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Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park Trip Report

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Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park Trip Report

#1

Post by CornellMans »

IN THE BEGINNING…

Early in 2020, myself and two mates, decided that we need to go on a guys-only tour. This was supposed to be a trip that was a 40th birthday prezzie from my wife, our 20 year friendship anniversary and well as a farewell to one of my mates who would be immigrating to Aus later that year.

We looked at doing the Lebombo trail in the Kruger, but in the end decided to book a trip to Kgalagadi, since none of us have ever been there and it would a good opportunity to focus on photography as we would not have the families in tow.

We initially booked to visit the park at the end of August 2020... but then Covid. We kept a close eye on the closed borders and a few weeks before we were due to go, decided to move the booking to mid March 2021; just for the provincial borders to be opened a few days after we moved the booking…

With the dates now finalized, we started our research of the park, best camera setting etc. I even acquired the following two books:
• Visitor’s Guide to Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park by MapStudio
• Kgalagadi Self-Drive : Routes, Road and Ratings by Powell, van den Berg
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The plan is to camp at Mata-Mata for three nights, and then camp at Twee Rivieren for 3 nights, and then head home. But before we go to Kgalagadi, we would detour to Augrabies falls for a few pictures.

The Travel Plans:

Day 0: We would be travelling in my trusty (but still injured) Ford Everest with the Wilderness 310 in tow. Leaving Centurion and picking up Muis, then on to Potchefstroom to pick up LigBlou and then from there via the N12/N14 to Kathu, then detour past our old farm new Deben, on to Olifantshoek where we would overnight.

Day 1 : Leave Olifanthoek the next morning at 04:00, drive to Augrabies and spend 90 minutes there, drive back to Upington to fill up, drive to Twee Rivieren to check in, drive to Mata-Mata and set up camp.

Day 2 : Look at the sightings board and decide on a route to drive around Mata-Mata

Day 3 : Look at the sightings board and decide on a route to drive around Mata-Mata

Day 4 : Get up ealrly, break camp. Drive down to Twee Rivieren, set up camp. Maybe do a short afternoon drive.

Day 5 : Look at the sightings board and decide on a route to drive around Twee Rivieren

Day 6 : Look at the sightings board and decide on a route to drive around Twee Rivieren. After game drive, break camp and fold the trailer tent. Sleep under the stars to get up early and leave for home the next morning.

Day 7 : Pack away sleeping gear, and leave for home as soon as the gates open. Drive to Potchefstroom to drop off “LigBlou”, then to Centurion to drop off Muis, and then the final straight home…

... To be continued ...
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#2

Post by Mike Nel »

I will follow this

We've been there 7 years ago and loved it. Going again in September, this time including Mabua.
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#3

Post by CornellMans »

IN THE BEGINNING PART 2

After spending quite a few hours reading other Kgalagadi trip reports, watching trip reports on Youtube, joining a few KTP photography groups to see what the other people are seeing, we came to the following conclusion:
“Our camera lenses will simply not cut it…”
So we scoured the web looking for places to rent lenses. We got quotes from OutdoorPhoto and LensRental. But the prices these places were asking for the lenses we were looking at, would basically double the cost of our trip. Eventually we came across a company called A Lens for Hire.

These guys quoted one third the price of the other providers. “Ligblou” and “Muis” decided that they would rent a lens for me as my birthday present and got me the Tamron 150-600mm for my Nikon D5100. “LigBlou”, also shooting a borrowed Nikon D5100, opted for the Sigma 60-600mm Sports. Muis decided that it was time for an upgrade and bought the Nikon Z50 and the Sigma 150-600mm Contemporary lens. He would also bring his old Nikon D3200 with a borrowed Nikon 200-400mm F4 VRII.

A week before we set out, we finalized the dinner menu, and opted for bigger portions so that the leftovers could be used for lunch on the road as we would be out all day shooting whatever dares to show itself.

Just before we left, I managed to buy a Cadac Chef, basically brand new off a guy for R500. This would be our welcome companion for brunch on the road.

