kimburu

I'm not often "seen" around here now - or anywhere else for that matter - but I've always posted my trip reports here, and I have a fondness for tradition.

I recently returned from a very interesting and unpredictable three-week trip to Botswana, which was our first there, but certainly not our first to Africa. Apologies in advance for inevitable inaccuracies and mis-remembered events or sequences, not to mention spelling mistakes – please put the record straight on these as I know myself and I won’t be offended - unless you are being offensive of course! ;-) Those who don’t already know better than me should remember to consider the source.

Our itinerary (so we thought!) was like this, beginning December 17. The first four days were added after my Mum decided to join my wife and me – the rest, but with an extra day at Mapula (or Kwara instead of Mapula) was our original itinerary.

Days 1-2 Royal Tree Lodge, Maun (formerly Montsasela) …. To “acclimatize” my Mum, who was visiting Africa for the first time at the still-young age of 72, and also just to catch up with her on the preceding year, as we live in different continents.
Days 3-4 Deception Valley Lodge …. For Mum to have her own Kalahari experience and walk with the San
Days 5-9 Mobile safari in Central Kalahari Game Reserve
Days 10-12 Meno-a-Kwena
Days 13-18 Mobile safari in Khwai and Moremi
Days 19-21 Mapula Lodge
Day 22 Island Safari Lodge
Day 23 Travel home

Mum went to Victoria Falls and then had four nights at Ichingo and on the Ichobezi boat on the Chobe from Days 5-9, spent two nights at Island Safari Lodge outside Maun Days 17-18 and left Day 19.

However our 23-day itinerary was kindly extended to 26 days by Air Botswana, whose flight from Maun to Johannesburg was craftily converted to a flight from Maun to Gabarone in mid-air. “This is your captain speaking and I have a really nice surprise. Instead of taking you to Johannesburg and risk getting this rust bucket stranded there again, why don’t we land in Gabarone so you can see our fabulous, shiny international airport. We are sorry if you have a connecting flight, but …. well, actually we are not really sorry but I will personally be slightly embarrassed when I see you hopping up and down on the runway, beetroot-faced in front of a junior member of staff who has no more idea than you why we are doing this. I hope you enjoyed your flight up until this point and do want to thank you for your slightly ballsy decision to fly Air Botswana.” What a surprise! And then two days extra holiday in Johannesburg at their expense. This must be what they call “secret season” - I remember reading about that somewhere. In fact, it was all so secret that Air Botswana decided it would be better not to tell Thai Airways or to rebook us – better we have another lovely surprise at the airport (after telling us it was “taken care of” and giving us some paper to support that, just to make sure we didn’t spoil the surprise by contacting Thai Airways ourselves). Anyway, it was all good in the end – we’re back home and my wife unexpectedly got to visit the deWildt cheetahs on her birthday (that part was not paid by Air Botswana). And would I fly with Air Botswana again? Absolutely! For the record the official reason for the landing was technical problems and we will never, ever know the whole story.


A Visa Warning

After meeting my Mum at JNB, the three of us reached Maun on schedule and got our first surprise. Sally Masson, who booked/arranged our trip, had obtained a letter for my wife from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs saying she was to be granted a visa on arrival. Sally had sent us a copy of this and kept the original, as another signed original was supposedly on file at the Maun Immigration office. However, the immigration officers weren’t happy with a copy and could apparently find no record of the letter that was supposed to be with them. Sally had tried to give the officers the original but was unable to do so as she was not allowed in and they weren’t coming out. My Mum resolved the stand-off by just walking back through the plastic curtains that separate the high security immigration area from the Arrivals (and Departures) hall. End of problem – always take your Mum to Africa! We’d do things the same way again next time, but would plan a way of getting the letter to my wife inside Immigration in advance. If my wife had been a single traveler, she might have had considerable difficulty, although I am sure it would have been worked out eventually.


