First things first.  As always when you are in the bush you first need to scan your surroundings, while standing close to the vehicle, to see what is moving or not moving ….  You never know what lurks in the grass and is watching your from their hideout!

As the soft light of the rising sun turns the landscape of the pans into all sorts of beautiful colours it is time to take out the Stanley and make that first cup of coffee. Lately I have become somewhat of a coffee addict and recently obtained an aero press for our next trip.  Now I will have to stock up on some proper coffee for the press ………  anyone have  suggestions for some nice coffee brands, preferably local brands?    And while we are on the coffee topic – did you notice that I have added a Ko-fi button on my page so that you can share a virtual coffee with me?

Sorry, I got side-tracked again.  Back to the pans!  It is hard to imagine that during the rainy season you can get bogged down in the black cotton soil for days if you do not know what you are doing.  Beware, be very aware of getting stuck, but do not forget to enjoy the solitude!

Always follow a few simple rules when out and about in the wild:   keep an eye on wild animals and stick to existing tracks to ensure that our fellow travellers and explores have the same experience than you had.  These areas surrounding the pans are very sensitive.  Make memories, but only leave your footprint.

This is a place of solitude, reflection and a different kind of beauty!

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If you follow some basic rules you will be safe.

The first and foremost rule of thumb is you are in their territory.  RESPECT them.  You are the visitor in their home.

Wild animals will very seldom just attack you at random.   If they do that, they are either provoked, feel threatened, is sick or has completely lost its fear for humans.  So, ZIP UP your tent.  Always.  This is not even negotiable.  Sleep with an unzipped tent and you will encounter trouble.  Leopards, lions and hyenas are hunters!

It is very tempting to put out bait to have a up close and personal experience.  Remember if you do it you create CONSEQUENCES for future visitors to the same spot.  This forms an association and expectation of food when it encounters humans and eventually they lose their fear for humans.    Trouble.

STOW your food in secure containers in the back of your vehicle.  Baboons and monkeys are known for their acute smell and will rip open tents with their capable paws to get to your stash.  On various occasions we had to scare away baboons or monkeys from fellow campers’ food stash while they were out on a drive.  Why would they hunt if the food storage is easily accessible for them?  Lock up.  Always.

Do not think if you visit the bush once a year for a week that you are a bush expert!  Listen to what weathered, well-travelled and experienced people tell you to do. Guides are trained to know the bush.  This was a rare and unfortunate incident that spoiled a dream vacation.  Your chances of being hit by a car is bigger than being attacked by a wild animal in the veld.  TRUST them.

Regardless of the circumstances surrounding this incident, I wish the lady a speedy recovery as this must have been a horrific experience to her, her family and friends.

“Time camping is not spent; it is invested”

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Most border trouble comes down to inexperience or impatience – not only in Africa, but throughout the world.  The key is to prepare well beforehand and remember, every successful border crossing pans out differently in each country. Regulations change all the time and is rapidly outdated.  There are general tips that you can follow to ease your encounter at the border post, so consider some of the following tips:

SO, THIS SAID, WHERE DO I START? 

Right at the beginning.   Planning, planning, planning and some more planning!  Start doing your homework well in advance, because it might take some time to get your ducks in a row and quacking.

The number one place to start will be at your documents.  Without a passport, the trip is not going to happen …..

• A valid passport with at least two unused pages for all the stamps and does not expire within the next six months.

• As a South African citizen, you do not need a visa for the following neighbouring countries: Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Swaziland.  If you are in doubt check with your capable local travel agent, as regulations do change.
• If you travel with children under the age of 18 years you will also need their birth certificates and the non-traveling parent’s consent, if this might be the case.
• Your South African driver’s license should suffice in the neighbouring countries, but when you travel further afield it is a good idea to obtain an international driver’s license. They are obtainable from the Automobile Association.

• Make a list of all the serial numbers of your electronics before leaving home. If possible, make a copy of the documentation.  It makes declaring it at the border post a lot easier.  A scanned version I keep as my backup should any item or copy go missing.

• Arrange with your bank beforehand that you will be traveling outside South Africa otherwise the bank might block your card, presuming that fraudulent transaction are done. I normally submit to the bank the dates within which we are going to travel as well as the different countries to avoid frustration and embarrassment when paying.
• Cards work mostly in the bigger cities only. If you venture to the rural areas make sure you have enough cash on you.  We once arrived at Rakops (Botswana) en route to Central Kalahari Reserve, where we had to refuel, and the garage did not have a card machine. The only ATM was without money for the past two weeks!  Nice, nice, nice ….
• The South African Rand is accepted widely for instance in Mozambique, Swaziland and Lesotho, but do not always bargain on it.

