🙂 BEST SIGHTINGS! Lions galore, Cape Foxes, Meerkats – AMAZING ACCOMMODATION!
🙁 Interesting to see this sign for exciting plans for Haskeenpan…unfortunately since Covid, completing the rocket installation and taking the car to Haskeenpan desert to try to exceed 800mph would cost £8m and plans have been abandoned.
You know you have arrived at KTP when you see this sign! It felt SO good to be back in the Kalahari – we were filled with anticipation of what this trip may hold for us….
ITINERARY: Rooiputs Lodge and Polentswa Lodge
Wednesday 2 November 2016 Upington to Rooiputs 43C!!!!
After an easy flight to Upington and a relaxed drive to Twee Rivieren we checked in with the friendly staff. It was unbearably hot, but despite this we put the windows of our bakkie down and headed in to the park with great anticipation and excitement.
This park always delivers! After just a Km we spotted this fellow waiting for his parents – the large sociable weaver nest looked as though it had only recently broken free from the tree branches on top of which I think his nest had been. This is a close up of the inhabitants of the sociable weavers nest.
A bird’s eye view of the nest…
A nice cross section of general game on the Kalahari: The ostriches were panting from the excessive heat, thegemsbok was eading nowhere fast while the wildebeest and springbok sought refuge in the shade.
We also spotted a pair of pale chanting goshawks
On our way to Rooiputs we spotted these lions resting in the shade just before Leeudril borehole. We now knew where we would be headed for sunset! We checked in and headed off back to where we anticipated we would see the pride.
A few other cars were still observing the lions under the trees…but very soon our patience paid off!!
What we love about KTP is that as the other 4-5 vehicles arrived during this sunset sighting, everyone parked respectfully of the other vehicles and put their engines off immediately on arrival. For all we knew we were there all on our own. Bliss. I apologise as I think I have overindulged myself…but I simply could not choose and trust me I took ages trying to share only the highlights – but EVERY photo was a highlight!!I will let the photos do the talking as sometimes there are simply no words… The lighting was PERFECT! We poured a glass of dry white wine and spent nearly two hours entranced by the playful banter and firm discipline being shown by the lionesses when the cubs got too playful with the male! One of our best ever lion sightings which will stay with us forever. The cubs then started chasing the birds who were also coming for a sundowner! It was time to head back feeling smug and wonderful.
This really is heaven on earth…
The whole of KTP was fully booked and the only accommodation we could find was at Rooiputs it was really lovely…although the plunge pool was empty – but it only took an hour to fill the next morning….and it really is an essential in this heat!! Stunning moth! There is a resident owl with a broken leg who has lost its mate to the resident civet, but he seems to do just fine – just needs a bit of company – he certainly seemed very interested in us! Sunset was spectacular…
Whilst we were enjoying our morning coffee some movement caught our eyes – a little too far for good photos but great to watch through our binoculars: a family of Cape Foxes racing around playing catch and enjoying the first rays of dawn – very special as this was our first ever sighting of them.
After our coffees and rusks we headed out to see what we could find – we were in for such a treat! Once again I will let the photos do the talking as words are not adequate – this was now our second sighting of Cape Foxes! This time we were close enough to really enjoy every moment. Again, the light was perfect! Mesmerising.
So delicate! So playful. What a wonderful start to the morning – we stayed with them for 30mins until another car stopped – so we left them to enjoy this lovely family.
A few minutes later we came upon another family warming up in the rays of sunshine – again – photos say it better than words!
We decided to turn back to Rooiputs for breakfast (we had only driven about 5Kms!) and we were lucky enough to spot this fellow who was trotting at speed and with intent – we struggled to keep up as he was jogging at a pace of about 30kms / hour + adjacent to the road! When you zoom in closely you can see he has a host of bloody cuts on his face – we wondered what he had been up to?! What an amazing morning… this is why we love the Kalahari! We were so happy – Yipppeee, we had seen a brownie 🙂
Look at these irresistible faces!
Birds…
These concrete little pillars indicate whether you are currently driving on the RSA or Botswana side of this transfrontier park…
After breakfast the heat of the day had already set in and so we spent most of our time wallowing in the waterhole!
A few special sightings
Our favs taking a dip
Gorgeous ostrich chicks
!Xaus was our next stop – stunning! Remote and wild…bush walks and sunsets…a place to find yourself in the dunes of the Kalahari… Pronounced ‘kaus’, the lodge is a place to experience a unique desert environment, providing accommodation in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park for eco-tourists and visitors to this wilderness area in the Kalahari. Set on the 91st dune off the Auob River Road, the lodge includes stand-alone accommodation units, with communal facilities accessed on a raised walkway. The setting is optimised for quiet contemplation of the desert, and magnificent star gazing at night.
We LOVED our stay here. The game viewing was on the quiet side but the peace and quiet was just what the soul needed. We left feeling rested … the red roads yielded lion tracks…
Soon we spotted a sleeping lion…and then a few more!
Caits took the wheel to drive…and we spotted a Cape Cobra who crossed the road and went into the bush … EXCITING!
We crossed via Vaalpan and managed to spot this leopard at the waterhole.
Lots of ostrich babies!
A raptor enjoying lunch
A carcass near to the waterhole
We arrived at Polentswa Camp – stunning vistas and remote – just DIVINE. SO sad that it burnt down in in September 2021 🙁
We headed to our tent … unfortunately a lioness had taken up occupancy in the shade! So we had to take a tent on the other side of the camp!
The tent was spacious and comfortable.
During sundowners we heard the lioness under the tent contact calling and she was on the move…so we hopped into our car and followed her to the nearby Polentswa waterhole …her contact calls were successful and she joined up with an older looking female who looked like she had been on a kill as she had blood on her.
We waited patiently but only a few jackals showed up…
We were just getting ready to leave when we heard low roaring … and this majestic black maned chap turned up!
He was a thirsty chap!
STUNNING. We headed back to camp for dinner feeling rather smug!
We enjoyed a lovely dinner and headed to bed full of memories of another amazing day in the Kalahari.
We were up at first light the next morning and headed back to Polentswa Waterhole – we were in luck – one of the big black maned lions had also just arrived! He roared right next to our open windows – the whole car and our innards vibrated – MAGNIFICENT.
When we got back we enjoyed a delicious breakfast
With heavy hearts it was time to leave and head back to Upington for our flight back…
A busy waterhole! Thousands of kwelas! The birds are Red-billed Quelea. It’s estimated there are 1.5 billion of them — making them the most abundant of all wild birds. The sparrow-sized Red-billed Quelea, which is in the weaver family, has a stout, seed-cracking bill.
A final lion sighting – this skinny old boy was on what looked like a female kudu kill.
An adorable newborn gemsbok!
Some vultures were on what looked like a wildebeest kill
We had a fleeting glimpse of the hyenas at their den
Our final sighting was this poor gemsbok at the gate of Twee Rivieren – he was exhausted and had the remains of a horn impaled in his side from a recent fight!
We stopped for a quick bite at the restaurant and were kept entertained by the resident yellow mongoose …we’d been keeping an eye out for ‘Afriphile’ – a Forum Member and we thought we passed them on our way out – it later transpired that they had also clocked us! Unfortunately we needed to make haste to get to the airport…
Another memorable visit – we couldn’t wait to get back though!