Maun

Mum was always booked two nights at Royal Tree Lodge so she could get acclimatized to Africa in a fenced and safe environment – the fence being to keep her in one place so we could still find her when we arrived of course. ;-) However, when we decided to arrive a day earlier too, almost last minute, it seemed too much trouble to change her schedule around and so we ended up two nights there too. We were the only guests there both nights.

Royal Tree Lodge is just a name change really and nobody even seems to call it that yet. Same owners, luxurious tents and everything as far as I know. You can follow marked trails around the property and see giraffe, oryx, ostrich, impala, kudu, zebra, Blesbok, Vervet Monkeys and hares on foot, alone and with no guide (I think there were Springbok too). There is decent birdlife too, but not to the extent that I would put this on a birding itinerary should a group of overly-trusting and simple-minded birders ever decide that they wanted me to arrange their trip-of-lifetime to Botswana. Having said that, this is the only place I saw a Hoopoe. The Lodge is nicely managed and the staff, the place, the accommodations and the food and all more than fine. It is what it says it is.

Mum and my wife started on the wine (not included in cost unless you expressly book on that basis) and a long catch up chat and I went for a walk that was not particularly successful, seeing only a distant Blesbok and a hare.

I went for another walk the next morning and saw much more. Seeing a journey of giraffe quite close on foot is cool and a little disconcerting since you do realise how big they are and how easily they could take you out if one of them was a psycho type with people issues (these things and worse go through my mind when I’m out walking in the bush alone – just as well I don’t live there or I’d be mad as a hatter). Although this is certainly not a wilderness, the walks are very pleasant and a decent length, and (most of?) the animals are skittish enough that you have to be quiet and downwind to get near them on foot. You can even play at following spoor, although it is quicker and more effective just to cheat and hang out near the salt lick where most of the spoor are heading.

I would say you can’t get lost on the walks because any of the coloured marked paths lead back to the road, and anyway, it’s not really big enough to get lost in. However, on the last morning my Mum managed to get lost and only just made it back in time to have breakfast before we had to go for the flight (See why we needed a fenced property to start her off? She was more reticent after this.)

On the second afternoon Mum and I went on a mokoro trip from Okavango River Lodge (arranged through Royal Tree Lodge) and I can highly recommend it. You may imagine that it will be much better deep in the Okavango Delta, but I suggest you try it here first. No hippos and some people and other boats around but lots of birds and good views as the papyrus is not too thick here. I would do one trip here and one deeper in the Delta if I had the choice, and wanted to see as much as possible. My Mum also recommends the Island Safari Lodge sunset cruise into the Delta, but I cannot back that up.

kimburu

Deception Valley Lodge

We were the only three passengers to DVL and so Mum’s first bush flight was in a 4-seater… at midday. She was so petrified that my wife forgot she was petrified too. The flight was dull, over the cattle farming land protected by the veterinary fence. As DVL airstrip is right next to the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR) we banked for landing next to the veterinary fence itself, so I can show you the reserve, and the two fences with their “cut lines” which are the quickest route from DVL to CKGR.

Deception Valley Lodge is as just like the brochure and the reviews you can read online. The chalets are amazing (I would say incongruous, but they are too nice for that word and it’s not as if I didn’t look at the pictures on the web site). The weirdest thing (for me) was reading my email in 40 C heat in the Kalahari sands . If you want to be very comfortable in the rather uncomfortable environment of the Kalahari then this is the place. The owner-managers run things exceedingly well and are excellent hosts. Their son has picked up their charm too (he helped host the activity I requested as Mum’s Christmas present). Braam is, in accordance with general reputation, a very good guide, especially when accompanying the San guides. I have to say I really learned quite a bit from him in a short time. No thoughts of psycho giraffes stomping people for no apparent reason when walking with Braam.

DVL have a new activity, which is to spend a night out in the bush with Braam and the San. Basically, a one day/night fly-camping and walking safari. There is a small extra cost for this and so I decided it would be Mum’s Christmas present and a surprise. Actually, that didn’t go as well as expected since she didn’t want to do it when she found out about and after she had seen the beautiful cottages. Oops! But I persuaded her and she thanked me for that later. We were the first people to do this activity, so it is certainly going to be refined and improved, but here is what happened to us.

