Botswana, October 2010 - Mabuasehube area of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

We crossed the border into Botswana at the McCarthy's Rest crossing and spent a couple of nights at Berrybush Farm (S25 56.796 E22 25.646) so that we could buy provisions and get some cash in the nearby village of Tshabong.

Our boma at Berrybush Farm.

Driving into Tshabong we saw this group of camels - we've no idea what they were doing there...

I'd booked 4 nights in the Mabuasehube area of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. We spent the first 2 nights at campsite 4 (S24 58.886 E22 00.015) overlooking Mabuasehube Pan. We could see the waterhole in the distance but as it was over 1/2km away we used our telescope to watch birds and a few animals go down to the waterhole. During the day there we didn't see many animals on the pan but as it cooled down groups of springbok and bemsbok made their way across to the waterhole.

We were very glad that their was an A frame shelter provided as it got very hot during the day.

In the afternoon the wind picked up and dust devils blew across the pan.

There was a family of ground squirrels living around the campsite and they kept us amused throughout the day.

We heard lions during the night and in the early morning they sounded quite close to us but we didn't manage to see them.

Our campsite had a shower and basin which had an overflow and this proved to be very popular with birds and small animals.

I watched this mongoose for 1/2 hour as it had a drink and then wandered around under the bushes before having a rest in one of the ground squirrels' holes.

A waxbill which was able to get some water from the tap.

Bees visiting the overflow during the morning.

Sunset over Mabuasehube Pan.

A tortoise which crossed the road ahead of us.

We saw several groups of springbok with calves.

After a couple of days we moved to a site overlooking Mpathutwa Pan which also has a waterhole. I'd hoped to be able to stay at campsite 1 which overlooks the waterhole but we had to be content with campsite 2 (S25 03.969 E21 58.831) - on the far side of the pan in this photo.

It was, once again, very hot during the day (upper 30s) so we stayed at our camp and then drove down to the waterhole in the late afternoon.

There were a couple of lions that we could just see near some bushes about 100m from the waterhole so we sat and waited and hoped for some action!

There was a group of springbok out on the pan and a single wildebeest who gradually made his way down towards the water.  When the wildebeest was about half way between the lions and the waterhole both lions sat up and then stood up but they immediately spooked the wildebeest who galloped off a couple of hundred metres.  The lions lay down again so we carried on watching.  We saw several jackal around, sometimes coming down for a quick drink.  About half an hour later one of the springbok made its way down towards the water and this emboldened the wildebeest to try again!  The lions ignored the springbok which got all the way to the water before turning around and retreating however this didn’t put off the wildebeest which carefully made it all the way to the waterhole and started drinking.  At this point both lions got up and started walking slowly towards the wildebeest but not crouching down or standing still so soon the wildebeest noticed them and was off again.  We could now clearly see both lions, one female and one male.  The male just had the start of a mane so was probably only about 18 months old so the other was probably a sibling which explained their poor hunting skills!!

One of the lions just after they had spotted the wildebeest

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The lion is just to the left of the green bush. A few seconds later the lions spooked the wildebeest

Another beautiful Kalahari sunset.

We were at the waterhole again before 6am and after 1/2 hour watching lots of doves arriving we were lucky enough to see a cheetah come down to drink.

Some of the hundred od doves at the waterhole.

Sprinbok at the waterhole.

We spent another quiet day at our campsite, keeping out of the sun. Later we went and had a shower at campsite 1 and chatted to Dean and Riane who had been there for a few days with their young daughter Robyn.

In the late afternoon we spent an hour or so at the waterhole but there wasn’t much to see apart from some springbok, jackal and birds.  On our way back to camp, as we were passing camp 1, Dean waved us down and beckoned us over.  He then said that there was a lioness with a couple of cubs nearby so we followed him to his trailer tent.  Just in front of their site, not more than 5m from the edge of their ground sheet were the 2 young cubs, they looked so cute!  At first I couldn’t see the lioness but then she appeared through the bushes heading straight for the camp.  We all tried to freeze into the background of the trailer tent and surrounding shade netting.  She then turned and walked around the left side of the camp and then lay down about 15m away.  The cubs wandered off after her but then seemed to be intrigued by the camp and headed towards us again.  By this time we were all behind the shade netting so felt safe as long as the cubs didn’t get too close and luckily they stopped a few metres away

.  It was just amazing to be able to stand there and watch them when they were so close.  The lioness must have known that we were there but is perhaps used to people at the camp.  After a while mum got up and wandered off towards the shower where she drank from the sink overflow.  The cubs soon joined her and then, a little later, they walked along the track and out of sight.  What an wonderful experience, we were so lucky that we happened to be passing the campsite at that moment, five minutes earlier there would have been no lions in sight and 5 minutes later and it would have been too dangerous for Dean to leave his site and call us over. 

Unfortunately I didn't manage to get any decent photos as I didn't want to use my flash.

The lioness with her 2 cubs.

Next morning we were at the waterhole just after 6am.  Around 6.15 the doves started arriving and, as yesterday, congregated on the ground and bushes around the waterhole until 1 brave soul went to drink and then the rest all joined in!  No sign of the cheetah today, in fact fewer animals than we’ve seen before but just as we were getting ready to move on we spotted a brown hyena trotting across the pan towards us.  This is the first time we’ve seen one of these – they are much rarer than the spotted hyenas – and it looked more like a shaggy dog.  It appeared to be bypassing the waterhole but then changed direction and went back to have a good long drink.

1. Mabuasehube area of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park.

2. Masetleng Pan in the Kaa Concession.

3. Central Kalahari Game Reserve.

4. Moremi Game Reserve.

5. Savuti area of Chobe National Park.

6. Chobe National Park - Riverfront.

Diary (Word '97 document).

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