"Safari", Lionesses Everywhere!

Chapter 19: Natural Colour Play

After the heartwarming events at the "Roadhouse Canyon", we headed back to our lion’s den at the "Mount Canyon Guestfarm". Along the way we spotted a few springboks and then...
... rain!

Yes, it rained! But unfortunately only a few dozen drops or so. Just enough to clean the windscreen again. But nowhere near enough to turn the parched ground into anything resembling a muddier consistency.

At the next junction with the C12, I was allowed to add another warning sign to my collection.

No! Not that one! Is that supposed to be another innuendo?! I meant the other sign with the kudu on it!

Now that’s more like it!
Where was I? Ah yes.

So, we were on our way back to our lion’s den, following the C12 once again as far as "Chamaites" at the railway crossing. From this direction, the entrance to the "Mount Canyon Guestfarm" was really impossible to miss.

The approach through the wilderness and the three gates almost felt like a little game drive. Alongside lots of birds, which often flew a short distance ahead of us, we also spotted a group of oryx some way off in the bush.

We spent the rest of the afternoon in our refuge, enjoying refreshing drinks and showers, followed by an extended energy-saving phase – in other words, dozing and resting. Meanwhile, more photos were transferred from the phone to an external SSD for safekeeping.

We had ordered dinner for 17:30 today, as yesterday’s timing with the sunset had turned out to be a little too tight after all. This also had the advantage that we could make our way to the farmhouse on silent paws, taking the opportunity to spot a few little things along the way.

Under the watchful eye of the guard goose, we reached the farmhouse just in time before the approaching rain shower arrived.

The food was once again excellent that evening, prepared exclusively for us. There were various salads, sweet potatoes and, for the main course, oryx goulash with rice. Mmmm... simply delicious! =^.^=

After our thoroughly enjoyable dinner, we even had a little time to take a look around the garden and pool before the next approaching rain cloud chased us back into our lion’s den. But for a rainbow as beautiful as that, I’m more than happy to put up with a few drops of water!

Once again, we enjoyed the colourful spectacle of the sunset and evening twilight in complete peace and solitude on the lookout platform above our den, while isolated rain showers and a thunderstorm swept across the distant landscape.

What a purrrrrrrrfect day!

Chapter 20: Hidden Games and Professional Hiding
(Monday, 16.03.2026)

The nice thing about having your own secluded lion’s den is that you can purr away all night without disturbing anyone else. At least, I assume I purred all night, because my Private Travel Guide and I were both as fit as a playful lion cub the next morning.

Alongside tidying up, packing and loading the car, we also welcomed the first rays of sunshine that morning from our lookout platform.

Since today was another short driving day and shopping day, we had ordered breakfast for 8:30. And just like the day before, Rozelle once again treated us like royalty. When we asked why they didn’t offer any secluded campsites farther out in the canyons, she explained that the house and the campsites along the road in "Chamaites" belonged to her mother. And of course, they didn’t want to compete with each other within the family. She also told us that her mother made an excellent apple pie without raisins, which we absolutely had to try out.

After a lovely farewell to Rozelle and Abraham, we set off at around 9:30, with the taste of apple pie already in our mouths, and headed straight for Rozelle’s mother Meisie’s shop.

Alongside secluded campsites with their own shower, toilet and braai area, there also seemed to be white, igloo-like accommodation here?

As we only wanted to quickly pick up the apple pie, I stayed in the car. However, the outdoor area was decorated with such a wonderful sense of humour that my Private Chauffeur simply couldn’t resist taking a few original photos.

Besides the apple pie to go, my Private Chauffeur also stocked up on more drinks and bought some cushion covers as souvenirs to take home. And although he had spent considerably more money than originally planned, he came back with quite a cheerful grin on his face.

Safari: "What have you been up to this time?"

Private Chauffeur: "I showed Rozelle’s mother the photos of your hunt in the Dead Vlei. What can I say? She is one of your most devoted Believers!"

Safari: "Oh, that makes me very happy! And how did you resolve the situation? Did you show her another photo of me?"

Private Chauffeur: "No, I didn’t. I told her that she should definitely call her daughter Rozelle at the lodge if she wanted to know all the details."

Safari: "Well, that could make for a very interesting phone call! I’d just love to be a fly on the wall!"

The subsequent drive to Keetmanshoop was actually rather uneventful. Apart from the encounter with "Puffi". But that fits much better into a later, considerably more bloodthirsty chapter of our journey.

In Keetmanshoop, we first headed for an ATM and then Superspar to stock up on more supplies and meat for the braai over the next two days. And, as always, we were immediately recognised as wealthy tourists and promptly approached for handouts. Out of pity and as a thank-you for keeping an eye on our camper, my Private Chauffeur brought the old lady outside Superspar a bread roll and two Landjäger sausages. But the two boys at the Puma petrol station, who just came running towards us with their arms stretched out, had to deal with a serious counter-question from my Private Chauffeur. It was Monday, after all, so he asked them why they were there instead of at school! Even the petrol station attendant thought that this question was a good one!

After the human hustle and bustle in Keetmanshoop, we headed back out into the vast wilderness. Our next point of interest was a visit to the famous Quiver Tree Forest on the grounds of "Farm Gariganus". But we weren’t here just for the quiver trees. There was also the "Giants Playground" to see. And on top of that, we had also read that there were cheetahs kept in an enclosure here. Apparently, though, you have to be lucky enough to be there at feeding time to see them.
Once we arrived at the farm, we followed the instructions on the signs and parked our car in front of the farm house. In the office, after paying the entrance fee to Mrs Nolte, we were given a little sheet with some information about the trees, as well as a few self-explanatory rules. And then, quite officially and all by ourselves, we were allowed to drive the 400 m to the Quiver Tree Forest.
That afternoon, there was only one other vehicle in the car park besides ours. So we practically had the whole forest to ourselves.

The Quiver Tree Forest is enclosed by a wire-mesh fence and has two entrances or exits. So getting lost here should be rather difficult.

At first, we followed a little trail and assumed there would probably be some kind of circular route. But as the trail disappeared after just a few big-cat bounds, we decided to make our own way through the trees.

To be honest, as a lioness, I’m not particularly interested in plants and trees. So, after the obligatory Quiver Tree Safari photo, I decided to pursue my own entertainment instead.

Safari: "Well, I’m off then. Bye!"

Safari pads off between the trees

Private Photographer: "What? Where? Safari!"

---

Erm... yes, I suppose I now have to report about my experiences in the Quiver Tree Forest all by myself from here on – without Safari.

The Quiver Tree isn’t actually a tree, but a plant. You can tell that quite quickly from its "leaves", which look remarkably similar to those of an aloe plant.

The plant’s botanical name is therefore "Aloe Dichotoma".

(Photo 1)

The tree, or rather the plant, can grow up to 9 m tall and develop a trunk up to one metre in diameter.

(Photo 2)

The Quiver Tree usually grows on rocky ground. That is why it does not develop deep roots, as its roots can cling to the rocks in the ground.

(Photo 3)

A Quiver Tree can live for up to 300 years and is not susceptible to frost.

(Photo 4)

The Quiver Tree Forest on "Farm Gariganus" is a naturally grown forest and was declared a national monument in 1955.

(Photo 5)

Apart from that... somehow, I had the feeling the whole time... that I was being watched...

---

Safari: "Man! You would have been such easy prey!"

Private Photographer: "Whaa! Where did you come from?"

Safari: "I was never far away. Let me see your photos."

*Safari looks at the pictures shown above*

Safari: "Yup. Apart from the first treetop photo, I’m actually visible in every single one of your photos."

Private Photographer: "What??? Let me see!"

*Private Photographer now takes a closer look at the pictures shown above*

Private Photographer: "Okay. The first picture is easy. The second... ah, there! The third photo... where on earth are you?"

Apart from the first treetop photo, I had actually managed to sneak into every single one of his pictures! And without him noticing! We also sent some of the photos digitally back home to his relatives. His aunt and sister in particular had great fun trying to find me in the pictures. :)

So, my dear readers. I, the first Namib Desert Lion Queen of Sossusvlei and Sesriem, hereby challenge you! Up to which photo can you spot me?

I hope you have lots of fun searching!

Yours, Safari =^.^=

Chapter 21: Lion’s Playground

On the way back to the car park at the Quiver Tree Forest, this little fellow crossed our path.

And looking at this tree, you might well wonder whether it is still a Quiver Tree or already a Weaver Bird Nest Tree.

Our next destination was the "Giants Playground", which was included in the entrance fee for the Quiver Tree Forest as the second attraction. It is located about 4 km further west from "Farm Gariganus" and was impossible to miss from the C17.

When we arrived, we were quite surprised to see half a dozen motorbikes parked in front of the entrance gate. And while my Private Travel Guide applied another layer of sun cream and prepared his camera, even more bikers arrived with their machines.
As we found out in conversation with them, they were all part of a guided German biker tour group, spending two weeks roaring across Namibia on their motorbikes, tackling the country’s unpaved tracks. As one of the bikers put it so nicely: this was no longer riding, but more like swimming across the track! And all I can say is: God gave most animals four paws for a very good reason! ^^

But the very best thing about the group was that they also had a plush travel companion named "Mr.Croc"! Well, obviously I had to have a little chat with him! You know, plushie to plushie.

We then all went into the "Giants Playground" together. And since the name practically invited me to do so, I naturally played Lion Queen on my own pride rock first. =^.^=

The whole area really does look like a stone-block playground for giants. Split and surface-eroded rocks were scattered everywhere, looking as though a giant had deliberately piled them on top of one another. It wasn’t just me who could hide well here.

