Kalahari, Northern Cape

[Elsa Hoffmann]

I did a 3 week trip to the Kalahari in October 2018. The first night I did some wild camping with 2 friends. Wild camping means no ablutions and your park your derriere behind a bush. The area (near Springbok) was unbelievably beautiful. I will add more photos of the wildlife in a next post. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The road between Springbok and Pofadder - deadly to drive - but absolutely spectacular. Sadly I didnt manage to capture the beauty of it. The area is  arid, sparsely populated, rugged and picturesque. 

 

Edited November 4, 2018 by Elsa Hoffmann

[Elsa Hoffmann]

And so the trip continued, and the photo opportunities were plentiful

[Elsa Hoffmann]

[Elsa Hoffmann]

[lmSA84]

@Elsa Hoffmann - some of those photos are incredible - the Cuckoo and Marshall Eagle in particular

 

We’re these taken from the roads outside Springbok or were you in Goegap or one of the other reserves?

[CDL111]

Proof there is more to a safari than four legged animals. It is very difficult to say one photograph is better than another as they are all stunning photographs, but l do like the Crimson Breasted Shrike (?)

[Elsa Hoffmann]

@lmSA84   the photos in the first post was the road trip - and the birds were all taken in the  KgalagadiTranfrontier Park. I wish I have more time to explre Goegab and surrounding areas though. 

 

@CDL111 Thank you for the kind comment. Many visitors prefer the cats - or go to the parks to mainly see the cats. It probably has to do with the fact that you need a long lens for birds, and since so many visitors are not photographers per se, they don't have long lenses. But I might of course be very wrong. 

[Towlersonsafari]

Lovely photos @Elsa Hoffmann

[Elsa Hoffmann]

@Towlersonsafari thank you very much. 

[Hads]

Amazing photo's - some of the best I have seen on Safaritalk @Elsa Hoffmann.

I love the Martial Eagle shot.

[Elsa Hoffmann]

Wow thanks  @Hads !

[xyz99]

Wonderful photos, thanks for sharing. How long was your long lens? I hope you will post more photos, they are truly amazing!

[Elsa Hoffmann]

@xyz99 thank you so much. yes I will be posting more from this trip soon 

 

And the booking has been made for next year already !

[Elsa Hoffmann]

The big cats of the Park

 

 

 

 

[Elsa Hoffmann]

[Elsa Hoffmann]

 

 

[Elsa Hoffmann]

[Peter Connan]

Wow! Incredible photos!

 

Especially the African Cuckoo, the PCG on it's catch, the young Bateleur, the young Namakwa dove, the rising Sandgrouse and most especially the Namaqua dove in flight!

 

Krisis, maar ek gaan my sokkies moet optrek!

[Elsa Hoffmann]

@Peter Connan Thank you Peter. Much appreciated. These weren't so easy to get - the Namaqua Dove in flight took me 18 days. I had to work a bit for my photos this time! 

[Peter Connan]

With Namaqua doves I have tried and tried and tried. And my best is far inferior to yours!

 

Nothing wrong with having to work for a photo once in a while, it makes success much sweeter!

[Tdgraves]

I recognise that leopard! Much better PCG hunting than I managed, although it did give me many chances....

[Elsa Hoffmann]

@Tdgraves thank you. I was just lucky. I didnt see nearly as many of them as I did last year. 

[Tdgraves]

1 minute ago, Elsa Hoffmann said:

@Tdgraves thank you. I was just lucky. I didnt see nearly as many of them as I did last year. 

 

Part of the “luck” is a) being there and b) actually bothering to try.

we stayed at kwang for two hours watching a jackal hunting doves and the number of vehicles who left after just a few minutes....

[Dave Williams]

Superb photography! Can you enlighten me on the road too.looking to do a driving trip in SA next year possibly.

The road between Springbok and Pofadder - deadly to drive - but absolutely spectacular 

[Elsa Hoffmann]

@Tdgraves yes you are right. You sit. You wait. You practice while you wait. 

 

@Dave Williams Thank you for the kind comment.  The road between Springbok and Pofadder is long and straight and lonely. Bare. Arid. so you need to make sure you stay awake and stop often. It was about 38 degrees when I drove there - almost too hot to stop. But one needs to do that. it is the long way to get to the Kgalagadi from Cape Town, but I wanted to include that specifically as I have never been. I am sorry though I wasn't there in better light for better photos.