World Image issue 30 March 2016_1

A recommended add on to a tour is to include the
Aughrabies falls. This would require an additional
two days with an overnight at the falls. The
Aughrabies accommodation is very good, there is a
restaurant, bar and shop.
The Unicorn is said to have originated from the
Oryx of Arabia, in sub Saharan Africa this is the
Gemsbok, adapted for desert conditions and able to
survive for months without water by obtaining
moisture from plants.
The Kalahari has two main ecozones; the “dune veld
–semi desert” of the South and the “Kalahari plains
thorn veld” in the North. In the winter months night
temperatures can be as low as -11 degrees C and up
to 42degrees C in the summer.
The Southern area has two ancient rivers, the
Nossob and the Auob, these seldom flow. There is
under ground water in the river beds which feeds the
many waterholes.
Gemsbok weigh up to 240 kgs. Its muzzle contains a
network of vessels that cool blood by the moisture
of its nasal passages; this protects a part of the brain
from lethally high desert temperatures.
The main tourist camp for the Southern area of the
Kalahari is Twee Rivieren. This has air conditioned
self catering accommodation lodges. There is a
swimming pool, restaurant, bar and shop.
The harsh land with little grass and hardy thorn
trees, supports a surprising number and variety of
life forms; animals, birds, reptiles and insects.
Herds of Gemsbok, springbok, wildebeest and
hartebeest roam the sunlit plains and provide food
for lion, cheetah, leopard, hyena and many other
small animals all competing and struggling for
survival.
Sociable weaver’s nests. Many hundreds of these
birds build communally for protection against
weather and predators.
These small weavers build the largest tree nests in
the world, the sheer weight can cause branches to
break and large trees to collapse.
The cooperation between these birds has reached a
level seldom seen in the wild. A variety of other
birds; raptors, geese and owls use the roof as a
platform for their own nests.
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