Tails and Tales from the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

[Morkel Erasmus]

 

Something went horribly wrong with my connection and the message posted multiple times.

 

Here's what I typed actually:

 

I would agree, but I would state it as follows. To experience the Nossob river - book Ta Shebube. To experience the Auob river - book !Xaus.

The two fossil rivers are alike in some ways but different in so many other ways and both make up the Kgalagadi wilderness experience...

I agree, although for me the wilderness camps run by SANParks are the best. (I have pm'd you re cameras) Pen

 

 

they sure are! if you don't mind driving yourself and making your own steak under the stars (which I do but I also have to avoid the Sanparks wilderness camps cause I take my kids and they're both quite younger than 12 which is minimum age for those camps).

 

@@penolva, got your PM but I am slow in responding to those in general, will do so this week before I am off on safari on Friday....

Edited November 17, 2013 by Morkel Erasmus

[penolva]

I must say I admire you and your wife taking your kids with you. Lucky lucky kids

[Tdgraves]

 

@Tdgraves I've been following the progress of the Ta Shebube camps with interest, and have been considering visiting them.

 

Both Rooiputs and Polentswa are now open. Not sure when Union's End is expected to open.

 

 

@@stokeygirl Just discovered that they don't take bookings direct, seems a bit strange.....

[stokeygirl]

@@Tdgraves not really strange- that's pretty normal for Botswana. Wilderness and Kwando don't take direct bookings either.

 

At the end of the day it costs them money to take bookings through tour operators only as they have to pay agents a cut, but I think a lot of places make the decision that that's preferable to dealing directly with clients who might have lots of questions and need lots of assistance. They might not have the resources to deal with that amount of admin. Also, it's tour operators that do a certain amount of marketing of their properties for them. They refer enquiries to tour operators, tour operators send people to them. I think it's called a symbiotic relationship!

[Soukous]

>>Not sure how it works for UK passports - but, for us Indians .......... We can attach additional pages to our passport as and when we run out of pages. It's usually a straight forward and easy task.<<

@@madaboutcheetah if I send you my passport can you stick a few more pages in for me?

 

Top thread Morkel, I particularly like the light that is prevalent in Kgalagadi, really gives your photos impact. Maybe I'll have to give the old Hardbody a roadworthiness test and buy a tent.

Edited November 21, 2013 by Soukous

[madaboutcheetah]

probably not @@Soukous

[Tdgraves]

@@Tdgraves not really strange- that's pretty normal for Botswana. Wilderness and Kwando don't take direct bookings either.

 

At the end of the day it costs them money to take bookings through tour operators only as they have to pay agents a cut, but I think a lot of places make the decision that that's preferable to dealing directly with clients who might have lots of questions and need lots of assistance. They might not have the resources to deal with that amount of admin. Also, it's tour operators that do a certain amount of marketing of their properties for them. They refer enquiries to tour operators, tour operators send people to them. I think it's called a symbiotic relationship!

It makes sense, I suppose i'm just used to rsa where you can book direct

[ice]

and to be able to have both options (booking directly and booking through a TA) is a huge advantage ZA has over Botswana

[Tdgraves]

 

 

@Tdgraves I've been following the progress of the Ta Shebube camps with interest, and have been considering visiting them.

 

Both Rooiputs and Polentswa are now open. Not sure when Union's End is expected to open.

 

 

@@stokeygirl Just discovered that they don't take bookings direct, seems a bit strange.....

 

 

@@stokeygirl and anyone else who is interested

 

Just booked 9 nights in the Kruger instead. Ta Shebube didn't respond to a direct email or a web enquiry from their site. Lots of to-ing and frowing via an agent and their 20% late booking discount has mysteriously been discontinued (after only trading for a few months.....) it all started to leave a bitter taste and the vague sense of being ripped off! So we have spent the money on a 5D mark iii instead!!!

 

PS they have also apparently abandoned their single supplement - so that'd be good for you

[Tom Kellie]

~ @@Morkel Erasmus:

 

What a moment to capture — and with such striking visual fidelity.

That image constitutes a nature photographer's fantasy of an ideal raptor image.

The clarity, composition, colors, sharpness, and luminosity all blend to give the image a powerful impact.

Top, top, top photography!

My admiration for your craftsmanship and sophisticated aesthetic sense increases with each viewing.

Thank you for posting this.

Tom K.