With the dassie in my sights, I slowly crept closer...

...and discovered that an entire dassie family was living among the rocks!
And, just like in any good neighbourhood, there were all sorts of other tenants here too.

After a good half hour, we felt that we had seen everything there was to see here as well, and left the area together with the biker group. Luckily, their tour leader kindly gave us a lift on his trailer (with a spare motorbike) for the stretch back to the main road. He’s the only one doing it properly and driving a car, too.

Our final destination for today was only about fifteen minutes away. After just 22 km, we reached "Farm Mesosaurus".

As always, we dutifully parked in front of the office building and went to register. But there was nobody there! Instead, a laminated sheet next to the door provided all the necessary information and instructions for precisely such a situation. I like it when things can be done the easy way. ^^

Following the directions, we reached the campsites a little later. Yes, you read that right. The "Mesosaurus Bush Camp" actually consists of several "Campsites", spread out across the camping area in the valley, within calling distance of one another. We hadn’t expected that, but it didn’t bother us either. After all, we were once again the only guests that day and could freely choose whichever site we wanted. We opted for Campsite 4, next to a weaver bird colony and close to the ablution facilities.

In peace and quiet, and in the good company of the weaver birds, we grilled the meat we had bought at the Superspar in Keetmanshoop over the fire barrel, while increasingly dense clouds gathered on the northern horizon.

Those clouds also denied us the sunset that evening, so we had finished eating, tidying up and putting up the rooftop tent before dusk.

Lost in thought, we sat by the fire for a while as darkness gradually fell and the clouds overhead became increasingly ominous. And just as we were about to turn in for the night in the rooftop tent, the thunder started.
Not entirely sure how lightning-proof a rooftop tent actually is, we decided it would be safer to retreat to the car, where we could watch from inside our Faraday cage as a thunderstorm with strong winds swept over us.

Since several storm cells were moving through the area that evening, we decided to stay in the car as a precaution and tried to make ourselves comfortable in there. And to make matters worse, my Private Chauffeur was once again suffering from severe pain in his arms and neck. In the end, it was sheer exhaustion that finally managed to send him to sleep.

How on earth was this going to work in the KTP in three days’ time, when we would also have to stand packed in among other campers on the campsite?

Chapter 22: Giel, the Fossil Whisperer
(Tuesday, 17.03.2026)

It was already the dead of night when my Private Travel Guide and I woke up, huddled together on the driver’s seat. The thunderstorms had apparently moved on or discharged somewhere else and were neither to be heard nor seen. Tired and a little battered, we got up and climbed into the actual bed in the rooftop tent. With a proper sleeping surface beneath us and wrapped in a cosy blanket, our eyes immediately closed again...

At dawn, we woke up once more and peeled ourselves out of the rooftop tent. After a night like that, we definitely started the day at a leisurely pace.
On our campsite by the weaver bird tree, whose noisy performance could easily replace any alarm clock, the sky was still heavily overcast. But to the east, we had a clear view of the horizon. Exactly where, at precisely 6:54 , the sun rose behind a Quiver Tree.

For a few moments, we simply enjoyed the warmth radiating from the sun.

Our first destination that morning was once again the office building near the main road. The day before, we had seen that there was a fossil tour starting from there every day at 9:00. Since we came directly from the campsite, we were of course much too early. And while I made myself comfortable in the passenger seat, I saw another car arrive a little later.

It was the old and kind-hearted Giel, the owner of "Farm Mesosaurus". And, much to my delight, he was also our guide for the fossil tour that morning!
After an extensive greeting, he and my Private Travel Guide talked about the previous night at the campsite and briefly disappeared into the office to pay for the tour. There, my Private Photographer was already shown the first specimens and given a detailed explanation of them.

Hoping for more guests, we waited another fifteen minutes for other visitors, but unfortunately nobody else turned up. Instead, Mr Steenkamp became one of my "Believers" when my Private Photographer convinced him, with the help of his photo evidence, that there had indeed been a lioness hunting in the Sossusvlei. He had the plausible suspicion that I had probably escaped from some farm and was now causing trouble in Sesriem. When my Private Photographer then showed him a little later that the said lioness was actually sitting in the car and that we were the ones causing trouble here with him, he simply laughed and was delighted to have a Lion Queen visiting his tour. Just as I found him likeable, I believe he liked me too. =^.^=

His tour began with a visit to the grave of a German colonial soldier who had fallen here in a skirmish with the local Nama people in 1904.

But things became more interesting for me afterwards, when we walked a few steps up the adjacent hill and Giel showed me the first fossilised remains of Mesosaurus.

These reptiles really did live here 250 million years ago in a vast inland sea. And their fossils, which can also be found in South America, are further evidence that there must once have been a supercontinent called "Gondwana".

Incidentally, the first fossil was found by Giel’s son by chance many years ago, when they were widening the road.

After the fossils, Giel then took us to his natural stone musical instrument. Following a surprisingly accomplished musical performance of "Frère Jacques" and "Jingle Bells", he also explained to us what "desert varnish" is all about.

At the end, I was even allowed to climb into a Quiver Tree and learned that these tree-like plants are shallow-rooted and store their bitter-tasting liquid in their trunks. And if I should ever have problems with parasites, Giel recommended that I follow the example of the oryx and eat the equally bitter-tasting leaves. I think I’d rather make sure I don’t get any parasites in the first place...

With the age of 82, Giel was naturally no longer the youngest and had to leave us after a good hour to rest from the heat. We were allowed to stay for as long as we wanted, though, and could, for example, take a look at his favourite Quiver Tree.

And the old Mr Steenkamp certainly had a sense of humour, too.

At around 11:30, we too left the farm and headed for our next destination. Following the C17 eastwards, we spotted some feathered wildlife along the way. As we still didn’t have an ornithologist with us, the following identification comes without guarantee.

This might possibly be a Steppe Buzzard.

And these could perhaps be two Gabar Goshawks?

In "Koes", we made a brief stop and stocked up on more snacks and drinks at the liquor store before, for the first time, I entered the red dunes of the Kalahari. And the completely flat stretch of road from just moments before transformed into a proper rollercoaster of hills and valleys.

Chapter 23: Safari, a Cruel Hunter?

If you don’t want to see this, please do not click on the image links.

If you don’t want to read about it either, feel free to skip straight to the next chapter. You won’t miss anything essential to the story.

All the animals shown here were most likely run over by other vehicles and were already dead when they were found lying on the road. To prevent more vehicles from driving over them, or even motorcyclists from falling of their bikes because of them, they were moved to the side of the road.

The photos shown in this chapter certainly have a macabre undertone. But without a little macabre humour, there is unfortunately no way to make dead animals funny either.

We could certainly have left this chapter out.
But firstly, that is simply what happened.
And secondly, this chapter is also meant to remind us of something important:

---

To better understand what happened next, and my Private Chauffeur’s reactions to it, we have to travel back in time one day.

We were driving along the C12 from the Naute Dam (the one at the Lion River) towards the B4 when my sharp lion eyes suddenly spotted something lying on the road. My Private Chauffeur, on the other hand, had presumably once again mistaken this potential prey for nothing more than a stick and was accordingly surprised when I roared at him to stop immediately. Luckily for him, he did as he was told, and I jumped out and ran back to the spot. And there it really was: a still fairly fresh puff adder lying on the road!
Thinking only of the fact that this snake was a fantastic new first sighting for me, I grabbed my newly found "Puffi" and proudly carried her back to my Private Photographer. His reaction, however, was not quite what I had expected...

Private Photographer: "What the hell are you dragging around with you?! Is that a snake?!"

Safari: "Hey! Don’t you say anything against my 'Puffi'! She’s still really fresh!"

Private Photographer: "Really fresh?! Did you just..."

Safari: "Of course! What did you expect? I am a lioness, after all!"

Private Photographer: "And what are we supposed to do with the thing now?"

Safari: "What do you think? Naturally, you’re going to take a proof photo of Puffi and me."

My Private Photographer did indeed do that. Although not without keeping a considerable safe distance.

Photo of Safari with "Puffi", the dead puff adder

After the photo, I carried "Puffi" a little farther into the grass and left her body to nature.
What I didn’t realise at that time, however, was that my Private Photographer believed I had killed the puff adder. I, on the other hand, thought I had merely claimed that I had independently spotted the puff adder with my sharp lion eyes.

Back in the grass-covered Kalahari Desert, we had only driven a few dunes along the C17 when we decided to take a closer look at our surroundings and also to get a feel for them. So we stopped and got out of our car. And while my Private Chauffeur went off to find himself a bush, I did what lionesses do. I went on patrol.
Well, what else can I say? A little farther along the road, "Wanni", the dead monitor lizard, was lying right in the middle of the road. Of course, I couldn’t leave him there and brought him back to our car as well.

Private Photographer: "SAFARI!!! What on earth do you think you’re doing!"

Safari: "What’s your problem now?! It’s only a dead monitor lizard!"

Private Photographer: "Only a dead monitor lizard?! If you carry on like this, we’ll end up in court for poaching!"

Safari: "Well, I’d like to see the judge who could convict a lioness of poaching with a clear conscience!"

Private Photographer: "The snake yesterday! A monitor lizard today! And what’s going to die tomorrow? Maybe a springbok?!"

Safari: "How should I know? After all, it’s your fellow humans who killed 'Puffi' and 'Wanni'! So if you want to accuse someone here, sue yourself!"

Private Photographer: "Wait... Didn’t you say yesterday that you had killed the snake yourself?"

