Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park Safari - Episode 1

As per the SANParks website, the Kgalagadi is:

“Where the red dunes and scrub fade into infinity and herds of gemsbok, springbok, eland and blue wildebeest follow the seasons, where imposing camel thorn trees provide shade for huge black-mane lions and vantage points for leopard and many raptors... this is the Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Park. An amalgamation of the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park in South Africa (proclaimed in 1931) and the Gemsbok National Park in Botswana, the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park comprises an area of over 3,6 million hectares – one of very few conservation areas of this magnitude left in the world.

Red sand dunes, sparse vegetation and the dry riverbeds of the Nossob and Auob show antelope and predator species off to spectacular advantage and provide excellent photographic opportunities. Kgalagadi is also a haven for birders, especially those interested in birds of prey.”

On the map below, the blue line is the route we followed through the Park.


Thursday 6th May

Although a few days into the trip, this is the first opportunity I have had to write, hence the date. The trip actually started on Monday 3rd May, but I will catch up here.

I set the alarm to go off at 07h00 but was woken by Steph chomping at the bit to go for a pee at 06h55. I lay still in bed, an inflatable mattress that has been “bed” for the last three nights, until the alarm went off. I had set my watch the night before, not knowing if I would wake in time. We had arranged to meet at Augrabies National Park reception area for the drive through to Twee Rivieren (on the SA side, but known as Two Rivers on the Botswana side – how petty), the entry point to the Kgalagadi National Transfrontier Park (KNTP), at 10h00. This would be the real start to the adventure we had been on for the last four days.

To go back a bit and catch up on those last four days, we had left Sunnydale just before 11am on Monday morning, a little later than either Attie or I would have liked. Unfortunately, it was beyond our control, as Steph had had to take Doberman Duke to the Vet. Duke had had a strange cough for a couple of days that sounded much like a human “croup” cough. A friend of mine on the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI), a Vet as well, said that Doberman’s were prone to a “heart cough” and we should have him seen by a Vet. As it turns out, we had to have Duke sent for an ECG scan and it was discovered that his heart muscle is damaged and that we basically do not know how much longer he has to live. He is only eight years old and Steph had expected to have him around for at least twelve years. Also, his heart rate was supposed to be about seventy beats per minute, but his was almost two hundred. He has always been highly strung, but even I think that is a bit high. How long he still has to live, we are not sure, but he is on medication to calm him down a bit.

Anyway, we get on the road, fully packed for fifteen days away from home, the Mazda-rati looking like it is sitting on its arse, the back is so low. Mother has flown in from Mtwalume to look after the animals so that we can go on our first real holiday in over eighteen months since moving to Cape Town. She also brings a friend, Sylvia, with her for company and Sylvia pays her own flight which is just as well as I estimate I’ve spent at least ZAR15k getting ready for the holiday, excluding Mum’s flight, another ZAR1,200.

I have personally installed a second battery system in the Mazda-rati, built a box to contain the 143amp/hour deep cell battery, strung the cables along the chassis from the front battery, affixed all the connectors, wired all the Hella plugs for lights and gadgets, installed the Double Pole Double Throw (DPDT) switches to volt and amp meters to monitor power consumption, run a cable back through from the second battery to a special board I built for the new Snomaster fridge/freezer which is installed where the back seat usually is, and ultimately made sure we have enough power to run the whole lot while we are in the Kalahari Desert, starting in a couple of days. However, in the process of drilling the hole back to the cab for the fridge, I also managed to drill through four wires of the wiring harness, thereby cutting off feeds to my fuel gauge and brake lights. I now have to watch the odometer carefully to see when I have to fill up with diesel again – no real problem but a pain in the arse, as I now do not have a warning light to let me know when fuel is running low. Having no brake lights has not proved too much of an issue, yet. Also, I still do not know what is supposed to be connected to the other two of the four wires I cut as everything else works fine, as far as I can see.

From the KNTP, we headed east to Keimoes, a quaint wine producing town on the banks of the mighty Orange River, the “blood” of the region. If it wasn’t for this river and the industries it supports, the region would be a complete desert, devoid of most human activity and, probably, still in the hands of the indigenous Xhoisan people (the Bushmen). Maybe not altogether a bad thing, come to think of it.

In Keimoes, we stop in at PEP Stores to buy a couple of cheap blankets, as our sleeping bags have barely kept us warm over the last few nights and Steph is complaining about being cold. I have slept in just my shorts and am not too bothered by the chill, but it might be different in the desert. I’m also not keen on sleeping in too much clothing, as it is restrictive to movement in the sleeping bag. I also buy a few other bits and pieces in Spar, such as glue for my shoe soles and instant coffee. Brewing the real stuff every morning, although tasty, is time-consuming.

