Ground Squiirrels and their doings in the Kalahari

Elephants Bathing in the Kruger Park. Taken on a Bushdrifter Trip

What a leopard does when he has nothing to do.

Teenager Elephant Mother

Leopard and Hyenas

For us, used to the Kalahari after four months in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park's remote camps, to embark on a luxury trip on a mighty big vessel sailing that big, blue, huge dam with the restless water, was quite an experience.  Something totally different and not very Africa-like.
But, after a while we adapted and started enjoying everything the ship's crew threw at us.  From grand accommodation, to very tasty meals, to grand shows and wonderful cocktails in a number of bars and lounges with friendly waitresses making sure you do not run dry.
Being a camper, sometimes I sensed some people consider us campers to be the poor set on the nature travelling scene and I wondered what they would think if they could see us operating on this golden ship for a change.

Durban Harbor from the MSC Opera.  

Still in Durban Harbor getting acquainted with our cabin and the view.

Checking out the ship's offerings.  A mighty vehicle built for comfort and opulence.

The pools area where all kinds of fun entertainment is offered with passengers joining in the fun and games.

One of the eating places on the ship.  Here you can eat and drink day and night, free and nonstop.

Next day, we went to Mozambique Island near Maputu Harbor for a picnic offered by MSC on the Island where they have built some great facilities for such a day outing of fun and games.  At first, the sea was a bit choppy, but later on things improved and we were transported to the island with little rubber ducks like the approaching one you can see on this picture.  Quite a choppy ride, but great fun.

Some of the locals set up stalls on the island selling all kinds of trinkets and some potent rum and tasty 3M Beer.  Rubber ducks constantly travelled between the ship and the island, carrying people to and from the ship.  A real colourful affair with lots of jokes and fun among the passengers.

Passengers sitting on the decks under umbrellas enjoying some of the great food and the company of fellow passengers and some locals. 

Staff dishing up for hungry passengers.  All the food was prepared on the ship, except the braai meat and transported with rubber ducks to the island - a major operation. 

There was even a melon artist among the staff, dishing out some of the sweetest watermelon I ever tasted.  A very welcome treat in the hot weather. 

Arriving back at the ship.  For us it was quite fun to be on a half-empty ship until the others arrived.

Back in Durban Harbor!  The trip is over and we planned to explore the bush along the coast from Port Edward right up to Kosi Bay

So, how did two "Bushies" enjoy this kind of luxurious experience?  We both liked it very much, however Cari definitely enjoyed it more than I did.  She reveled in the fun and games (and the cocktails) and she did not even once compared the ship with our usual diet of wild animals, sand, heat sun, pitching camp, making fire at night, sitting around the fire under the stars, listening to the night sounds or any such things.  For myself, I enjoyed the trip, but I was glad it was over now and we could go back to our normal bushy way of life.

Our plan was to drive down to Port Edward on the Natal South Coast and return northwards and camp in some of the best camping spots up to Kosi Bay.  My next contribution which I hope will be soon, will cover that piece of recent history.  In the meanwhile, please go to my Youtube page and check some of the videos I have there.  They will help you understand what kind of wonderful life we lead and how easy it will be for you to join us in this wonderful parts of Africa. http://www.youtube.com/user/pietertron?view_as=public

Grootkolk and Urikaruus

I am carrying on with the visits to more of the Kgalagadi Wilderness Camps.  We have been busy with other travels like the one to Durban to join the MSC Opera on a journey to Mozambique Island and Maputu.  This sea journey was a bit out of the normal for us two bush crawlers, but the sea and the fun aboard was enough to keep us happy.  I will do another story about the cruise later on.I did not write anything about Grootkolk and Urikaruus Wilderness camps, so here we go:Urikaruus is a very popular camp with a great view over the watering hole in the Aub River between Mata Mata and Tweerivieren in The Kgalagadi.  To get a booking there is almost impossible, since it is so popular, but luckily, we stumbled upon a cancellation and took it immediately.  As we were already booked for Mata Mata, it was only an upgrade, so we did not lose the Mata Mata money.

The Urikaruus waterhole seen from the romantic little dwelling that we stayed in.  Here you can sit and watch the comings and goings of the animals.  We were not lucky enough to see any lions or other cats during daytime, but were lucky to see a huge male lion walking past the waterhole that night.  A few hours later, a leopard came for a drink of water, but in both these cases, it was too dark to take any photographs.

Springbok at the waterhole.  This is in the Aub river that flows maybe once every 50 years.  Water for the waterhole is supplied from a borehole and a solar pump.  This is a good spot where one may get lucky and see a lion or leopard kill.

This is the view to the right, where in this photo, the Springbok were joined by Blue Wildebeest.  The grass is a beautiful green following the good rains that fell.

The accommodation at Urikaruus consists of four wooden, double story buildings joined by wooden walkways that is elevated from the ground to make safe walking between them possible.  Safe from lions, perhaps, but there are always the possibility of leopards who can jump and climb very well, so be careful especially at night and never leave the dwelling without a proper light.

Grootkolk Wilderness camp is also very popular and difficult to get a booking for, but once you have it, be thankful because this camp is known for its lion visits and we were not disappointed because we were surprised shortly after our arrival with a visit by two male lions.  One was older than the other and after they drank some water, they walked past the dwelling to the right and lied down for some time.  If you go to my YouTube pages, you will find some video material about these lions there.

The two male lions at Grootkolk.  The one to the left is much younger than the one on the right.  They stayed around for a few hours walking this side and that, grunting lying down and finally left.  A wonderful experience!

