March 2012 - Karoo National Park - The West Coast with Francois Rossouw's Radio Sonder Grense - Klein Pella - The Kalagadi

We decided to do the West Coast Tour with Francois Rossouw of Radio Sonder Grense and the other bits fitted around that tour.

Francois' tour started at the Paternoster Hotel and there was some debate as to how we should get there. There were a number of options and eventually we decided on going south to the Karoo National Park at Beaufort West. We spent two days there looking at the scenery and not seeing the lions that have been introduced there. Then we headed south and on to Pater Noster where we met the main group. Here we met some old friends and saw many new faces as well. This is a leisurely 4x4 trip with lots of seafood ahead. Muisboskerm and Bosduifklip at Lamberts Bay are old haunts that we looked forward to going to again. There was also dune driving - first at Lamberts Bay and then near Kleinzee. Fortunately I had laryngitis and the group was totally spared from my caustic comments.

We parted at Port Nolloth and headed East again to Klein Pella where we camped for the first time on this trip. On the way the air-conditioner failed and we discovered why the vehicle had been overheating.

The second time we camped was at Spitskop just north of Upington where we stopped so we could have the air-conditioner looked at. Sakkie du Preez from the Toyota garage in Upington was extremely helpful. It is because of people like him that South Africans swear by Toyotas. The air conditioner was beyond repair - this was slightly unfortunate as that Cruiser gets hot and we were off to the Kalagadi.

With front windows open wide we drove off to Twee Rivieren where the Kalagadi part of our trip started. The first comment I must make is that the roads were in better condition than I can remember. There were corrugations in parts but long stretches on the Nossob Valley were really smooth. (I realise that conditions can change quite quickly.) From Twee Rivieren we went to Kalahari Tented Camp, Gharagab Wilderness Camp, Nossob, back to Gharagab, Nossob where we camped for two nights, Bitterpan Wilderness Camp, Kalahari Tented Camp and back to Twee Rivieren.

Almost all of this trip was arranged so we would not be camping. This made it into a luxury holiday for us. We saw lions, cheetah and a leopard together with quite a lot of other game. A few memorable bits were when a male lion settled right under our window at the Kalahari Tented Camp and we spent the whole day just watching it eat a wildebeest calf. The night we were camping at Nossob when I decided to visit the toilets using a tiny, teeny, little red headlight - and there was a lion roaring in the direction I was walking. I feel that I was extremely brave because I reached the toilet and did not just wee where I was. The second time we were at the Kalahari Tented Camp and a jackal woke me (it is worth mentioning that I woke - Sylvia by now had caught my laryngitis and I was recovering) - I went outside and shone my torch around - first on the jackal - then saw the lion. I came in and squeaked to Sylvia (laryngitis) that there was a lion outside. We both went out to look around and I spotted a spotted hyaena. I shone the torch (not spotlight) on it and it came straight for us so we decided to go back inside when it came close. (This was a quick maneuver by us.)

When at Bitterpan we met some people and the next day when I asked how they slept the woman informed me that the small beds were a problem. After a few seconds I realsied she was talking about the small bats that flew around at night.

At Twee Rivieren at least two mosquitoes attacked me - they were really small but contained significant samples of my blood - as I discovered when I swatted them.

We drove home in one day and it took from 6:30am till 7:30pm - the hateful detour on the N14 made me head for Zeerust and then take the Rustenburg highway.

The pictures are held on Picasa at https://picasaweb.google.com/SiggyBishop/WestCoastMarch2012?authkey=Gv1sRgCMCtrc7kjdS84gE and by clicking on that link you can choose to see smaller thumbnails or enlarge the pictures.

The route we drove - it was a long way. In all we drove just over six thousand five hundred kilometers.

Male lion near Nossob with D200.

What I thought was a female lion but Sue Naumann was extremely helpful when I passed her this picture to point out that the sex of the lion is not only determined by the mane. She informed me that she was brought up around a farm. Also D200

From here all the pictures were taken with a Coolpix P500

Pufadder on the tar road. In some circumstances they can be very difficult to see.

The only boat in the harbour at Lamberts Bay.

Sylvia recovering a vehicle stuck on a ridge in the dunes.

Another vehicle stuck on the dune ridge.

Spinning wheels leading to a stop.

Us in a dangerous position -

Us being extricated from the aforementioned position. The third time we have ever used our winch.

In Afghanistan they had statues somewhat like this.

The owners of Die Houthoop are big into signs.

Unusual halfmens at Die Houthoop.

Artefacts in the desert from an earlier time. Pottery and a milstone in the centre.

Arrangement of flotsam at Noep. They are renovating the divers huts but we think that some of the ambiance that they had will be lost.

The Piratiny - A Brazilian steamer that ran aground in 1943 due to bad weather.

This is the main road - after rains it can be nice to have a vehicle with high ground clearance.

The pump station on the Orange River - a landmark that will be recognised by everyone who has been there.

A favourite tent of mine - and we used our First Ascent Dream Deluxe mattresses for the first time on this trip. They were lovely.

Eckart and Sue Naumann - Eckart was in the pool at twee Rivieren and he recognised us from the Land Cruiser Club.

The leopard which we were thrilled to see.

The same leopard snapped through the front window.

Our male lion enjoying his wildebeest that he took from the two females that caught it.

Kalahari Tented Camp.

The other younger male lion - far away on the Aob River bed - his size increased dramatically during the night a few days later.

A "tent" at Kalahari Tented Camp - with the dry river bed below on the right where the springbok often came to graze.

Riaan and Maralize Vlok

Lined up Cruisers at Nossob.

The waterhole at Gharagab.

Ranger's hut at Gharagab. The lion had come by the night before and we were looking at the spoor.

Lions at Gharagab at the waterhole as seen from our Log Cabin.

White Stork - with ring.

Sunrise at Bitterpan.

Cape Crow.

Sunrise at Nossob.

Jackal on a Giraffe that was killed about a month before.

The lion - referred to above.