We left on the normal walking with the San activity, but a bit later than usual. This activity is the kind of thing everyone should do once, and before you get too cynical and start asking questions about “authenticity”. It’s quite touchy-feely and hands-on, and you are encouraged to drink and eat the things they find to survive on in the Kalahari, which we all did enthusiastically – they don’t invite you to try the ones that taste like bodily fluids or that might cause death . Of course it’s very interesting just being with the San men and listening to their language, even if they were just to stand around and discuss how Arsenal absolutely hammered Chelsea last night (just for example...of course they did not discuss that!). Braam didn’t interpret too much and always let them finish explaining something before doing so, and in many cases much of what they were saying was apparent from their body language. Then he’d just give a quick summary unless we had specific questions. We generally only saw birds and reptiles (including a snake in a tree – I cannot remember what it was now, but will eventually) but the bush was thick and we were not quiet as it was not that kind of walk, so there is no surprise there. Unfortunately, 30 minutes into the walk the sole of my boot decided to detach itself from the rest of the boot for the first time in 12 years. The San fitted me up with a temporary fix made from Springbok skin strips knotted together, and refined the fix when that failed to hold 30 minutes or so later, as although the walk is very gentle-paced with lots of talking and stops for demonstrations and explanations, the terrain is sandy and very rough - it doesn’t follow paths, but rather you just walk in “generally the right direction” with little detours when the San see something interesting that they’d like to show or explain. While I was one-shoed the second time, we saw the snake and in trying to get a picture of it (it was moving all the time) I got a thorn in my foot. I thought I pulled it out, but that was my mistake!

There were beautiful blue skies when we set out, but by about ninety minutes into our walk the clouds were really building, and although quite far away it suddenly started to look like it might rain a bit. Twenty minutes later we were huddled in a line on the lee side of a small acacia with our backs to the wind and horizontal rain, like a tiny herd of Springbok. Braam had brought ponchos for us all, but the rain seemed to be coming from underneath at times and we basically all just got soaked. Somehow I managed to keep my cameras ( I was rather recklessly wearing two to avoid lens changes) reasonably dry, together with a little spot about three inches south-west of my navel – the rest was soaked. The rain stopped after a while and we carried on with the walk, but with the ground wet and the quite heavy vegetation even wetter, Braam walked us toward a road, which ran quite close to our camp site. We were still entusiastic but a bit tired, cold and hungry as we approached camp.

Our walk ended at four San huts set up in what to us was the middle of nowhere (and without WiFi). These had a small, single person tent inside each - I would think a mosquito net will be enough if it is not rainy season - with a bedroll. There was also a long drop toilet set up a little way from the camp. Sundowner drinks were waiting for us with some snacks, served with a smile by Braam’s son. I didn’t ask Braam whether the G&Ts were part of the Bushman Experience as he was possibly already a bit concerned that the activity wasn’t quite going to plan first time around. Also, it was getting cold for wet people, and there was no fire since the San had to start that in the traditional way. It is not easy starting a fire with sticks after rain, but between the three of them (Braam got involved to as there was an awful lot of stick-rubbing needed) they eventually got it done. Food was more or less pre-cooked (mealie pap and a kudu stew) and just needed heating, and we were all so hungry that the Oryx Dance and other pre-dinner activities didn’t get the attention they deserved (even the San may have been more interested in the lovely smell coming off the fire). After a G&T Mum declared herself delighted with her accommodations - she’s not a big drinker. ;-) The stew was very nice (and all the food at DVL is excellent– yum!) and afterwards we had another drink and chatted until Tati, the - by now former - guide came to pick up my wife, who wasn’t staying out in the bush with us due to an attack by phases of the moon and such – there is no shower or private washing facilities - hot water in a bowl outside - as it is intended for a single overnight only. Since the next morning starts with a 3-4 hour walk, it makes sense that most people will prefer to shower afterwards anyway. The stars were beautiful in the end as the storm disappeared as fast as it had come, and a leopard was sawing nearby. Best of all, Braam identified each of the night sounds for me – I was surprised by some of them and wondered why I had never known that was a bird, or this was a frog. We slept like little babies in our little tents inside our little huts under the very big night sky.

