quickly and in bed by 10h45pm.

We saw quite a lot of animals and birds along the way. SO had flu so it made the day a really tuff one for her and it was hot – let’s hope the medicine works wonders.

Day 2 – 2nd October – Twee Rivieren (Kgalagadi)

We decided to sleep in a little and got up just after 6am after such a long day yesterday. We had our first early morning coffee of the trip on the patio. As we were getting into the holiday rhythm the birds started to awaken and Impala came to eat in front of our unit – nice way to wake up.

There was a nice early morning chill which was a surprise and we just sat and enjoyed it for a while and then packed the van. We went down and had breakfast at 7am which was good as it was a fair distance still to Kgalagadi and knowing me / SO we would not want to stop for a break.

For those who do not or cannot make the journey from Gauteng to Kgalagadi in one go Kuruman is a good half way stop and we found Red Sands to be a fantastic place to rest. It is reasonably priced at R540 per chalet which includes breakfast and the setting is just what we needed for the first night.

We left Red Sands at 7h45am and had a stop in Upington to find a chemist to get me some flu medicine (see some women cannot keep anything to themselves) for me as i am diabetic so could not use the medicine SO had. The GPS really made it easy to find a chemist and them i filled the van with fuel and off we went.

We must say we have mixed feelings about the tarring of the last 60km to the park – yes the road was bad but was a feature and part of the overall experience.

It was a pleasant drive from Kuruman to KTP except for the amount of road kill:
• many birds
• mongoose
• Cape Fox (the only one we saw on the trip)
• Honey badger family of mum and 2 little ones (the only one we saw on the trip)

We arrived at KTP around 12.30pm and were not really prepared for the size of the new centre. We had seen photos from other trip reports but that did not really prepare us for the size – i must admit it is nicely laid out and made things quick and seamless.



We checked in and then did the border crossing procedure for NAM. For information the stamp in the passport is valid for 30 days – in other words you have departed RSA but only enter NAM when you do the passport control at Mata Mata.

This sign should be changed to welcome to paradise!



We then proceeded to the petrol station to fill fuel and deflated the tyres to 1.5b - did not want to go any lower as we were really loaded and we could always deflate lower later if required. After this we went to the shop and bought some ice etc.



We unpacked a few things into the chalet but not too much as this was a one night stay over at Twee Rivieren. We sat outside for a short time and had toasted cheese sandwiches for lunch and as it was very hot soon retreaded to the comfort of the chalet with air-conditioning. We got up and out at 3h45pm very keen to go on our first drive in the park in over 6 years. We decided to go back to the shop and buy some more 5lt waters as we were going to go through a large amount of fluid. We took the road up to Leeudril and back as it would be the only real opportunity we would have to drive this road.

Sorry this is taking so long to post next installment but things have been hectic after 3 weeks away. Also it takes a while to go through the photos.


As we entered through the gate this was the first thing we saw:

Suricate
Gestation Period: about 2 1/2 months and number of young, 2 to 4. Suricates have their babies in burrows. The female may give birth to more than one litter each year. The young are born blind and nearly hairless. After they are one month old they are allowed to leave the burrow. The young play much of the time. Older brothers and sisters as well as parents groom, guard, and play with the young. They are fully grown within a year.





A lot has been said about the roads in KTP and we soon realised that the best speed was on the limit at 50km or below 20km which suited us just fine. The drive in general was not very productive but it did not really matter as the environment and feeling more than compensated for this.

On the drive we meet up with SueJ and Penni who we meet up with many more times during the trip. We also came across Miles, Karen and family (hope i got this correct) who happened to be staying in the next chalet. The total distance was 32km and we arrived back after handing in the permit at 6h55am.

It was sad to see that outside reception a flatbed was there to collect a broken down vehicle and in this case drop off a rental 4x4. We were happy the visitors could carry on with their holiday but what a stressful time it must have been to transfer all your belongings. At this point we did not realise but this would not be the last time we witnessed this.

Here is the first minor irritation (also had in Kruger on last trip) the gate board stated gate closing time was 6h30pm but we knew it was 7pm. Surely it is not that difficult to get the small things right.

