into Namibia

We had an early start and quite a long drive to get out of the Central Kalahari Park. We drove to the border, where because we had no Namibian $ two of the group had to go through the border into Namibia to get $ in order to pay the fee for the cars back at the border. We had lunch and set off again. We made it to Gobabis in good time but had not realised that our destination was 'near Gobabis' which meant a further 97km on a road that was under construction and very rough going! 

We stayed at Harness which is an animal sanctuary with a lodge and campsite. There are over 200 animals including lions, leopards and cheetah. The larger animals are semi-wild and let loose amongst the impala and buffalo to catch their dinner but kept in large pens the rest of the time. The younger animals provided an opportunity for the kids to to get up close. The site was a bit of a culture shock after being in the silence of Kalahari for three days and we spent time discussing animals in captivity with the children. 

The next morning we shared our breakfast with an over-tame ostrich! 

all alone

On our third day in the Kalahari although we saw two other cars we felt quite along, our campsite was very remote. The gps co-ordinates were wrong (again) so we followed the signs and after a long drive off the main tracks we found our campsite. We had a lovely afternoon camping as the way out was quite rough and we had seen quite a bit of wildlife on the way in.

The ostriches were beautiful and we saw lots of giraffes.

kalahari day 2

We have seen lots of oryx, bit fed up of them now. For our second day in the Kalahari we had a leisurely start and on the journey to the next campsite we saw lions. One strolled past the car, stopped under a tree while another walked along to join the first and they both wandered off. It was amazing. There are about 300 lions in the central Kalahari (about 52,800 km square) so to see two is quite something. As we've done most of the driving later morning or mid afternoon we decided to do an evening and early morning game drive. In the evening we all piled into one vehicle and found a lovely spot for sundowners and saw giraffe, and wilderbeast but no leopards.

The following morning the alarm failed so it wasn't quite such an early start but we did see aardwolves and more giraffe. This was followed by a big fry up back at camp. 

kalahari

We are now well into our trip. We have had no internet connection until now in Swakopmund. 

From Jo'burg we drove to Gaberone and stayed at a sanctuary called Mokoldi, where we came across kudu, impala, giraffe and ostrich. We had two nights at this campsite which gave us time to stock up on food for nine people for 4 days. The campsite was luxurious with running water and a hot shower – heated with a fire below the tank! The two tents on the car work well, the upper tent is just a mattress under canvas and is accessed through the other tent or up a ladder over the bonnet. The other tent has fold down mattresses which sit on top of storage cupboards and the tent has fold out sides. This tent is not quite as waterproof so we were supplied with an awning. On our second night we discussed putting the awning up but decided not to. We then spent the evening watching lightening all around us and then directly above us. It was a dramatic storm, and although we have seen African storms before this was huge! The doc decided to join the girls in the tent above in case the storm woke them, in fact they slept through the whole thing! The other tent leaked and we ended up with a lot of damp bedding! We have since perfected putting up the awning after the tent is up so we will be better prepared! 

Harnass and into the Kalahari

From Gaberone we drove to a rhino sanctuary called Harnas. We saw lots of wildlife and rhino including the elusive black rhino. Following our game drive we turned the corner to find our travelling companions and enjoyed an evening comparing travellers tales. 

From there we set off for the Kalahari. The final shop and fuel stop took a long time, as we added extra water and cans of diesel to prepare for any eventuality. 

We arrived at the gate and set off to find the campsite. The sites are all numbered and have to be booked in advance, their location moves regularly. We were provided with about 3 different gps references, which was confusing and frustrating. In fact the signs along the dusty tracks proved the most accurate! Our first campsite was quite a long drive and we arrived tired and dusty. The Kalahari is huge and the animals hard to spot, despite this we saw lots of oryx, impala, springbok, ostrich and secretary birds. Each campsite is quite small with a fire pit (it's a myth that a fire burning keeps lions away) a pit toilet and a shower area (not much used as you need your own water!). This first site had spectacular views and on waking on our first morning the doc and I saw giraffes from our roof top tent. 

cold

Today was spent feeling slightly chilly in Jo'burg. We have packed for hot so the clothes options for cooler weather are limited. 

 

We caught up with a cousin of my mum's who I have met just once before and enjoyed a coffee. We had quite a long shopping list and managed some before feeling quite overwhelmed with people and choices. The shopping centre wasn't very busy but we found it hard to decide which shop to go into.

 

Our home for the next 4 weeks arrived today. It's amazing! It's a Land Rover with a tent on top of the cab and then behind that is a camper van, the sides open up and a roof pops out and we have seats, a kitchen, a shower (attachment) and beds. The girls will sleep in the higher tent and we will be behind but with just a couple of zips for access. There are lots of spaces for putting stuff and already we're not sure where the batteries or my cardigan are! We had a quick demo and tomorrow night we put it up for the first time .... 

Day one

The blog should now be re-named "the Kalahari, 3 docs, 4 kids and a friend"

I should introduce our travelling companions, who we will meet up with in a few days: 2 more docs, of the academic sort (micro-biology and medical anthropology), their sister and two kids.

Our first day involved an extraordinarily early start to Blantyre airport. Normally to get the 13.30 flight to Jo'burg we arrive at the airport at 11.30 and have time for a drink on the waving deck. Rumours of passengers being bumped and the lack of Air Malawi flights made us all panic so we arrived at 9am, before the desk had even opened. This was followed by a very long wait, the waving deck was closed and the flight was delayed!

The flight went smoothly and the doc has booked a very lovely hotel, I fear that the standards of accommodation will not match this for sometime.