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We have seen oryx, springbok, honey badger, martial eagle, pygmy falcon, PCG, along the roads to KTP.

Coming home on Saturday afternoon/early evening between KTP and Upington I saw meerkats, ground squirrels, yellow mongoose, 3 sightings of slender mongoose, 2 steenbokkies and 2 dassies - mostly all dashing across the road as well as innumerable flattened batties

Wow,
thanks for the lists of sightings. We will try to see something, but it is true, as Anne-Marie says, we will be eager to get to Twee Rivieren.

Cheers
Charbel

Hi friends
Here I am again to ask for information for my trip to Kgalagadi next june.
I see in the sanparks website that the monthly mean is - 0.9 and the monthly absolute is - 5.5 in Celsius degrees.
However I read in trip reports that people experienced lower temperatures in June, up to - 10 Celsius degrees.

I am surveying sleeping bags to buy and have to choose well a sleeping bag with an adequate limit temperature (i.e., the temperature where one sleeps comfortably) and extreme temperature (beyond which one can suffer from hypothermy). As the price differences are remarkable from one model to another, I'd like to confirm here what would be the most extreme temperature we'll find in Kgalagadi, especially at night.

Cheers
Charbel


1 June 2013 - Twee Rivieren
2 June 2013 - Kieliekrankie
3-4 June 2013 - Kalahari Tented Camp
5 June 2013 - Twee Rivieren
6-8 June 2013 - Nossob
9 June 2013 - Gharagab
10 June 2013 - Grootkolk
11 June 2013 - Nossob
12 June 2013 - Twee Rivieren

Hi Charbel.
Unless you are camping you really do not need to bring sleeping bags.
All chalets/tents provide extra blankets in case of cold.

Rather pack warm pyjamas,thermal underwear,beanies and gloves.
Purchase some inexpensive hot water bottles when you get here.

KTC and Grootkolk can be cold due to their construction and position.

Have a great trip.

Morning Charbel

We have camped twice in winter recently - in June this year it wasn't that cold as we had some rain and cloud cover for a few nights ( unusual weather for June) but it did get down to minus 7 the one night .... At the end of June 2011 we found it to be consistently around minus 5 or minus 6 every night and the one night it got down to minus 11 ..... which is pretty cold to be camping

I assume you will be stopping somewhere to shop - buy a couple of hot water bottles that you can use at night - cheap at R30 or so each - they help a lot, as do beanies, thermals and really thick socks etc etc to sleep in. Also, make sure you are insulated from the ground at night - what are you sleeping on ? Stretchers, airbeds ?? The cold comes up from the ground really badly .....

Hope this helps and doesn't put you off camping in winter - it really is wonderful !!!!

In fact we will not be camping, but yet if it get down to minus 7, for tropical guys wouldn't sleeping bags be a good idea?

Cheers
Charbel

Hi charbel,

We've experience some of the coldest winters in KTP this year end of June to July with rain just south of the park.

I found that a warm jacket, beanie and gloves are essential when walking outside in the evening and early morning. Specially if you want to visit the hide at Nossob.

Our camping gear consisted of sleeping bags rated for -8 degC (First Accent and 360 degree extreme pro 540) plus we added blankets to stay warm.

http://www.outdoorwarehouse.co.za/hikin ... ather.html

Taking extra sleeping bags along might not be necessary, because you will find duvet and extra blankets in your chalet or tent. If you rather want to buy sleeping bags I will recommend to get it in Joburg or Cape Town depending on your flights. The 360 degree bags are cheaper than the first accent and you should be able to get a good bag for R800 (~$100 USD)

Hi Son Godin
Thanks for the indications. We will definitely go to the hide.
I am coming to the conclusion that, once we buy all the other stuff, and are staying in the sanparks accommodations, sleeping bags will not be necessary.

Cheers
Charbel

Can anyone confirm the origin of the name of the Kielie Krankie wilderness camp? I think I remember reading somewhere that it had to do with the mad Scotsman who divided the area into farms after WWI, and also left his marks on waterholes like Craig Lockhart, Dalkeith and Auchterlonie. But I can't find a reference to confirm that. Anyone who can? And what does Kielie Krankie actually mean?

There is a whole list of names and meanings here annie R

Thanks Dotty. The list says "Keliekrankie: Byna siek (waarskynlike betekenis) / Almost sick". I'm not sure this isn't a corruption, though. Research tells me there's a village in Scotland called Killiecrankie, so I suspect it was just another of the mad Scotsmen's nostlagic names from his homeland for a farm or borehole.

If anyone can confirm or deny either version, I'd be interested to know...

According to the info centre at Mata Mata - the names were given to the water holes by "The mad scotsman's" - "Malkop Jackson" - wife who was left at home to fend for herself and find water and food. As she hailed from Bonny Scotland she gave the waterholes scottish place names.

Also the picture of Malkop riding around on a on a Buffalo is actually Mrs Jackson who was only 4'9" tall - Some tough woman methinks!

That's lovely stuff, thanks DSouter!

Hi KG,

Sorry we could not say hi after returning from Nossob. You remember we saw each other at the TR waterhole, you were in the back of a game drive vehicle with your son.

We had a wonderful time in the park. lots of lion in Nossob.

I'd like to ask you; the lion in the attached photo I saw at Kij Kij 17 Sept. Could tell me what the mark is on his rump is? We've speculated that he is a "naughty" lion like jumped the fence at some stage; or been relocated from another park say.



Be interested to know

Thanks