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All creatures small and beautiful - Tswalu-Cape of Good Hope NP


Kitsafari

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I neglected to inform those who are visiting or planning to visit Tswalu the following developments. Guy told me on the plane that they are trying to take on surplus sub-adult wild dogs from other reserves to put them together in a boma to form a pack. That's really exciting and hope it succeeds!

 

and Tswalu has bought over 15,000 ha of new land towards the south east. More land to explore and more species to emerge for sure!

 

so I'm wishing all and anyone who's going there this or next year - more wild dog, aardvark and maybe black footed cat sightings!

 

 

Brava! Some gorgeous images on this last page and I love your conclusion - some of that is really good for all of us to remember on any safari!

 

thanks @@SafariChick. I will also need to bear that in mind when the drives are quiet but the surroundings are beautiful.

 

What SafariChick said! Very glad you found your Bontebok. Already looking forward to your next adventure.

 

Me too @@michael-ibk, me too! three more months - so loooong to wait

 

 

Great ending. Some beautiful shots in there of Capetown and the nature reserve. I'll have to get there somettime.

 

thanks @@pault for your kind words. i've got de hoop on my list too :)

 

Well done in seeing the Bontebok - they are very pretty animals against very pretty backgrounds! I also love the Ostrich with the sea behind them.

 

You have given us a very fine, thoughtful and poetic ending to an excellent trip report. Thank you!

 

@@TonyQ you are most welcome. I enjoyed writing this TR, reliving the thoughts and having that moment of realisation in the process! thank you for continuing support and encouragement.

 

 

@@Kitsafari I love Cape Town myself because it's one of the few cities where nature is an integral part of visiting. I'm looking forward to going there next year before and after my visit to Tswalu Kalahari.

 

@@optig I now appreciate why you love Cape Town. I hope you enjoy your stay there next year. :)

 

 

"the journey is the destination" - may I use this line @@Kitsafari ? It fits also us, almost perfectly :) !

 

@@xelas i'm honoured you want to quote my line!

 

 

I'm slow as usual, but just wanted to say, page 6, that bat eared fox family is amazing! Kawaii!

 

I think I must be a sucker for anything with long ears: the roan is terrific too, and I don't think I've seen many pictures of them before. Thanks for adding them to my wish list, and for reminding me that traveling without a wish list might just be the best way to travel. :D

 

@@hannahcat you've been busy that's why. glad you enjoyed the bat eared foxes and the roans. those jumbo ears are outstanding! looking forward to more from your dulini TR!

Edited by Kitsafari
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Lovely scenes / settings in post #48. I love the contrast of red soil against the green foliage and blue skies.

 

Thanks @@Geoff for dropping by! I love that scene from that day too. all those antelopes and zebras enjoying the salt lick and mingling with each other. it was very tranquil and scenic.

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@@Kitsafari Thank for your kind information. I'm happy to hear that Tswalu Kalahari will be even larger in size when I go next year, and they are planning to reintroduce wild dogs.I know that wild dogs can be purchased rather cheaply because hunters have absolutely no interest in them. They are certainly one animal that one never tires of seeing.I've read both the books that you purchased in South Africa as well as many others.I can talk about South African and Zimbabwean politics and history at great length. I only hope that you don't fall asleep out of complete and total boredom!!! I'm warning you again to be prepared for the worst. I want to give you more opportunity to talk and ask me and our guide questions.Again I'm sending and your family my warmest and kindest wishes.I'm happy that you persuaded two Singaporeans to go on safari.

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@@optig Guy mentioned that it will take about a year to get the new territory ready with fences. so it should be about open when you get there.

 

thank you for your wishes for my family!

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@@Kitsafari Like yourself and other safari goers I've developed many new interest because of going on safari.I've long been interested in Africa's politics and history.I've developed a strong interest in ornithology,botany and understanding the environment in a holistic manner.I enjoy going on safari so much because I feel that everything is part of safari. I regard Africa's National Parks,Conservancies and Game Preserves as the world's best classrooms for teaching all types of subjects.It pleases me to know that my Kenyan friends take the same view as I do of my philosophy towards Africa.I moved to Kenya out of my general love not just for safari but because I'm also fascinated by African development.I've lived many places before but I didn't find anywhere as stimulating as Africa.