In the morning my wife dropped by with a pair of moccasins for me (the quick fix on the boots was not going to last a 4-hour walk) and told us she was not coming on the walk with us because she was going with Tati to look for the leopard we had heard. They track the animals at DVL, with a San tracker on the front of the Landcruiser, but the bush is thick and the grass quite long during the rains and it makes it quite difficult to track anything. Since they do not get a large influx of animals with the rains like the pans of the CKGR, DVL would definitely be much, much better for wildlife during the dry season when their waterholes will attract game and they can track offroad effectively (but the place is about nature and wilderness in a broader sense, anyway). They didn’t find the leopard but they had a good time.

Our walk in the morning started off as really nice – lovely weather and some more demonstrations, and the ground was alive after the rain. We saw snakes, those little red velvet mites that look like spiders, spiders themselves with their webs shiny in the sun, a Leopard Tortoise, birds, lizards, millipedes, some of the strange crawling and jumping creatures you find in places like this (even Braam didn’t know what some of them were) and ants busy everywhere. After a couple of hours though, that thorn was really bothering me and it got gradually worse and I walked the last two hours in a bit of pain. So I was very glad to eventually see the waterhole and the lodge.

We went on straight game drives that evening (having a sundowner at a waterhole, where we were watched by a jackal and a small group of wildebeest, who had both presumably come to drink) and the next morning, but did not see that much (in addition to those already mentioned, Bat-eared Fox, oyx, Steenbok, more jackal and ostrich). I thought the bird life was very good at the time too, but compared with that around Deception Valley and Deception Pan, it was quite ordinary, if a little more varied. This was all expected and not a disappointment, although we were secretly hoping for something exciting to jump out of the bushes on the night drive.

Deception Valley Lodge has a lot to recommend it. I guess for the time-pressed visitor (like my Mum) it offers a taste of the Central Kalahari and an introduction to the San in an easy and comfortable package, but it is actually better than that and I can easily understand why they have a lot of guests who come back year after year. I doubt we will be among them, but that is not because we didn't like it.

Mum flew back “alone” with two pilots and we waited with Braam and Susan for our guide Nick to pick us up for our mobile safari in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve.

kimburu

Here's a link to the first part of the illustrated travelogue version of this... text is still being added but with the above, it should make sense without it - will be complete soon.

http://tinyurl.com/6be4abo

There's a button top-right if you prefer to watch as a slideshow rather than clicking through (Esc. to get out if you change your mind!).

Lynneb

Looking forward to reading the rest of your trip report. CKGR is one of my favourite places.

laurenanne

Your writing has me laughing. My husband keeps asking me what is so funny, but he doesn't get it when I explain we just got back from Namibia so he can't understand why I am reading a trip report from Botswana right now!

moremiles

Great report and photos and love reading about the Kalahari.

atravelynn

Your description of the "secret season" and commentary to announce it, compliments of Air Botswana, is hilarious. But I bet most of the passengers were not laughing.

You are correct in recognizing the potential danger of the journey of giraffes. I read a while back where a volunteer member of the clergy was tragically killed by a kick from a giraffe.

Very wise of the Bushmen to spare guests from sampling natural edibles "that taste like bodily fluids or that might cause death." Ha ha. Know what you mean about the sounds of the language even though Arsenal hammering Chelsea is totally foreign to me.

Your Mum is a pioneer of the San Sleepout! What an honor! This seems like a great activity!

Sorry about your boot. Wouldn't you know, it happens at the most inopportune time. But kind of cool that you had a local San fix for it from a Kalahari Cobbler.