The last weekend before the start of the trip was spent getting the groceries, unpacking and repacking the trailer to make sure that we keep it as light as possible. Picking up a bean bag since we needed to keep the lenses as still as possible for sharp pics…
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And then is was waiting for the last few days to go by… and man it was painfully slow…

Had some memorabilia made...
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But before we left, I had to make sure the Everest and Wilderness was dressed for success…
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... To be continued ...
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#4

Post by CornellMans »

DAY 0 : 10 March 2021 : And away we go…
Travel :
Centurion -> Potchefstroom -> Kathu -> Deben -> Olifantshoek
736km
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With the last few days feeling like years, the day dawned at last. Well, basically I was up way before dawn. With everything but the electronics packed the night before, I quickly packed the camera gear and laptop and headed out to pick up Muis.

Cruising at 110km/h, the 3.2 TDCi purring like a happy kitten, we made our way to Potchefstroom to pick up Ligblou and the lenses that we hired. After loading everything and a quick coffee and “beskuit”, we filled up and headed for Kathu.

Traveling the N12/N14 was pretty uneventful. There was virtually no traffic, a few potholes here and there, lots of water next to the road, and no problems passing through the notorious Vryburg and Kuruman. We were making good traveling time, and since we only needed to be in Olifantshoek after 16:00, we took the scenic route through Kathu, where I went to school and then on to Deben, passing the two farms that used to belong to us but was sold and converted to solar farms, called the Sishen Solar Facility.
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Pressing on to Deben and then took the Winton gravel road towards Olifantshoek, where we were welcomed by Francois Malan and his family. We had a few cold ones, were blessed with succulent T-bone steaks, braaied to a perfect medium rare. Sat and chatted until we simply had to go to bed to get at least 5 hours of sleep, before getting up at 03:30 again to leave for Augrabies at 04:00 the next morning…

Summary of events...
https://youtu.be/x498TuMXdy4


... To be continued ...
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#5

Post by CornellMans »

Day 1 : 11 March 2021 : Detour to Augrabies

Travel:
Olifantshoek -> Upington -> Kakamas -> Augrabies National Park - > Kakamas -> Upington -> Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park : Twee Rivieren -> Mata-Mata
778km
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We rise at 03:30, just to be welcomed by loadshedding in Olifantshoek. None the less, we pack the few things and unplug the fridges from the mains. We bid farewell to our gracious host Francois and set out towards Augrabies National Park.
Traffic was minimal with the occasional truck and taxi. We made good progress until the work day started and we got caught behind a slow moving vehicle here and there. But gave us a chance to take in the scenery around us. The Kalahari was in good shape with the recent good rains.

We arrive at Augrabies shortly after the gate opens, as planned. We get out, put on masks, pay for the entry to go to the falls. Sadly you do get some tourists that felt that they are above the law and refused to where their masks nor keep social distancing.
The views however were phenomenal. And even though the falls were not in flood anymore, it was still flowing quite strongly. In the end we overstayed a little but since we wanted to make sure we get good pics and video from all possible angles. After a quick stop at the shop to get some cold drinks, we saddle up and hit the road to Upington to fill up, get ice for the coolers and then the next leg of the drive to Twee Rivieren.
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The drive back to Upington, via Kakamas, was a bit more busy but we still got to Upington in good time. While I made sure the car is being filled up and then the electronics are safe, LigBlou and Muis bought the ice. Once loaded we set out to Kgalagadi, about 253km away.
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The drive to Kgalagadi from Upington was a bit boring and we were tired from not getting a lot of sleep and by this time we already did 410km. On the way we saw a lot of locusts. The road started getting a lot more interesting when we took turn off at the Molopo Kalahari Lodge. Excitement was building as we got closer to Twee Rivieren.
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At Twee Riviered we checked in, deflated the tyres to the recommended 1.5bar for both the car and the trailer. We got the big lenses out and took the gravel road up to Mata-Mata. We were a bit pressed for time since we stayed too long at Augrabies, so we couldn’t stop too long next to the road for photos.