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Just wanted to say what incredible pictures of the lion family you took! They look gorgeous against the red soil. It's hard not to imagine that they must be aware of their good looks when they arrange themselves into a portrait like that.

 

The Bontebok are lovely too -- what amazing coloring. And I love that you got off the beaten track with your guide -- I didn't even know that such a thing as possible in that reserve. I'lll be storing that little factoid away for a while, just in case I get to go back ...

 

Thanks especially for sharing your insights, and your sense of peace, as you traveled through the these beautiful areas.

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@@hannahcat LOL! The lions were definitely crowding together for that one perfect family shot! I was so glad they did. :)

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Alexander33

@@Kitsafari

 

I was away for a few weeks, so I just now had the pleasure of catching up with the last part of your trip report.

 

 

 

In the process of writing this TR, it gradually dawned on me that Tswalu was, after all, about a different kind of safari. It was not about ticking off a list of species, it was not about just seeing the special animals, or seeing the red sands of Kalahari, or having the satisfaction of saying I’ve been there or just ticking off safari places. It was about just being in the moment, discovering and realising one’s connection to nature and to the world at large, and revelling in calmness and peaceful solitude in a vast quiet open space.

 

There are journeys we often take to reach a destination or to achieve a goal. In the end, I discovered, in Tswalu, that the journey is the destination.

 

 

 

You nailed it there. That was my exact takeaway from our time at Tswalu, as well. In my travels since then, I've been much more calm and relaxed, celebrating notable sightings when they appeared and just enjoying being alive and in the moment if they didn't.

 

I'm glad you went to Cape Town. I really love that city, but even if I didn't, I think one cannot fully understand a country without also visiting its big cities, if only for a few days.

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@@Kitsafari Thank-you for this TR and the care that went into it. I enjoyed a day spent in the Cape NP - it is lovely to be able to wander freely with such a variety of scenery and wildlife.

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  • 1 month later...
Morkel Erasmus

@@Kitsafari very nice TR! great to get some more info and loads of pictures from Tswalu - I have yet to go there but love all things Kalahari

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Wild meerkats, what a thrill. Nice to see the sable. The timing on the sunrise will be helpful for others want to time it just right.

 

The myriad of meerkats is marvelous. So many poses, the whole family in the tree! Such a success with this species!

 

And the cute continues with the baby bunny and on to your "magical dragon." What a cherished experience to see the pangolin.

Edited by Atravelynn
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@@Morkel Erasmus@Atravelynn@pomkiwi@Alexander33

 

thank you for all your kind comments and for reading the rambling TR! Morkel, you are being so generous. my photos pale next to many safaristas in ST, and definitely next to yours!

 

Lynn, thank you for coming here to catch up on the TR after your return. I hope you had an enjoyable safari! and can't wait for your report. or have you started already and i missed it?!

Edited by Kitsafari
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  • 2 weeks later...

The meerkat farewell is stupendous! Interesting how the aardwolf sightings had a double whammy. First losses due to the drought, which is the most serious issue. And then no cold weather to draw them out. The comment they appear at the first frost is enlightening. Your aardowolf video is further proof you saw it.

 

Cape Town came through with sunsets and bontebok! That's great you saw them at the cape. I'm sure you were pleased adding on Cape Town for the penguins and everything else. It is well worth stopping if you have time.

 

Your closing comments on Tswala were poignant and insightful. Hopefully someday I'll be able to keep them in mind when I go.

 

Back to post #1, this was all seen in 5 nights, in May.

 

"Lynn, thank you for coming here to catch up on the TR after your return. I hope you had an enjoyable safari! and can't wait for your report. or have you started already and i missed it?!"

 

You have missed nothing. I have posted nothing. Nothing on Namibia. But it was a great trip tracking desert species in Palmwag.

Edited by Atravelynn
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