<b>They do not get a large influx of animals with the rains like the pans of the CKGR, DVL would definitely be much, much better for wildlife during the dry season when their waterholes will attract game and they can track offroad effectively (but the place is about nature and wilderness in a broader sense, anyway). </b>

Very helpful for comparison purposes and expectations.

I can completely sympathize with your Mum getting lost on the walk. Had it been me, I still be wandering in the desert.

Great idea on the mekoro, especially for anyone who wished to avoid a body of water shared by hippos.

In the battle of Mrs. Kimburu vs. Kalahari, I think they both won. Mum was the clear victor at the visa counter.

Very funny and informative. Thanks Kimburu!

HariS

Hi Paul,

A very well written report - a lovely read! Can't wait for the rest of it and trust you had some lovely adventures on your safari.

The Visa thing - it really was difficult for us back in the day prior to the Botswana consulate's presence in India. We had to get this letter thing and seemed like every second person had a different interpretation of visa procedures etc etc., Adventurous no doubt!

Regards,
Hari

Leely2

You and Mrs Kimburu and the other Mrs Kimburu always have the most interesting experiences. Great fun for your readership--thanks for popping in!

scruffypuma

I laughed all the way through the Kalahari. Thank you for an entertaining trip report.

Treepol

Hi Kimburu,

great report so far and also good photos of the San led activities at DVL. Looking forward to more.

Regards,

Pol

tockoloshe

'This activity is the kind of thing everyone should do once, and before you get too cynical and start asking questions about “authenticity”. '

Hi Kimburu

You put this very well, I felt the same about our walks with the San in the Kalahari, you can think about it too much.

Enjoying your report, an interesting story and great detail for anyone planning something similar.

kimburu

Thanks everyone. I'll try to post the next part as soon as I can, but my wife has got me slaving over the pictures (the ones she likes, that is). Shouldn't be long!

Kavey

What fun! Loved the photos so far, too!

BahamaBreeze

Please keep this report coming! I'm enjoying it immensely. My husband and I are (finally!) scheduled for a return visit to Africa in 2 weeks' time and will be staying at Mapula Lodge as well. Can't wait to read the rest of your report!

sundowner

<font color="gold">*****</font>
5 gold stars for you! Great report.

Leely2

Stunning photos, kimburu! I cannot wait to see and read more.

kimburu

Sundowner, thank you - you get an honorable mention (along with treepol) in the next section so I am glad you are reading!

BahamaBreeze... I hope I get to Mapula within the next two weeks, It was fairly wet while we were there nearly three weeks ago and was getting wetter - that is not really a good thing, and night drives were not the best ... for the same reasons as mentioned with DVL. However, I am sure you will enjoy it and hopefully see something special.

kimburu

Central Kalahari Game Reserve

First, my personal answer to the question of why a mobile safari, and a slightly amusing bit of synchronicity (in the psychological sense) – then on to the interesting part.

We decided to go for a mobile safari for three reasons. First, we wanted to try it – we have never been mobile and it sounded like a fun adventure. Second, we could go where we wanted to our own schedule (e.g. Deception Valley and much of Moremi, which can only be effectively visited self-drive or with a mobile). And third, there was no other way that we could afford to spend three weeks in Botswana without choosing places because they were less expensive rather than because we really wanted to stay there. These still seem like good reasons, but make sure you can truly tick off the first reason or be aware that you are actually falling prey to the pitfall mentioned in the third reason! I am sure I read somewhere the slightly snobby-sounding “A mobile safari isn’t for everyone” and smiled. But I think, given the alternatives available, that statement is correct - at least as far as CKGR goes. Equally, I think if you really love being in the African bush – as opposed to just the animals, the photo ops, luxury, the food, or the conversation (not that there is anything wrong with them, and of course you get all these on a mobile too) you should try it. You are just so much more exposed, in many senses of the word, than in even the more simple of permanent camps with maybe 20-30 staff permanently housed there.