We got together with Miles and family and had a very pleasant evening. It was there last day in the park and as fairly regular visitors gave us some very good advice. What as fantastic family! Nearly forgot to put the meat, butternut etc on the braai and when i did it took awhile as i had left it to long and did not have enough heat. It was worth it thou as we had a very pleasant evening and eventually got into bed at just after 10pm.

Springbok
The Springbok (Afrikaans and Dutch: spring = jump; Bok = antelope or goat) is a medium sized brown and white gazelle that stands about 70 to 87 cm high. Springbok males weigh between 33 to 50 kg and the females between to 26 to 40 kg. They can reach running speeds of up to 80 to 90 km/h, and can leap 3.50m and can long jump of up to 15 m.



Pale Chanting Goshawk
The Pale Chanting Goshawk eats a variety of vertebrate prey, mainly lizards, but also small mammals and birds, and large insects. It often walks on the ground. The relatively small stick nest is built in an acacia at a height of 3 to 10 m. The female lays and incubates one or two pale bluish or greenish white, unmarked eggs. Only one chick is normally reared from a nest of two. The breeding cycle begins in midwinter and takes over 115 days. The young after leaving the nest may be found near it for some months and in the following year may even display in the same area. Some pairs and especially trios raise a second brood, starting about 24 days after the first brood fledges.



Animals

Suricate, Ground Squirrel, Springbok, Wildebeest, Bat eared fox (2 pairs), Gemsbok, Mongoose

Birds

Ostrich, Pale Chanting Goshawk, Crimson BouBou, Starling, Masked Weaver, Black northern Korhaan, Cape Crow, Cape Turtle Dove, Butterflies, Black Headed Heron

Day 3 – 3rd October – Kieliekrankie (Kgalagadi)

Up nice and early at 5am and sat outside with coffee like 2 small children on the edge of our chairs wishing the time to pass so we could go and collect our permit to enter the game of hide and seek. Last night’s drive we decided to just enjoy but before getting to the gate for the first full day we reorganised the van to ensure the following were easily available - camera equipment, bino’s, reference books, mini cooler box, picnic basket.

Before getting into the drive and sightings let me summarize Twee Rivieren:
• Chalet was nice
• Braai a fair distance from the chalet
• Camp site looked very crowded and we saw visitors with DSTV dishes (not our cup of tea)
• Not sure about TV in the chalet (glad they did not work)
• Shop was well enough stocked with the basics
• Difficult to comment on the drives or waterholes as we had such a short time in the area
• Once you experience the wilderness camps you MAYBE tempted to skip Twee Rivieren

We packed the few things we took to the chalet and collected the permit at 6am. By 6.05am we had passed through the gate and commenced with our morning drive towards Kieliekrankie our destination for 2 nights. We could not buy a map in the shop yesterday as they had none so ended up using the map we had printed from the web site before we left home (not great but it will have to do).

We meet SueJ and Penni at Auchterionie picnic site (we were destined to see a lot of each other over the next 10 days). After breakfast we continued up to Kamqua and then headed back towards KK. The morning drive was productive from a general point of view with 2 sightings of Bat eared fox pairs – Total distance travelled 91km.

Bat Eared Fox

The teeth of the Bat-eared Fox are much smaller than teeth of other canid species. This is an adaptation to its insectivorous diet, insects making up as much as 80% of its food intake. The Bat-eared Fox visits termite hills, follows locust swarms and stays close to herds of zebras or antelopes in order to feed on the insects landing on their excrement. In addition to insects, the Bat-eared Fox eats rodents, birds and eggs, and sometimes fruits. Most of its water intake comes from the food it eats. Bat-eared Foxes are mostly nocturnal animals that live in small groups consisting of mated pairs and their young. The pairs live in dens and typically raise two to five pups together. Mated pairs are very social and are monogamous, although it is unknown if they mate for life.





Swallow Tailed Bee-Eater

This species, like other bee-eaters, is a richly coloured, slender bird. Its colours and readily visible forked tail make this species unmistakable. It is mainly green with a yellow throat, blue gorget and black eye stripe and beak. It can reach a length of 20–22 cm, including the long forked green or blue feathers. Sexes are alike. This is a species which prefers somewhat more wooded country than most bee-eaters. This attractive bird is readily approached. Just as the name suggests, bee-eaters predominantly eat insects, especially bees, wasps and hornets, which are caught in the air by sorties from an open perch. Swallowtail has a preference for honeybees.



