Adventures in South Africa - The Kgalagardi Transfrontier Park

The Kgalagardi Transfrontier Park straddles the border between South Africa and Botswana and comprises two adjoining national parks: Kalahari Gemsbok National Park in South Africa and Gemsbok National Park in Botswana. Its total area is 38,000 square kilometers (15,000 sq miles). Approximately three-quarters of the park lie in Botswana and one-quarter in South Africa.  The terrain consists of red sand dunes, sparse vegetation with occasional trees, and the dry riverbeds of the Nossob and Auob rivers. The rivers flow only about once per century, but a flow of water underground provides life for grass and camelthorn trees growing in the riverbeds.

The weather in the Kalahari can be extreme.  Midsummer temperatures are often in excess of 40 °C (104 °F) and winter nights can be quite cold with temperatures below freezing.  Regardless of the hardships, the park has abundant wildlife. It is the home of large predators such as the black-manned Kalahari lion, cheetah, leopard, and hyena. Migrating herds of large herbivores such as wildebeest, springbok, eland, and hartebeest also live in the park.

There are three well-equipped camps on the South African side of the park, namely Twee Rivieren, Nossob and Mata Mata.  From Upington, Twee Rivieren is 260 kilometers north and it the closest.  We spent one night there before going as far north as Nossob.  We returned to Twee Rivieren for one more night before leaving the park.  All camps have a small shop with food, ice and drinks as well as fuel pumps.  Hundreds of ground squirrel dens also litter the camping areas.  Their antics are truly fun to watch while resting around the campfire, but watch where you place your feet.

The arid landscape of the Kalahari reminded me of Etosha National Park in Namibia, but the dry riverbeds gave it more contour.  The grass can be quite high, so being in a truck, high off the ground, gave us a game spotting advantage.  Also note, many of the roads through the Transfrontier require a 4x4 and should only be attempted in a caravan of at least three vehicles.  That said the game viewing was tremendous.  Our first night, we went on a night drive with a park ranger.  Among many other animals, we saw an Egyptian cobra, bat-eared foxes, springhares, many night birds and countless species of antelope.  Over the next few days, we had the luck to see leopard, cheetah, jackal, hyena, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, hartebeest, eland, gemsbok, springbok, and so much more.  However, the highlight for me was when we were leaving the park and ran across a pride of lion feeding at a gemsbok kill.

Traveling through Southern Africa (Part15) – The Fish River Canyon

The Fish River Canyon is one of the great natural wonders of Africa. It is one of the largest canyons in the world ranking with the Colca Canyon in Peru and the Grand Canyon in the U.S.A. The Fish River has its source east of the Naukluft Mountains and from there it flows down into the great Orange River. The river has cut a canyon into the escarpment more than 150 kilometers long, up to 27 km wide, and in places, almost 550 meters deep. The lookout points from the top give breathtaking views, especially at sunset when orange light bathes the canyon walls. 

The Fish River Hiking Trail starts at Hobas and ends 85 kilometers (53 miles) further south at the hot springs resort village of Ai Ais. No facilities are available and hikers must make their own camps for the entire trip, which usually takes about 5 days to complete.  Due to high summer temperatures, which frequently exceed 45°C, the trail is only open in winter. The season runs from mid-April to mid-September (wintertime in the Southern Hemisphere). A medical certificate is required to attempt the hike and groups must consist of at least three people.

We would have loved to walk the entire trail, and hope to do so someday, but this time the schedule only allowed us the afternoon to descend to the Orange River and back.  It was a walk that took 45 minutes down and about twice as long to climb back up.  The trails are in good

condition, but hard, very rocky and at times confusing.  We learned just to continue downhill for a short while and the path would reappear.  It was a walk into another realm. The trail is full of interesting rock formations, plant life and the occasional reptile, well worth the effort to experience.

Upon returning to the lookout, the setting sun rewarded us with some breathtaking views of the canyon.  I am always amused by the fact that the more rugged the landscape the more beautiful it appears from afar.

Traveling through Southern Africa (Part14) – luderitz, Kolmanskop and Halifax Island

Luderitz is a German colonial town on the Namib Desert coast, seemingly untouched by the 20th century.  It began life in the late 1800s as a harbor and trading post, but the bay’s shallow water and rocky bottom, make it unusable for modern ships.  Today Luderitz is a tourist town with shops and restaurants.  Its main draw for visitors are wildlife cruises and the nearby ghost town of Kolmanskop.

Just off the coast is a marine wildlife sanctuary that can be visited by boat.  There, you have an opportunity to see African penguins, sea lions, white-sided dolphins, flamingos and many other marine bird species.

The day after arriving in Luderitz, we walked to the harbor from our campsite to board the schooner, Sedina, for a morning cruise.  We sailed into luderitz bay,  past the lighthouse at Diaz Point and on to Halifax Island.  Several dolphins showed us the way and accompanied us for most of the excursion. 

As we approached Halifax island we saw sea lions basking in the sun, and along the rough ragged rocks, penguins jumped in and out of the waves.   the water was choppy and the schooner did its best to hold position.  Overhead flamingos flew to feed in the shallows of the bay.  On our return trip into the harbor, we were again joined by the dolphins.

 In the afternoon, we visited Kolmanskop.  The last resident left the diamond boom town in 1956 and the once thriving settlement now sits crumbling in the desert 15 kilometers inland from Luderitz .  It is gradually being buried by the sand, but it is still a fascinating place to visit, offering great photo opportunities and a glimpse into an exciting part of Namibia's past.

Traveling through Southern Africa (Part13) – The Namib Naukluft Park: Sossusvlei

The Sossusvlei and the surrounding sand dunes of the Namib Naukluft National Park are one of the most spectacular sights in Namibia.  'Vlei' is the Afrikaans word for a shallow depression that fills with water ,and the Sossusvlei refers to the pan that lies at the very end of the Tsauchab Riverbed where the dunes prevent water (on the rare occasions when there is any) from flowing any further into the desert.

These beautiful, red sand dunes are some of the highest in the world (Some as high as 300 meters) and present some awe-inspiring images against a nearly cloudless blue sky.  The midday heat is intense and the sun is so strong that it washes out the colors.  The best time to view the Sossusvlei is close to sunrise and sunset when the colors are strong and the shadows are constantly shifting.

The night before our visit, we stayed at the Sesriem gate campsite in the park.  In the morning, we were up before the sun and drove the one hour to the 2x4 parking area.  We left the truck there and continued by foot for the last four kilometers of our journey to arrive at the Sossusvlei as the sun was rising over the dunes.

 After taking some time for photographs, we met up with a park guide who showed us many of the plant and animal species, which live in an environment that on first glance looks devoid of life.  There are lizards that keep cool by burying themselves in the sand, Fog Beetles that catch the humidity in the morning wind and plants that store their water inside cucumber-like fruit.

Later, we took the time to climb one of the dunes for a view of the surroundings.  It was a hard climb through soft sand, but our reward was worth it - a landscape of stark, high sand dunes stretching to the horizon.  It gave me the feeling of insignificance and awe. It was truly an adventure in traveling.