Let’s go back another couple of days again…

From home, we drive via the Bainskloof Pass and its amazing scenery, through Ceres, onto the dirt roads to our first stopover, the Tankwa Karoo National Park. “Park” is a misnomer as one usually associates a park with swings and roundabouts, but here there’s only rugged 4x4 terrain, which is great in itself, and a rough road to our campsite for the night which, as it happens, is at the end of the road – literally. We can go no further as there is only bush after that point and even Livingstone himself would have had to hack his way through if he’d wanted to go further.


The area of the park we stop at is called “Langkloof” and is exactly that – in front of us is a long cliff. The riverbed below us probably hasn’t seen any water in years, it’s so dry.


The night temperature drops to 11oC overnight but is bearable, although I’m in a sleeping bag I haven’t used in ten years and struggle through the night now knowing how a dick feels when it’s crammed into a condom two sizes too small for it. Sleep starts easy but by 4am I’m straining my eyes in the dark looking for the tent roof and the light that swings from it. It is pitch dark in this part of the world as there is no ambient light from towns or cities for at least 100km in any direction. The earlier stargazing was a little disappointing as some cloud had moved in and spoiled the view.


Sitting in the early morning light, steaming cup of coffee in my hand, I was wondering if we were going to have this cold weather for the entire trip. The second night at Verneukpan (“Cheater’s Flats”) and the third at Augrabies National Park was just as cold, but here I am at Twee Rivieren on the fourth night at 23h26pm and I am lying half out of my sleeping bag in only a t-shirt and shorts. So far, this is the warmest night by a long way.


From Tankwa, we had a drive up the Ganagga Pass, and the weather had stayed cool, overcast most of the day until just before reaching Verneukpan.


We got to the entrance to the pan at about 4pm, after another bone-jarring trip over dirt roads, only to find the gate padlocked and having to drive 10km back the way we had come, to the farm to collect the key. It was just as well we went back as we also bought some much-needed firewood, not only for the braai but also to stoke the “donkey” (a modified steel cylinder containing water, heated by an external fire) for a hot shower the following morning, our first since leaving home.


As usual, the temperature dropped to 12oC overnight and the dawn broke chilly. After a quick breakfast of coffee and rusks, we made some toasted sandwiches for the road, Attie fired up the donkey and we started packing the vehicles and taking down the tents. Once the vehicles were packed, the shower was ready and we all took our turns. By the sound of it, it was only me who enjoyed the lukewarm water, but it was probably because I only take warm showers at home and do not need scalding hot water.

As we were waiting for Steph to finish her shower, unbelievably, on one of the driest places on earth it started raining. Just a fine sprinkle, but we could feel it on our heads.

And then it rained for most of the morning, also that fine drizzle.


I found this Praying Mantis warming itself on the black paintwork of the Mazda-rati in the early morning light. It’s the first of its kind that I’ve ever seen and its features were amazing, from the banded green and white rings on its legs, to the feathery antenna and the horn on the top of its head.

After stopping in Kenhardt for a late brunch (for which I had a vetkoek filled with curried mince, and black coffee) and to buy a couple of steel dinner plates because Steph didn’t like the plastic ones we’d packed, we headed for the Orange River Valley (ORV), Keimoes, Kakamas and, ultimately, Augrabies National Park where we would meet up with Johan, Mariet and Anna. They were driving in from Richards Bay to join us for the Kalahari leg of the trip.


I saw this horse standing next to a “Kokerboom” (Quiver Tree) to shelter from the drizzle. When I fed it an apple, it spat it out as it had probably never tasted something as sweet before. The Quiver Tree gets its name from the way the Xhoisan arrows used to stand out of their arrow quivers.


The ORV is a wine-producing region and due to the mostly dry nature of the weather, the day heat is good for ripening and sweetening the grapes. Their wine, IMO, is better than most of the famous Stellenbosch and Paarl wines.

We stop off in Keimoes to take photos of the old waterwheel, which back in the old days before pumps, was used to move water in the irrigation canal to water the vines. The man-made canal is about 100km long and feeds many of the farms in the region, and lies almost horizontal, therefore requiring the waterwheel to move the water in the canal otherwise it would stagnate.

That done, we head off through Kakamas, another one-horse town and through its single traffic light which, this time, is working. When I last passed through Kakamas about twelve years ago, it was either not working or had been switched off for the weekend.


Stand by for Episode 2, coming soon...