Every year, we go camping to celebrate our wedding anniversary. 2025 marked a decade of marriage, and called for a special trip!
Now, contrary to what you may expect of a free-spirited-artist-type, I’m not spontaneous or impulsive. In fact, I’m anally… plan-ish. I have about five active, well-used note books tracking various segments of my life and brain; I schedule my Google calendar down to the hour; I like knowing what’s happening, and when. Most importantly (and this is something that took many years and a couple of burn-outs to make a priority), I book time off in our calendar waaaay in advance. If I don’t, I know it simply won’t happen. I call it Proactive Rest, and it works like a charm! Come rain or shine, the time to rest and spend quality time with loved ones is booked. It is as sacred and important as a fixed appointment with a doctor.
So, two years ago, when it dawned on me that our ten year anniversary is coming up (faaaaaar off in the distance!), I got all plan-ish and dreamt up a legendary camping trip to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park — Surely one of the most spectacular and unique destinations that our beautiful country has to offer! We had an incredible time in the Kgalagadi with my family back in August 2021, and as my brother recently put it, “I got the sand under my nails”. The Kalahari sings like a siren!
For two years, we dreamed, planned and saved (we needed some serious camping upgrades — after ten years of camping, I’m getting too old to leopard crawl into a tent and sleep on a mattress that’s wearing thinner than my patience!). Now, one would be worried that such long-term planning and dreaming may lead to a a bit of an anticlimactic trip — does one not build sand castles in the sky, and then the reality turns out to be a bit of a mud bath?
Well, we certainly had a mud bath, but I can safely say that this long-awaited trip did not disappoint!
The veld was astonishingly green. And I don’t mean greenish. I mean green with a capital G-R-E-E-N. After unprecedented rainfall, there was water everywhere! We still had abundant sightings, but just not where and how one would expect from a park that is renowned for magic moments parked at a waterhole.
Allow me just a moment to gush about how incredibly friendly everyone was: On all the roads, at every sighting, people were so generous with information — “In exactly 6.2km, look for a cheetah under a big thorn tree on your left”. We met wonderful people in the campsites and spent a lot of time talking to warm neighbours, sharing stories of nature and of life. I can’t remember this sense of camraderie from our previous trip. I have a few theories on why this is, but the prevailing thought is this: Our tiny little Nissan NP200 bakkie got people’s attention and brought out the concerned parent in them all. In every campsite, sometimes multiple times per day, we were approached by rugged ooms (‘uncles’) asking, “Sê nou net vir my — hóé ry julle met hierdie klein bakkietjie?!” (’Just tell me — how are you managing with this little bakkie’?), whereafter sharing reports of big-boy 4x4s getting stuck in the mud, the water level reaching above their massive wheels. Then, the conversation would segue into beautiful sightings and a shared awe of how lucky we are to just be here. While we expected to feel at one with Mother Nature on this trip, we were really also blown away with the human bonds that were formed!
Anyway, we took the ooms’ warnings to heart, and did not drive further north than Nossob, where we surely would have floated away…
Step 1: Letting some air out of our tyres on arrival.
Probably the most photographed tree in the Kgalagadi... Left, the image that I took in August 2021, vs the image that I took now. Keep in mind that these were taken during two very different seasons, so don't get too swept away by the contrast of brown and green! It was just really funny how I was drawn to capture certain vistas again on this trip. The park also enjoyed a stellar rain season in 2021 and had massive fires in 2022 -- something that the veld really needs to remain healthy.
Wet wet WET!!!
There was an amazing variety of shrubs and bulbs flowering!
The Lanner Falcon was definitely our bird of the trip -- we must have seen hundreds of them!
Another comparison between 2021 and now: The beautiful view from the hide at Twee-Rivieren.
Gemsbok standing on a not-so-red dune.
Our first lion sighting, but not to be our last... The Kgalagadi lived up to its reputation for delivering big cats -- we were lucky enough to see lions practically every day!
