Monday 3 February 2025
I left Grootkolk for the second time that morning and continued on to Nossob.
I saw a car parked next to the road about halfway between Lijersdraai and Polentswa. A cheetah was lying under a bush, and I could just make out a few spots. The other vehicle had the only decent view, and they were not moving. Just as I accepted the fact that I would not get a photo, the cheetah got up and walked away, pausing once or twice.
It was not yet 09h30, and I had already seen a lion and two cheetahs on my birthday!
Seeing two of KTPs largest birds in one scene was quite special. I also found another Bushveld Lizard.
I stopped at Polentswa for a bit. A Secretary Bird came for a drink.
During my first trip to KTP in 2023 I did not see a single Secretary Bird and on this trip, I saw them almost every day. What a treat!
I was able to find a camping spot at Nossob under a large shady tree. I had a few interested onlookers.
Before the sunset drive started, I asked the guide it it would be possible to keep an eye out for two special creatures I had hoped to see. We headed south towards Marie’s Loop, and it wasn’t long before she stopped for my first request. Next to the road and much smaller than I expected was a Barking Gecko!
She is already in the shade, and the pic is not great, but what a cutie! A vehicle returning to camp stopped to mention lions, and we found them just past the southern entrance to Marie’s Loop. I just took a record shot. As we drove along Marie’s loop we found mating Barn Owls, a Spotted Eagle Owl, a White-faced Owl, Hyenas (twice), a Steenbokkie, Springhares and a Black-backed Jackal. We also saw two Bat-eared Foxes and a Mammal lifer in the form of a Black-tailed Tree Rat. I only got a few bad cell phone photos, but we had really good views as it foraged in the branches of a large Camel Thorn Tree. During our drive we did find a few of the other creature I had hoped to see but they were all a little far from the vehicle. But just before the end of drive there was one right in the road.
It was a Parabuthus granulatus Scorpion, one of the most potently venomous scorpions in South Africa. It is not a creature to mess with, but I really wanted to see one.
Lions, Cheetahs and an amazing sunset drive – it was the most perfect birthday ever!
Tuesday 4 February 2025
For the past two mornings my plans for an early start were derailed by lions. And today it would be three in a row. I was just about to make coffee for my morning drive when I heard lions roar. The sound was coming from the direction of the hide, and I was in my car and at the hide in seconds. The lions were in front of the chalets. There were five lionesses and a young male, and it seemed the ladies were not happy with his presence. It looked as if all of them may go to the waterhole, but only one came for the drink.
The others walked to the male, roaring all the way, and they all moved out of sight on the other side of the river. When I left camp a little later, I spotted a few of them on the far side of the river.
The sun rose as I closed the gate.
When I reached Rooikop I was just in time to see a Brown Hyena walk away. There were quite a few cars, but I found a gap for a few photos. It would be my only Brown Hyena sighting of the trip, and I was so happy to see it, even if it was a brief sighting.
When I reached Marie se Gat I once again found a Spotted Hyena. But it looked as if he had finished his drink and was about to be on his way.
I continued my drive and soon found two lions, probably the same lions from the sunset drive the night before. The one with the smaller mane was a lither further away but the other one was closer.
I followed them until they lay down under a tree on the far side of the riverbed.
The lions had walked almost halfway back to Marie se Gat, and I decided to see if anything had changed there. This was a good decision as there were now three hyenas at the waterhole.
I so enjoyed watching them. One walked away to lie in the shade of a distant tree but the other two stayed longer.
It was a wonderful morning spending time with my second favourite animal.
Just before I got back to camp I saw a Tawny Eagle finishing his breakfast. As he jumped to another branch I noticed a Cape Starling picking at the leftovers. Unfortunately I did not take photos of the starling, but it was very interesting behaviour.
The heat of the first few days was getting to me, and I spent most of the middle part of the day in camp reading in the shade of the tree and drinking copious amounts of water. When I went for my afternoon drive to Marie’s Loop, I realised that the “Road Fairy” had been hard at work while I was relaxing. The Sections of road on either side of camp had been really corrugated, but not the road south of camp had been dragged, and it was AMAZING!!
At Rooikop I found a Lanner Falcon eating a dove, but he was under a bush, and it was hard to get photos without branches getting in the way.
I love Sociable Weaver nests.
On Marie’s Loop I found the Barn Owl nest, but the Owl was a little shy.
5 February 2025
The plan for the morning was to drive to Polentswa. Today there were no lions delaying my start! When I left, I realised that the “Road Fairy” had also been on this stretch of road. The road to Cubitje Quap had been really bad, and now it felt like I was driving on cotton wool. I found the “Road Fairy” a few km before Polentswa, and I waved to him enthusiastically, thanking him. I found a Hyena drinking at Cubitje Quap.
It was a short sighting but a great way to start the day.
There were some clouds on the eastern horizon so there wasn’t much of a sunrise. But as the sun cleared the clouds, it created this tranquil scene.
As the sun’s rays became brighter, it gave this Black-backed Jackal’s coat a lovely golden glow.
I reached Polentswa Just after 08h00. There were many Tawny Eagles and Lanner Falcons. A Lanner Falcon was trying to catch a dove.
A Tawny Eagle was on him in a flash, trying to steal the dove, without success and he flew off.
The Lanner Falcons were very active, and it was hard to know where to look. Another Falcon caught a little bird, and with the butterflies in the background, these are two of my favourite photos of the trip.
After about an hour I decided to drive to Lijersdraai for a quick body break. When I got back to Polentswa I was just in time to see lions walk away.
A herd of Springbok was grazing on the other side of the Polentswa waterhole. Some of the boys were having a sparring match, but it was mostly just posturing and didn’t result in any serious blows.
I watched the Lanner Falcons for a little while longer before heading back to Nossob.
Just before I reached Nossob I noticed a pair of Ostriches doing a little dance.
But just as the dance got really good a heard of Springbok moved in front of them and ruined my photo opportunity! This little Springbokkie with his cute little horns was very sweet and made up for his friends’ behaviour!
My afternoon drive once again took me to Marie’s Loop. The local Hyena was present again, but I never complain about seeing Hyenas.
I found the Barn Owl again and then a cute Ground Agama.
Back at Marie se Gat other people had spotted something that I had missed earlier – a lion. Not the best sighting but still cool.
Visibility wasn’t great, and it was getting late, so I decided to return to camp.
There was a herd of Blue Wildebeest just a short distance from the lions. There was a little nursery with a few little ones. I hoped that with the lions that close, they would all remain safe during the night.
At the junction where Marie’s Loop reaches the main road I found my neighbours from Grootkolk who had stopped for a cheetah that was walking in the riverbed.
In the overcast conditions the light was fading fast, and when it lay down it became almost invisible, which is why the people a few minutes behind me missed it. And then, just 500m before the camp gate, there were two lionesses walking along the riverbed.
Two lion sightings and a cheetah sighting in the last hour of the day – I was not complaining!
That night I experienced my first Kalahari thunderstorm. A few drops of rain fell on my last night at Grootkolk, but nothing worth mentioning. This thunderstorm was another story all together. I lay in my listening to the incredible thunder while lightning lit up the inside of my tent.
It was the kind of thunder that could shake the foundations of buildings. For the first time I also understood the term “Rolling Thunder”. The thunder would start from the south and then it sounded as if it was rolling over the camp and into Botswana, fading as it went. And when you lie on a mattress on the ground, the thunder literally vibrates through the ground into you. It was spectacular, and I fell asleep with the sound of rain on my tent.