River



Fiscal Shrike (Maybe can someone help with ID – white on eyebrow confusing me)

Usually seen singularly and hunts insects and even small mice from an exposed perch or the tops of shrubs. Territorial size is directly related to the density of hunting perches. Installing more artificial perches causes the bird to reduce its territory and allow more birds in a specific range.



Ostrich

Though they cannot fly, ostriches are fleet, strong runners. They can sprint up to 70 kilometres an hour and run over distance at 50 kilometres an hour. They may use their wings as "rudders" to help them change direction while running. An ostrich's powerful, long legs can cover 3 to 5 meters in a single stride. These legs can also be formidable weapons. Ostrich kicks can kill a human or a potential predator like a lion. Each two-toed foot has a long, sharp claw.



Tawny Eagle (i think?)

The Tawny Eagle (Aquila rapax) is a large bird of prey. It is about 62–72 cm in length and has a wingspan of 165–185 cm and it weighs 1.6–2.4 kg. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. It was once considered to be closely related to the migratory Steppe Eagle, Aquila nipalensis, and the two forms have previously been treated as conspecific. They were split based on pronounced differences in morphology and anatomy; two molecular studies, each based on a very small number of genes, indicate that the species are distinct but disagree over how closely related they are. It breeds in most of Africa both north and south of the Sahara Desert and across tropical southwestern Asia to India. It is a resident breeder which lays 1–3 eggs in a stick nest in a tree, crag or on the ground. Throughout its range it favours open dry habitats, such as desert, semi-desert, steppes, or savannah, plains.

Suej - hello again - your trip report is fantastic and i glad you got home safely

Meandering Mouse - thanks for the nice comments - ye the kittens are i guess part of the family

anne-marie - yes now the trip has really started - sorry for the delay

Pumbaa - got a lot of camps to provide information on this time

Kamadejo - i promise lots to come

Barcud - thanks for the information on the Common Fiscal


Day 3 – 3rd October – Kieliekrankie (Kgalagadi) - Continued

Fork Tailed Dronga (?)

These are aggressive and fearless birds, given their small size, and will attack much larger species, including birds of prey if their nest or young are threatened. The male is mainly glossy black, although the wings are duller. It is large-headed and has the forked tail which gives the species its name. The female is similar but less glossy. The bill is black and heavy, and the eye is red. The Fork-tailed Drongo is 25 cm long. It has short legs and sits very upright whilst perched prominently, like a shrike. It fly catches or takes prey from the ground and is attracted to bush fires. The call is a metallic strink-strink.



Giant Eagle Owl

Verreaux's Eagle-owl ranges from 66–75 cm in length. This species can attain a wingspan 2 m and weighs from 1600 to 3115 grams. In appearance, they are distinguished by a whitish oval disk face with a black border, pink eyelids, orange eyes and two feather tufts on their ears. Their feathers are dark brown on top and light grey below. They hunt in early evening. Full-grown owls feed on hares, mongoose and many other small game animals. They are one of the very few birds to feed on hedgehogs.





Ground Squirrel

The ground squirrel is especially renowned for its tendency to rise up on its hind legs. It does this whenever it senses nearby danger, or when it must see over tall grasses. The squirrel then curls its paws flat against its chest and send a screeching call to warn other family members about the presence of predators. An interesting thing about this breed is that mature males like to form their own groups and there can be 19 to 20 individuals in one group. These groups are called bands.







As we reached the crest of the rise we got our first view of KK.



It was 12.15pm when we rolled the van to a stop at the bottom of the stairs. Willem came to meet us and explain the do’s and don’ts and what had been seen over the past few days. While i started to unpack SO went with him to look at the unit. She came back 5 minutes later with a huge smile on her face. I asked her what is this all about and she said just wait.

