Kalahari Beginnings

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It was my first visit to this part of the world. As we stepped out into the open, we were immediately greeted by the intense, dry heat of the Kalahari. Setting up camp beneath what we thought would be a perfectly shady tree quickly proved to be wishful thinking — the Kalahari sun has a way of finding you no matter where you hide.

 

Our first afternoon drive brought early rewards. A small pride of lions walked calmly down the road toward a nearby waterhole to quench their thirst. The following day, we discovered a lioness resting beneath a bush with a tiny cub, no more than four weeks old, seeking relief from the blistering sun. It was a beautiful moment, though photographing her in the harsh midday light was far from easy.

 

As we scanned the horizon, a group of ostriches with very young chicks appeared, moving steadily — and unknowingly — toward the lioness. We watched in tense anticipation as they edged closer. Finally, she noticed them. In an instant she sprang into action. The chase unfolded across the soft, golden dunes. The male ostrich bravely tried to distract her by pretending to be injured, but it was in vain. She remained locked onto her target. In a cloud of dust and chaos, she caught one of the chicks while the others scattered in panic.

 

On our way back to camp later that day, dark clouds gathered on the horizon and soon a massive rainstorm rolled in — the kind we had hoped to witness at this time of year. The Kalahari had already revealed her extremes: blistering heat and dramatic summer storms, both equally spectacular.

 

Over the following days we encountered many of the Kalahari’s iconic residents — cheetah, lion, and even the elusive leopard. One morning we were incredibly fortunate to find not just one leopard, but three: an adult female with her two cubs. We spent the next few days searching for them again, but they remained ghosts of the dunes.

 

Then luck surprised us once more. Early one morning we noticed a car stopped ahead on the road. Expecting another leopard sighting, we were astonished to discover something far rarer — an aardvark. My first ever. We only caught a glimpse as it hurried over a dune in the golden morning light, but the excitement was electric.

 

The following morning, to our disbelief, we saw the aardvark again — this time much closer and in perfect light. Chaos erupted as my friend and fellow wildlife photographer, Armand, and I scrambled for our cameras. The sound of rapid shutters filled the air. Then we decided to take a risk: lowering our shutter speeds to capture motion — a gamble that could either fail completely or produce something special.

 

It paid off. We both walked away smiling, exchanging high fives and sharing that incredible feeling of having witnessed — and captured — something extraordinary.

 

As the days passed, the afternoons grew quieter. The searing heat kept both animals and people still. One particularly hot afternoon we decided to wait patiently at a waterhole near camp. Within minutes Armand suddenly called out, “What is that?”

 

To our astonishment, we watched a Cape cobra killing and eating a puff adder — a rare and brutal spectacle of predator versus predator.

 

My time in the Kalahari eventually came to an end, but it had been an unforgettable first trip — filled with heat, dust, storms, predators, and once-in-a-lifetime sightings. More than anything, it was a journey shared with a good friend, making every challenge and every moment even more meaningful.

 

A remarkable beginning to my Kalahari story.