We booked our mobile safari with Masson Safaris (and once we booked the mobile portion with them it seemed sensible to book the whole lot through them). Their name had been in my head from a few years ago – I think (but can’t be sure) that it was the first mobile safari company that I had heard of that offered private bathroom attachments to each tent (an explicitly stated and non-negotiable basic requirement of my wife) but didn’t seem to have other stuff that we don’t need and I don’t feel inclined to pay for. Maybe it was just that Ewan Masson is such a Scottish name and for me it just stuck . Or maybe I am a victim of subliminal advertising! Anyway, recent successful trips reported by Hari and others certainly didn’t put me off.

Of course, since the first time that little “Masson for mobile. Masson for mobile” mantra was subliminally implanted in my brain, I have learned that there are all kinds of mobile safari operators with all kinds of choices, so I did contact a couple of operators. But basically Masson (it really is just Ewan and his wife Sally) was sentimental/ subliminally implanted favorite and/or came back with an itinerary that sounded right at the right price. Anyway, that was that and no regrets.

The first trip report I remember reading about a mobile safari was Sundowner’s ordeal by burning sun and long drive, and I thought this was with Masson Safaris, but later looked again and it wasn’t. The company was Gametrails and the guide was called Nick. I did a search last night and realized that it was actually Treepol who had (much more recently) been on a mobile with Masson with a guide called Nick Langton, and my mind had obviously combined the stories into a composite memory. Anyway, when Sally told me that Ewan was no longer available for part of our trip (we were originally four and then two and then three people, with the itinerary changing each time, so I certainly wasn’t really upset by that, especially since I had not specifically requested Ewan as our guide) she asked me if I wanted to have Ewan for part of the trip or a single guide throughout. I responded “one guide” more or less immediately, and asked who that might be. And of course it was Nick Langton, who is Sally’s father. Small world.

Nick drove down from Maun to pick us up at DVL, and after checking with Braam, decided to take the cut line down to CKGR (I hope all these initials aren’t confusing!). He told us the very interesting and sometimes tragic (tens of thousands of wildebeest dying of starvation) history of the fence and a bit of the history of the park, and none of us could work out how the two oryx we saw in the space between the two fences, designed to stop any contact between cattle and wild animals through the fence, were ever going to get out – or how they had got in. Are there a herd of oryx that have been living permanently between the fences for decades? Did someone let them in? Are there holes in the fence? Can oryx actually jump higher than anyone ever imagined? It took us ( from memory)about ninety minutes to the park gate on an up-and –down and occasionally corrugated road that was not too bad - it had been two days since the rain and so while the sand was compacted the ground was not usually underwater in the dips.

The Central Kalahari Game Reserve is one of those places that I seem to have always wanted to visit, although before I became more informed it used to be just “The Kalahari” and my mental picture was more the Kgalakgadi Transfrontier Park part than the much flatter CKGR. From the park gate to Deception Valley, where our campsite was, took an hour and a bit and it was a rather desolate and uninteresting drive, despite the excitement of actually being in CKGR at last. Large portions of this area were burned in the recent fires and have not had time to recover. Those parts untouched by fire are what I would call (probably ignorantly) thick acacia scrub, and were not much more interesting; frequented by the odd Steenbok and little else. We saw another, lone oryx, but it looked lost. As soon as we entered the area known as Deception Valley, we started to see the herds of springbok and oryx, out on open, quite green plains, broken up by an “island” of trees. Nick told us he knew what we were thinking, but he wasn’t stopping as he wanted to get us to camp and we could come back out here in a couple of hours anyway. Fair enough.

