So after 3 days into our journey we reached The Kgalagadi. You can see Part 1 of my photo essay here.
Kgalagadi Sunset
We spent 8 nights in the Park, and the game viewing was spectacular. Highlights included 7 separate lion sightings, one which was just after a kill.
Lionesses on the prowl
We also had 4 separate Cheetah sightings, one with a mother teaching 3 juveniles to hunt. They sent a herd of Springbok scattering in every direction but in the end didn’t get their meal.
Mata Mata Cheetah
Other game included Giraffe, Wildebeest, loads of Jackal, Springbok and Gemsbok, African Wild Cat, Bat Eared foxes, a Small-spotted Genet and on one lucky evening even the elusive Honey Badger.
Wildebeest at dawn
Giraffe on the red dunes
Local residents at all camps
The birdlife was incredible too – the highlights for me being 4 different types of Eagle (Martial Eagle, Bateleur, Black Breasted Snake Eagle, and plenty Tawny Eagles). Also special were the 2 Giant Eagle Owls we spotted sleeping in trees during the day.
Lilac Breasted Roller
Juvenile Gabar Goshawk – pre take-off
I had a lot of fun with my new Canon 650D and 75 -300 mm lens but to be honest, for serious wildlife (and especially avian) photography, the equipment you need is out of my league. Which is why I prefer landscape photography, something the Kgalagadi is definitely under-rated for. The gnarly thorntrees, sparse plains and red dunes are something very special.
Kgalagadi Thorntree
Mata Mata campsite
One of the other highlights for me (which is also why I love Afikaburn so much) is to get totally out of range of all cell phone masts and internet connectivity – not something that is easy to achieve these days. If there was one niggle, it was the amount of AWB type characters the park attracts, but, hey, I went for the animals not the people.
Coming up next – Part 3 of my trip. (it’s HERE!) Back to my new addiction of HDR landscape photography.
The prowl