Safari: "Yesterday I only found 'Puffi' on the road. Just like I found 'Wanni' a moment ago. So calm down and just take a photo, okay?"

Photo of Safari with "Wanni", the dead monitor lizard

Once my Private Photographer had calmed down a little and taken the photo, we drove on. And as if to prove my innocence, it wasn’t long before we spotted another dead animal lying on an obstructed crest, right in the middle of the road.

Safari: "Slow down. There’s something lying on the road up ahead again. This time I’d say it’s a small fox that got hit."

*Safari and her Private Chauffeur stop and get out*

Safari: "Okay, it’s a bat-eared fox. Help me carry it off the road."

Private Photographer: "Ugh! That thing stinks!"

Safari: "Of course it does. It’s probably been lying there for at least two days."

Private Photographer: "I don’t think I’ll ever forget that smell for the rest of my life!"

Safari: "Stop complaining and lend a paw. That’s how nature is."

Private Photographer: "Do I have to take a photo of this one too?"

Safari: "Even though he’s dead, he’s still a first sighting. So yes, please!"

Photo of Safari with dead bat-eared fox

Safari: "And would you do me one more favour?"

Private Photographer: "Depends what it is."

Safari: "At least you, please drive carefully."

Chapter 24: A Camp Among All Five Elements

Up and down, up and down, the purrrrfect-straight road rolled over countless crests and dips, until it suddenly came to an end?!

Luckily, that was just an optical illusion, because behind the next crest the road simply made a sharp 90° turn to the left and then continued northwards, running parallel to the red Kalahari dunes all the way to the Auob Valley. Just like the Kalahari dunes, the Auob Valley was also dominated by photosynthesis-driven botany.

Which made it all the more surprising that we spotted our next animal among all that greenery. And to our delight, this monitor lizard was alive!

A little farther on, we reached "Farm Tranendal" (No. 184), which operates the "Red Dune Camp".

As on other farms, we were first spotted and barked at by the farm dog. Luckily, my Private Chauffeur is good with dogs too, and after a little searching and asking around once, he eventually managed to track down the farm owner. We quickly sorted out the formalities and used the available Wi-Fi for a call home before we were allowed to pass through the actual entrance gate to the camp, accompanied by two members of staff.

The initially steep track immediately led us out of the valley and into the Kalahari dunes. To our delight, we also caught a very brief glimpse of a family of bat-eared foxes on the way. Unfortunately, they immediately ran off, leaving my Private Photographer with no chance of getting a nice photo for our collection.

Before reaching the camp, we were warned about the steep and sandy ascent. But after Roland’s driving training, it was a piece of cake for my Private Chauffeur and our Hilux.

Once we reached the top of the dune, I already knew that coming here had been more than worth it. While the two staff members, a man and a woman, were still giving the camp a quick tidy-up, we first admired the beautiful view and the natural play of colours. And this wasn’t even sunset yet!

The two of them then also took an interested look through my photo book. Like so many others, they were curious to see what other parts of their home country looked like.
And then we were alone again. Completely alone on this beautiful campsite with its braai area and viewing platform!

As you can see in the last photo, we barely had time to unload our things before we had to retreat into the car again to escape the large approaching thundercloud. Luckily, the rain didn’t last long and even rewarded us with another beautiful natural spectacle. A colourful rainbow!

And now we know that at the end of a rainbow, you don’t find a pot of gold, but plush lionesses. =^.^=

While my Private Travel Guide set up the rooftop tent and lit a small fire in the braai area, I decorated our table for dinner. We had oryx with bread rolls and simple side dishes.

We spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the magnificent views in every direction from our campsite. And thanks to the favourable weather conditions, we were able to enjoy the sundowner to the fullest.

What a sight! The elements of air, fire, earth and water in all their wonderful colours!

The viewing platform was simply the perfect place to hang out and watch the world go by.

And as dusk gradually set in, the fifth element joined them. Lightning! Pure energy!

That night, we were spared a thunderstorm. And thanks to the slight tilt of the rooftop tent, not only I but also my Private Travel Companion fell asleep immediately that evening.

Chapter 25: A Rest Day with an Upgrade
(Wednesday, 18.03.2026)

Meeeeowvellous!

What could be better than waking up after a restful night to the first light on the horizon? And in a soft, warm bed right in the middle of nature, too! This is certainly the kind of place where you’re happy to turn into a morning sun worshipper.

And something else that was absolutely wonderful: We had time!
Time to take everything at an extra slow pace that morning.

And we had even plenty of time to have a look at the other Camp 1.

This one was nice too, but I definitely preferred our Camp 2. Among other things, mainly because of the little toilet and shower hut built into the slope by the tree.

Since we didn’t have much planned for the day, we stayed at our campsite for as long as possible and only set off at around 10:00.

After briefly saying goodbye to the farm owner at "Farm Tranendal", we continued south along the C15, following the edge of the Auob Valley.

To our delight, we also encountered one of the famous Kalahari Ferraris. And while my Private Chauffeur and the passengers waved at each other, I believe the horses ran even faster after they had seen me. =^.^=

(Link to the corresponding dashcam video)

With probably the shortest driving distance of the entire trip, we reached our destination for the day, the "Kalahari Game Lodge", in less than two hours. And here, the name of the lodge was almost a programme in itself. We spotted our first springbok and an ostrich just on the way in.

We had actually booked a campsite at the "Kalahari Game Lodge", which, like the chalets, was situated on the edge of the dry riverbed. But after two nights in the rooftop tent and another four nights still to come, my Private Chauffeur had the brilliant idea of asking whether we could upgrade to a proper bed for a change.

And since practically all of the lodge’s accommodation options were still available, this was of course no problem at all. The only thing was that the chalet still had to be quickly prepared. My Private Chauffeur used the time and the Wi-Fi for another call home when, all of a sudden, a very brave and almost tame meerkat approached us.

As we found out later, this was "Mia", the female meerkat who had been hand-raised by one of the staff members and had been accompanying her new mother everywhere ever since. So, like "Carlos" back at the "White Lady Lodge" (as in the book "Hummeldumm"), she was a cute part-time mascot at the "Kalahari Game Lodge".

(Photo taken the following morning)

When we were able to move into our "Duker B" chalet a little later, everything looked tip-top. Made beds, a tidy coffee and tea corner and a clean bathroom. My sensitive lion nose, however, detected a smell reminiscent of an over-chlorinated baby pool. So we quickly opened all the windows and doors and put the chalet on a thorough airing-through!

The rest of the afternoon was spent lounging by the pool, as our particular nature intended. While my Private Chauffeur did something good for his neck and drifted through the pool like a motionless corpse, I relaxed on the sun lounger and refined my energy-saving technique. And since the lodge provided its guests with free pool towels, the lounger was twice as cosy.

It took a few drops of rain to wake me from energy-saving mode later, sending me scurrying for shelter under the parasol. And since my Private Photographer was now being lazy on the sun lounger, I took the opportunity to take a few photos myself and check out the local wildlife. =^.^=

Like everyone else, I started small.

Red dragonfly

Some bird, no idea which one

Yellow mongoose

But the position overlooking the nearby waterhole was also ideal for scouting for larger potential prey.

First there was the wildebeest sentry, who kept a watchful eye on the waterhole at all times.

Then a herd of zebras came by, including a young foal, to quench their thirst.

And finally, it was the springboks' turn to drink.

Finally, one who actually lived up to his name!

But it wasn't only the population density at the waterhole that was increasing. There were more and more visitors at our pool, too. In addition to me and my travel companion, Lisa and her mother had by now made themselves comfortable on the sun loungers as well. The two of them were travelling without Dad/husband and would have been our neighbours on the campsite that evening if we hadn't upgraded to the chalet. So we gave them our remaining firewood as a little present for a nice campfire.
A little later, a couple from Düsseldorf who had checked in immediately after us also returned. They had popped into the KTP for just three hours. And that included the time needed to cross the border in and out! At least they could now tell us first-hand that the border formalities were no great mystery and simply took time.

While we continued to relax and my photobook provided plenty of material for pleasant conversation, we were able to watch a few zebras doing exactly the same as us. ^^

Hmm... a little drink wouldn't actually be such a bad idea right now!

Towards evening, more animal visitors arrived at the waterhole. First there was this herd of wildebeest, including several youngsters.

They had almost all had their fill when suddenly the waterhole sentry sprang to life and loudly chased his fellow wildebeest away. What? Why? What's going on?

A few youngsters wondered the same thing and simply came back again. Thinking more or less along the lines of: Catch me first, you old...!

Things were much more civilised among the oryx. They simply came to the waterhole, drank peacefully and quietly disappeared again.

After spending the whole afternoon with all that prey right in front of my nose, I had worked up a proper lion-sized appetite by evening. And since we had upgraded, we could let someone else do the cooking for us.

We had a delicious game-meat lasagne. =^.^=

Tomorrow we would be heading into the KTP. Oh, I was already so excited to finally see some other big cats!

Chapter 26: For the Queen! Roll Out the Green Carpet!
(Thursday, 19.03.2026)

Today! Yes, today was finally the day! Today we would be driving into the Kgalahadi Transfrontier Park (KTP) in South Africa!
Ohhh, and how my tail tuft was swishing back and forth with anticipation! I was so excited!

Naturally, I was the one who woke my Private Chauffeur promptly at 6:00. I was also the one who kept him moving to pack everything so that we were ready to leave immediately just before 7:00. That was when breakfast started at the "Kalahari Game Lodge", and we absolutely wanted to be the first ones there.

