Mata-Mata| Witsand Nature Reserve - Experience the Kalahari Like Never Before

Mata-Mata to Witsand Nature Reserve At Cheleka just south of Nossob we found a male lion that had some better days. He did not move at all, so we decided to let him be and continued over the upper Dune road towards Mata Mata The upper dune road connects the Auob and Nossob riverbed. The road has always been very corrugated, but that doesn’t make it undrivable. Just keep a decent speed and keep to the left of the road as the road was build crossing over a lot of dunes. This will avoid any oncoming traffic. And remember, this is still in the park, so a lot of wildlife can still be seen on this road. Our drive to mata mata was quiet, but we saw a lot of giraffe. It is something that we always like to see in the Kalahari. That evening we spent most of our time at the hide. Even though not a lot of animals came to drink, for us it is still one of the main attractions and things to do at Mata Mata Bee-eaters have uniquely adapted to the harsh environment of the Kalahari. Be careful, because they live on the side of the road in little holes. Our favorite campsites at mata mata is without a doubt campsite 22 and 23 which is right up against the fence and if your setup was done right you will have some shade for certain parts of the day Mata mata is also a border post crossing into Namibia. At reception you will find a very well put together information area about raptors – something we really enjoy. There is a shop where you can find some basic goods as well as a fuel station. There are clothing lines to dry your clothes right next to the ablution facilities and scullery. Mata Mata has a tiny pool, which does get crowded at times, but it is a fun area catching up with other overlanders and to hear what they have seen during their trip One down side of Mata Mata is that there is only one road where you can do gamedrives. There are some loops to waterholes, but driving back on the main stretches, you will almost certainly be driving in someone else’s dust. But the sunsets makes up for it to a degree Continuing on our gamedrive we found some more lazy cats. One male lion and not far from him, a lazy cheetah As we left we had numerous roadblocks of Kalahari Cats, trying to stop us. After a quick breakfast stop at Kamqua we had a quiet drive down to TweeRivieren. Less than a kilometer from camp we saw a leopard that disappeared over the dunes in the direction of the camp waterhole that can be seen from the hide The tweerivieren hide is not very well known, but we always make time to spend here in the evenings, and it almost always pays off We had one last full day in the park, and the Kgalagadi tried by all means to make us stay longer. After a quick stop at melkvlei, we continued towards the Auob river bed via the lower dune road. At one of the waterholes we were lucky enough to see something we don’t often see in the Kgalagadi, even though it was just a quick glimpse, it was more exciting than the lions we saw earlier that morning In the Auob Riverbed of the Kgalagadi transfrontier park, Auchterlonie picnic site and museum offer a glimpe into the harch yet fascinating history of the early settlers in this arid wilderness. The museum is a stone dweilling that has been restored. It was once a working farmhouse in the early 1900’s, and it stands as a testament to the resilience of those who lived here. The museum showcases artifacts and insights into the challenges faced by the early farmers and rangers In this unforgiving environment. Today, it serves as a picnic site for visitors to the Kgalagadi, and it also offers breathtaking views of the Auob Riverbed We have been visiting Witsand since I can remember as a little kid. It has always been a favorite of ours, even if just used as a stopover. They offer a wide range of accommodation, including Chalets, bungalows and campsites. Here you will find impressive dunes better known as the roaring sands of the Kalahari. They also offer a 4x4 course into the dunes, but on this trip it was only us, and more than one vehicle is required to do the trail. One of the first things we do when arriving at the campsite, is to jump in the freezing swimming pool. Witsand provides excellent facilities and a wide range of nature-based activities, including gamedrives, dune surfing, hiking and mountain biking, Witsand is an ideal family friendly destination. Please check out the brand we trust; ‪@OppositeLockAfrica‬ ‪@DeGraafexhausts‬ ‪@TaklaZa‬ ‪@conquerortv1945‬ Equipment used: Nikon D500 - www.ormsdirect.co.za/nikon-d500-dslr-body Nikkor 200-500 - www.ormsdirect.co.za/nikon-af-s-200-500mm-f5-6e-ed-vr-lens Nikkor 14 - 24 - www.ormsdirect.co.za/nikon-af-s-nikkor-14-24mm-f-2-8g-ed-lens Nikkor 18 - 140 - www.ormsdirect.co.za/nikon-af-s-18-140mm-f-3-5-5-6-g-ed-vr-dx-lens Rode Videomic GO2 - www.ormsdirect.co.za/rode-videomic-go-ii Music from; Epidemic Sound - www.epidemicsound.com/ Artlist.io - https://artlist.io/Martin-2428674