Kronenhof Lodge

 

The Kronenhof Lodge

The view.

We drove just over 130 kms north along a scenic gravel road to Kronenhof Lodge,which is around 10 kms down a dirt track away from the road. We arrived on 16th March for a three night stay. The lodge is very nice indeed & is perched half way up a small hillside giving panoramic views of this desolate area. The farm is around 9,000 hectares with an adjoining farm of another 10,000 hectares,which we didn't visit. 

They had internet connection so we both spent quite a lot of time on our computers. Me trying to get my blog up to date (an impossible task) & Delana with work. So we probably didn't do this area justice. It is a rather bleak area at the northern edge of the Tiras Mountains (which are much smaller here than further south).

As Delana stated this was one of the best campsites that we have stayed at. If not the best. It made staying here an absolute pleasure.

Some of the more rocky terrain was quite challenging to drive. The open plains were easy to traverse & there were several areas of sand dunes which were the home of the Dune Lark. The area we saw this species in was quite small & isolated & it makes one wonder how this species found this very specialised habitat.

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Giraffe

These desert adapted Giraffes are very hardy 

& thrive in this harsh environment.

Kalahari Scrub Robin

Dune Lark singing.

This species is very habitat restricted, 

needing well vegetated red sand dunes.

Lappet-faced Vultures. 

Notice the wing-tagged bird on the left.

White-backed Vulture

Gemsbok looking on.

Black-backed Jackal

On leaving the lodge, we came across eleven Lappet-faced & three White-backed Vultures just sitting on a bare patch of desert next to the road. There appeared to be no kill, but both a Gemsbok & Black-backed Jackal looked on. Very strange, perhaps we just didn't see the kill? Quite a few Lappet-faced Vultures have been yellow wing-tagged by the Namibian Conservation Department. We couldn't see any number on the tag, but we will inform them of our sighting & where the bird was.

We really enjoyed our stay here although we didn't see many birds or animals. The highlight being the sighting of Dune Lark. However, what made the place so special was the superb campsite & the hospitality of the lodge manager. They we very helpful & informative about the area & the food wasn't bad either! An excellent few days was enjoyed by the both of us.