We were in the middle of breakfast when we unexpectedly received a visit from the lodge mascot. "Mia", the sweet little meerkat, was once again on tourist-entertaining duty with her foster mother and immediately provided all the guests with some utterly adorable entertainment thanks to her fearlessness.

I suspect my Private Photographer won't be forgetting the view under the breakfast table any time soon either. And no, we neither fed her nor lured her over!

But the absolute sweetest and most heart-melting cuddly moment came after breakfast! Because "Mia" really was a very brave little meerkat. She wasn't even afraid of a big and wild lioness like me!

Before this trip, I wouldn't even have dared to dream that one day I would be cuddling with a meerkat!

And of course I had to tell my fellow plush-toy travel companions all about it, who were travelling with the couple from Düsseldorf.

Thank you, Mia! =^.^=

We left the "Kalahari Game Lodge" a little later than originally planned, but after an experience like this with "Mia", every single second had been worth it. Less than 30 minutes later, we were already standing at the border post between Namibia and South Africa. As we were the only travellers at this early hour, leaving Namibia took only about 15 minutes and was surprisingly quick. And then... yes, the long-awaited moment had finally arrived!

Roll out the green carpet! Safari the First, Namib Desert Lion Queen of Sossusvlei and Sesriem from Namibia, is paying a state visit to the Kalahari in South Africa!

Entering South Africa and registering for the park, including getting our route sheet, took a little longer at Mata Mata. But after having a quick look around the camping area and buying a few refreshments and snacks from the shop, we set off. And what can I say? They had actually rolled out the green carpet for me!

Just like in Namibia, the whole park was blooming and bursting with greenery. Perhaps a little too much for my liking. Because how were we supposed to find my relatives in such tall grass? I very much hoped this would make things just difficult, but not impossible. Luckily, though, we were well prepared and had an ace up our sleeve.

Safari: "Okay, where should we keep our eyes open? What does the CCC say?"

Private Chauffeur: "CCC? What do you mean?"

Safari: "'Conni's Cat Chart', of course!"

Yes, we had actually studied Conni's travel report from September/October 2025 (German) and marked every one of her cat sightings on it. =^.^=

Our first sighting, however, was a Spotted Eagle-Owl, which was having a nice afternoon nap in the shade of a tree.

(Correction: Verreaux´s Eagle Owl)

At least, I assume it was an owl of this species. If not, please correct me! Feathered things simply aren't my area of expertise.

Next came some vultures (White-backed Vultures?), which made my hopes of finding big cats with a kill rise rapidly.

Sadly, that was all it remained: hope. So we continued following the Auob Valley southwards.

There were occasional small groups of herbivores in the dry riverbed, such as oryx with their youngsters.

Wildebeest, of course, couldn't be missing either.

There was also a group of ostriches out looking for something to eat. Although, with all the vegetation around at the moment, they probably just had a hard time deciding what to choose.

And as a representative of the reptile class, this little fellow showed himself to us.

Well, and then the KTP really lived up to its reputation as a bird paradise. And since we still didn’t have an ornithologist with us, and my Private Chauffeur had also bought the "KTP Map & Guide" brochure in a foreign language, I now had to somehow that to deal with that.
In other words, all the bird species names might have been translated incorrectly. Assuming I had even identified the bird species correctly in the first place...

A Trapie. I know that one.

No idea. Some bird, anyway.

(It is a Crowned Lapwing)

Cape Crow? Probably?

And quite probably a Gabar Goshawk.

(Correction: Pale Chanting Goshawk)

At the "Dalkeith" and "Veertiende Boorgat" waterholes, we saw the almost ubiquitous Cape Turtle Doves, while at "Dertiende Boorgat" there were Yellow Canaries.

In between, there was the occasional ground squirrel, and then, at "Kamqua", plenty of springbok.

We also took a short break at the busy picnic spot at "Kamqua", where, as a lioness, I naturally attracted the first curious glances.

On our way to the toilet facilities, we looked around a little and suddenly stopped dead in our tracks. Something about the number plate on this camper looked strangely familiar. And only at second glance did we realise: the camper was directly from Germany!

Of course, we quickly walked over for a little chat and to ask them about their sightings. They were Silke and Harald from Bavaria, who apparently spent their retirement hopping back and forth between Namibia, South Africa, Botswana and presumably even more African countries, simply enjoying life. And even though they hadn’t seen any lions in the past few days, we immediately took a liking to them. It was also incredibly kind of them to let us follow them for a while on our further game drive. Just like the saying goes: eight eyes see more than four. =^.^=

So, we continued south-east together for a while. First, we encountered a "sunshade-tail" ground squirrel...

..., then a family of ostriches panting away in the midday heat.

Our next sightings were once again flying bundles of feathers.

I think this could be a Steppe Buzzard.

(Correction: Pale Chanting Goshawk)

And according to the animal identification pictures, this should be a Booted Eagle, ruling over "Batulama" as its king and making all the other doves tremble in fear.

(Correction: Tawny Eagle)

And then, high up in a dried-out tree, we spotted a... Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk? Maybe? Perhaps?

(Correction: Black-chested Snake Eagle)

Whatever it was, I certainly made it turn its head! :D

For starters, there were ground squirrels again...

...and then, for the main course, an oryx...

...for my Private Photographer’s camera, before we reached "Auchterlonie" with its little museum building.

The further south we drove, the fewer animals we saw. Okay, the herd of wildebeest doesn’t quite fit the picture here, but that really was how it was.

Somewhere near "Monro", we may have spotted another Steppe Buzzard...

(Correction: Pale Chanting Goshawk)

...and then the Auob Valley was practically deserted. Apart from all the greenery, of course.

Keeping one eye on the clock, it was already 14:30, we considered driving all the way to "Twee Rivieren". But since from "Houmoed" onwards it was dunes all the way, we turned around there and headed back towards "Mata Mata".

Chapter 27: Whoever searches, finds... what they weren't looking for!

I was slowly starting to worry. So far, we had seen plenty of ungulates, small rodents and all manner of birds, but when it came to cats, the tally counter was still sitting firmly at zero. And as beautiful as the partly golden grass, blooming flowers and green trees were, they considerably reduced the chances of spotting a cat. Once a fully grown lion had settled down completely relaxed in the shade of a tree and the tall grass, it was practically invisible just one pounce away from the road. And unlike on his first trip to Africa, my Private Tour Guide had not built any lion or leopard sighting insurance into our itinerary this time. Admittedly, only a good half-day of our four days in the KTP had passed, but memories of Etosha were already coming back to me, where we had spent days searching for cats in vain.

Our next sighting was another ground squirrel. Or perhaps the same one from earlier? In any case, it was definitely not going to be our last ground squirrel of the day.

Oh! For once, I am actually sure about a bird species again! That's a Secretarybird!

We were already back at "Rooibrak" when we saw a falcon coming in to land. And although it has a rather pretty facial pattern, I'm not entirely convinced that it really is a Lanner Falcon.

The picnic spot at "Kamqua" was deserted now, too. Like any reasonably intelligent creature, most of the tourists had presumably gone looking for some shade.

Private Chauffeur: "So, Safari. Where are all your relatives, then?"

Safari: "If I knew that, we wouldn't be here. We'd be over there with my sisters and brothers!"

Private Chauffeur: "Have you at least got any idea where they might be?"

Safari: "In Mata Mata, a lion sighting was marked on the Upper Dune Road, presumably yesterday. We haven't been there today."

Private Chauffeur: "The chances of them still being there, and us actually finding them, are pretty slim."

Safari: "I know! But have you got a better idea?"

He didn't. And so we drove from "Kamqua" onto the "Upper Dune Road". On the way to "Vaalpan" and back again, we at least got a particularly photogenic oryx and a small, shy steenbok in front of the lens.

Back at "Kamqua", a herd of springboks was tucking into the lush green vegetation in the valley. And under the supervision of exactly one wildebeest. Those wildebeest really did have their hooves in everything.

A little later, on our way back towards "Mata Mata", we spotted what may well have been the rest of the wildebeest herd. At least, they were clearly heading for the same waterhole.

These little horned fellows are rather cute, aren't they?

Things got even cuter between "Veertiende Boorgat" and "Dalkeith". There we saw a springbok lamb that was only a few days old, together with its mum.

*Safari to the lamb*
Safari: "Don't hide. I won't hurt you. Honestly!"

Beyond "Dalkeith", we overtook a Red Hartebeest, which was ambling along all by itself, minding its own business.

We saw a little more action shortly afterwards, when an entire herd of oryx came galloping over the crest of the dunes and down into the valley. For a moment, I pricked up my ears. Could there perhaps be a big cat chasing after them?

But apparently they were simply in a hurry to get to the waterhole, which was absolutely swarming with cape turtle doves.

For a few moments, everyone carried on with their own business, until suddenly everyone noticed that there was a lioness there too!

Safari: "Hello! Yes, I can see you too!"

And even though the vulture gang was already nearby, I wasn't out hunting prey. I was out hunting lions!

But no news here. Not an ear, not a tail tuft, not even a distant roar was to be heard that day. And the clouds in the sky were already building up for the next rain shower!

Back in "Mata Mata", we handed in our checklist at reception and drove to the campsite. After doing a cat-like circuit of the entire campsite, we decided to stay at the corner right at the very end. Our nearest neighbours were therefore not other campers, but the meerkat family whose burrow was nearby. =^.^=

On the way to the hide at the waterhole, my Private Photographer was recognised by several other campers as the "Lion Man". Although, as long as I was peering over his shoulder, that wasn't particularly difficult. In any case, we had already achieved a certain level of celebrity among the park visitors. =^.^=

From the hide, we watched a tortoise slowly but relentlessly making its way towards the cape turtle doves at the waterhole, like a little tank.

