Day 7 (May 14) Kalahari to Karoo
Despite the long distance involved, I thoroughly enjoyed our journey to Kimberley. The roads were well maintained and almost deserted making driving the pleasure it apparently once was in the UK.
Wildlife seen included a roadside Vervet Monkey near Groblershoop, various mongooses and the usual birds of prey. An overflowing dam near our destination produced Sacred Ibis, Black-winged Stilts and Red-knobbed Coot.
We reached Kimberley late afternoon and found Marrick Safari without any trouble.
Nestled in 3000 hectares of unspoilt savannah, Marrick was originally a dairy and sheep farm. It is now a game reserve catering for a diverse range of outdoor activities including horse riding and hiking. Over the last couple of years the property has also developed a reputation among the mammal watching community as a reliable place to see elusive and sought after nocturnal species such as Aardvark and Aardwolf.
Trevor Datnow is the owner of Marrick and he personally showed us to our luxurious accommodation in the main farmhouse. After a quick shower, we were treated to a home cooked dinner before meeting our guide for the night drive. Previous reports had suggested that it gets very cold in the Karoo at night so we were sure to wear plenty of layers. In fact we resembled teletubbies as we waddled outside to find a tidy Ford F150 pickup complete with two rows of raised seats in the load bed.
As expected, the Marrick Safari night drive was a professional affair utilising both a driver and a separate guide who manned the spotlight. As we left the farmyard our guide illuminated a dry pan in front of the homestead immediately picking up Spotted Dikkop (Thick-knee) among the geese and chickens. A Scrub Hare was also huddled down in the grass giving me my first mammal tick of the evening.
Moments later we were bouncing down a grassy track that led deep into the savannah and it wasn’t long before our dedicated guide started picking up eyeshine. Steenboks and Scrub Hares were pretty common, as were Springhares which were easy to tell by there distinctive bouncing motion. Next came a couple of showy Barn Owls, followed by various introduced game such as Springbok, Impala, Kudu and Waterbuck. While the guide pointed out the various antelope, I was pleased to note that he concentrated on finding the smaller wildlife that we had come to Marrick to see.
Like Kgalagadi, the Kimberley region had recently experienced higher than usual rainfall resulting in long grass that made wildlife viewing more difficult. When our guide picked up an interesting mammal in some particularly high grass I initially struggled to pick anything up in my binoculars. With perseverance I eventually enjoyed brief views of an Aardwolf – one of my most wanted creatures of the holiday.
We continued the drive, zigzagging across the grassland and into the heart of the game area. A Spotted Eagle Owl watched from a fence post as we briefly stopped for refreshments, while unidentified bats hunted the insects in the trucks headlights. Carrying on our search for nocturnal wildlife our guide soon spotted carnivore eyeshine in the long grass. Frustratingly I only managed the briefest of views but I was certain I had seen a small cat. With Black-footed Cat a real possibility I wanted a better view and our guide did his best to keep the light on the animal. After what seem like an eternity the cat gave itself up but alas it was an African Wildcat. Still extremely happy with this species, we spent several minutes watching the animal as it slowly moved closer to investigate us!
Three hours of spotlighting wasn’t enough time to find an Aardvark but we returned to farmyard satisfied with our haul nonetheless. The rocky outcrop near the house provided one last treat in the form of a Hewitt's Red Rock Rabbit, before we thanked our guides and headed to our comfy bed.
Day 8 (May 15) Relaxation... well almost!
Breakfast at Marrick was absolutely delicious and an excellent start to our day of relaxation. Sarah and I then took a leisurely stroll in the grassland surrounding the homestead, accompanied at times by the friendly farm dogs.
Although cold enough for the locals to be wearing woolly hats, by English standards the temperature was warm enough for T-shirts and shorts. Ambling around the property gave us sightings of many of the local birds such as Rock Kestrel, Black-faced Waxbill, Violet-eared Waxbill, African Hoopoe...
Karoo Scrub Robin and Fiscal Flycatcher.
An unexpected White-backed Vulture soared overhead as I searched the rocky outcrop in vain for basking Rock Elephant Shrews. The dam on the entrance road produced a skittish Marsh Terrapin, along with a pair of Cape Teal and a solitary Three-banded Plover.
