Guest Post: ‘The Kgalagadi – Space, Sand, Silence, Serenity’ by Morkel Erasmus

A name that is certainly not unfamiliar in the natural world, is “The Kalahari”.

Many people, although they haven’t been there, have heard about this strange hinterland where African bushveld merges with Namib desert in a marriage that produces one of the most unique ecosystems in the world. Covering a massive 900,000 square kilometers and spanning across large sections of South Africa, Namibia and Botswana, this magnificent biosphere is home to a surprisingly large variety of life, from small to great and from root to mammal.

The Kalahari is a place of space, sand, silence and serenity. The space envelops you until you realise exactly how small you are in this vast expanse. The silence creeps into your soul and saturates you with a relaxation that is hard to describe. The red sand between your toes is surprisingly cool and makes you feel like you are now really in Africa. And then you experience the serenity…that deep-sighing “aaaahhhhh” feeling…

Now I’m sure many of my non-Southern-African friends are wondering: “What are the options for the intrepid safari-lover when contemplating visiting the Kalahari?” There are a few options indeed. If you’ve been to Botswana, you might be familiar with the Central Kalahari Reserve and places such as the Valley of Desolation, but the part of the Kalahari I want to introduce to you today lies to the Southwest of that famous park. I am talking about the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park.

A legendary park in the sense that it was the first “Peace Park” put in place after the initiation of Nelson Mandela as president of South Africa, and it paved the way for many more like it. Essentially, the old “Kalahari Gemsbok National Park” in South Africa (which was established in 1931) was merged with the “Gemsbok National Park” in Botswana, to form one gigantic wildlife reserve that would reopen and protect the ancient migratory routes of the countless herds of animals that traverse this vast region, chasing the rains and the fresh grass.

Now, for all the “5-star safari purists”, take note that the Kgalagadi is a self-drive destination…which means you will have to do a little more planning than usual. However, it can be a very rewarding experience, as you rarely feel more in touch with Africa than when you are sitting in your tent listening to a lion roaring right outside it! There is something special about finding your own sightings, having to learn how to read the signs of the bush, of the animals, and to read the spoor of a lion made earlier that morning in the dirt of the road…to experience this you need to step out of the comfort zone of a guided safari!

On the Botswana side it gets even rougher – you have to take ALL your supplies (water as well) and rough it out in the bush along 4×4 tracks and sleep in unfenced camps with no electricity where the predators literally come through and sniff on your tent flaps.

Enough ranting – let’s get to introducing you to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park…at least the South African side. The park is situated in the most northwestern corner of South Africa, where Namibia, Botswana and the Northern Cape province of South Africa converge. Now what makes the Kgalagadi such an attractive photographic location is the wide open spaces – if you have a good sighting you can keep it provided the animal doesn’t disappear over the dunes.

The park is basically composed of 2 dry riverbeds (these rivers haven’t flowed in more than 100 years or so), with multiple waterholes set up in the Nossob and Auob riverbeds to help sustain the animals when the rains cease and the long dry season commences.

Let me forewarn you – I am probably going to go against all blogging convention and give you a visual sensory overload today…not because I want to show off as many of my images as possible, but because the Kalahari is one of those places where talking about it alone doesn’t even give you a whiff of what you will experience. Showing you visual images that transport you there – now that will get you considering this destination much faster, will it not?

A major drawing card of this wonderful locale is the amazing photogenic qualities of the landscape. The contrasts of deep blue African sky, bright red sand dunes, yellow and green shrubs and iconic camelthorn acacia trees make for amazing landscape photography and also sublime backgrounds for your wildlife and avian portraits.

To quote the South African National Parks website: “Red sand dunes, sparse vegetation and the dry riverbeds of the Nossob and Auob show antelope and predator species off to spectacualr advantage and provide excellent photographic opportunities. Kgalagadi is also a haven for birders, especially those interested in birds of prey.” Even if you aren’t that avid a photographer, be warned – what’s beautiful to a photographer is just as beautiful to the nature lover who just wants to sit back and take it all in systematically.

As the sun sets in the Kalahari, barking geckoes chirp you into darkness, and in the distance (sometimes VERY close) you will hear the yelping of black-backed jackals and the roaring of lions, and maybe you will even have night-time visitor…in the fenced camps there are usually black-backed jackals and Cape foxes who find a way in to come and scavenge, and in the unfenced camps even lions and leopards visit you while you are sleeping snugly in a tent or wilderness chalet. The climate is what you would expect from a semi-desert.

The summers get unbearable hot during the day, and the night is quite cool. This only changes slightly during winter, when daytime temperatures can still reach the 25 degrees Celcius mark, and the night temperature drops to below freezing point. Luckily most of the rest camps on the South African side have now got crystal- clear swimming pools to assist with the hot daytime temperatures. This see-sawing of extreme temperatures is part of what makes this place so interesting – never a dull moment!

Due to its remote setting it is recommendable to book yourself for a lengthy stay – since you won’t want to leave soon in any case once you have been here. You can find more information such as tariffs, availability, traveling options and so forth on the South African National Parks’ website (link provided below). Do not be put off by the self- catering nature of a trip to the Kgalagadi…half the experience is making your fire under the African stars and putting a juicy piece of meat on the grill to prepare for your evening feast.

There are so many possibilities for photography in this wonderful place. The Kalahari is in fact much more than just the place where the famous black-maned lions roam and where cheetahs chase down springbok in the dry riverbeds.The big cats are plentiful and well exposed, but if you focus only on them, you will frustrate yourself. The Kalahari offers a little bit of everything for your photographic portfolio…small adorable critters like meerkats and mongooses, rare sightings like the brown hyena and honey badger, a plethora of birding, unbelievable sunrise and sunset light and of course BIG skies!

And if you think the daytime skies are endless, wait till you see the covering of the milky way at night. With almost zero light pollution this reserve has a nearly unparalleled vista of the expanse of the universe at night. The only place I have seen MORE stars was at the bottom of the Fish River Canyon in Namibia!

Here are few shots that epitomize these characteristics.

I really hope that my photos, or my descriptions, or a combination of both have inspired and motivated you to make sure the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is next on your hot- spot safari locations to gallivant off to. As you can see – I have really been taken by this place (and I have only gone twice since getting into wildlife photography – although another trip is on the cards already), and I hope some of that has rubbed off on you as you read this today.

Cheers for now!!

Morkel Erasmus

Links:

- Blog: SAFFAscapes (Exploring Southern Africa in HDR)
- Facebook: Morkel Erasmus Photography
- SANPARKS: South African National Parks