But there was still no sign of any cats here either. According to another camper, we were apparently one day too late.

Before we once again had to cook and eat in the dark, we headed back to our campsite fairly soon. And while my Private Chauffeur was putting up the roof tent and cooking Spaghetti Napoli on the gas burner, I pondered about a new strategy for the next day. But no matter how much I thought about it, I simply couldn't come up with a solution for tracking down lions among the Kalahari dunes. Especially when you could only travel along one road, which was situated deep down in the valley!

Really, all we could do was hope for a great deal of luck, that the lions would come to us, or somehow draw attention to themselves. Luck, which I was desperately hoping we'd have more of tomorrow.

Hopefully...

Chapter 28: Safari, the Spotter!
(Friday, 20 March 2026)

New day, new luck!

At least, that was my motto for today. And since we wanted to make the most of our luck, we were among the first to arrive at reception that morning to collect our route sheet. Except reception had to open first!

So while we waited, we chatted a little with the other guests. I don't know exactly how, but somehow we learnt that morning about a sensational lion sighting the previous evening at "Kalahari Tentet Camp", involving four lionesses and three cubs. Well, it was pretty obvious where we would be keeping our eyes particularly wide open this morning.

Our first sighting at 6:45, however, was another vulture in a tree. And when I asked him, "Where the heck are my relatives hiding?", he simply ignored me.

Perhaps he didn't know himself, because there was absolutely nothing to discover around "Sitsas" and "Kalahari Tentet Camp". But we did have a lovely sighting at "Craig Lockhart".

Right in front of the rising sun, we watched a pack of jackals frolic and play through the valley in the golden light.

So that my Private Photographer wouldn't go blind from the sunlight, I allowed him to drive another big cat's leap further and take some more photos with the light coming from the side. That also made it much easier to see what exactly this bunch of little hooligans was getting up to amongst themselves.

Yes, the tail is always a popular target for an attack...

Every now and then, you do start wondering whether this is still play or has already become serious fight.

In the end, though, they calmly stopped for a drink before all the jackals disappeared into the tall grass on the other side of the valley.

Next up was a herd of oryx grazing by the roadside, still beautifully illuminated by the morning light.

And of course, we couldn't leave out the flying creatures either.

Some sort of vulture. Perhaps from the "Cape"... so, Cape Vulture... Maybe.

And, now I'm sure again, because nobody struts quite like he does: a Secretarybird.

We had just set off again towards "Dalkeith" when my Private Chauffeur stopped once more. I looked at him somewhat puzzled as he stared intently at the road surface. And although he wasn't entirely sure, I knew immediately! Those were lion tracks!

Finally, a sign of life from my relatives right before our eyes! We followed the tracks southwards along the road. And, occupied with all the tracking, we actually almost missed the giraffes on the hillside. Imagine if we'd actually "overlooked" them. :D

As beautiful as these animals are, I soon urged my Private Chauffeur to continue following the lion tracks. Neither of us could tell how fresh they were, after all. So, theoretically, the lions could have been right in front of us.
The tracks led us purposefully almost all the way to the "Veertiende Boorgat" waterhole, where, much to my disappointment, they disappeared into the bushes...
We searched the immediate surroundings thoroughly and also tried our luck directly at the waterhole, but to no avail.

What we did find, however, was another park visitor who had also spotted the tracks and followed them. Coming from "Urikaruus", he had already seen a lioness crossing the road near "Kamqua" that morning and disappearing behind a rocky outcrop.
We politely thanked him for the tip and made a mental note to keep our eyes particularly wide open again later at "Kamqua". And perhaps we would even find another message from this lioness in the Kalahari newspaper. After all, we'd finally learnt that little trick.

On our way onwards, we saw the usual park residents such as springboks and oryx. But we also got to see some of the rarer residents, such as this meerkat lookout.

And of course, he wasn't alone. He was dutifully keeping watch over his family, including their half-grown offspring. =^.^=

With their tails held upright, you can immediately tell that they too belong to the small cat-like predators. Though for my ears, they still have quite a strong accent.

And this is... beautiful... but when it comes to botany, I'm definitely out.

As a lioness, all I know is tree, flower, grass and bush. That's enough!

We approached "Kamqua" and slowed down a little. Our lion tipster had mentioned some "cliffs". Could these perhaps be the ones he meant?

We were just about to start looking for tracks in the sand along the road when our tipster pulled up beside us. We had actually found the right spot. But without X-ray vision, we couldn't see around the corner beyond the little rocky ledge. So what to do...
Suddenly, my Private Chauffeur had the brilliant idea of driving a little way up the "Upper Dune Road", which branched off nearby. Perhaps we could look over the edge from the other side of the valley and discover more.
Said and done! With our tipster in tow, we turned onto the "Upper Dune Road" at "Kamqua" and drove slowly upwards, bit by bit.

Private Chauffeur: "I can't see anything. Can you see something, Safari?"

Safari: "Yep, I can. There's a lioness lying over there."

Private Chauffeur: "There's half a continent over there."

Safari: "And on that half side of the continent, there's a lioness lying under a tree."

Private Chauffeur: "Seriously?! Which tree do you think you saw something under?"

Safari: "I don't think it. I can see her. Right on the horizon by the yellow flowers, in the shade of that big two-storey tree."

Private Chauffeur: "I still can't see anything..."

Safari: "Then finally use your magnifying thingy! And take photos!"

As my Private Photographer quickly discovered, our position could still have been a little higher. And for the estimated 500 metres as the crow flies, he also needed more magnification (teleconverter) for his camera. Because of the sheer distance and the waves of rising hot air, the following photos could never possibly be sharp. But I didn't care. Over there on the other side of the valley lay my first self-spotted Kalahari soul-sister, and that was all that mattered!

And she wasn't alone! There were two more lionesses and a lion with a mane keeping her company.

For a good hour, we on one side of the valley and the lions under the tree on the other did exactly the same thing: conserve energy! We did it by switching off the engine and simply observing, while explaining to other park visitors where they needed to look. And the lionesses and the lion did it by simply lying almost motionless on the shady ground. I wonder if they would have noticed if I'd just pawed over and curled up beside them? =^.^=

Chapter 29: Namibia? South Africa? Botswana? I couldn't care less!

Since there wasn't likely to be much movement from my soulmates until the evening, we drove on in the hope of finding an even better sighting. Our route took us further south via "Rooibrak" and "Montrose" to "Batulama". Somewhere around here, we encountered another herd of giraffes.

They were probably feeling the heat too, which was why some of them preferred to retreat into the shade.

And here, apparently, a family council is in session.

And of course, there were flying creatures again, too.

Some sort of falcon, presumably. Sitting down for once.

(Black-chested Snake Eagle.)

And once in flight.

At "Gemsbokplein", there was something huntable again. Such as this Red Hartebeest, which was so engrossed in its meal that it didn't deem us worthy of even a glance.

At "Auchterlonie", we turned onto the "Lower Dune Road", as I was hoping for better sighting luck in the Nossob Valley. On the dune road, an oryx technically took right of way from us. But for the sake of a few nice photos, we were of course happy to turn a blind eye.

And then there were bouquets of chicken! No, not flowers and definitely not fried chicken pieces, but a real ostrich family with chicks!

At around 13:30, we reached the Nossob Valley and were first spotted by a bustard at "Kij Kij". Or perhaps we spotted him, depending on your point of view.

We continued southwards, where we encountered some wildebeest that were practically close enough to touch.

Then the non-existent ornithologist in me got lucky again. First with a flying Lanner Falcon...

...and then with a Greater Kestrel keeping watch.

(Correction: Gabar Goshawk.)

All bird identifications, as always, without guarantee. =^.^=

And so we drove through the Nossob Valley, seeing about as little as we had the day before in the Auob Valley. Even so, my Private Photographer kept stopping every now and then to photograph... stones?!?

Safari: "Say, what exactly are you photographing there?"

*Private Photographer, full of enthusiasm*

Private Photographer: "These are international border markers!"

Safari: "You're photographing stones? Have you defected to the geologists now?"

Private Photographer: "No, of course not. But these border markers define the actual border between South Africa and Botswana. See the 'RSA' lettering? That stands for 'Republic South Africa', which means we're on the South African side."

Safari: "I knew we were in South Africa already. So what does that tell us?"

Private Photographer: "Yes, but now look at this photo. That one says 'RB' for 'Republic Botswana'!"

Safari: "Wait... does that mean that, strictly speaking, we were not only in South Africa, but also in Botswana? Oh, how cool is that?!"

Botswana! State visit incoming!
Roll out the green carpet immediately for the First Namib Desert Lion Queen of Sossusvlei and Sesriem!

Oh, and you've already done it!
And with snacks on it, too... erm... springboks! How thoughtful! =^.^=

For my royal entertainment, there was then a combat demonstration by the Brotherhood of Oryx Bulls at "Samevloeiing".

Enter the contenders.

"Get ready! Fight!"

My winner of hearts.

At around 14:30, we reached the largest camp in the park, "Twee Rivieren". First, we took a short drink and food break behind the entrance gate. And although there were no other park visitors at the picnic site, we weren't alone.

Apparently, two yellow mongooses were busy searching the place for leftover food and keeping it nice and clean.

And of course, the sparrows took care of the tiniest crumbs, already casting very curious glances at my Private Chauffeur's buttered bread.

After a quick registration for our overnight campsite at the reception by the main gate, we immediately checked out again. After all, we still wanted to spend the afternoon in the park. But first, we went to the shop and the sighting board, where we dutifully marked our lion sighting at "Kamqua".