Back in the pasture the temperature began to climb and the wildlife became less active. Sarah spotted a Yellow Mongoose hunting around the horse stables, while good numbers of mice darted across our path and into tunnels before I had chance to identify them. A nearby Kalahari Scrub Robin posed long enough for a quick photo.
We enjoyed an alfresco lunch in the cottage garden before taking a short drive into Kimberley for a spot of exploration. The rest of the afternoon was spent mooching around the Marrick property and preparing ourselves for our second night drive.
After a scrumptious dinner we met our guides outside the farmhouse a little after sunset. Fresh Aardvark diggings had been spotted earlier in the day so we left the farm in good spirits. Tracing our route from the previous evening the usual animals were out in force. Cape Hare was also spotted and we found a new wild antelope in the form of Common Duiker. More of a surprise was the noisy party of Helmeted Guineafowl we flushed from a nearby tree and the single Double-banded Courser we found nestled in a tyre track.
It was clear that the guides were putting all their effort into finding us an Aardvark and we spent over three hours meticulously driving around the savannah examining every square metre with the spotlight beam. Sadly we didn’t find our quarry despite the obvious skill and dedication of the Marrick guides. Perhaps the exceptionally long grass hindered our search or possibly we should have blamed the full moon. At least we gave it a damn good try and that’s all that really matters in the unreliable world of wildlife watching!
Aardvark is reliable at Marrick and so is Cape Porcupine. To miss them both was a little deflating but at least I had seen Wildcat and Aardwolf the previous evening. The supporting cast was also pretty spectacular and with this in mind I went to bed very happy and extremely satisfied with the Marrick Safari experience.
Day 9 (May 16) More Karoo adventures
We could happily have spent the rest of our holiday at Marrick Safari but we managed to drag ourselves away early enough for a leisurely drive to our next destination. The journey to the Karoo National park went smoothly enough although at one point I was stopped by the police and asked to produce all my driving documents. The obligatory stop by law enforcement is pretty much routine on all my holidays and we always make sure we have all paperwork handy in the glove box. Once the officer realised we were tourists he chatted politely for several minutes before waving us on.
Northern Black Korhaan and Rock Hyrax punctuated the drive south and a small flock of Speckled Rock Pigeon were new for the list. Otherwise the wildlife watching was quiet until we reached the Karoo National Park near Beaufort West late afternoon.
The Karoo National Park contrasts Kgalagadi in many ways. Firstly the former is considerably smaller and far less remote. It lacks the wilderness feel of Kgalagadi and the facilities are much plusher as one might expect. Until recently it was possible to leave the vehicle in all parts of the Karoo National Park but since the reintroduction of Black Rhino and Lion strict rules dictate that you remain in the car except in designated areas.
The park is still a fabulous place to visit and before long Sarah and I had explored our luxurious accommodation before embarking on an afternoon game drive. We only had an hour or so before curfew so we elected to drive part of the Potlekkertjie Loop. It wasn’t long before we came across a small party of Kudu.
We had seen some distant Kudu on our drive into the park but this was the first time we were able to study this majestic beast in any detail.
Further down the road we came across a heard of handsome Cape Mountain Zebra – an animal that very nearly became extinct in the 1930s.
The Karoo birds were also becoming more active and we were treated to cracking views of many local specialities including Rufous-eared Warbler...
and Karoo Korhaan.
All too quickly we ran out of time. Returning to the camp we passed Red-faced Mousebird (below), Red Hartebeest and Springbok, while a small stream held a single Three-banded Plover.
We dined in the restaurant which served a wide selection of decent food before returning to the cottage where I sat down to watch my only television of the holiday. After only five minutes I was back on the patio with a cold beer listening to the sounds of Black-backed Jackals as they called someway off in the distance. A much closer Springbok was picked up with my spotlight.
Day 10 (May 17) Mythical Klipspringers
I was up at the crack of dawn and spent an hour in the bird hide before breakfast. Since the reintroduction of Lions into the park, a series elaborate fences and gates have been built around the various picnic areas and other facilities that are dotted around. It was quite novel entering an old, rickety hide through a spring-loaded iron gate and a long mesh tunnel.
The hide overlooks a small pond surrounded by reeds and I didn’t really expect to see much. A pair of African Black Ducks were a nice surprise as was the Cape River frog I spotted swimming in the water directly below the blind. More usual wildlife included Pied Starling, Common Moorhen, African Red-eyed Bulbul, Cape Wagtail and Karoo Prinia.
