Southern Africa 2006 - 2026
Welcome to our Southern Africa photo collection
Over the last years we we have made numerous trips through Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa. We have always been drawn to the combination of the vast, semi-desert landscapes and the wildlife that lives there. These pages are intended to provide an impression of the wildlife and the rugged scenery we encountered during our travels.
Our main focus is the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, located on the border between South Africa and Botswana in the heart of the Kalahari Desert. The park is a significant conservation achievement; officially established as a transfrontier park in 2000, it brought together the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park (South Africa) and the Kgalagadi National Park (Botswana). This agreement allows for the management of the ecosystem as a single unit, enabling animals to move freely across the international border. It is a landscape of red sand dunes and wide horizons, where life has adapted to survive in a challenging environment.
The word Kgalagadi means dry land, or waterless place in the Setswana language, reflecting the arid beauty of this ancient wilderness.
Covering about 38.000 square kilometers (about 15.000 square miles; a fraction smaller than the Netherlands), the park is situatied in the southern Kalahari Desert at a height of about 900 meters (3.000 feet) above sea
level.
The dry Auob and Nossob rivers dominate the park. These ancient riverbeds are lifelines for the region, supporting trees like the majestic camel thorn, providing food and shelter to animals that roam the area. The Auob river (named bitter water in Setswana) originates near Windhoek in Namibia and joins the Nossob River (Nossob means dark clay) just north of the village of Twee Rivieren, the camp headquarters. Together, these two rivers form silent desert highways for wildlife, even if their waters are more myth than reality most of the time.
The survival of life here depends heavily on these camel thorn trees. Their deep root systems allow them to reach moisture far below the surface, and their pods provide a critical food source for species ranging from gemsbok to smaller rodents. In a landscape where water is scarce, these trees act as anchors for the entire ecosystem, creating small pockets of shade and nutrition that allow life to persist through the harshest droughts.
One of our favorite spots in the Kgalagadi is the Cubitje Quap waterhole, located in the Nossob riverbed. It is a reliable place to stop and observe animal activity. The name Cubitje Quap comes from the Khoi-San name for this area, |Khupugi |hoab, which translates to 'Stony flats of the anteaters' (known in Afrikaans as Erdvarkgat). We chose this name for our website to reflect our connection to this specific part of the park—a landscape that remains the ancestral home of the San people.
Among our favourite places in the Kgalagadi is Cubitje Quap waterhole in the Nossob river bed. It is a good place to stop and wait to see what will happen at the waterhole.
Cubitje Quap is the name the Khoi-San gave to this elusive spot. In the San language |Khupugi |hoab means: Stony flats of the anteaters;
it is translated to Afrikaans as Erdvarkgat or, in English, Antbearhole.
San heritage furthermore tells: This |hoab is quite large and was used by anteaters. The small rounded stones found in the |hoab are often swallowed by
ostriches for digestion.
We chose this name for our website to reflect our connection to this specific part of the park—a landscape that remains the ancestral home of the San people
This region has been inhabited for much longer than the modern borders of the park have existed. For thousands of years, the San people have moved through these lands, following the seasonal availability of water and food. Their deep knowledge of the flora and fauna, and their ability to read the subtle signs of the desert, is an integral part of the cultural history of the Kgalagadi.
The character of the park changes significantly with the seasons. During the dry months, the landscape is dusty and the vegetation is sparse, highlighting the toughness of the species here. However, when the summer rains finally arrive (if they arrive), the desert transforms; the dry riverbeds can briefly hold water, and the plains turn green, known as The Green Kalahari, triggering a period of intense activity and newborn wildlife. Our collection reflects these different periods, capturing both the stillness of the drought and the sudden life brought by the rain.
We wanted to bring the harsh but beautiful Kgalagadi to the web under the name of this popular waterhole just north of Nossob camp... a place to experience the fascinating homeland of the San people.
Explore our gallery, organized in thematic sessions for easy browsing:
In the paragraph Flora and Fauna you discover the incredible diversity of life in Southern Africa:
- Birds in Focus raptors like the impressive Martial Eagle, waterbirds like the Great White Pelikan or the colorful Lilac-breasted roler
- Mammals in Focus shows the big predators like lion, leopard and cheetah, but also browsers and grazers like the elegant gemsbok and of course South Africa's national symbol Springbok. You will also see rodents like the special Elephant shrew.
- Other fauna in Focus focuses on the world of reptiles, amphibians and insects.
- Fauna observations captures animal behaviors not commonly rarely — hunting, mating, feeding — offering a glimpse into the daily lives of these creatures adapted to survival in one of Earth’s most extreme environments.
Beautiful images don't tell a special story, we just picked some nice images to give you an impression of what we experienced every time we travelled around.
Finally, References give some useful information about the region; Dagboeken or Diaries in English is our day-by-day story of our trips. The actual journals are in Dutch and on a protected page.
Photography in this region requires a great deal of patience. Much of our work involves sitting quietly near waterholes or along riverbeds, waiting for the right moment when the light hits the dunes or a predator emerges from the shade. We do not aim to capture only the dramatic moments, but rather the quiet, everyday reality of the desert—the way the heat shimmers over the sand and the subtle movements of smaller creatures in the undergrowth.
Enjoy the images and tell us what you find!
Yovka & Ger
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