I looked somewhat puzzled at the red lion markers at "Kij Kij" and "Leeudril". Two places we had passed only recently, without seeing a 150–200 kg predator anywhere. Well, obviously I was going to take a closer look at both places on our afternoon drive.

Just before 16:00, we were on our way again. First to "Samevloeiing", where the Botswana springboks had now crossed over to the other side and become South African springboks. But whatever their nationality, they still looked delicious to me. =^.^=

Next came a... let's guess, a young Tawny Eagle sighting.

(Correction: Young Chanting Goshawk)

And this bird, perhaps a Lanner Falcon, had even made a kill!

(Correction: Young Martial Eagle)

At "Leeuwdril", we drove particularly slowly. But no matter how carefully we peered left and right, there was no sign of any lions. Instead, we spotted a rather unusual couple. A wildebeest and a Red Hartebeest, presumably sharing nothing more than the shady spot.

And after another Secretarybird, we soon arrived at the "Kij Kij" waterhole, where, apart from a few trees and a whole lot of grass, there was only a campervan parked in the shade. It looked as though it had been there for quite some time and could therefore potentially have witnessed something interesting already.

As quietly as possible, we drove over and asked. And sure enough, the German couple had seen something. A lion! It had, however, disappeared into the bushes from the waterhole in the direction of the "Lower Dune Road". Hoping that it had perhaps simply settled down in the next patch of shade, we drove very slowly a little way up the "Lower Dune Road" and back down again without seeing anything. What a nuisance! Once again, we had probably arrived half an hour too late.

Since we had time and wanted to make absolutely sure, we also drove back to the main road and then a few metres towards "Nossob", hoping that we might spot something from a distance again.

And there...

..., yes, there I saw him!

My next lion!

Unlike the pride at "Kamqua" that morning, this one was only about 200 metres away and much better suited for a closer observation. But somehow he didn't seem to enjoy my undivided attention quite as much as I did. After just three minutes, he got up and left me with the waterhole all to myself.

Safari: "Hey! Don't think I'm going to bring you your dinner if you just walk off now!"

He wasn't to be deterred and continued on his way up the dune. I would have loved to know what he could see from up there.

As the sun was already noticeably approaching the horizon, it was time for us to head off too. And that was a good thing to do, because the next storm cells were already building up in Botswana.

The formerly South African springboks were already grazing in the last rays of sunshine on the Botswana side again as we passed the "Samevloeiing" waterhole. I think they must believe that every time they cross a national border, the grass on the other side simply has to be greener. XD

When we arrived at "Twee Rivieren" at around 18:45, we were held up by a bunch of tourists who had all gathered beneath a tree. Naturally curious, as cats tend to be, I asked what they thought they had spotted. After a vague description that there was an owl sitting on a branch up there, we too eventually managed to find the presumably still young owl after several rounds of searching.

(Pearl-spotted Owlet!)

And to the delight of the discoverer and tipster, some of those present were even given copies of these owl photos on their phones. With ordinary smartphones, their photos apparently looked more like this.

After this first sighting, we parked our car on the rather crowded campsite and went to the restaurant for dinner. To our delight, we met Silke and Harald from Bavaria again, and they invited us to join them at their table. That was really nice, as it meant we could have a good chat together. The two of them told us about their many adventures in Africa, while I proudly told them how I had discovered my first Kalahari lions. And while Harald and my Private Tour Guide tried the evening's recommendation (lamb tails with a side dish), Silke leafed through my photobook with great interest.

At around 21:00, we walked back to the campsite together. And, to our delight, Silke and Harald allowed us to park our car on their much quieter site next to their campervan. Since we all wanted to set off early the next morning, we congratulated ourselves on our final insect sighting of the day and went to bed nice and early. What on earth had we actually photographed?!

(Best guess: ghost stick insect)

That evening, my Private Tour Guide also deliberately decided not to put up the roof tent again, but to sleep the night on the driver's seat instead. And while we snuggled up together and celebrated our first lion sightings of the day, he actually fell asleep fairly soon, without the arm pains that usually plagued him.

I wonder what the next day would have in store for us?

Hopefully lots more lions!

=^.^=

Chapter 30: The Road North
(Saturday, 21.03.2026)

Although we had spent the entire night in the car, we had surprisingly slept really well. And, above all, we had slept through the whole night! So, snuggled up together, we woke up at dawn as we usually did on almost every morning.

After a quick cat wash and an even quicker breakfast, we were also able to wish Silke and Harald a good morning. They were even quicker to get ready to leave in their motorhome than we were! For one thing, there were two of them, so they could conveniently split tasks between them, with Silke, for example, already going to get the route sheet. And for another, breakfast was simply postponed until later. By now, at the latest, you could tell that these two were absolute safari pros and a well-oiled team.

But we too had quickly collected our dokument from the little booth at the park entrance and followed the two of them.

Before sunrise, our first sighting that morning was a jackal cautiously making its way through the valley towards the camp.

It was only at "Samevloeiing" that the sun finally rose, bathing the golden grass and the herd of springboks in light.

What a beautiful sight! Both the sun and the antelopes!

At a comfortable lion-trot pace, we followed Silke and Harald, who acted as our spotters and kept their eyes peeled for the next sighting in the Nossob Valley. For quite some time, we saw nothing particularly exciting apart from the usual herbivores, until the motorhome suddenly stopped and Silke looked towards the sun. I immediately suspected that she had spotted something interesting, but from our lower position I couldn't see a thing. There was only lots of grass, bushes and a few trees.
We slowly drove closer and cautiously asked Silke what exactly we should be looking out for. Delightedly, she pointed into the bushes and told us that there were wild cats hiding there!
Small wild cats! They weren't my direct relatives, but they were definitely closer kin than any other antelopes.
By now, my tail tuft had developed a life of its own as I waited for even the tiniest movement between the bushes. And then I caught sight of them for a few brief moments as the two little cats retreated deeper into the bushes.

Well, if that wasn't a good start to the day! =^.^=

Next came a splendidly horned Red Hartebeest...

... hungry wildebeest calves...

... and the longest eyelashes I had ever seen!

And this fine Oryx backside looked so amazing, I could have taken a bite out of it! =^.^=

But my feathered friends were also showing off their best side that morning.

First, we had what was hopefully another correctly identified Pale Chanting Goshawk, which took to the skies in my honour.

Next, right at the very top of a tree, a... "looked cute and had feathers".

Then possibly another Pale Chanting Goshawk.

And then another... well, an... eagle?

Help! My English KTP guide only has 235 birds in it!

At around 09:30, we reached the picnic spot at "Melkvlei", just in time for a much-needed loo break.

While my Private Chauffeur went to the toilet and I kept an eye on our car, I apparently attracted some attention again straight away. At least, a little while later, a completely unknown park visitor asked me if she could take a few proof photos of a lioness like me. She told me she was a little bit sad that she hadn't seen any lions so far.

And one of the great things about me is that I'm wonderfully easy to hold in your arms. =^.^=

Back with Silke and Harald, we sat and had a drink together at one of the picnic tables. And with the weaver bird right above us, we were very well entertained too. By a gecko, a skink and a Cape Glossy Starling!

As Harald and Silke wanted to stay a little longer and have a more leisurely breakfast, we said goodbye to them until the evening in "Nossob" and continued on our own. I had ants in my pants — or rather, under my tail — and absolutely wanted to make it all the way north to "Kwang". According to René/Ytramix's travel report, there was a whole pride of lions with cubs living there!

As the sun climbed higher, it also grew hotter and shady spots became highly sought after!

Either beneath trees, like these springboks and Oryx.

Or in the shade beneath the ostrich mum. Although I do wonder whether sitting on eggs is even still necessary in this heat.

The ground squirrels have it much more practical. They always have their very own sunshade tail with them. :)

Near "Jan se draai", we came across Lisa and her mother again, who were parked at the roadside with their Toyota just around a bend. We already knew the two of them from our shared afternoon by the pool at the Kalahari Game Lodge.

They told us that just two minutes earlier, they had seen a lioness and a lion walking over the dune right here! But of course, now that we had arrived, there wasn't even a little lion ear to be seen anymore!

Oh, come on!

But that was simply how nature worked. Quite often, you weren't in the right place at the right time, but merely a moment too late. Still, I was almost frustrated enough to bite my own tail off!

Instead, the three lionesses and my Private Chauffeur teamed up and we went on a joint spotting expedition. With Lisa and her mother's help, we spotted lots of birds. Such as this one... let's have another guess... Pale Chanting Goshawk?

And then a... no idea.

But whatever it was, it could definitely fly!

Next came this fellow predator, which I hopefully won't mistakenly call an "eagle".

(Tawny Eagle)

The next one had lots of black feathers and a striking orange beak.

(Bateleur)

And then we had another one... I'm giving up! There are seemingly more bird species in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park than there are lions!

(Lanner Falcon)

Oh! Oh! Oh! Finally, a bird that is actually pictured in this tourist guide! That's a Lanner Falcon!

At the picnic spot at "Dikbaartskolk", Lisa and her mother needed a break, so our paths parted ways again there. As I said, I wanted to get to "Nossob" and from there on to "Kwang" as quickly as possible. Every additional stop meant precious minutes less with my relatives, after all.

After "Dikbaartskolk" came, if I remember correctly, the section where the road runs slightly sunken below the surrounding ground. Our Hilux was already sitting a little higher up, which was certainly an advantage. Unfortunately, the equally tall grass rather cancelled out that advantage. Consequently, and also because of the harsh midday sunlight, the animal photo haul all the way to "Nossob" was rather meagre. Instead, we simply enjoyed more of the scenery.

