Ten days in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, sandwiched between Namibia and Botswana in the northwest corner of South Africa . . . the plan was two nights in Grootkolk Wilderness Camp, five nights in Nossob Main Camp, and two nights at Polentswa Lodge (first time). We were already four nights in, and we were desperate….
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What images does Kgalagadi bring up in your mind? Yes, it’s about the wild cats … lion, leopard, cheetah. The fierce-eyed raptors. But it’s also the rippled red desert sands of the Great Kalahari,  textures of the hardy cracked-bark trees, the deepest, bluest African skies. Last remaining domain of the disappearing San culture . ….
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In Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park we’ve gone over to the dark side … waking up early and setting out as the gates open, resting during the hottest time of the day when most respectable cats are under a tree, sleeping. Sadly, we still go to bed late … ish. First we stayed at the Nossob riverfront…
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Sunset panorama by Keith Titley! I can’t claim ownership to such iPhone artistry. I always feel a step behind … Hirsh gets his Gravel Road Adventures Facebook post in waaaay before I get there. A blog needs a little more thought and composure and planning, so by the time you get this, it’s old news!…
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Fascinating how things are transported on the B8 highway. Strings of neat stake-fenced subsistence villages; tiny, square, shiny zinc houses (how do they survive the heat??); dense teak woodlands in changing livery — at times four colours on one tree: red, gold, yellow, green; skeletal Wild Teaks (Kiaat), leafless but for large wavy seed pods…
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We had the glorious pleasure of spending four nights at Jackalberry Tented Camp, for much of the time the only guests. As it turned out, we also monopolised the companionship of our guide, Robson, a soft-spoken gentle soul with a deep spontaneous chuckle. On our first game drive he was stunned to find out we…
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From Grand Central station to the outer limits of Timbuktu … that’s how it felt leaving Chobe and arriving at Jackalberry Tented Camp. Drenched in silence other than the gurgle and gargle of birds, utterly remote, enduringly peaceful … exclusive’s a word that applies here. To get there, we drove through Chobe National Park —…
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It’s all about the perfect shot… So, our last boat trip on the Chobe River. One of those really big pontoons tightly packed with … Italians … and more Italians. The animated jabbering didn’t stop until we docked after sunset back at our starting point. It was the noisiest boat trip we’ve ever experienced. Even…
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Yellow-billed Stork (all bird photos by Hirsh Aronowitz) We are seriously enjoying the Tswana staff and game rangers. They work hard; they’re engaging, enthusiastic and funny — a great sense of humour is always lurking behind those big Tswana smiles. Today was about the game drives, one in the morning (5 pm wake-up this time,…
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Distance. That’s what our days have been about so far. In three days in Africa we’ve covered the same distance as we did over two weeks in Europe. 2,400 kilometres behind us. Ahead of us our destination for four days … Chobe Bush Lodge. Nirvana. What struck us about the stretch between Nata and Kasane,…
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