Sally and Ewan Masson were both at camp, with three staff and two guests (Nick prefers this to clients and I’m with him) of Ewan’s. So it was Masson’s mobile village for the first two days. We put our bags in the tents, took out a couple of items and had a chat and a coffee or juice, before heading out to see what we could see. The first evening we were only out an hour or two, and just saw some springbok, oryx, a wildebeest and a jackal in lovely light. There was a very impressive collection of birds too, and if you want to photograph or study raptors and other big birds, CKGR is a great, great place – there is a predominance of Black Kites (perhaps boosted by migrants?) but many others, and with the general absence of tall trees they are perched on the ground, signs and generally anything that is strong enough to hold them. I counted 20 Black Kites in a single tree at sunset one day (no, I didn’t have anything better to do ;-))…. and there were plenty more in the trees around that one. Korhaans and bustards are common (the Black Korhaans were displaying big-time and we saw a number of times why they are called “suicide birds”), and of course Secretary Birds and Ostriches. It could be that the birds were partially there waiting for the frog bonanza that comes with the rain, but Nick did not seem to think there was anything particularly notable about their numbers. The drongos and other more aggressive smaller birds were frequently mobbing all these raptors and the big Pied Crows. It really added to the experience for me, and of course it helped that Nick had a good enthusiast’s knowledge of them and was able to help put things in context or draw our attention to bird behaviour that was potentially interesting.

Wake up was 5 am for a 5.30 departure in the morning (sunrise and thus park opening time) but it was usually 5.45 or later by the time we got going. We were often not back until around 12 and that is quite a long morning, so coffee and some cereals were kind of necessary. My wife doesn’t usually eat cereal (and I don’t generally enjoy Thai curry for breakfast) and so she was a bit upset to find that all we had at 9 was coffee and cookies. She started eating cereals after that, unwillingly, but of course all we had to do was ask for a sandwich for her and after that the camp staff made them for her each morning. I guess most guests just like and are happy with cereals as this was the case at the camps too, although sometimes with an alternative. Next time we visit Botswana we’ll have something to put in the list of “allergies” for my wife.

Generally I’d hope to see something interesting by 8 when the light was still good, but there was life until after 10 usually, and then it really started to heat up and become a bit less enjoyable as we headed slowly back to camp, seeing what we could see on the way (and sometimes we saw some fascinating stuff at that “dead” time). After brunch, which was actually lunch most days, we had from about 1 to 4 free, and usually headed out at 4 or 4.30 depending on our mood and the weather. Then we’d drive until around 6.30 or 7 and stop for a sundowner at that time (sunset was around 7.30 or so, this being midsummer) – three times at Owens’ Island, which Mrs K loved as a place, once out in the middle of the valley waiting for some lions 100+ meters off the road to wake up – they finally did just after the sun had set – and once somewhere else. Since game was not always around in great numbers and action was relatively limited there, I think it is often better to enjoy the sunset than to keep on looking for something that very likely isn’t there. I’d love to have always had something striking to shoot in the beautiful light after 6.30, but I just tried to make the most I could of what was there around where we had the sundowner, and for once did some shots of people and even a couple of landscapes.

Of course 8-9 hour days are pretty substantial in this environment, and with the heat making it a little difficult to sleep in the afternoons we got a bit tired the second day, and me especially since I still had the thorn in my foot and it was quite painful now and a constant ache. Fortunately, Nick managed to pop it out using a needle and the tweezers from our Swiss Army knife … relief. And then the next day I slipped a little in the shower and my foot came off the mat… and landed right on another thorn! No! The day after Nick again went at the thorn, but they are difficult to get out until they start to fester a bit and they can slide out in the pus (sorry for the unwelcome image, but it is useful information). Nick was determined that I should be miserable no more and used needle and tweezers, and then razor blade, bigger needle and tweezers, and it just didn’t work. I was banging the mat and biting down on my t-shirt but my stoicism (my wife says I’m a big baby but she didn’t have someone digging a hole in her foot) wasn’t going to do any good – the thorn was too big and too deep. Back to the limp!

