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Northern deserts (Aug 2014)
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Par ShumbAfrica le 8 October 2014 à 18:32
Within the park, there is only one permanent waterhole (artificial) so all the wildlife is concentrated there. We saw only bull elephants though as all the family herds were gone to the Boteti. We also managed to catch a glimpse of a male lion as the night was falling. We spent a night at the KSL South camp which is all right but not great.
Nxai pan artificial waterhole
Skittish birds
5 big boys
Natural frame
Playful wildebeests
Burchell's sandgrouses
Secretary bird
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Par ShumbAfrica le 8 October 2014 à 18:11
From the Makgadikgadi we went straight into Nxai Pan NP. Now the road to get to the actual pan was once again a nightmare, most probably the worst we had over the whole trip...
It was overcast the whole day, so the pictures are not great but they should give you an idea of what you can expect to find out there.
We first stopped at Baines Baobads for breakfast.
Dry salt pan along the way
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Par ShumbAfrica le 8 October 2014 à 18:02
We came out of the Kalahari via the Matswere gate and proceeded to Rapkos to fill up the car. This is a very small town and if you plan to get some groceries there, expect to be disappointed.
From there, we wept a night at Khumaga Tiann's Camp located along the Boteti. before crossing the river into the Makgadikgadi NP The camp was new when we were there and it was really nice.
During the dry season, all the animals move to the river banks, the only place where water is still available. We thus decided not to go deep in the park towards the salt pans, but to drive North along the river.
The roads are very sandy but without any big difficulty.
On the banks of the Boteti river
White backed vulture nesting in an Ilala palm tree
Sandpiper but which one??
Blacksmith plover
African jacana
Slender mongoose
Monitor lizard...
...Hunting for frogs...
...Got one!!!!
Coming out of the park via the North is hell of a mission! The road is really bad, deep sand with corrugations and bumps all the way, be prepared to gat shaken!!
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Par ShumbAfrica le 8 October 2014 à 17:17
So after we finished our trip in Namibia we crossed over to Botswana and after a night in Ghanzi at Thakadu camp site (quite nice by the way) we headed out early morning to Xade and Central Kalahari NP.
We spent 3 nights there, first at Piper Pan #1, then Passarge Pan #3 and finally at Sunday Pan #3.
Piper Pan camp was very nice and just a 2min drive away from the artifical waterhole. We didn't see much there but lion walked past during the night, roaring very close to camp.
Passarge Camp was also good but I would recommend campsite #2 that has a view on the Passarge valley.
Sunday camp was also good and close to the artificial pan as well.
We didn't see a lot of people there and felt quite remote for the whole stay. The roads are far better that I anticipated with only a few passages of deep sand but really easy to negotiate. However, I bet the area is difficult to access as soon as it starts raining judging but the deep tyre tracks in the dry mud...
Wildlife wise, we saw plentiful of gemsboks, springboks, zebras, wildebeests and hell of a lot koraans and especially the lori bustards. We saw lions only once and from a distance and no other predator, so a bit disappointed by that, but overall it was a very nice experience!!
Around Piper pan
Towards Passarge valley
Springbok
Kalahari classic (Gemsbok)
Ground squirrel
Northern black korhaan
There were so many of them, with male calling all the time. Must has been the breeding season...
Gemsbok family
Yellow mongoose
These ones lie in burrows they sometimes share with ground squirrels
Rock agamas
Acacia erioloba in full bloom
Very young springbok hiding in the dry grass
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Par ShumbAfrica le 8 October 2014 à 17:17
Swallow tailed bee-eaters at Sunday Pan
African red-eyed bulbul
Ground squirrel (again)
Black backed jackal
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