Kgalagadi 2016: A Lion A Day Keeps A Doctor Awake

[xelas]

4 February – Where The Road Ends And The Journey Continues

 

 

We have stayed only one night at Grootkolk. Two nights would be better, of course. Despite the Foo Fighters. Because of how the cabins are constructed, inside temperatures were much lower than in Nossob brick made ones. The night temperature dropped down to the level that sleeping was a joy. Finally we got our much needed "beauty sleep hours" back.

 

Early in the morning, well before the sunrise, a heavy rainfall woke us up. Hey, this is not tropic, it shouldn’t rain each night!! But as it was is good for the nature it was good for us too.

 

Evidence of the rain in the sunrise light

 

 

We did the morning game drive south to Kannaguass. The rain cleared the air and the green colour of the Nossob riverbed was astonishing; so juicy green in the exquisite morning light.

 

Grazers on the pasture

 

 

This morning was all about birding. Some birds looked really miserable, all wet and sad. Others were having good time and were happy to pose for us. So without much to comment here they are!

 

Red-necked Falcon

Martial Eagle (finally!!)

Martial Eagle (for a good measure)

​Namaqua Sandgouse

Flock in Flight

The acrobat

Wattled Starlings

Montagu's Harrier (??)

Fawn-coloured Lark (??)

One mean looking Tawny Eagle

TEIF

Great Spotted Cuckoo

It was a very prolific morning birding drive. The air was fresh and crisp, the light was great; driving slowly with no other cars in sight (that is the main draw of staying north of Nossob; apart of 4 cars from the Grootkolk almost no-one else drives as far north ), with our windows down, after a great dinner and sound sleep ... exactly why we love this place!

 

 

(to be continued)

Edited March 11, 2016 by xelas

[cheetah80]

I'm like a broken record now but I keep on being amazed at the greenery I am full of admiration for the Swiss lady - what an adventurer. I honestly wouldn't know what to do if a puff adder or similar came to visit - I really love snakes but poisonous ones at a safe distance please, and outdoors

 

Food looked really yummy and great photos! It's a pity to stay there only one night but it's already a minor miracle to be able to get a night there - we have the same predicament for this year. But it's my first time in 3 times getting that booking so I am still happy with it.

 

I am happy to note your comments about the waterhole - I had read that Cabin 3 did not have a good view, and that cabin 1 was somehow more desirable as it was closer to the waterhole. So from what I understand now it doesn't make any difference which cabin to stay in right? It's frustrating not knowing in advance where they are going to place you ...

Edited March 11, 2016 by cheetah80

[xelas]

Correction first: "Namaqua Sandgrouse".

 

@@cheetah80

Our was cabin #4. As you can see from there is now a clear view of the waterhole from all 4 cabins. For cabin #3 maybe the dead tree with the spot light might make a slightly obscured view,

The wildlife makes the difference; the Suisse lady informed us a couple of days later that the male lion has spent a whole next morning laying just a few meters away from the cabin #4 !!

One more comment re. night photography: all waterholes are lighted with quite weak spotlights. If planning to do any after-sunset photography bring your own spot light!

Edited March 11, 2016 by xelas

[Tdgraves]

@@xelas I think your red-necked falcon is a Lanner falcon, the red necked have much more in distinct head/neck markings. But lovely nonetheless!

[xelas]

@@Tdgraves

It just might be the Lanner Falcon; must be that I was mislead by the bird's "bad hair day" !

[xelas]

Hola @@pedro maia ! Glad that also you have found my TR! Bem-vindo!

[xelas]

(continued)

 

 

At around 9 am we have turned back to the camp, to collect our stuff and to say "Good Bye" to Franco. As we have already understood that we have bought too much meat, we left some in the freezer of the cabin, noticing Franco about it.

 

The entry 4x4 road to Gharagab Wilderness Camp starts almost as north as Union's end, about 11 km north of Grootkolk. Not far from the camp my spotter par excellence discovered another lion family. Two males, two lionesses and as a bonus, two cubs. One older and one younger, still with spots on the skin. Not very active but who would be, in that heat ?! Here they are:

 

A lion in the shade

Sleepy cub

Family photo

Protective mother

The scenery changes abruptly. The lush green grass was replaced by the beige sand. Only patches of flowers indicated that rain has fallen also here.

