Mane spotting: Choose wildlife with a roarsome South African adventure

WHEN it comes to travel must-dos, a South African safari is top of the list, so I was delighted to travel to the sunny continent recently and go on my first game drive.

In fact, I enjoyed several safaris during my tour of the Northern Cape – by day, at sunrise, at sunset, and at night.

After a long journey from Glasgow-Heathrow-Johannesburg-Upington in the Northern Cape, I really felt like I was in a far-flung country.

The less-travelled-to Northern Cape is home to the Kalahari Desert, which is bordered by Botswana and Namibia, and is a remote part of the world where wildlife thrives in its arid landscape and hot days/cold nights.

Climbing aboard the open-air safari vehicle in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is both exciting and nerve-racking.

You want to sit at an outside seat to get the best photographs, but then, you don’t – in case the jeep is attacked and the animals get to you first!

In the safari world, the Big Five are the ones most travellers want to bag – lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and Cape buffalo.

The Kalahari is home to two, lions and leopards.

However, do not be disappointed by this, because there are so many more amazing animals to look out for – ones you will never have seen before – and whilst sightings are not guaranteed, there is a near-100% chance you will see most of them.

Our first wildlife experience actually happened as we dined at Upington’s Bi Lo Restaurant en-route to Molopo Kalahari Lodge.

Far in the distance we spotted a springbok, an antelope synonymous with South Africa (it’s the logo and nickname for the national rugby team).

Excitedly, we jumped out of our seats to photograph this beautiful beast, as several more appeared.

Turns out springboks are as common as deer in Scotland, and we saw scores more of the creatures on our trip.

The Northern Cape is home to six national parks – including the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and Augrabies Falls National Park where I visited – as well as five provincial nature reserves, two of the longest rivers in South Africa and three deserts.

I was surprised to see so much vegetation growing in the harsh conditions.

I learned the Kalahari Desert is semi-arid as there is seasonal rainfall – and we discovered this firsthand in the open vehicle!

I was ill-prepared and got drenched sitting at the front during the torrential downpour, but my khakis dried off in the desert sunshine within minutes.

That evening we were back out on the plains – wearing warmer clothes – for the night drive.

Our guide Kallie sat perched on the spotter’s seat above the jeep’s bonnet.

A night drive is a must, but it is a heart-in-the-mouth experience as you venture into the darkness, unaware of the animals that could be surrounding the vehicle!

On our final morning in the Kalahari, we met at 6am and ventured out over the dunes from Xaus Lodge on the safari vehicle.

It was a cold, one-hour dawn drive, as the temperature dropped to 10C overnight (a big difference to the 38C daytime heat).

Looking out to the east, the sun crept up over the horizon as we continued the bumpy ride.

Then, as the sun was rising, one of my fellow passengers shouted: “Lion! Lion!” and through the peephole in my tightly-tied hood, I spied the most amazing sight…a lion and lioness sharing a breakfast feast (a freshly-killed oryx).

Our driver John cut the engine, and we sat in awe, watching the lions eating their prey in the shade of a tree just 10 metres away.

Cameras snapped away as “Oohs” and “Aahs’ filtered through the vehicle.

It was thrilling to watch this wildlife documentary playing out live before our very eyes.

Moments later, a second lioness appeared from behind the tree.

She stretched and crept closer towards us.

At this point, John restarted the engine as a precaution.

We couldn’t believe we had seen not one, but three lions.

Then, John spotted a black-maned lion walking up the road ahead.

He passed us, unfazed by our presence…. followed by a second black-maned lion, his brother, we were informed.

Everyone has different animals on their must-see list, mine was the lion, but I really wanted to see a meerkat, too!

Well, I was in luck as, a few feet away, two little meerkats were posing, in their trademark hind-leg stand (this is how they warm their bellies, as well as keeping lookout) staring straight down my camera lens!

For a safari experience like no other, head to South Africa and discover its relatively-undiscovered Northern Cape for yourself.

Facts

Flights with British Airways, Glasgow to Heathrow,
from £84 return. britishairways.com

Flights with South African Airways, London Heathrow/Johannesburg/Upington return (Airlink) £978.01 flysaa.com

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park sanparks.org/parks/kgalagadi/ Park entry fees start from £20 (adult)

Augrabies Falls National Parksanparks.org/parks/augrabies/ Park entry fees start from £11 (adult)

For Kalahari River & Safari experience, see their website at kalahaririverandsafari.co.za/activities

A half-day river rafting experience is £24, with lunch £3.85.