• Yellow fever is a typical must-have inoculation, which normally has to be administered by a travel doctor a few weeks before your departure. It is valid for 10 years. If you visit countries in Northern Africa this is compulsory.  There are also various other shots such as cholera and typhoid, although we never deemed it necessary.   With common savvy, you can avoid a lot of these diseases.  In our 20 odd years’ of traveling the African continent we have never ever contracted any of these threatening diseases.

Remember to always carry your Yellow fever certificate with you.

• Check with your medical aid whether they will cover the costs if you need to be repatriated after a serious accident. This is not automatically covered in all medical schemes.
• Remember malaria is rife in Africa. Speak to your doctor about prophylaxes and precautions.
• Note:  We found that lots of garlic as well as gin and tonic keep them mostly at bay.

—–OOO—–

A wise person will always find a way. ~ Tanzanian proverb

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When approaching the waterhole drive slowly as to make the less possible noise and dust when arriving.  If you arrive in a fanfare the animals and birdlife will be gone before you even know it.  We are all there to have a once in a life time experience!

Be considerate and pick a spot where you will not obscure the view of other people already present.  Wait your turn. They were there first and we all want to experience the animals.  After all that is what we all are there for.

Go prepared.  Take binoculars and a camera, download the necessary apps before you leave home and take the appropriate reference books to make the outing enjoyable.  It also helps to pass the time while waiting for the animals to arrive.  Take some snacks and drinks and settle in and wait.  If you have children teach them how to use the reference books to kill the time.

Do not forget the small creatures at the waterhole.  Look at the birds, tortoises and ground squirrels, observe interesting plants and flowers and the interaction that is taking place between all these things.  Expect the small creatures and be surprised by the big ones!

Be responsible at the waterhole.  Do not get out of your vehicle.  The warning sign is there for a reason.  That lion that is on your bucket list might just be sleeping in the grassy patch behind the bush!  And yes,  that lethargic croc is quicker than you think!

Be quiet and keep your voice down. Do not bother them – they might be taking an afternoon nap! Animals can hear you from a distance and will not approach the waterhole if there are unfamiliar noises.  This includes not playing music and putting your cell phone on silent!

And last, but not least – do not litter!  Keep a bag for the litter in your car.  The golden rule of the veld is what you take in is what you take out.  Leave only the footprints of your vehicle behind.

“Clearly, animals know more than we think, and think a great deal more than we know.” ― Irene M. Pepperberg

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After filling up at the Shell Petrol Station in Rakops (only three pumps for different types of fuel. We could luckily fill up before they ran dry a couple of days later. Thereafter, we set off on the sandy road leading to Matswere gate.  After driving about 500 meters we decided to deflate the tyres to enhance a more comfortable and easy ride on the corrugation with the fully laden bakkie.

As you have to be self sufficient in all aspects, we took 40 litres of diesel and 60 litres of water (drinking and washing) to last us for the week that we were planning to spent in the wilderness.  The park has an everything in-everything out policy, except you are requested to leave your extra firewood for the next visitor.

About halfway to the Matswere gate a car approached us from the front at quite a speed with daylights switched on.  And if I say a car I mean a car – one of the newest Mercedes Benz models!  Well, to say the least we were stunned out of our socks to find some stupid guy hammering a new – or for that matter any car – on a sandy track with quite a high  middelmannetjie at some places.

Big was our excitement when we looked at the sightings board at reception and noted that there were pins allocated to leopard, lion and hyena around the Deception pan  area.  However day one and two we did not spot anything interesting during the day. Neither did we hear a lot of sounds at night – just  saw some oryx and springbuck grazing on the nearby pans.  Something “exciting” is more in the ranks of a lion, cheetah or leopard, but we also have appreciation for the smaller creatures of the Kalahari.

On day three things started to brighten up.  After having early morning coffee on the pan we spotted a lonely lion crossing the road and in the afternoon two cheetahs resting in the shade of a tree at Leopard Pan.  Not bad at all!

The rest of the week we saw some more lion, big kudu at the waterhole, jackal, springbuck and were surprised when a couple of curios bachelor giraffe came really close, displaying no fear, to do an inspection of the bakkie.  This gave me the opportunity to take some pictures of these tall and elegant animals.

On day four we found that a herd of oryx was very much intrigued by three lions sleeping in the shade of a thorn tree.  Up to 50 of them gathered to have a look at the sleeping enemy – not that the lions actually noticed the oryx staring at them! This kept us entertained for a couple of hours while the camera kept on clicking to capture everything as the scene unfolded in front of our eyes.

The CKGR is not for everyone. It is not a place where you come to seek the big five or animals in abundance.  This is a place where you have to take your time and spend the day enjoying the silence of the Kalahari whilst searching for the elusive animals that survive in harsh conditions.  This is a place that gets under your skin.

“I think the thing to do is to enjoy the ride while you are on it”

—— Johnny Depp

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