At around 14:00, we reached the rather compact "Nossob Camp", in the more remote part of the KTP. Although the camp was considerably smaller than Twee Rivieren, it had everything a nature-loving park visitor could need: a fuel pump, a mini-shop, a swimming pool and even Wi-Fi. Personally, though, I was more interested in the marked lion sightings on the sighting board.

We checked in at reception and were allocated Premium Campsite 6. Unlike the "normal" campsites, the premium sites had a little more distance from your neighbours, with two or three trees in between, and, most importantly, their own bathroom facilities, braai area and electricity connection. The downside was that we were quite a bit further away from the pool, the shop and the waterhole with its hide.

Much to my dismay, my Private Chauffeur was drenched in sweat and had a lion-sized appetite. Two arguments that were rather difficult for me to counter. But I still desperately needed my daily dose of lions!
As a compromise, there was a quick jump under the shower and a rapid emergency ration of Spaghetti Napoli. With a brief visit to the shop and an updated route sheet, we were soon back in the park again. And if the map wasn't lying, there were only 23 km left to "Kwang" and the pride of lions hopefully waiting there for me. =^.^=

Chapter 31: The Hunters of Kwang

When we finally reached the famous "Kwang" waterhole at around 16:00 – the very place I had been longing to visit for weeks – this was the exact scene that greeted us.

An empty waterhole, two or three trees, and a few wildebeest far away at the back of the valley. In other words, exactly the sort of view that practically calls out:
"Nothing to see here. Just keep driving!"

The three parked vehicles and their occupants didn't quite fit the picture, though. And one of them had a rather hefty piece of equipment (telephoto lens) at the ready. We drove up to one of the vehicles as inconspicuously as possible and asked whether there was anything special to see. To my delight, we were told that there were indeed lions here! However, the description immediately dampened my excitement again, as it was simply: "Over there under the tree."
It took three questions before we finally established that they actually meant the first tree, which was barely a lion's leap from the waterhole.

We searched and found a strategically good parking spot, and my Private Photographer began examining the shady spot beneath the tree very closely through his telephoto magnifying glass. But the result was... nothing! Not an ear, not a whisker, not a tail tuft, nothing!

There were, however, some feathered folk to be seen, such as this Lanner Falcon that had just landed.

And when one of those "I-don't-know-what-species-you-belong-to"-eagles landed on the ground as well and then spent ages strutting around as if he were the king of the waterhole, I was beginning to wonder whether the other tourists were playing a trick on us.

But then I saw them! Two lioness ears, just barely poking above the grass!

And then, for one brief moment, a hind paw as well, before everything disappeared into the tall grass again.

But at least I now knew for certain that I wasn't the only lioness at the waterhole.

After 40 minutes of waiting, things finally got interesting when a thirsty lone wildebeest approached the waterhole.

And you can tell me what you like, but these beasts aren't stupid! They know perfectly well that there must be something hiding in the bushes when five cars are parked around a waterhole and everyone is staring intently into what appears to be absolutely nothing through their cameras.

But the only lioness the wildebeest bull could see was me. And since I didn't look dangerous enough to him, his thirst won out in the end. See? I make the purrrrfect distraction.

And he managed a few sips of water, until...
...yes, until my sister decided to take a closer interest in her voluntary guest, which presumably gave him the fright of the day.

And while the wildebeest galloped away at full speed, I got quite a fright too! But a very happy one!
Well, look who had been lying in the grass all this time! Three lionesses and a lion!

Safari: "Hello Safo, Betzi, Twiggy and Menelaos! I am Queen Safari."

Now that everyone was awake, there was some interaction to watch as well!

A little cuddle with the cuddly mane. :D

Menelaos, however, seemed slightly socially overwhelmed by so much affection from his huntress Twiggy and preferred to get out of her way.

Safo, sister number three, first looked around a little and then did some facial-muscle yoga.

In general, they repositioned themselves in the shadier spots, while the wildebeest further back stood out in the blazing sun.

Once all four had lain down again, there was absolutely nothing to see once more, except shady grass. My absolute respect! True ghost lions!

Things got a little exciting when the entire herd of wildebeest passed by the pride, less than 50 metres away. But this time, not an ear twitched. And I think the wildebeest knew exactly what they were doing, too.

For a few more minutes, everything remained quiet, until one of my sisters, Betzi, sat up and posed for a few lovely photos. At least, that's what my Private Photographer thought. I, however, being fluent in lion language, knew by then that it might be very worthwhile to wait a little longer.

Oh, how lovely sisterly love is! I would have loved to snuggle right in among them!

As the afternoon wore on, more and more Cape Turtle Doves gathered at the waterhole guarded by the lions.

Although the lions only protected the doves from the grass-eaters. The birds of prey had free rein – or rather, free flight – and every now and then an eagle or falcon would swoop across the waterhole at top speed, trying to catch a dove as it took off.

Private Photographer: "Safari! Look! A lion cub!"

Safari: "I knew it! They're finally coming down to drink!"

Private Photographer: "You knew? Do you have X-ray vision or something?"

Safari: "Of course not! But who do you think mommy Betzi was hissing at earlier? Certainly not a grasshopper."

Private Photographer: "Hang on... You've already given them names?"

Safari: "Of course! Now stop talking and do what I brought you here for! There'll probably be more coming along in a moment!"

And, as always when it comes to lions, I was right. =^.^=

Under my watchful eyes, and naturally those of their mothers too, the little ones finally ventured out of the grass.

Enter the little rabble!

Awww... ^^
Come a little closer. Auntie won't hurt you.

Private Photographer: "That lion cub looks injured."

Safari: "WHAAAAAAT!!! Who dares do such a thing! I am going to...(censored)!!!"

Unfortunately, you could also tell that he wasn't quite feeling his best. While his siblings and half-siblings romped and played together, he noticeably held back. Or perhaps it was simply because he was the smallest of the lot. And somehow I also had the feeling that this was why his big half-sister bullied him a little. In any case, she held on to her younger half-brother's tail for quite some time. Which was somehow an absolutely adorable behaviour, too.

After some of them had had a little drink, they continued merrily exploring the waterhole, playing with each other and practising their stalking skills. For example, little lion number five was already hiding like a professional behind five blades of grass, keeping his siblings firmly in his sights.

Here they all are, all five of them in one picture.

Safari: Sigh "If only I could be that young again! I'd join them and play. Although... why not?"

Private Photographer: "Absolutely not! I'm warning you. I'll put you on a lead if you so much as make a move towards jumping out of this car!"

Safari: "But everything fits this time! I'm a lioness! I have the right golden-yellow fur! And I'm even exactly the right size for the little ones to wrestle with! Surely the two mums won't notice one extra lion cub!"

Private Photographer: "And you know exactly which cub belongs to which mum?"

Safari: "No, but...!"

Private Photographer: "And do you even know which of the three lionesses is actually their mum?"

Safari: "No, but...!"

Private Photographer: "And do you happen to have a bottle of 'Eau-de-la-meute' lying around somewhere? Or how exactly are you planning to deal with the pride scent?"

Safari: "No, I don't..."

Private Photographer: "Safari. Just enjoy the moment for what it is, will you? And I'll take a few more photos for our pride back home in the meantime. Okay?"

As much as I wished with all my heart that things could be different, this time he was unfortunately right. Even without my plushness, a real little lioness couldn't simply stroll up to the pride. So, for once, I did as I was told and simply enjoyed the moment. And that moment was, I simply cannot put it any other way, 
A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!

That little lion is looking pretty strong already.

I guess he is winning every fight against his siblings already!

Here you can see a good example of a lion hunting technique in which a well-aimed paw strike crosses the victim's hind legs and brings it down.

And here we have the classic neck bite. How adorable! =^.^=

And more stalking practice. Best of all, from behind!

Or with natural cover. =^.^=

Unfortunately for the little ones, the Cape Turtle Doves were still out of reach.

But they already had enough to deal with from the birds of prey hunting them too!

In the most beautiful evening light, there were a few final photos before the little rascals had to return to their mum and aunties.

Once all the lions had settled back into the tall grass, my Private Photographer and I finally had time to look through the photos of the other animals that had been around.

Such as these two ravens, who had come for a bath.

And this predatory eagle, who had apparently decided to come back down to earth after all that flying.

As so often during our encounters with lions, my Private Chauffeur had calculated the exact departure time based on the distance to camp. And so, that evening, we were the very last ones to set off back towards Nossob.

Safari: "Bye-bye, my dear relatives! And thank you for showing yourselves at your very best. Until tomorrow morning! Have a good night!"

At the maximum permitted speed of 50 km/h, we drove back along the road and missed the sunset that wasn't going to happen anyway that evening.

However, the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park still had another surprise in store for us that evening. About 3 km before the gate, we once again came across the other park visitors who had spent the afternoon with us at the lions. As always, we asked curiously what they had spotted, and a pointing finger showed us the direction of four cheetahs!
Well, we certainly weren't going to turn those down either! =^.^=

We reached "Nossob Camp" just in time for the gate to close. After handing in our route sheet, we met Silke and Harald at the campsite. They had parked their motorhome next to Waldemar's. He was another German and had also been travelling around southern Africa all by himself for several weeks.
We chatted together for quite a while, mainly about how romantic life in a camper may sound, but is quite often anything but comfortable. We also talked about Starlink and Waldemar's experience that this communication system is geoblocked in Namibia, before everyone decided it was time for bed at around 21:00.
As the three of them had politely declined our offer to join us at the premium campsite, we drove the few metres through the darkness to our sleeping spot for the night.