I am not going to go blow-by-blow on our drives as they just covered too many hours and miles. There were smallish herds of springbok throughout Deception Valley, and some (but more scattered) in Leopard Pan and Sunday Pan. Same with small herds of oryx and individual or very small groups of wildebeest. These were what we commonly saw on the plains, both quite close and far away (of course there is no offroad driving). We also saw a number of hartebeest and occasional groups of Tsessebe (Topi in all but name), both more often on the dunes, and of course there were Steenbok wherever there were plenty of bushes, and Greater Kudu in good numbers as well. Last but not least are the ground squirrels, who are abundant and entertaining. Herbivore wise, that is pretty much all you are going to get in CKGR, as most other herbivores need water. It is something of a mystery to me why there are no Dik-dik, as the environment seems good for them – perhaps they don’t get on with the bigger Steenbok? On the predator side we saw lions on three days and they were from at least two different prides. We also saw a cheetah, many jackals, two family groups of Bat-eared Foxes with 8 pups between them (yes, they are cute) and an Aardwolf in daylight. Incredibly, and disappointingly, we did not see any Honey Badgers (which Nick ‘consoled’ us about by recounting how he had once seen 16 different individuals in one day in the CKGR– thanks for pointing that out, man). We also didn’t see any Meerkats.

Sometimes we saw a lot and sometimes we didn't see anything at all for an hour or more. I remember once we drove down to Leopard Pan and saw nothing - and I mean nothing - except for the ubiquitous Black Korhaan and a roller or two. Not a particularly pretty drive either. When we eventually saw a lone oryx, we got all excited... then almost all at once realised that there was nothing to get excited about. We drove in the area of the pan for about 15 minutes then had a coffee and decided to cut our losses and head back. Later that day we met another mobile gang on the road and got chatting and found out they had seen both cheetah and lion that morning. Where? About 5 minutes further drive from the point where we had turned around! That's how it is - you can't drive for ever and you won't see everything, but you can never say there is nothing there. I really liked the place a lot and would love to visit again and spend more time. Mrs K says she is glad she did it and survived but no way is she going back to CKGR (in our language that does not mean it is hopeless, as she also said that if she went back she would have to set up some shade over the toilet as she could not and would not get used to getting sunburn while 'using the facilities').

I am not sure if I am finished yet (feel free to remind me what I missed out) but here is a link to the CKGR gallery, to which I am still adding explanatory text. The photos aren’t really finished (you may note more than the odd dust spot and dodgy crop as evidence of that) but I think they’ll do for their purpose of “taking you there”. If you wait a day the text should be complete and the pictures may make more sense.

http://tinyurl.com/6ac6krv

Viewing tip: As some of the captions are quite wordy this time, it may be slightly annoying to view it as a slideshow. You can just view as-is, or click on the photo to view a larger size and then click through to the next one using the arrow above the photo at the top of the page.

Again... apologies for typos, spelling mistakes or errors. Please correct errors you note.

Treepol

Hi Kimburu,

great to hear that you enjoyed the CKGR. I'm reliving as few memories through your Botswana reports, what a great chance for your Mum to experience an African safari. I think you were very brave allowing Nick to 'operate' on your foot - bad luck with the thorns and the honey badgers. I'm with Nick on this one as one morning we saw so many, including females with young that I asked Ewan if he thought we had seen a dozen and he said he'd stopped counting at 20. He also concluded that the Black Khorhaan is definitely not endahgered.

Nick was our transfer driver in 2008 collecting us from Makadagi and driving us to Nxai Pan where Sallie and Ewan were both in camp after which Ewan was our guide for 2 days in Nxai Pan and 3 in CKGR. I liked Nick tremendously, what a genial and fun guide he is, his banter and stories made the long road trip less exhausting than it could have been.

We are returning to Bots in July for a 3 week mobile with Ewan - 10 days in Kgalagadi and 10 in Moremi and the Delta. Before Mrs K faints at the thought of so many days without shade over the loo I can say that we are staying at the wilderness camps and Nossob Rest Camp in KTP!

I am a little nervous about our chances of making ther SAA flight back to Perth given your experience with Air Bots! Now I'm away to your photos.

Regards,


Pol