Khutse Game Reserve: Botswana

Two days of packing over! We are ready for the off!

We are off!

I am excited! Delana & I are embarking on a three month camping trip around Botswana & Namibia. We left Pretoria & drove to Groot Marico where we stayed the night in Kevin & Ronell's house. Went to the local pub for a meal, & saw the ending of England versus Australia in the Cricket World Cup. England won & are through to the final! Fantastic!

Early the next day we were on our way to Khutse Game Reserve, the southern most part of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve in Botswana. This is a pretty remote area, one has to take everything in, including drinking water & firewood for our five night stay. Khutse is a little visited park, so we are expecting remoteness & being largely on our own. The landscape consists of rolling grass plains, acacia trees, & apple leaf scrubs around salt pans & ancient river beds.

Khutse Game Reserve

Khutse is a 25,000 hectare game reserve

 on San tribal lands.

We are staying at Khutse Pan Campsite for the entire five days. This means no packing & setting up camp each day. It is also convenient for exploring both the northern & southern parts of the park. The campsite also overlooks a permanent waterhole on the pan.

Our camp.

Crossing the border was no problem, but it is a long 460 km drive. The last 100 kms on a dusty sand track. Arrived at Khutse Camp 8 a little late, but lots to do in setting up camp. We enjoyed a nice evening meal prepared by Delana with the back ground noise of Black backed Jackals calling. Late at night at least one Lion called. Nice & snug in the tent but bitterly cold outside.

Khutse waterhole, close to our camp.

Wide open spaces here & very few visitors.

Red Hartebeest

Black backed Jackal

Bat eared Fox

Just a record shot!

Southern Ground Squirrel

A pair of Pale Chanting Goshawks took umbridge

 with a Tawny Eagle.

Quite a fracas!

Booted Eagle

Double banded Courser

We had a late start to 13th July as still lots to do in camp to get things up & running perfectly. We left camp at 10.15 am & drove slowly north towards Khwankwe Camp & then further north to do the pan loop. It took around six hours to do this circuit as we traveled very slow but we saw a good variety of birds & although game was scarce, it was interesting.

Mammals:

Blue Wildebeest 2; Red Hartebeest 1; Gemsbok 1; Steenbok 2; Springbok 250; Black backed Jackal 2; Bat eared Fox 3 & Southern Ground Squirrel 15.

Best birds:

Ostrich 1; Secretarybird 1; Lappet faced Vulture 2; Tawny Eagle 2, Booted Eagle 1; Bateleur 2; Gabar Goshawk 1; Pale chanting Goshawk 3; Kori Bustard 5; Northern Black Korhan 12; Double banded Courser 2; Grey backed Sparrow lark 80+; Fawn coloured Lark 10; Red capped Lark 2; Desert Cisticola 15; Black chested Prinia 6; Southern Pied Babbler 8;

Springbok

This Elephant died of natural causes.

Kori Bustard

Northern Black Korhaan

Red billed Spurfowl

Fawn coloured Lark

Lion spoor

Drinking at Molose

Elephant

Groundscraper Thrush

Violet eared Waxbill

We were up in the cold & dark on 14th July & left camp at 6.20 am. Drove to Molose via the cut off line. Lion spoor on the road close to Molose. Plenty of Elephants at Molose waterhole. Then drove a little further south to Moresewe Pan, which turned out to be dry & eventually to Mabuakolobe Pan (which was also dry).

Mammals:

Elephant 53; Steenbok 2; Springbok 12; Yellow Mongoose 1; CARACAL 1!

Best birds:

Kurrichane Buttonquail 2; Red necked Falcon 1; Red crested Korhan 2; Burchell's Sandgrouse 4 & Yellow Canary 2.

Water is very scarce here.

Gemsbok

Black backed Jackal

Immature Bateleur

Coming down to drink at the waterhole.

Southern Ant-eating Chat

Gabar Goshawk

Pale Chanting Goshawk

Crimson breasted Boubou

Southern Pied Babbler

Marico Flycatcher

Scaly feathered Finch

Delana photographing me!

Up before dawn on 15th July, drove north again towards Mahurushele & the various loops around Khwankwe Pan. It was an excellent drive with a good variety of mammals & birds.

Raising a glass of bubbles to my late wife Carol,

on the sixth anniversary of her death.

Camping Delana style!

Springbok

Gemsbok

Kudu

Southern Ground Squirrel

Northern Black Korhaan

The display is quite extraordinary.

Glossy Starling

Chestnut vented Tit-babbler

Distant Vultures feeding on dumped dead Ostriches.

Afternoon drive to Khutse Gate to get water. Lots of vultures on dead Ostriches which had been transported here, but died on route. Spent some time at the Khutse waterhole before returning to camp.

Mammals:

Red Hartebeest 1; Gemsbok 5; Blue Wildebeest 1; Kudu 2; Springbok 50; Scrub Hare 1; Black backed Jackal 1; Steenbok 1; Southern Ground Squirrel 35.

Bateleur

Black backed Jackal looks on.

Kudu

Northern Black Korhaan

Female

Kalahari Scrub Robin

Southern Ant-eating Chat

Left camp around 7 am on 16th July & drove the short distance to Khutse waterhole then drove towards the gate & did a route around the back of Khutse Pan. It was a nice scenic route we returned to camp at 11 am & spent several hours there.

This is the life!

One has a wonderful view of the bush

 & pan from here.

Sunset.

Female 
Northern Black Korhaan

Lappet faced Vulture

White backed Vulture

Bateleur

Immature Pale Chanting Goshawk

Marabou Stork

Orange River Francolin

Burchell's Starling

Cape Glossy Starling

Chat Flycatcher

In the afternoon we returned to the waterhole before going to Khutse Viewpoint for sun downers.

Mammals:

Blue Wildebeest 2; Gemsbok 1; Springbok 80; Black backed Jackal 2; Kudu 1; Southern Ground Squirrel 10 & Steenbok 1.

Best birds:

Orange River Francolin 4; Marabou Stork 1; Lappet faced Vulture 6; White backed Vulture 14 & Brown Snake Eagle 1.