A juvenile Pale Chanting Goshawk, striking a comical pose in the road right next to our car. We suspect it had just finished its meal. Shortly after this, it took off (using both footsies -- I promise it wasn't injured!).
Yellow Mongoose demonstrating my exact facial expression, every time I exclaimed, "It's so GREEN!!!".
The view of the dry riverbed from the Auchterlonie picnic site, August 2021 and now.
Look at this Kori Bustard's Mowhawk!!
A pair of Pygmy Falcons, also celebrating their anniversary, I think!
These massive centipede's were regular visitors to our camp sites.
Turns out a Rolo ice cream a day is a good motivator to spend just little time using the shop's wifi (reception is practically non-existent elsewhere!) to make sure things are running smoothly work-wise back in Reality! Thankfully, my new assistant, Thea, was doing an incredible job keeping the ship afloat!
So many butterflies!!! They must have been migrating??
The park carried an air of abundance...! The animals were in such good condition, and many were pregnant or had little ones. Just look at the herd of Springbok pouring over the ridge of this dune!
This Northern Black Korhaan put up quite a show on one of the dune roads!
We spent four nights in the Mata-mata camp. For three of those nights, we had heavy rain every night. On the first evening, I poked my head out the tent, and was surprised to see that it looked like we were floating in a massive pool of water! We woke up dry each morning, but our 'fly tent' collapsed on the first night -- it just couldn't withstand the weight of the water (left)! The next day, our neighbours shared that they measured 50mm in an hour! Right: Baking pancakes! Apt for rainy weather, right? This was so much fun -- we ate them straight off the pan like real piggies!
A "plantation" of Gemsbok!
Left: A pair of Gabar Goshawk. Right: An elegant secretary bird, drinking water.
The roads were pretty wild! My go-to answer to the ooms that asked how we manage with our little bakkie? "Versigtig, stadig en met 'n skietgebed!" ('Carefully, slowly and with a quick prayer!')
These two young bulls weren't very serious (especially since the smaller one surely would not have stood a chance!), but they were beautiful to watch! Those necks bend like rubber!!
In our little bakkie, we were what my family refers to as "graskykers" ('grass watchers'). The grass was SO high, and at times (especially further North) the sandy roads sit so deep that all you can see is grass! We had quite a few laughs, pulling up to big-boy 4x4s, asking what they are looking at, and seeing the pitying glances - literally looking down on us. "There are lions right next to the road here. But... I don't think you'll be able to see them."
Cheers! Our view at the Mata-mata campsite. Thanks to the gathering thunderclouds, we enjoyed some pretty spectacular sunsets!
Feeling a little freaked out to be so close to these big beauties...!
Thankfully, they were doing what lions do best: Lion-ing around!
We were crazy excited and surprised to see ducks in the desert! A pair of South African Shelducks.
The clouds were mesmerising - I promise this photo has had zero editing!!!
Left: A very blonde Tawny Eagle. Right: A majestic Lappet-faced Vulture.
This pair of Spotted Eagle-owls were one of our favourite sightings! They roosted exactly 10km outside the Mata-mata gate, and we found them here on every drive.
Don't get too excited -- it was not calling, it just threw up a pellet! But, pretty good timing, right?
Can't beat that sunset!!!
In case you were wondering -- my Ukrainian husband slaps together a pretty good braai (barbeque)!
Turns out avos make the best camping padkos (food for the road)!
Ten years!!! Sitting in the Mata-mata hide.
Foraging is hard work, especially when you are suuuper pregnant like this little darling!
The area around Nossob was just covered in flowers!
As the roads dried, it became clear that there were scary things hidden below the water's surface! Were were lucky to never get stuck!
Our little bakkie.
Dishing out leftovers in the dark!
Another suuuuper pregnant mama!
A couple of really unusual sightings! We saw seven snakes during the trip. Mostly Cape Cobra, and we think that this big guy is a Mole Snake. We interrupted it drinking water in the road!
This old fellow got into a huge fight right against the fence at the Mata-mata camp site one evening. He was part of a foursome with two lionesses and a young male. Looks like he was kicked out of the tribe! Here he is - solo - licking his wounds...