The younger lion.

Kudu at the waterhole.

The Kudus - always aware and on the lookout.  They must know those lions are in the vicinity and looking out for a juicy piece of Kudu steak!

One's not allowed to feed them, but nobody said anything about water!

Our visit to Ithala Nature Reserve in Kwazulu-Natal

We booked a trip on the MSC Opera liner for a trip to Maputu and Portuguese Island and took the opportunity to visit a few places on the way.  The first was Ithala Nature Reserve and the second was the St Lucia Estuary, also in Kwazulu-Natal.At first we actually wanted to do the "Ship Trip" and directly afterwards start working our way back to the dry north, but we were so impressed with the nature and camping sites that we decided to make a longer trip of it and investigate more places to recommend to our readers.

At Itala, we experienced a relaxed atmosphere, clean modern buildings, a good restaurant, bar and shop.  Above all, the staff were very friendly and we immediately feel welcome and wanted.  A good experience, which we wished we could expand a bit, and will visit again in future for a longer period.

The Main camp in Ithala

Communal building on the tiverbank.

The Communal Kichen

The river next to the campsites

Large animals like Giraffe, Zebra, Blue Wildebeest, Buffalo, Leopard and more abound.

Beautiful mountains and valleys.

Kieliekrankie and Kalahari Tented Camp

Kieliekrankie and Kalahari Tented Camp

   The next two wilderness camps is Kieliekrankie and Urikaruus.  Both are very popular and can be reached by normal car or "platkar" (flat car).  Kieliekrankie's strong point is that it features a beautiful view over the dunes and also a wide view onto a waterhole in a amphitheatre-like setting.  Lots of tiny birds visit you on your nice-wide stoep.  The huts at Kieliekrankie are also the most luxurious of them all.  The sunsets are also superb and in winter, accompanied by the sounds of thousands of Barking Geckos.

The first sight of Kieliekrankie as you approach the camp.

Parking bays at Kieliekrankie, with the huts at the background.

A Secretary Bird coming in for a drink and a hunt.  They are notorious snake catchers.

After a drink of water, a hunt is in order.  (Secretary Bird.)

Stoep with braai and a wonderful view over the dunes.

Wonderful sunsets with the nearest neighbor real far away.

The Kieliekrankie waterhole with a pair of Rock Pigeons and a Grey Heron enjoying a drink,

Late afternoon view over the Amphitheatre.

One of the two cheetahs after their Springbok meal not far from Kieliekrankie.

Braai and view over the Urikaruus waterhole

Springbok at the waterhole.  Lions brought us a visit at night, but no photos possible.

Springbok in the riverbed at Urikaruus.  Nice and green after the good rains.

Bitterpan and Gharagab Wilderness Camps

During our time in the Kgalagadi, we took accommodation at all the camps, with the exception of the Mabuasehube camps as well as those near Kaa, which we will pass on our planned trip to the Kunene later this year.We stayed over at all the Wilderness Camps and loved them all, but of course there will be the ones we consider our favorites and those are Bitterpan and Gharagab.   Both because one gets a very enjoyable and beautiful dune ride included in the price.  Sorry for those in their "platkarre" who cannot go there.The Bitterpan experience start at Nossob Rest Camp more or less halfway to Unions End and ends near the Craig Lockhardt waterhole next to the Mata-Mata road.

The local Brown Hyena and his shadow, the Blackbacked Jackal at the waterhole near Bitterpan.  We had lions passing the hut at night, once very noisy and the second time we only saw their spoor the next day.  There are only four little huts in the complex, each harboring two people, thus a maximum of eight people per night.  The Barking Geckos are very active here at night in summer, turning their music into a natural choir performance.  This place is a must for 4x4-owning nature lovers.

The dune driving to and from Bitterpan is very enjoyable and a good place to learn how to get over the dunes.  Some of the dunes must be charged in the correct gear and if you stop before you are on the top of the dune, you go back and start all over, but you learn quickly how to do it and then it becomes real fun.  Very much like a roller coaster ride.  Only in the most beautiful nature.  A real privilege.

These photos were taken with a Gopro as we drove through the dunes.  Here are a few to help you get an idea of the scenery - but of course nothing can describe the feeling of being right there.

 

Some of the locals.  Gemsbok or Oryx.

Gharagab is situated in the far Northern side of the park, quite near Unions End and Grootkolk. This part of the park is not as heavily visited as the southern parts, mostly due to the distances involved, since this part is just as ore even more exciting than the southern part, but that is my own feeling, which may be slanted because of the fact that I cherish solitude when visiting pure nature parts like the Kgalagadi.

Visitors to Gharagab normally make use of the opportunity to also visit Unions End, which is of some importance since it is where the three contries, SA, Namibia and Botswana meet.  There is a picnic spot nearby where one can rest and stretch legs a bit before tackling the dune road to Gharagab.

These communal nests consists of small units made of fine grass and then covered with coarser sticks to forma bell-like structure.  The seperate units hang and form the lower layer of the bell.  The birds then enter from below.  This community had a bit of a mishap with their nest when the Camel Thorn could not carry the weight any longer.

Pale Chanting Goshawk eating its prey.

The huts at Gharagab seen from the water tower on the dune at the back of the camp.  The huts are on their turn overlooking the waterhole from their dune as can be seen on the picture below, which was taken from number 2's veranda.

Three lazy lionesses lying under a tree while wildebeest roam nearby  Shade in the Kgalagadi always comes at a premium.  The sun can be merciless in the Kalahari.

Unions End, where three countries meet.