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Joripad,

You can pack both your beanies and swimming costume and might use both. The days can be warm and pleasant, but the evenings and early mornings are very cold dropping below feezing point to minus 10 deg C.

Once we had icicles inside the tent and my hands were close to froze bite without the gloves. At Urikaruus tented camp the gas flame went out of the header due the gas not flowing an freezing up. The isolation is not that great in most of the wilderness camp and can be cold at night.

The cabins at Kieliekrankie is not too far from each other, but not safe to walk between them during the evening. There is a walkway down to the parking area and maybe you can drive between them.




This is one of the concerns we have as a family of 3 that we will never use the other unit, but must book two units.

The link below has pics of accom. in the park

viewtopic.php?f=38&p=527324#p527324

viewtopic.php?p=1692576#p1692576

Welcome Joripad!

I know exactly what you think about gloves.
I as good as never use them, even with a windchill of -17 or such.
However! You will be sitting still a lot of the time, and your only heating is the braai (BBQ). And the early drive will be with open windows mostly, adding windchill. So you will have cold fingers, and then that one (1) photo walks past... But your fingers are too frozen to take it!

Bring them.

Welcome to the forum Joripad

I agee with everyone, as an ex Saffie living in the UK and with a British SO I think that you will probably find that you will need them. Maybe not all the time, but one night in Grootkolk last May we both ended up going to bed in our thermals and socks. Any accomodation which just has a canvas roof or sides lets the cold in ...... better to be safe than sorry - Kieliekrankie is one of those. I will say that my blood has grown thicker since living the UK (although the SO still teases me about my foreign blood) but I still found that it was nice to have an extra layer. as the guys have said - beanies and gloves don't take too much extra room - pack them and enjoy your first time adventures. Here's to many fantastic sightings and to those lovely quiet times of solitude and peace

You can arrange with the camp attendant about eating together. If you have a good torch, please take it along. A leopard walked between our chalet, nr 4, and chalet 3 one night when we stayed over 3 weeks ago, so strictly speaking you shouldn't walk, but the attendant may offer to escort you to and from your tent. Your car is parked at the bottom of the camp, and you walk up to the chalets, no place to drive.
Beanies and gloves may be needed, don't be sorry if you forget to pack them, like we were
Also remember that the desert nights are quite different from nights at low altitudes, the air is thinner, and the wind-chill factor can bite through your clothes.

Hi Joripad. Welcome. Hope you have a wonderful trip to KTP - sure to be the first of many trips - you will get "the bug".

I am originally from the UK (37 years ago) and I can truthfully say I have never been as cold as I have been in South Africa - the cold seems to go right through to one's bones. The accommodation in the Wilderness Camps is mainly canvas, so you have no insulation in the walls. Also there is no power, so no heating. We are going in a couple of weeks and I'm packing extra bedding, hotwater bottles, fluffy pyjamas, beanies, gloves, etc. Rather safe than sorry!

We and another couple travelled in one vehicle two years ago, mostly staying at the unfenced Wilderness Camps. We managed to eat together in the evenings (though one morning at Grootkolk we were "confined to barracks" as there were lions in the camp). At Kieliekrankie the entrances to the units are fairly close together, near where the cars are parked. I would just ask the camp attendant what his rules are.

Have a great trip.

Thanks for all the usefull answers.

10 years ago I lived in SA (Pretoria East) for some time so I know about houses that are not isolated and with no heating. For the nights the sleeping bags that keep you warm even when it's freezing outside a tend were already on the packing list also some thermal underwear. But not gloves etc. because I never felt I need them there.
I told my wife to look for the gloves now but she told me I don't have some anymore after I used the old pair in the garden. Couldn't remember that. So it seems I'll go without and have to sit rather on my hands when they get cold. Luckily I'm not a keen photographer so I won't need them.

Thanks also for the tip to ask the camp attendant to escort us but we don't want to cause any extra work for someone. Would have been nice to have a braai and a glass of wine together but for one night it's also OK to have just a can of ravioli or spaghetti or so and then go to bed very early.

Joripad

Joripad, we had a braai with our friends at Kieliekrankie, as long as you don't do it too late I don't think it is a problem. The attendant just asked us to use our flashlight and not to walk around other than between the two units which were next to each other.

Apparently it's snowing in the Carnarvon region which is on the fringe of the general Kalahari region...

Will anyone let us know if this is true and if it seems to head towards the Kgalagadi??

There seems to be photographic proof being mailed around....

Kuruman snow

Morning All,

No snow yet, it is bitterly cold at the moment so who knows we might get some at the end of the day.......

KG

Snow in Kuruman???? Travel passed Kuruman yesterday ~ 12 - 13 pm and found it to be sunny but cold. If there was any snow it must have melted very quickly even at a low temp of 5 deg C.

We had rain just passed Askham untill Upington and Olifantshoek and a very cold monring in Twee Rivieren.

As I understand most of the snow falls were far south around Drie Sisters and Victoria West in the Karoo, but I doubt any in North-West province.

I saw an image from a friend of mine's brother in Kathu yesterday morning - definitely snow/sleet but a thinnish layer and in those areas it would melt quickly.

How was your KTP trip???

Hi Morkel,

Its great to be back at home, but it feels like I dragged in the cold from the Cape to Secunda. The trip was nice, but a bit hectic due to the double bookings on nearly 50% of the campsites.

We also travelled to Etosha and had better luck with sighting there and the weather off course.

Still want to see your pics from Mana pools.

Lucky you - I still need to visit Etosha. How long is the drive from Mata-Mata to Etosha??

I have posted a few Mana Pools pics on ODP, here's my growing album dedicated to Mana on my FB page:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set= ... 391&type=3

Mana Pools is a special place - one of the last real wildernesses left on earth, and you are allowed to photograph on foot... which makes all the difference...