An early morning start before the sun rise, we were on our way…. in fact so early 60 km. later the sun was still not up and we had reached the entrance gate… we had to wait for opening time… but the excitement was high and the parks aromas could be detected… what was that smell? Had the sewage pipe burst.?? No it was something I had passed .. pure excitement….
When the sun gave just enough light I snapped the building for memory …
and in we went after all the necessary documentation had been done…… and straight off we started to see what we had come for… animals and birds amid the sand dunes of the Kalahari….
We had only travelled about 20 kilometres and this was going to change all the plans we had made..
The idea was to travel to Nossob and then across to Mata Mata which is on the Namibian border… this would never work out, there was just too much to see and enjoy. We would have to take another road across the sand dunes between the two rivers.
Nossob is on the one dry river in the east of the Kalahari Gemsbok Park that is the division between South Africa and Botswana. There is a huge area in Botswana that is part of the Park, and it is this that makes the Kgalagardi Transfrontier Park, a park double the size of the Kruger National Park….
896 000 km² is the size of the Kgalagardi Transfrontier Park…. we only planned to stay in the Kalahari gemsbok Park… so tomorrow we will continue to Mata Mata…
I will be doing more blogs of only the selected animals, birds and raptors after we have finished the tour… these photos are just a taste of things to came…
SEE YOU TOMORROW ON OUR WAY TO MATA MATA OUR CAMP SITE…
The Photographic Journey of bulldog. 
I just love following your journey, Rob. So many great photos, and great info to go with them. 🙂
Thank you… this is a fascinating area of our country… so barren compared to the rest…
Che foto fantastiche e che meraviglia ci regala la natura!!
Ciao, Pat
Thanks Pat..
count me with Vanessa-Jane: I’m def looking forward to the social weaver post! Those nests are beyond anything I’d ever expect!
You mentioned the park is partially in Botswana and in that regard I have a logistical question: how is entry to the other country handled, if at all? Are there any sorts of passport/travel documents involved or does entry to the park preclude the need for such things? (not sure why I’d even care to know, ha!..it just crossed my mind as I was reading!)
A good question.. entry into Botswana requires doing the passport control as you enter the park, at twee rivers… entry into Namibia is done at Mata Mata where they have a customs post… but it is not that difficult as visa’s are not required for local citizens…
The social weaver post I’ve done in draft form and is nearing its due date for posting… the biggest birds nest in the world… vultures and eagles often build their nests on top of these nests…
awww loved the foxes!
They are so cute…
Really! The Kalahari? I can’t even imagine…but your sharing does help! 🙂 Unbelievable beauty and incredible opportunity to see some amazing wildlife! I’m so impressed!
Oh it is the most wonderful place I have ever visited… not only for the animals but the history and the scenery.. so different from anywhere I’ve ever been…
Amazing wildlife – I have seen a springbok in captivity – so amazing to see them out where they belong.
There are herds of hundreds.. and this time of the year they have all produced their young… to see a hundred odd youngsters all grouped together like kids in a creche.. amazing.. the parents put them together in one spot whilst they feed…
Looking forward to learning more about this part of the world and all the wildlife that call it home. What an amazing adventure this must have been!
Oh it was an adventure that was so enjoyed… made me feel very young again…
Oh my, those sunrise shots are breathtaking. And those wee bat-eared fox with the not so small ears are Soooooo cute!
You’ve heard of the little red riding hood fairy tale… “My what big ears you’ve got”… maybe the fox in that story is this one…
Very plausible theory…
Those foxes are adorable .. never seen them before – big ears. Lovely. So a program not long ago how a cheetah hunts – they don’t have any cooling system in their body .. so if they are not careful and don’t rest … their brain can boil and that means death. For every time they hunt they use you their energy … and that make the brain even warmer and if they don’t get anything to eat .. that’s it for the poor cheetah. Very interesting program. Just adore that animal run. Would love to see one in real life.
The cheetah in the Kalahari Gemsbok Park are fairly successful in that the springbox are numerous as in 100s in herds and they all congregate near the water holes so the cheetah have a good success rate with kills… their only problem is they have to hunt during the day to escape the Lion and Hyena from stealing their catch… nothing like a cheetah at full tilt… fast as lightening…
Saw that in the program too – that she lost her catch .. to lions and hyenas – poor thing she was going for springbox and they can run – her poor brain is red hot .. and still she could catch them. Amazing program … would love to see it again. Two cubs she had to feed too.
Thanks for the tour of this beautiful place…looking forward to seeing more of your journey – Suzanne
Thank you.. so much more to come…
I’d like to know more about those social weaver nests!
I’m going to be doing a post on just the social weaver in the very near future… an interesting bird… can you wait??
Well, patience isn’t one of my strong points, but if I must then I must! I just hope it will be worth the wait…
I can assure you it will be…
Excellent shots!!!
Thank you..
You really saw so much in such a short space of time. Your photos are extraordinary. 🙂
They all seem to congregate at the gate area to greet us…lol
How sweet of them. 🙂
That’s a beautiful entrance to the park.
It really is.. when we exited it was my intention to take a few photos as the sun was at least up… but forgot complete about it…
Wow ~ it is straight out of a dream – or at least a National Geographic documentary.. Stunning bulldog ~ it must have been surreal to be there…. so glad you had this wonderful experience ~ xo Robyn
Thanks Robyn.. this was one of those times when you feel you need to pinch yourself to ensure it’s not a dream… and our Son gave us such a great time and went where ever we wanted to go… a wonderful trip… love to all…
I always feel more educated after reading your posts and seeing your photographs. Thanks!!!!!
Thanks Gina what a nice thing to say…
OMG! This is flippin’ amazing bulldog! The jackal is definitely smiling and the fox family is out of this world cute, these are all incredible shots, nice work!
I will be posting just on them in the future.. dedicated posts to different specie… the bat-eared Fox was a lucky find… thank you..
Oh how exciting this is. Love the photos. Such an incredible place. We just watched the Discovery Channel Africa series segment about the Savannah. The more I see, the more I want to visit your country.
It is a place that should be on every ones bucket list… what do they say..”You haven’t lived till you’ve been to Africa”
all lovely photos..but the building really captured the attention
Thanks…
I’m loving these photos Bulldog! The first one should be framed and up on a wall for sure, and I loved the jackal because I don’t think I have ever seen one before. Your blog always teaches me about wildlife that I have very little knowledge of. Thank you once again :).
It is a pleasure.. glad you’re enjoying… My future post on the jackal has some pretty special photos…
So much to see!
That’s true..
This is fantastic! How lucky you are 🙂
Thank you… great place..