waterhole – Clancy Abroad

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.

Stopped on the track for a stretch. There is nowhere to pull off

Moreswe Pan to Khankhwe Pan

Another cool morning, about 12C, but by the middle of the day it’s 32C. Real Desert weather. I saw some ostriches on the pan but not much else. I wonder if the diesel powered pump for the waterhole is too erratic for the animals to trust it.

I packed up and got going by 9:30am. It was a 60km drive to Khankhwe, at about 25kmh. I stopped at the Moreswe waterhole, but there was nothing there, not even birds. I headed north passing Elephant droppings on the track quite often, but didn’t see any elephants. I saw a few antelopes along the way, and stopped in a Molose waterhole to see a group of antelope and a sole Cape Buffalo. I saw some other campers at Molose, and stopped to talk to a ranger who was headed south. About 1pm I arrived at Khankhwe Pan. This is the last stop before crossing the CKGR. It is 72km to Bape campsite. Later in the afternoon I jacked up the rear wheel so I could rotate the tailshaft, and I greased the tailshaft.

Khutse 01 to Khutse 03 to Moreswe Pan

My time at Khutse 01 was ending, but I was worried that I didn’t have enough diesel to cross the CKGR. I really didn’t plan for crossing the CKGR. I thought it might be possible, then I gave up the idea. However when I asked the rangers at the Khutse gate they thought it was possible. So I sent a WhatsApp message to the Bigfoot tours guy at the gate about whether I could get some dieel as the nearby village of Kaudwane. He thought I could a couple of days earlier, but when I got to the gate he wasn’t there. The ranger rang him, but he didn’t think he could get the diesel until Sunday, and by then I was meant to be way south of Khutse GR in Moreswe Pan. Reluctantly I decided I would have to drive the 120km back to Letlhagkeng to the service station to get more diesel.

I drove down, passing a couple of ostriches with chicks walking along side the road. I also passed a couple of donkey carts, there are often several on this road. I tried to get some cash out of two ATMs in town but one was broken, and the other one was not giving out cash. I needed cash because the service station could not take my credit card. So I dug out all my cash, about $A180 in Pula, and went to buy as much diesel as I could with my cash. While I was in town, I saw five South African vehicles who were obviously heading to Khutse. They were the first white people I had seen in about ten days.

I headed back north, and stopped at the Khutse gate to refill with water. It was getting late and I knew I would not get to Moreswe that evening. So I headed to where I previously camped Khutse 01 but could it was overtaken by the South African group of 5. I found an empty Khutse campsite Khutse 03 and camped for the night.

Next morning I got away early. I headed eventually west along the cut-line seeing some antelope and ostriches along the way. Then I headed south passing a couple of vehicles camped at Molose pan. After lowering my tyre pressure about 11am I arrived at Moreswe Pan.

It was fairly hot. The temperature at one stage was 37C inside the camper, probably 34C outside. I am camped above the pan, and can look down at the waterhole. Not a lot of animals though, not compared to Khutse pan. Two nights here, then I head north to start crossing the CKGR.

Not a great picture but two ostriches and their chicks

Driving into the setting sun towards Khutse campsites

Startrails at Khutse campsite