I grabbed some stuff and started the walk up the stairs to unit number 3. I walked down the passage way and fully understood why SO had a huge smile as when i set my eyes on the vista for once in my life i was speechless. KK managed to grab me by the scruff of the neck and somehow forced me to forget about unpacking and instead grab a chair and for what seemed like an eternity to just stare into the distance.

Hi Kesheshe!

Great that you have another TR up and running at just the right time for me. I am going in december

Sorry, but those suricates are yellow mongooses. Suricate = meerkat

Beautiful bird pics and I love squirrels

Sounds as if you too have been "bitten" by Kielie Krankie

Micetta - hope you find some of the information useful - you are going to have a great trip

Crested Barbet, anne-marie - thanks for the nice comments

Pumbaa - i think you maybe right - this could be long


Day 3 – 3rd October – Kieliekrankie (Kgalagadi) - Continued

Eventually we did get unpacked and both grabbed a shower as the heat on the drive had been quite intense. KK itself was nice and cool due to the breeze. We both sat on the balcony in our own little world until around 3h45pm when we started up the van and went on our afternoon drive. We travelled to Kamqua (green pothole) and arrived back at 6h45pm.

Gemsbok

The variety found in the southern part of this range has extremely long horns and is known as the gemsbok; a large male gemsbok stands more than 4 ft (120 cm) at the shoulder and weighs up to 450 lb (200 kg). Gestation period is 9 months and life span 18 – 19 years.



Springbok

Springboks can meet their water needs from the food they eat, and survive without drinking water through dry season, or even over years. Reportedly, in extreme cases, they won't drink water over their entire life. Springbok may accomplish this by selecting flowers, seeds, and leaves of shrubs before dawn, when these foods are most succulent.



Landscape with Springbok



Crowed Plover

Bare-part colours of males brighten in the breeding season. Different types of display flights lure the female to the defended territory. A female accepting the male and territory will follow the male during his display flight. Mates may be retained for life. Egg-laying is timed to proceed the rainy season and most incubating is done by the female. The male assists only on hot days, when he either incubates or shades the nest.











We meet Ivan and friend who we would also cross paths with a few times during our trip. Dinner consisted of ribs and chips on what must be one of the best braai locations on the plant. The water hole was quiet but we got to try out the new light we bought just before the trip - it worked nicely. We both climbed into bed at 9h45pm.

Animals

Springbok, Whistling Rat, Gemsbok, Black Backed Jackal, Bat Eared Fox (2 pair), Ground Squirrel, Blue Wildebeest, Red Hartebeest, Lizards, Slender Mongoose

Birds

Ostrich, Pale Chanting Goshawk, Black Northern Korhaan, Swallow Tailed Bee-Eater, Cape Turtle Dove, Fiscal Shrike, Sandgrouse, Masked Weaver, Tawny Eagle, Fork Tailed Dronga, Butterflies, Cape Crow, Starling, Crowned Plover, Martial Eagle, Giant Eagle Owl, Crimson BouBou, Kori Bustard, Secretary Bird

Day 4 – 4th October – Kieliekrankie (Kgalagadi)

We got up nice and early at 5am and sat outside with coffee and rusks in a slight breeze. It felt good to have a 2 night stay so no packing to do. We left camp at 6am for our morning drive. Our first stop was at the museum and then to 13th where we sat and had breakfast of muesli and yoghurt. On the way i spotted a pearl spotted owl on my side so slowed and as we stopped SO tapped me and said pearl spotted owl. We had one on each side of the van – do you think we got a photo – not a chance off they both flew.

Picnic Site



Museum (ruins of the house of J Human)

Day 4 – 4th October – Kieliekrankie (Kgalagadi) - Continued

We say our first cats of the trip today and spent quite some time just relaxing and observing them. They we only a few meters from the road and it was nice that we had no more than say 4-5 vehicles there at any one time. We had the mating pair on the one side of the road and the balance of the pride on the other – decisions decisions.

Lions

Males defend the pride's territory, which may include some 259 square kilometres of grasslands, scrub, or open woodlands. These intimidating animals mark the area with urine, roar menacingly to warn intruders, and chase off animals that encroach on their turf. Young lions do not help to hunt until they are about a year old

Crested Barbet - 100% right about the dreamers and romantics

Kamadejo - the museum was something different but very interesting

anne catherine - thanks for the compliments and sure you will enjoy KTP

Foxy - thanks and yes we were disappointed we missed out on the book shop


Day 4 – 4th October – Kieliekrankie (Kgalagadi) - Continued

Other life spotted on the morning drive.