The veld was covered in Tsammas - wild watermelons that are a brilliant source of water!
The beautiful waterhole on Marie se Draai - a firm favourite amongst Nossob campers.
This lioness was alone, and seemed intent on hunting the Gemsbok at the waterhole.
Soon, she must have realised that she was being slightly over-enthusiastic, and gave up on the prowl.
These two pics were taken just moments apart as a big cloud moved over us. How incredible is the change of light?!
We treated ourselves to a guided sunset drive! It wasn't the best evening for a night drive -- it was almost full moon, and this actually puts a lot of animals off of their usual activities. Who knew?! More visibility = more risk! More risk of being seen when stalking; more risk of being seen when munching! However, we still had amazing sightings! Our brilliant guide had a vast knowledge of fauna and flora. She pointed out things that we would never have seen otherwise, like interesting vegetation and barking geckos, tucked away in their little hidey-holes... We were lucky enough to see loads of owls, including the elusive Marsh Owl (in the friggen desert!!!); a family of Black-tailed Tree Rats really put on an entertaining show; we spotted a nightjar that we've never seen before; and we had brilliant sightings of Cape Fox (also a first for us!).
These mama and papa ostriches had 24 chicks of varying sizes! We remembered to ask our guide about this, thinking that perhaps ostriches create a nursery like some antelope do, sharing responsibility in rearing them and taking turns to feed. Turns out, ostriches are big, fat criminals - some of these chicks have been kidnapped!!! Why, you ask? Because there is safety in numbers. The more chicks they have, the better chance of their bloodline surviving. Insane, right?!
This gorgeous guy may look pretty peeved right now, but his reaction was actually justified...! His three lady-friends were flirting constantly! But every time he made a move, they swatted him away or growled at him. Finally, he got so frustrated at their coquettish behaviour, he made his feelings known!
During our very last drive, our favourite sighting of the trip: Kori Bustard CHICKS!!!
Alex and our trusty steed!
About a week into our trip, my mom let us know that she dropped by our place to water the house plants. She walked into a dam... A pipe had burst under the floor, and half the cottage was under water! Between her and our landlord, they carried everything out from the study into the little open-plan living room.
By the time we got home, things were chaotic, but under control -- the leak had been fixed; the carpets were all but dry; there was damage, but nothing earth-shattering.
Then we discovered that our fridge had been shut off at the wall. The freezer contents were defrosted! Again, not quite disaster-level: we lost a few pieces of chicken, but everything else was salvageable, and we ate about a month's worth of meat in a week!
And then (yes, there's one more 'then'!), the next day we flooded the other half of the cottage during a spitefully comical laundry-mishap! Or course, as fate would have it -- the half that now housed all our worldly possessions...
We took this pic after Flood #1. Drum kit, packaging materials, camping gear all strewn about; the house smelling faintly like a wet dog that had just had a delightful roll-around in a compost heap; our carefully planned, 'Two Decompression Days After Our Vacation', gone right out the window... But, we had meat in our bellies and the Kalahari in our hearts! If we could face and survive the mud bath there, this was nothing!
We recovered from the floods and things slowly returned to normal... Reluctantly, we washed the designer dust off of our bakkie. You know the type — been back home in the city for about two weeks after a trip to the bush, but the big-boy bakkie has purposefully been left unwashed. Just like designer shoes, this sends a clear message that you’ve been places and done things and it was awesome… Thus, designer dust (vs regular old dust that you can purchase at any Checkers). Anything to hang onto that vacay-feeling!
Of course, in our case, the designer dust was a bit of a head-scratcher... So much dust on such a little bakkie. Clearly, it had a big adventure!
1 comment
Loved….loved the account of your amazing bush experiences…
Congrats on your 10th WA…and love, blessings and best wishes for many, many more exciting, enthusiastic and awesome adventures together for all your followers to read and be entertained by.
You are an amazing couple..
With much love to you both. ❤️