After a hearty breakfast in the restaurant (included in the room price), Sarah and I wasted little time in gathering up our equipment and heading out to explore the park. We made a beeline up the mountain in search of the Klipspringer – a small antelope that is so common here that they named the road Klipspringer pass.
A cold wind had me reaching for a fleece as I unsuccessfully scanned the various rocky slopes in search of my quarry. Working our way up the mountain we finally reached a dead end where the road was closed for repair. Suddenly I spotted movement on top of a cliff and I quickly grabbed my binoculars for a better look. Instead of Klipspringer I had brief views of a troop of Chacma Baboons as they disappeared over a ridge and out of sight.
A slow drive back down the mountain failed to produce anything but a small party of White-backed Mousebirds and the odd Mountain Wheatear.
Retracing our route from the previous evening we soon came across a herd of Burchell’s Zebra. A more common and widespread species than the Cape Mountain Zebra, the Karoo population of Burchelli’s is noteworthy because they form part of the Quagga Project. By selecting individual zebras that show characteristics of Quagga, it is hoped that crossbreeding over generations will eventual produce animals which look and behave like the extinct subspecies of Burchelli’s Zebra.
The next couple of hours were spent leisurely driving around the park spotting various birds and mammals. The usual game such as Kudu, Gemsbok, Springbok and Red Hartebeest were well represented, while birding highlights included Peregrine Falcon and our first Bokmakierie.
An afternoon snack in the Doornhoek picnic site was livened up by a cheeky group of Vervet Monkeys.
New birds for the day included Southern Double-collared Sunbird, Chestnut -vented Tit-babbler and Pririt Batis.
We ended the afternoon with a drive around the Lammertjleegte trail where the star bird was undoubtedly a Rufous-chested Sparrowhawk.
Throughout the day the temperature remained low which perhaps explains the lack of reptile sightings.
Returning to the cottage to freshen up we lucked upon a Vlei Rat which was a totally unexpected bonus to our mammal tally. We then headed to the restaurant for a quick dinner before meeting our guides for a pre-booked night drive.
In keeping with the rest of the park, the whole night drive experience was extremely well polished. The booking process was easy, the vehicle was a smart Land Rover and the guide was charismatic and confident. A minimum of four people are required to make to drive financially viable, but as nobody else had booked we ended up paying double. At least we had the vehicle to ourselves.
The guide whet our appetites by informing us we were going in search of Caracal, Aardvark and Aardwolf. Unfortunately (and perhaps as expected) the trip was geared towards the general tourist and we wasted far too much time observing common game animals that could easily be seen in the daylight. Invariably the guide would find an animal, ask us if we knew what it was, then act surprised that we could identify a common antelope, ostrich or zebra. He would then provide an interesting fact about said animal before moving on.
Cape Hare, Common Duiker and Spotted Eagle Owl were the only truly nocturnal wildlife we saw before returning to camp a tad disappointed. I couldn’t help but wonder what we might have seen had we used the Marrick Safari guides instead!
Day 11 (May 18) Cape Town bound
With only a couple of hours left in the Karoo National Park before the long drive to Cape Town, I decided we better dedicate this time to finding a Klipspringer. A pre breakfast drive up the mountain had me stopping the car and scanning every couple of minutes with only a single Kudu for our trouble. After some food we repeated the exercise, only this time I scrutinised every single rock and shrub trying my best to turn them into ungulates. For a second I thought I had struck gold when a small antelope sprung out of the scrub and crossed the road in front of our vehicle. Alas it was a young Steenbok.
It was noticeably warmer than the day before and already we seemed to be seeing more wildlife as a result. Despite failing miserably to find a Klipspringer, we were compensated somewhat by a pair of Ground Woodpeckers which were spotted from the viewpoint near the top of the mountain.
In addition Small Grey Mongoose was seen near the stream crossing...
together with the Three-banded Plover and our only Red-billed Firefinches of the holiday.
Plenty of other birds and mammals were added to the day list as we headed for the park exit, including White-necked Raven and a rather smart roadside Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk. Unfortunately the warm weather had brought out a juvenile Puff Adder which we found freshly squashed, most likely by the car in front!
So with the familiar mixture of sadness, excitement and anticipation we left the Karoo and headed to Cape Town for our final segment of the holiday.