Charles, Gale & myself left Cape Town 30th Dec 2010 at 7am.The journey was long & hot arriving in Upington about 5.30 that evening.Our first night was spent on a farm just outside the town.It rained nearly all night which the days following much cooler.
A visit to this park was new to me.I found it rather bleak with many dead trees in the dry river course.Water is scarce but many people had contruibuted to the sinking of boreholes to provide water to the animals. These were located near to the wide river bed where the water table is most likely to be high.
The main camp Twee Rivieren is the largest camp situated at the main gate.We stayed one night & began our journey though the park early in the morning with overcast skies.A blessing as this is the hottest time of the year.It remained cloudy nearly ever morning usually with a little rain at night thoughout the 7 days in the park.
Charles & I went out in the mornings when it was cooler for 5 - 6 hours looking mainly for raptors although were pleased to see animals mostly Red Haartebeest, Springbok, Wildebeest,cheeter(from a distance)a few giraffe & 3 huge lions.Gale remained in camp as she is not all that keen on a lot of travelling especially on the dreadfully corrugated roads in the park.
Nossob was the next camp.We stayed 3 days. We were lucky & had a corner bungalow.All around us were many ground squirrels & their burrows as well a 2 mongoose.The squirrels were a delight & so tame.Although they were not to be fed, they were by others and myself on biscuits & even crisps that they took from our hands standing against us on their hind legs.
Nossob is a well run camp. The sunrises & sunsets were spectacular I suppose because of the clouds that gathered in the early evenings until morning.Charles went on an early morning walking trail for 4 hours once that he found very interesting & informative.The raptors became more frequent especially the beautiful chanting
goshawk that out numbered the others at about 4 -1.Occasionally we spotted lion spoor but none were sighted in this area until we left Nossob on our way to the next camp Mata Mata.
