Paternoster - Kalahari

Departure 2014-Feb-15 - 10.00     Arrival 2014-Feb-16 - 16.04

I am leaving the west coast of South Africa and am on my way to the Kalahari desert - the Kgaglagadi Transfrontier Park that is. This road leeds through the Great Karoo and it with two days of driving takes way longer then I assumed. The drive is exhausting, especially when the road gets blocked and you need to find a way around. Yet, the countryside is beautiful, especially as it is deserted and the roads seem to lead into infinity.The skies are heavy though with big clouds. Harsh rain showers hit every once in a while and when driving through them visibility goes down to a few meters, 10cm of water is on the street and small creeks appear next to the road. 

The so called 'cities' along the way change into little villages with hardly any people living in them. Most of them consist of a few houses, a bottle shop and a gas station. Sometimes, I have a hard time even recognizing them … they are just not the size I expect them to be. Surprisingly, even these small gatherings of houses do have a township alongside them: small huts are clinched together and garbage is laying around. Every time I see it, I wander why people have to live like that. 

The night I spent at a campground that belongs to a farm. The family is farming with sheep and the campsite earns them a little extra money. Asking them if there is the possibility of heavy rains that night, they sigh and answer "We hope it will - but we don't believe it"

I am leaving the west coast of South Africa and am on my way to the Kalahari desert - the Kgaglagadi Transfrontier Park that is. This road leads through the Great Karoo and with two days of driving takes way longer then I assumed. The drive is exhausting, especially when the road gets blocked and you need to find a way around. Yet, the countryside is beautiful, especially as it is deserted and the road seems to lead into infinity. The skies are heavy with big clouds. Harsh rain showers hit every once in a while and when driving through them visibility goes down to a few meters, 10cm of water is on the street and small creeks appear next to the road.

The so called 'cities' along the way change into little villages with hardly any people living in them. Most of them consist of a few houses, a bottle shop and a gas station. Sometimes, I have a hard time even recognizing these cities … they are just not the size I expect them to be. Surprisingly, even these small gatherings of houses do have a township alongside them: small huts are clinched together and garbage is laying around. I wander why people have to live like that...

The night I spent at a campground that belongs to a small farm. The family is farming with sheep and the campsite brings them a little extra money. Asking them if there is the possibility of heavy rains that night, they sigh and answer "We hope it will - but we don't believe it"

The so called 'cities' along the way change into little villages with hardly any people living in them. Most of them consist of a few houses, a bottle shop and a gas station. Sometimes, I have a hard time even recognizing these cities … they are just not the size I expect them to be. Surprisingly, even these small gatherings of houses do have a township alongside them: small huts are clinched together and garbage is laying around. I wander why people have to live like that...

The night I spent at a campground that belongs to a small farm. The family is farming with sheep and the campsite brings them a little extra money. Asking them if there is the possibility of heavy rains that night, they sigh and answer "We hope it will - but we don't believe it"

Leaving early in the morning the next day, the Park boarder (and thus the SouthAfrican boarder) is reached at a few minutes after four. Checking into the park the (white) SouthAfrican lady seems to enjoy wi've missed the boarder opening times by just a few minutes, will have to stay here for an additional night before entering  and on top of it are foreigners and have to pay 5times the entry-fee compared to locals. Strange rules! Luckily, the bordering country is Botswana and they have a cheap campground right there. People here are helpful, relaxed and open minded and with that I get to spend my first night in Botswana way earlier then expected. It is a good experience and I am excited to travel there, later. 

The Kgaglagadi Park is a vast area of dunes that lies in South Africa and Botswana and boarders with Namibia on the West. As I am exiting it on the Namibian side I already have to check out of South Africa upon my entry to the park. With that I am in "Nomansland" and will spend 2 nights here. Going to the Nossob rest camp takes a day of driving through dunes. It is a beautiful landscape and there are many antelopes, gemsbok and birds of prey. I even discover a cobra, which is amazing considering I am sitting in a car and these are such small creatures! Also, there is hugh bones and skulls laying around close by some waterholes - a sign for predators! I am feeling more and more excited. Especially, as along the way to the park another overlander was raving about how there was a lion inside the rest camp I am headed to. Not sure if I really want to experience that - but I do feel excited.

Arriving at the campground I am drained from driving and staring into the desert for so many hours, trying to find animals. Even though I should do another game-drive in the evening (as this is the time when things are happening) I cannot move myself. Instead, I get up at 5AM the next morning and leave the rest camp extra-early, hoping to find some black-manned lions hunting! And lucky I am …. By accident I discover the male in the bush and a hundred meters further down is two juvenile ones hanging out at a waterhole, waiting for their prey. I stay a while watch them goof around like kids until a group of red hartebeest is appearing, wanting to drink some water. It is amazing to watch how they move carefully, staring into to gar and trying to make out if there is a predator waiting for them. And watching the lions, hiding and getting ready to start their hunt. But they are too impatient, start their hunt too early and the antelopes are gone before they can get them. This is how exciting nature can be. 

The drive to the next rest camp, Matamata, is equally beautiful as to the first one. And it is not as exhausting as after 10AM I stop looking for these animals - it is too hot for them to move and they will most likely be laying underneath a bush and not waiting for me to see them running around! Just the big one are easy to find and I am amazed by the elegance and motion of the giraffes I come across.

continue with ... NAMIBIA