In National Parks the rule is that the early bird gets the best sightings. So we were up early and got through the gate at about 6h45. Our plan was to go to Mata Mata and back. There were lots of squiggly vehicle tracks on the road, a sure sign that there has been a good sighting and when we got to Samevloeiing there were lots of cars parked all over the place. We asked one of the “spectators” what they were watching and he pointed to some dry shrubs in the distance where a female cheetah and her two cubs had been seen. And suddenly we could also just make out a cheetah. The cheetah slowly emerged and then there was real movement. All the cars started moving too and soon there was a new traffic jam. We were lucky to be at a spot where we could clearly see the mother and cubs move across the road towards the Samevloeiing waterhole. Eventually we managed to get to a good vantage point and from there we could watch the two cubs playing at the waterhole. We waited for a while, but they did not go for a drink. Later we heard that they did eventually start drinking, but we moved off. It is a pity that they moved the road away from the Aoub riverbed to a new road over the dunes. Back in the Auob Valley, we started to see gemsbok in the lush riverbed. It was going to be difficult to spot animals because of the high grass! It was rather emotional to arrive at the Auchterlonie picnic site again. The little cottage on the cliff conjures up images of the early settlers who eked out a living in this harsh and remote environment. The simple structure now is a little museum. The settlers were appointed as guards to maintain the bore holes that had been dug in the riverbed in anticipation of the South African troops advancing into German South West Africa during the First World War to supply them with water. Ironically the troops made use of a different route and the waterholes became the lifeline for these guards who were allowed to stay on after the war and kept livestock. They now provide water for the animals of the Kgalagadi. We found our usual picnic place free and now it was coffee time. We discovered that our precious Askham milk tart was more like a dessert, but still delicious. There was an abundance of beautiful and very delicate yellow flowers around the cottage. They are called Pretty Ladies or Yellow Mouse Whiskers (Cleome angustifolia)! It was very hot and we did not spend too much time walking around, but it was surprisingly cool in the cottage itself. Those early pioneers knew how to survive in the heat with their building methods using local materials. There were not many animals about and soon we were at Kamqua picnic site at the junction with the dune road. It is sad that all the trees that used to provide shade have died, but at least the old stems are still a feature and the new structures to provide shade have been built around them. The black crows here are real clowns. They make the strangest gurgling sounds and really make one laugh. The glossy starlings are also very loud. We still had a long way to go to Mata Mata and we did not spend long at Kamqua. It was now extremely hot and we were not surprised that there were not many animals to be seen in the lush riverbed. It was good to pass all the familiar waterholes – 13 de Boorgat , 14 de Boorgat, Dalkeith and Craig Lockhart. We popped into some of the loops, but here it was also quiet. We were surprised to see that the Mata Mata campsite looked really full. Marianne enquired whether there might just be a campsite free, but no luck. We found shade under the big tree in front of the shop and had our lunch here. It is a long drive back to Twee Rivieren and we could not linger too long. We started see more animals now and a lovely group of springbok with a very lively little young one provided a wonderful show. Between Kamqua and the 13the Boorgat, we found some vehicles intently looking at the calcrete ridge above. A lady in her FJ Cruiser explained that a leopard and her two cubs had been seen and they were all hoping that the leopards would appear again. We waited a bit, but we still had quite a way to go. It was a lovely surprise to suddenly come across two giraffe sitting down in the shade south of Kamqua. This was very unusual. Next we came across a large group of giraffe near Auchterlonie. They were coming down the dunes into the riverbed. Normally one only sees giraffe around MataMata, but the group seems to have moved south. We still had some time and decided to take the short dune road back. It is a very attractive undulating road. It was quiet at Kij Kij waterhole. There was little traffic and this time we were not in a hurry and now there was no dust! Back at Twee Rivieren, we had to find a camp site. We had paid for a site without power, but there were none available. There was a site with power in the middle of nowhere, but it had a table, a braai and power, so we took it. It was actually very convenient and we had a host of very loud scaly feathered finches roosting in a dead thorny shrub. And quiet human neighbours. We quickly got our first fire of the trip going and settled down to a lovely evening under the stars. There was one problem, though. Insects!! We could not believe just how many insects had gathered around our light. We put up the net, but the grasshoppers seemed to be attracted to the white colour and they were bombarding the net and in the process many managed to get into the car. We noticed that most people were keeping the lights as low as possible and everyone had to keep their windows, doors and nets closed. Fortunately we just about know where everything is in the car and we can operate in the dark! This insect invasion would be following us through the whole Kgalagadi.

Geschreven door Leartravels