 

Union's End is where the road ends. There is a hut and a pole with the directions and mileage to three capitals: Gaborone, Windhoek and Pretoria. The obligatory photo was taken.

 

Driver and Directions

A short drive back to where the 4x4 track to Gharagab starts. The 4H was engaged, and the slow drive on the 32 km of the sandy track to Gharagab started.

 

 

(to be continued)

[Towlersonsafari]

You can't stop there @@xelas ! We are big scaredy cats about driving on 4x4 routes so we are really interested in how you coped! Unless you are expert 4x4 drivers which is cheating!

Edited March 12, 2016 by Towlersonsafari

[xelas]

@@Towlersonsafari

 

My only sand track 4x4 experience was driving to and from !Xaus last year!

[Safaridude]

@@xelas

 

Kgalagadi rocks! Those birds of prey on the Nossob are incredible. I can't wait for my return to KTP.

[xelas]

(continued)

 

 

The one-way 4x4 entry road (sand track) started about 4 km south of Union's End. As I already had my tires pressure lowered to 1.4 bars, only needed to engage the 4H drive mode. The entry road is mostly flat and without any higher dunes; a couple of short descents and some tight cornering around small trees (and their branches) yet all-in-all a pleasant drive, mostly in 3rd gear. Speed was kept around 30-35 km/h. There was no wildlife along this track. At Gharagab waterhole the crew was dismantling the windmill. As said before the wind-powered water pumps are going to be replaced by solar powered ones in the entire park.

 

Arriving early, around noon, we have spent the afternoon just lazying on the porch. Here we have had cabin #2, the one with the best view to the waterhole.

 

Cabin #2

View from the porch

Inside the cabin

As mentioned before the scenery has changed a lot only a few kilometres north of Grootkolk. Here at Gharagab we have finally met the Kalahari red dunes!

 

 

Zvezda positioned the tripod in hope she could take a snap at whatever wildlife might cross her path. Me, I was doing some back-up work, and then went outside to catch some sunrays. It was hot yet not too hot. Just the right amount for my age !

 

Sociable Weaver

Shaft-tailed Whydah

Whistling Rat

Munching on flowers

After the sunset more animals came to drink from the waterhole. However it si really difficult to get a quality photo as the waterhole itself is quite at distance from the cabins.

 

Springboks and jackal

The wide angle view

 

 

We have also tried a couple of night sky shots. Only one shot was good enough to be presented on this forum .

 

That the waterhole spotlights are very weak I have already mentioned. One can distinguish the animal if looking bare eyes or with binoculars. Obtaining a reasonably good photo without using of additional high-powered light is not possible. The below photo shows that quite clearly (or better to say, quite blurry ).

 

Owl at the waterhole

Thus the fourth day in the park ends. We have reached had some amazing sightings and there were lions out there for us each and every day! We have also entered the true Kalahari desert scenery now.

[xelas]

@@Safaridude

 

Welcome, and honoured to have your attention! KTP indeed rocks, in so many ways. The scenery, the wildlife, the lack of "sighting traffic jams", the solitude of the wilderness camps, I just love this park.

[xelas]

5 February – The Resting Day

 

 

Gharagab is a true wilderness camp. 32 km of one-way 4x4-only sand track to approach it. 29 km of one-way 4x4-only sand track to depart it. Once there you will not want to move the car. At least such idea did not crossed our minds. Cabins are fantastic; we have #2 with arguably the best view to the waterhole. Landscapes are rolling dunes, this time of year more green and not only red. Different animals arrived to drink during the day, and more of them during the night. Just sitting on the porch and enjoying the silence was a superb experience. The cabins are oriented towards east so it is was a sunrise photography that we have started the day with.

 

Sun still below horizon

Half way up

Shining bright

Different animals have walked through the camp and between the cabins in the morning.

 

Young male steenbok

If larger animals are not willing to cooperate then there are always some smaller ones. And odd couple, this was.

