A Wealth of Wildlife in a world with little Water September 30, 2008
Posted by dodo in : Africa, Botswana, Map, Rail Pass, Tickets, Tour, Trails, Travel Gear , trackbackThe traveler is greeted by an extraordinarily stark, sunburned landscape. The climate ranges from dry to very dry, and periods of extreme drought can be measured by the carcasses in the dry river beds. Yet there is abundant life in the harsh environment of the Kalahari — a primeval vitality that comes as a surprise amidst the seemingly inhospitable surroundings. For those who wish to see and feel an unspoilt Africa, this is perhaps the most rewarding place to visit. Here it is stillpossible to experience the wild excitement of a lion-kill, or to witness the lightning dash of a hunting cheetah — exactly as if mankind had never appeared on the scene.
A reserve between two rivers
The Kalahari Gemsbok National Park covers almost 1 000 000 ha of rugged desert country, sandwiched between South West Africa/Namibia in the west and Botswana in the east. An even larger game park adjoins it in Botswana, and animals roam freely between the two reserves — which together form the largest game park in the world.
The boundaries of the South African park are marked by the watercourses of two rivers — in the west the Auob (’bitter tasting’ in the language of the San people) and in the east the Nossob (’big water‘). The rivers rarely flow, but more than 40 boreholes have been sunk along the river beds, at intervals of several kilometres, and these make a small supply of water available to the game. The two principal routes in the park follow the courses of these rivers, and are linked by a road that switchbacks its way over the dunes that lie between them. (The roads in the park are untarred, but are usually in fairly good condition.)
Evocative names
Each borehole, with its attendant wind-pump, has an individual and often evocative name, ranging from ‘Groot Skrij’ and ‘Kijkij’ to the unexpected ‘Montrose’, and the no-doubt heartfelt ‘Lekkerwater’ (lovely water). The waterholes offer excellent vantage points for game viewing, especially in the early mornings and the late afternoons. It is here that cheetah, leopard and lion stalk the antelope that are attracted to the precious water, and few visitors leave the park without sighting one or more of the ‘big cats‘. Vultures, hyenas and black-backed jackals then clean the carcasses that the large predators leave behind — until a pair of horns and a few bones are all that remain of a once proud antelope.
There are more than 10000 springbok in the park, and visitors may be treated to the amazing sight of enormous herds of these agile animals flowing effortlessly over the dunes. Also to be seen are smaller herds of the park’s namesake, the gemsbok, with their fearsome, rapier-like horns. Other animals commonly seen are blue wildebeest, eland (large numbers of which occasionally migrate across the park), kudu, red hartebeest, ostrich, bat-eared fox, silver fox and porcupine. Some 170 bird species have been recorded in the park. In addition to the ostriches, you are likely to see kori bustards, secretary birds, martial eagles, bateleur eagles, and various owls.
The most prominent trees in the park are the umbrella-shaped camel- thorns (Acacia erioloba) — often supporting the huge nests of social weaver birds. The camelthorns provide a small amount of welcome shade, and their seed-pods are a valuable source of food for many species.
Adapt or die
The animals that live in the park have all had to adapt in one way or another to an almost waterless world. There are roughly 250 lion in the park, which are able to live for years without water, drawing moisture from the animals they kill. Gemsbok and other desert antelope can survive without water as long as tsamma melons and wild cucumbers are available. There are no elephants, giraffe or zebra in the park; they have not been able to adapt to the extremely dry conditions.
A lot of game can be spotted as you travel between the three rest- camps in the park. (Allow for one or two nights at each camp, if possible.) All the camps have fully equipped cottages and pleasant, albeit sandy camping sites. You can buy basic, non-perishable provisions at all three camps, including firewood and liquor, but no fresh produce or camera film is available. The camps have filling stations for petrol and diesel, but no repair facilities.
The largest of the three camps is Twee Rivieren (two rivers), situated at the southern entrance gate, where the Auob and the Nossob meet. This is also the administrative headquarters of the park. This is the only camp that stocks frozen meat, and it also provides simple meals in a lapa’. The smallest of the camps is Mata Mata (the very pleasant place), which lies on the Auob River at the entrance to the park on the South West African/ Namibian border.
Guidelines for visitors
In the northeastern area of the park is the Nossob camp. There is an interesting information centre here, and this is regarded as the best camp to head for if you wish to see lions.
The park is open throughout the year, but visitors are advised to avoid the months of December, January and February, because of the extreme heat during the summer. (And note that winter nights can be very cold, with the temperature often falling below freezing point.) There are several access roads leading to the park, all involving fairly long drives on sandy, untarred surfaces. One route leads from Kuruman, another from Upington, and several roads in South West Africa/Namibia converge on the entrance at Mata Mata.
Visitors to the park are advised to start a course of anti-malaria tablets before departure, and when driving to and through the park, always carry a plentiful supply of water.
Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)
A Wealth of Wildlife in a world with little Water
- Big Safari Game in the Okavango Swamp, Kalahari Desert Travel
- Is there any way to make Air Travel safer?
- Passing on Victoria Water Falls, Shooting the Zambezi, Escape into Africa
- Five days in Guinea, Discovering World Wide Attractions, Traveling, Fun, Tour, Rail Passing
- Five days in Guinea, Discovering World Wide Attractions, Traveling, Fun, Tour, Rail Passing
- A Sunburned Haven for Sea Birds and Hardy Fishermen part 2
- "In the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia on the trail of the Lonesome Pine . . ."
- Terrace’s Garden: WURZBURG continue...
- Amazing South Africa Safari, following the Orange River to the 'Place of Great Noise' continue...
- Airline/ Flight Travel Jokes
Comments»
Interesting in travel Enjoy seeing a great map do you like geography articles, trivia and games Join the Monthly… … Amazing Wealth
Is the nation’ s premier provider and reseller of travel cards, giving tourists unparalleled access to the best attractions in the destination cities we serve. … York City Attractions