On the way we saw lots of springbok, gemsbok (oryx), blue wildebeest, a lot of birds of prey and even giraffe.
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We eventually arrived at Mata-Mata, checked in, bough some more ice and proceeded to the camp sites. It took us a while to find a place to set up camp, as the sites are not clearly marked and some people set up camp across 2 sites in order to get some shade. A very friendly couple offered space on their site. We set up camp, braaied Kalahari Oysters and ate it together with some tasty noodle salad. Had a few cold ones and then to get some much appreciated sleep…
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Summary video of the day https://youtu.be/8lVMQHOP7-0


Kalahari Oysters Recipe:
You will need:
Chicken Breast fillets
Glazed cherries
Cayenne pepper
Bacon
Sweet and sour sauce/marinade
Toothpics

Preperation:
Cut each fillet in two along the length, in order to get two flat pieces of fillet.
Take a glazed cherry and place it on the fillet.
Sprinkle some cayenne pepper over the cherry and fillet.
Roll the fillet, and make sure that the cherry stays inside
Use the bacon to cover the rolled up fillet and use toothpics to hold everything in place.
Do NOT salt the fillet, it will get the salt from the bacon.
You can now pack all the oysters in a container and cover with the sweet and sour sauce/marinade and let sit for a few hours to marinade. You can also freeze and used later.

Cooking:
Defrost and let sit before you cook it. It’s best to braai over medium coals and cook it by rolling onto different sides fairly regularly, being careful to not tear the bacon. You can also dip the oysters in the marinade again every time you turn them. Once the oyster has firmed up, you will know it’s cooked.
Remember to let everybody know about the toothpicks holding together as that could be nasty when swallowed.

*** To be continued ***
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#6

Post by Mike Nel »

So far so good. Keep it comimg
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#7

Post by CornellMans »

Day 2 : 12 March 2021 : Full day safari

Travel:
Mata-Mata -> Kamqua -> Long Dune Road -> Eland Waterhole -> Kamqua - Mata-Mata
207 km
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With our first full day in Kgalagadi, we wanted to hit the road as soon as the gates opened. We had a quick cup of coffee. Packed the leftovers from the previous night and some hot water and rusks. Enough to keep ourselves well hydrated and with all camera batteries fully charged we left camp.

We all had a wish list of what we would like to see and started taking bets as to who will fulfil his list first.

As we crossed the Auob river a short distance from camp, we were graced with a herd of blue wildebeest walking directly towards us, backlit by the orange sun.

The Kalahari dust kicked up by their hooved cast an orange glow against which they silhouetted...
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Further on we found some jackal looking for a place to take a rest after a night on the hunt...
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We encountered a wide variety of birds...
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We stopped at the Kamqua picnic site and were kept company by a very funny Cape crow and some white-browed sparrow-weavers.
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We took the long dune road towards the Nossob road. This road was fairly corrugated. At some stage we stopped because a very disturbing noise coming from the left, back wheel of the Everest. We stopped and had a look but could not see anything. Got back into the car and drove slowly, but the sound kept getting worse. I decided to stop and take the wheel off. So I got the jack and wheel spanner out, and with Muis and LigBlou keeping an eye out for anything wanting to eat us, I proceeded to take the wheel of in the 40C weather and in the bright sunlight. I checked the brake pads but all was good, and then by chance we saw that a small piece of limestone had hopped into a 2.5mm gap between the rear brake disc and the plate on the inside of the disc. We used a teaspoon to get it out. From there we carried on with the road but dit not see much except for a few ostriches and oryx.
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We turned around at the Eland water hole and decided to stop at all the waterholes on our way back to camp.
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Upon arrival at camp, we had a few visitors that kept us busy for a while.
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Just before gate closing time we went out once more for a last few shots.
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As the sun set, we lit the fire and had lamb ribs, rump wors and braaied black mushrooms with enough garlic and cheese to make any mozzie think twice
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That night the wind was a bit feisty, and a few drops of rain fell. But that was nothing compared to what would hit us a few days later....


The day's shenanigans... https://youtu.be/FNEFsRZaArg

... To be continued ...
Last edited by CornellMans on Tue Apr 20, 2021 8:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: fixed date in heading
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#8

Post by Martin de Jager »

Cornel, so far its an interesting story, just for your interest image 19 , is a female Bateleur Eagle, not a common sight outside Kruger, image 20 is a Marshall eagle, two of the most beautiful birds of prey, and a Fish Eagle, wow, you were so privileged. I also recognise Gompou, Brown Eagle, and the Secretary bird. Damn what a selection on one trip.
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#9

Post by CornellMans »

Thank you for your feedback Martin, but to be honest, the sightings got better every day, with the grand finale on our very last day in the park.