 

Striped Mouse

Striped Mouse looking at skink

Kalahari Tree Skink (Mabuya Spilogaster)

And birds, they are always around.

 

Pririt Batis

Kalahari Scrub Robin

(to be continued)

 

 

[xelas]

(continued)

 

 

The waterhole gets its share of visitors during the day. As there was plenty of rain, and the green grass of Nossob was probably very tempting, larger herbivores probably stayed there. We did have a visit of a decent size herd of gemsboks; they came twice as the first time they were spooked away yet we have not seen who or what.

 

In a defensive position

Who's the boss here?!

Muscular torsos

And more birds. Above the cabins there is a viewing tower. It offers a great 360 degrees view over the dunes, and on nearby trees and bushes one can spot different birds.

 

Yellow Canary, male

Yellow Canary, female

Other birds found a very specific place to perch!

 

Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens (*)

(*) Sorry but I have no idea about the bird perching on it!

 

 

More birds; some are bigger ...

 

Ostrich

... and some are smaller.

 

Crimson-breasted Shrike

Indeed we have had a resting day! We have enjoyed it even if it was not as full of sightings as the days before. We were not bored at all. Beautiful views, enough wildlife to keep us alert, and having time to absorb all the memories of previous days. For dinner it was braai again. This time lamb cutlets. Delicious! And yes, the photo.

 

Fire in the Braai

 

 

There were no lions on this day! Or precisely, we have had not seen any, yet we have heard loud roaring not very far away. The neighbour (the Canon guy) said they might come to the waterhole this evening. We have hoped for another sighting. Me I was in the bed early not to see them, or other night visitors. Zvezda stayed longer, and she saw a couple of jackals, and a brown hyena. But no lions.

Edited March 13, 2016 by xelas

[Peter Connan]

Beautiful small birds Alex

 

Especially the Canary and the Crimson-breasted shrike.

[xyz99]

Beautiful small birds Alex

 

Especially the Canary and the Crimson-breasted shrike.

 

I agree, the Crimson-breasted shrike is beautiful...but so is the sunrise....and the gemsboks. Nicely done

[xelas]

@@Peter Connan

 

Thank You! My favourite is Pririt Batis. I assume I have ID them all correctly?

 

 

@@xyz99

 

Since sunsets were not too great (position-wise and cloudless sky) Zvezda tried her skill on the sunrises .

[pomkiwi]

@@xelas Continuing to enjoy. I liked the landscape shots very much - lovely pre-dawn sky.

[gagan]

"Through the eyes of nobody" stunning photography.

[Towlersonsafari]

@@xelas we stayed in camp one day at Grootkolk and just took it all in as well. Striped mice yellow mongoose and some very sociable weavers were our companions!

[xelas]

@@pomkiwi

While not as spectacular as parts of Namibia also Kgalagadi has its scenic places.

 

@@gagan

Welcome to our trip report! And thanks for kind words!

 

@@Towlersonsafari

Sometimes those smaller creatures as as much fun to observe if not more!

 

@@Africalover

Glad to have your attention also!

Edited March 13, 2016 by xelas

[Marks]

Great lions on page 8, the landscape is so green, too.

The ostriches in action on page 9 are also very cool - rarely have I seen examples of them being so active.

Didn't know that bateleurs were also called short-tailed eagles. Always something to learn on ST.

[dlo]

Continuing to enjoy this @@xelas and add me to the list of people staying in camp some days. Not much solitude in Etosha though!

[xelas]

@@Marks

Found about that name in one brochure of Kgalagadi. Easier to use since auto-correct function kept changing Bateleur into butler .

 

@@dlo

Probably not in high season and inside camps; but off season and outside camps, specially in the western part, one can find plenty of solitude .

I hope I will be able to support my words with some photos ... next year !

 

@@penolva

I really appreciate you are reading our TR!

[bushbaby]

That was one fantastic trip report - amazing pictures, amazing words ; I would love to also see more pics of camp environs, the pick up (including interiors if possible, how you stacked up the goods) and driving experiences.