Scaly feathered Finch (is this the correct ID?)

This bird forages for food on the ground. This bird eats insects such as butterflies, bees, wasps, locusts and ants. These invertebrates are usually hawked aerially, killed and then eaten. The Scaly-feathered Finch is a monogamous bird which means that the bird finds and breeds with one partner for the rest of its life. The bird lays between 2 to 7 eggs and they are coloured green. The nest is built high up in the tree canopy and is protected from predators by branches and the dense green foliage.



Ostrich

Ostrich kicks can kill a human or a potential predator like a lion. Each two-toed foot has a long, sharp claw. All of the group's hens place their eggs in the dominant hen's nest—though her own are given the prominent center place. The dominant hen and male take turns incubating the giant eggs, each one of which weighs as much as two dozen chicken eggs.



Spotted Dikkop

They are well camouflaged due to their brown black and white plumage that blends well into its environment. This species relies on this camouflage to protect themselves from predators. They are usually seen singly or in pairs. These birds are capable of flying but prefer walking. When they do fly, they are usually high up and their wing beats are strong and rapid. Their expected life span is about fifteen years.



We arrived back at 12h30pm and had a light snack, showered and then had a rest till 3pm. After getting up we watching gemsbok and various birds at the camp waterhole and left for our afternoon drive at 4pm. We drove to Monroe and arrived back at 6h45pm. On our arrival we were informed that we had just missed a caracal at the camp waterhole. The caracal had been there from 5h55pm till 6h40pm chasing birds.

Water hole



Ant Eating Chat (is this correct?)

This bird eats insects such as butterflies, bees, wasps, locusts and ants. These invertebrates are usually hawked aerially, killed and then eaten. They forage mainly on the ground or at the base of trees, and low down in the shrubs eating mostly fruits and seeds. The bird builds its nest on the ground with figs, straw and leaves. The nest is placed under a bush to protect the young from predators. The bird is mainly found in the Savanna grasslands where it breeds and feeds.



Steenbok

Gestation period is 7 months. The horns, found only in males, are straight, sharp, and very upright. They will grow 7-19 cm long. Sexual maturity is females as early as 6-7 months; males begin to mature around 9 months with a life span of 10-12 years. Diet consists of mostly leaves from shrubs and trees, but also fruits and grasses.



Gemsbok

During the sizzling heat of the day, the rapid inflow and outflow of air created by the gemsbok's panting passes over a delicate network of blood vessels cooling the flow of blood to the brain. At the same time, however, the body temperature is allowed to rise - obviating the need to perspire, and thus conserving water.



The wind picked up so we had Spaghetti and mince cooked inside for dinner. We ended up in bed at 9h30pm. It was our last night at KK and we were a little disappointed not to see Suzie.

Animals

Steenbok, Common duiker, Springbok, Black Backed Jackal, Slender Mongoose, Gemsbok, Blue Wildebeest, Lions (8), Ground Squirrel

Birds

Pale Chanting Goshawk, Cape Crow, Cape Dove, Hornbill, Ostrich, Fork tailed Dronga, Sallow Tailed BEE-Eater, Crowned Plover, Ant Eating Chat, Spotted Dikkop, White Backed Vulture, Tawny Eagle, Crimson BouBou, Weavers, Butterflies, Kori Bustard, Secretary Bird, Starling, Black Northern Korhaan, Martial Eagle, Scaly feathered Finch

Summary Kieliekrankie

Before getting into the drive and sightings let me summarize KK:

• Chalet was very nice
• Fantastic vista
• Braai in a fantastic position
• Gas toaster very handy
• Water hole quite far from the units – but units have elevated position
• Seamed to always have a breeze due to position – nice as it keeps the temperature down a little
• Not a game intense area say within 5-6km of camp
• Nice active water holes as you hit the river
• Not sure about the new paved and covered parking – i do not think my van would have fitted (van to high)