giraffe – Clancy Abroad

Nxai Pans south Campsite to Planet Boabab

I got up early and got to the waterhole a bit after 7am. There were lots of ostriches, zebras, a few wildebeests and later an elephant wandered along. There also were lots and lots of birds. They were different birds from the waterholes in CKGR. I thought at first they were milling around but they were not. If I followed individual birds they were flying in getting a drink then flying back to a distant location where there were new birds coming from. They were ring neck doves. Also on the way to the waterhole I saw my second ever wild dog. I tried for a picture, but he was too far away. Then when I was at the waterhole, I was looking away from the waterhole looking at the ring neck doves and I saw another wild dog. I watched him/her for twenty minutes through binoculars. It looked young. It was interesting there were several 4wds looking at the waterhole, while in the opposite direction was one of Africa’s truly rare animals, and no-one noticed.

I went back to the campsite to top up with water. I was speaking to a South African and she said yesterday it got to 39C. I keep looking at Gaberone weather, but of course that’s way south from here. After loading up I tackled the approximately 40km drive down the sandy road back to the highway. Even though I had lowered my tyre pressures, I still had to engage 4wd a couple of times. It took me until about 1pm to get back to the highway. I pumped up my tyres and headed towards Gweta. I got fuel at a new service station out of Gweta. It had an attached supermarket, and would not have looked out of place in Australia. Its a sign of how Botswana is progressing. 5km past Greta I arrived at Planet Boabab. This is a large well run campsite (with rooms as well I believe). Cheap at 130 pula ($A15) . It had power! I have not had power since South Africa 3 weeks ago, its been all solar (especially since I don’t have a working alternator). Great hot showers, nice campsites, and good wifi.

Baines Boababs to Nxai Pans south campsite.

It was a great campsite at Baines BaoBabs. Isolated, You are essentially on an island in the middle of the salt pan.

I headed off around 9am. Saw another vehicle (who was probably from camp 2) at Baines Boababs. Then it was the 14km track back to the north/south track. Then back onto the north track for about 20km to Nxai south pans. Along the road I saw a dozen or so Giraffes , the first ones I had seen since the CKGR. I went to the office to show my paperwork, and found they have a shop. I am really in touristville here. I bought a cold ginger beer. There were elephants wandering around the admin buildings. I drove the 3km to the campsite. I set up, and the afternoons entertainment was having elephants wander past every few minutes. I went to the ablution block that was carefully defended with lots of spikes to keep the elephants out. One elephant just across from me pushed a tree over for it to fall near a another camper. It was non stop elephants.

Later in the afternoon I drove to the water hole where there were more elephants, and ostriches and Cape Buffalo, and springboks. There were about ten other 4wds parked at the waterhole, most of them rental 4wds.

Spikes outside the ablution to protect it from elephants

Elephants eating the local trees. Very unappetizing, just wood.

Bape camp to XaXa camp (or Xaka?)

I knew I had a long way to go, 120km, so I was up at 6am to leave as soon as I could. A few things went wrong but I did get going by 7:30am.

2km up the track I found very fresh Elephant tracks, it looked to me from the previous night. I then did a sharp turn west. I realise that traveling east and west is easier. The dunes which are low and far apart tend to run west east. So when you are heading north you are constantly crossing dunes, which makes it much harder going. When heading west you are running mostly in the interdune space that tends to be less sandy. The track west is somewhat overgrown. You constantly hit bushes either side. I should have pulled my mirrors in, and that mistake cost me one broken mirror on the drivers side. As well I managed to rip off the rear right-hand mudflap. The mudflaps are a running joke, I rip one or both off every trip, I am always fixing them.

I went through a section where elephants had pushed over trees, and generally caused mayhem.

I stopped for a stretch on the track at one time just randomly and in front were Elephant tracks, and at the back I thought there were lion tracks. I was making good time, I spent a lot of time in third gear meaning I was doing 20km and hour or more. 80km in I saw some giraffes on the road ahead. I crept up, and could see two adult giraffes and one baby. They got off the road, but they were happy to watch me while I watched them. I left them to it, with one of the Giraffe I could hear but not see ripping things of trees.

I turned over the road to Xade up to XaXa (which on the park map is called XaKa, but tracks4Africa has XaXa). I went to the solar powered waterhole that was full of vultures, and another flocking bird that I couldn’t identify. The vultures were riding the thermals all over the place. I drove up the sand dunes to the campsite that looks down on the plains.