Stay tuned.
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#10

Post by CornellMans »

Day 3 : 13 March 2021 : Transferring to Twee Rivieren

Travel:
Mata-Mata -> Twee Rivieren
117 km
Travel Day 3.JPG
During the previous evening we checked to see if there are camp sites available at Twee Rivieren, and we decided to pack up and go there a day early. The reason being that when at Mata-Mata, you can really only drive the Mata-Mata - Twee Rivieren road and maybe take the long or short dune road, but when you are at Twee Rivieren, you have access to both the Mata-Mata and Nossob roads and the area called the Golden Triangle. We were at this stage craving a big cat sighting as everybody came back telling of lion, leopard and cheetah sightings.
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We get up the next morning, bright and early. Have a hot cup of coffee and some rusks before we start the process of packing up. It took us a fair while to get ready, but at last we saddle up and leave.

At about a kilometer outside the camp gate, we get a first glimpse of what could be the start of and awesome day... very fresh lion spoor in the road...
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Full of excitement, we started off looking for these elusive cats...
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We reached Kamqua Picnic site and decided to have a quick brunch and stretch the legs and get get a little something to drink
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Also had a slithery fellow say hi
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Shortly after we left Kamqua we had our first major sighting... It was a bit difficult to photograph though
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From there the sightings got a lot better and we knew we made the right decision to move to Twee Rivieren a day earlier.
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Arriving at Twee Rivieren with enough light to take our time to set up camp which once again proved to be difficult because the sights are not clearly marked. We eventually set up camp, trying to put thin tent pegs into ground as hard as concrete. Eventually our neighbour, Oom Louw lent us his heavy duty tent pegs made of 12mm steel and a 4 pound hammer.
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We just finished setting up when our closest neighbours arrived and the "tannie" deciding that we set up too close to them and that we should move away from them. Her husband had no problem with us and some of the other campers also said not to be bothered.

We had a few sosati's for dinner with boiled potatoes and salad for dinner, washing it down with brannas and coke. And then it was time sleep.
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That night the wind came up again and it was pumping. Had some light rain too, but it eventually subsided...

Youtube video of the day : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTprtqc-w-Y

... To be continued ...
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#11

Post by Leon »

Cornel baie mooi fotos en dit lyk of julle n baie lekker toer het.

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#12

Post by CornellMans »

Day 4 : 14 March 2021 : Doing the Golden Triangle

Travel:
Twee Rivieren -> Melkvlei -> Dikbaardskolk -> Kamqua -> Twee Rivieren
223 km
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After a good night's rest we were up bright and early, making sure all the camera gear is pack and ready. Some boiled water for coffee, rusks, snacks and some more stuff for hydration were also added before we left for the day's adventure. We decided to do the Golden Triangle by going north on the Nossob road and then turning onto the long dune road to cross over to Mata-Mata and from there drive south again back to Twee Rivieren.
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Very early on we saw our first predators of the day in the form of a few jackals
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We continued and just took in the scenery...
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We came to Melkvlei and had some hot coffee and rusks
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We then proceeded north up to Dikbaardskolk where we decided to stretch legs again.
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We rand in to a some lions on our way back south on the Mata-Mata road..
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We made a quick stop at the Auchterlonie homestead as well. Fascinating how the people lived back in the day...
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Near Houmoed we came across a very old lion male. It had killed a porcupine at some stage and paid the price. It had quite a few quills buried in its chest. In the following few days we so this male a few times, but its condition got worse up to the time we never saw it again, fearing that the worst happened.
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On our way back to the camp we were caught in a quick thunder storm with some heavy winds and decided to high tail it back to the camp to make sure everything is ok.

After a full day of adventuring, we got back to camp, got some necessities from the shop and settled our hunger with Rump steak, mielies and some mushrooms. Made sure everything is backed up and batteries on charge before we turned in for the evening.
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Highlights of the day on the following Youtube video : https://youtu.be/_IBwD3qQefI

... To be continued ...
Last edited by CornellMans on Wed Apr 21, 2021 8:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Forgot roadmap
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Mike Nel
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#13

Post by Mike Nel »

Amazing photography Cornell.
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Apocalypse
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#14

Post by Apocalypse »

photos are amazing!

Great report too, an amazing trip!
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Mad Manny
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#15

Post by Mad Manny »

Great report so far.
Not brief, but the detail is interesting.
I see you took a solo vehicle for the trip (a Ford nogal), but then were worried about people with no masks out in the open? :lol:
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