Africa Wild

Forgot:

Urikaruus number 1 was totally bat free and must have been for some time, because you could smell the difference.
Might be because of the extended heat there though and therefore just a temporary feature.

Not sure when the bat houses came up at Twee Rivieren. I saw one behind unit 24, but was told there are three in total.


The roads... Oh my... They gave plenty of people headaches... Heard stories of the diesel truck being stuck before Nossob and there was rationing of fuel again as a result. We ourselves saw a building truck being stuck, also on the way to Nossob. When checking in at Twee on the 17th we were asked if we had a 4x4 or at least high clearance vehicle because that was needed to get to Mata Mata as a truck had gotten stuck there as well a couple of days before.

Sedans were very bad off on the roads and there was talk about quite a number of cars that had to be towed / pushed out. In fact, we came across two of those, but one even was a 4x4. Not sure why that happened really...

On a positive note: We saw graders every day in our second week (not surprising because we spent most of the first week at Grootkolk anyways and you don't get to see them much up there. Have to say that because of the tricky roads, the GK area was pretty quiet car wise even though the park was fully booked It does have its advantages to suffer through corrugations and deep sand )

good news about the Bats at Urikaruus
a bit less about the roads

not the fîrst time that trucks get stuck near Mata Mata
but at Nossob.... never heard

for the bat houses, only one, and why only at TR ?
it seems need many more to avoid them in the chalets

Mel for all these info

A very comprehensive report back Mel!

Well done, Mel! You have brought back a lot of useful practical information on all the camps and roads

Now, when do you start the TT? This time you will not get away without

Have you found it by now, Lis?

Great to get all that feedback Mel. It will be very helpful seeing that we leave in 22 days. The fuel can be a real pain specially when deliveries can not be done and you can't drive that much. No wonder all the Nossob visitors did not venture very far to the north.

Saw a pic of a red small sedan that got stuck at the truck on the way to Mata Mata on FB. It was necessary for two guys to puss and one Landy to tow them out.

Time really flies when you are in KTP. The 15 days passed so quickly and back home behind the computer again. This was one of the hottest weather I've experience in KTP and told my family that I promise not to book in Nov / Dec / Jan again.

Sightings wise was good but less variety of animals spotted.

Polentswa sightings were lions every day at the water hole, brown hyeanas, spotted hyaenas, cheetahs but no leopards. Very few red hartebeest, lots of wildebeest and no kudu. The smaller animals were also avoiding the heat and no badgers, bat-eared foxes or cape foxes up north.

Nossob had the usual dose of lions at the water hole and brownie and Mariese draai, but no other excitement.

Rooiputs area (TR to Melkvlei) delivered the best sightings like two kills by lions at two water holes on the same day, lions at Melkvlei picnic area, 3 cheetah along the road that used a camelthorn tree as a look out only to receive a loud roar from a lion 500 meters away. Also some interesting behavior of a young male lion chasing two gemsbok that became relaxed near the lion kill and started battling each other not noting the lion approaching them.
Also so Cape fox near Rooiputs only on the last day when temp dropped from above 40 deg C to 38 deg C.

At Mata-Mata we had numerous lion sightings and one leopard. Also Cape fox den at 13th and cheetah hunting.

Only rare sightings were two sightings of lone eland at Houmoed and Kij-Gamies and one bat-eared fox.

First sighting was a leopard at Leeudril and last sighting cheetah on kill south of Gemsbokplein.

Great trip with a few disasters like flat tyre 2 km from Rooiputs at 7 pm with no other traffic passing us, problems with the shocks on the caravan and the usual bad roads. Will tell more in a TT as soon as SO has time to process the photos.

BJ!

thank you BJ

I will be there soon... in the heat of January
but better in January, than nothing later

it seems you saw nearly what I would like to see

can't wait