We experienced quite a few surprises during our 8-day stay in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, which includes land in South Africa and Botswana plus borders Namibia. We were very happy to return to this park because it had been 9 years since our previous visit.

My, What Big Ears You Have!

First sightings are always exciting for us and we checked bat-eared foxes off our animal list. We were quite surprised to see these fun, primarily nocturnal critters two different afternoons as they searched for food. Their large ears, about 13 centimeters long, enable them to hear insects underground so that they know where to forage. They typically walk along with their head near the ground and then stop occasionally to carefully listen while turning their head with one ear pointed toward the dirt.  Their favorite food is termites, but also eat ants, beetles, crickets, moths, scorpions, spiders, seeds, and fruit to maintain their average weight of 3 to 5 kilograms.

Speckled Cats

We watched cheetahs almost every day of our visit in Kgalagadi! The professional photographer who stayed in the neighboring cottage at Twee Rivieren Rest Camp told us to be on the lookout for these beautiful cats. Fortunately for us, cheetahs are day hunters and during our autumn visit we often saw the felines in family groups of two or three, typically a mom with her one or two “teenage” (15 to 24-month old) offspring. 

During our third morning in the park we saw a group of cars stopped on the Nossob Road in both directions and we knew that could only mean one thing – cats! We soon found two pairs of ears just above the ridge line and we waited. Over the next 30 minutes we watched them alternate between keenly watching antelope nearby and almost napping. The name cheetah comes from the Hindi word chita, which means speckled. And we discovered just how well their coats provide camouflage in the tall, dry grass when a third cheetah face unexpectedly appeared in front of us.  The mom and her almost-full-grown cubs never did chase down their next meal while we waited. But the group of 20 or so springbok just on the other side of the road became quite agitated and moved further away when the cheetahs walked across the sand in front of our car. 

Resting in the Shade

Even in the late fall, afternoons at the park can be quite warm. So, we knew we should look for cheetahs under or in trees at that time of day. We were not expecting to see this pair walking down the road and then lay down almost beside us for a short rest in the shade. 

Looking for the King

Like most park visitors, we really wanted to see a lion. We had seen several lions during our prior visit to KTP and we figured that we would have at least a bit of success with finding the majestic felines as long as we did our part, such as drive park roads in the very early mornings and/or just before sunset, identify plus follow lion tracks in the sand along the roadsides, and look for yellow ears amidst the tall, dry grass. We saw lion footprints three different times, but never the cats that made them. But, finally we hit the jackpot! Our mid-morning sighting of a male lion was completely unexpected and just plain lucky. The drowsy cat popped his head up as we drove along the Auob Road and then a few minutes later his black mane disappeared from view as he continued his rest very near the road.

Slithering in the Sand

The one member of our family who especially loves snakes was not with us during this park visit. But we still documented our four sightings of the patterned reptiles as they crossed the sandy roads on warm, sunny afternoons. Fortunately none of the snakes had been run over.

Entertained by the Little Ones

Observing meerkat pups play and adults carry out their sentry duties is always a treat for us.

Curious Creatures

On two of our late afternoon drives we watched several very curious yellow mongeese try to figure out if our car was a friend or foe. Their initial brave front didn’t last long.

Such Big, Velvety Ears

This steenbok, standing about 1 meter tall, was more cooperative than most little antelope. It posed for a full 15 seconds before zigzagging off through the grass that was taller than him in many places. 

Not All Fun & Games

One feisty jackal came just a bit too close for a young red hartebeest’s comfort level.  The lone carnivore probably wasn’t looking for its next meal, but rather wanting to have a bit of fun.

Passenger Risks

We have gone to quite a few African game parks and most of the rest camp gates are operated and/or supervised by park employees. So we were surprised to see and understand the implications of the sign on the Twee Rivieren gate that separated the rest camp from the game viewing area.