After the rather positive experience of the previous night, my Private Chauffeur decided to skip putting up the tent again and sleep directly in the car. No problem for me. But when my Private Chauffeur opened all the windows, got out, switched on the camping light at the ablution block and then walked around the car at least five times for the third time within an hour, we really needed to have a little word.

Safari: "Have you turned into a tomcat? Or why are you walking around your sleeping spot like a cat five times before finally settling down?"

Private Chauffeur: "Believe me, I'd much rather be in dreamland already if it wasn't absolutely boiling inside our car. And since I really don't like sleeping with the windows open, I have no choice but to air the place out."

Safari: "Then do what you have to do. I'm closing my eyes now and dreaming about the five sweet little lion cubs we saw today."

He went through the whole procedure another two times before finally leaving the rear window open just a tiny crack and falling asleep, completely exhausted.

I, on the other paw, was almost completely content. The day had really offered pretty much everything I could have hoped for from this trip. And anything else that might happen during the remaining day and a half would simply be an extra little gift.

Well, if I'd known that evening what was waiting for me the next morning, I wouldn't have been able to close an eye from sheer excitement! =^.^=

Chapter 32: Lioness – Love – Lust
(Sunday, 22 March 2026)

That this night had not exactly been restful became painfully obvious at precisely 6:10, when the alarm on the phone went off. A sound we had successfully managed to avoid for our entire holiday so far. Today, however, it saved us from oversleeping. After all, we wanted to get back to my relatives in "Kwang" as early as possible!

So, out of the car, a quick freshen-up, and back into the car! Hang on... hadn't we only just come from there?

Never mind! Onwards!

Next stop: reception, to collect our little route sheet. Once we got there, however, we found a snake-like object waiting in front of it. Not an actual snake, of course, but a surprisingly long queue of visitors. Like almost everyone else, we obediently joined the queue and had to wait. And wait. First for reception to actually open. And then again until it was finally our turn. As a result, we did not make it through the gate until 6:45 – fifteen minutes late, which, in my opinion, was an eternity.

Right! Now let's get moving! Off to Kwang and the lion cubbies!

Just like the evening before, we drove north at the highest speed the road conditions, visibility and regulations would allow. Until... well, until my Private Chauffeur suddenly almost slammed on the brakes behind a bend...

Safari: "Why are you stopping..."

Safari: "...ohhh!" O.O --- "BOYS!" =^^= --- "HellooOOOUUWW!!!"

Safari: 
"Well, hello, you two handsome fellas! All alone out here?
What would you say to starting a new pride? With me?
The three of us would surely make a purrrrfect team!

You're still free to hunt, aren't you?"

Safari: 
"I even have a suitable kingdom already.... erm... I mean, my very own territory!
It's in Namibia and a little bit far away, but it's a desert too! The Namib! And it's HUGE! Really huge!

Admittedly... finding antelope there might be a little tricky... But I've seen loads of tourists there!
Come on! Jump in!
My Private Chauffeur can surely take us there in no time if we want!"

*Safari to her Private Chauffeur:*

Safari: "Hey! Why are you closing the side windows?!"

*Private Chauffeur, slightly panicked:*

Private Chauffeur: "Because you're flirting with two fully grown lions?! Maybe?! Just possibly?!"

Safari: "SHUT UP! AND STAY OUT OF MY BUSINESS!"

Safari:
"Now, where was I? Oh yes!

Hang on... where have my two fluffy-collared hunks gone?

They've walked past us!

Go! After them!"

Safari:
"Hey, you two! It's me again!
I really mean it! I could hunt loads of tourists for you in Sossusvlei! Honestly! They always stop dead the moment they see me and want to take photos!"

*Safari pauses.*

Safari: "...You two look kind of sad somehow... As if you were terribly lonely, all alone in this world..."

Safari: "And you... you poor lion, you've even got a tear in your eye! There... now you're making me all teary too!" *sniff*

Safari: "Come into my plushy paws and let me cuddle and comfort you! Of all the lionesses out there, that's one thing I can do best!"

To this day, I don't know why that moment touched me so deeply. The two of them simply carried on, without even looking back once. And yet I instantly knew that, without ever noticing, they had taken a tiny piece of my plush-soft heart with them. It was one of those rare moments when you already know, right there and then, that you will never forget it for the rest of your life.

Private Chauffeur: 
"Chin up, Safari! They're probably still out on their bachelor journey and therefore not quite mentally ready for a pride of their own yet. You know, males usually take a little longer to mature in that department.
And I think I know exactly what might cheer you up again, at least!"

*slightly depressed*

Safari: "What?"

Private Chauffeur: "Lion cubbies!"

True! I'd almost forgotten about them! =^.^=

Chapter 33: The Lions of Kwang

So, while I was wiping away my last few tears over the two boys, we were already driving on. Away from my fluffy-collared hunks and towards my little great-nieces and great-nephews.

But this time, too, we were not to make it all the way to "Kwang". About 5 km before the waterhole, three vehicles were parked rather suspiciously on the right-hand side of the road, facing towards the valley. And in the KTP, three cars by the roadside almost always meant one of two things: big cats... or people who were hopelessly trying to find big cats.
We cautiously joined them and scanned the valley for interesting wildlife.

Private Photographer: "I spy with my little eye something that is orange-grey!"

Safari: "A jackal! I've already spotted that one, too."

Private Photographer: "Shall we ask what else there is to see?"

Safari: "Good idea. I've got a good feeling in my tail tuft..."

Since you are only allowed to leave your vehicle in the KTP at camps and picnic sites, we drove over to the next car and asked. The answer from the lady in the passenger seat – let's call her "Evelyn" – was rather unusual, but it did contain one very important piece of information.

Evelyn: "Oh! Hey darling! Here is another lion in the car!"

Finally! Someone who immediately recognised me as a lioness! This woman clearly knew what she was talking about. And without even realising it, the two of them had also been the ones to discover the other lions, after spotting one of the cubs making itself comfortable on a fallen tree. "Mike" proudly showed us a similar photo to the one below. Although his was considerably prettier and sharper, which may possibly have had something to do with his enormous camera and enormous lens.

After "Mike" was kind enough to give us a good description of where the other lions were, we managed to spot them, too. And yes, there are four lions or more in the next picture!

Unfortunately, just like the day before yesterday, when I had my very first lion sighting in the Auob Valley, the pride was rather a long way from the road. At an estimated 200 m away, you could see the lions when they moved. But for good, let alone spectacular, photographs, they were simply too far away. So please forgive my Private Photographer for the poor quality and pay more attention to the content.

Twiggi, Safo and Betzi had made a kill during the night, and Twiggi helped herself to another piece of the remains.

Menelaos did not let this distraction go to waste and took the opportunity to perform a pheromone check on Twiggi.

He is rather handsome, I have to admit. But compared with my two fluffy-collared hunks from that morning, he didn't quite make the cut. =^.^=

He did, however, seem to be one of the shyer males. When sister Safo tried to charm him, he promptly stiffened up like a granite rock.

Things got a little turbulent for a moment when Menelaos went over to Twiggi at the carcass, while Safo once again tried to seduce him with her tail. Apparently, that was a little too much social interaction for everyone involved, so the two lionesses retreated a little to regain some of that occasionally necessary personal-space distance from the others.

And Safo promptly settled down beneath a completely different tree.

Sadly, there wasn't much to see of the lion cubs. Like the adults, they spent most of their time simply lying around. And whenever they did move, all you could usually see were their little ears.

After half an hour of watching, we drove on to "Kwang" waterhole with "Evelyn" and "Mike". We had heard from other park visitors that there were supposed to be more lions there, too.
Actually, from a lion's point of view, everything suggested otherwise. After a kill, a pride would normally stay with its prey. But a quick check couldn't hurt. You never know what my relatives might be up to next.

At the "Kwang" waterhole, there were indeed two vehicles parked beneath the trees, apparently waiting for something. And, as is customary with my relatives, there was of course absolutely nothing to be seen. So we asked again. And sure enough, we were told that there were lions somewhere nearby.
But since there wasn't even a tail flick to be seen, I suspected that the people were actually telling us about the sighting from the previous evening and were still assuming that the entire pride was hiding in the tall grass. Then, for one heartbeat, a tuft really did twitch through the grass in the distance!

With our now fixed bearing, we moved our position back towards the road, where the higher viewpoint gave us a better chance of seeing something. "Mike" was the first to spot the two lionesses and a cub, and then uttered the sentence that inspired the title of my travel report.

Mike: "There are lions everywhere!"

Of course, I had no idea who the three of them were or whether they even belonged to the pride. And as they were unfortunately too far away from us as well, I couldn't ask them. All I could do was take some photographic evidence.

As we unfortunately had to drive back to "Twee Rivieren" today, I had to say goodbye to my soul sisters far too soon as well.

On the way back towards "Nossob", we naturally checked on the pride at the kill once more. But after quite a bit of searching, all we could find was half a belly belonging to Menelaos, while the rest of the pride was presumably resting in the shade below the grass line for the remainder of the day. Therefore there were no other safari guests left at the spot either.

What was not hiding below the tops of grass blades, however, were the flying inhabitants of the Kalahari. They seemed to have decided to attend every single photo appointment today.

First, a young chanting goshawk, hopefully, which could hardly have chosen a more awkward lookout post in the thorn bush.

Less thorny, but with even less of a view, was this chanting goshawk, which took to the skies the instant it spotted me.

And apparently air-traffic control had fallen asleep here!

Wake up!

Collision ahead!

On the way back to the camp, the bush telegraph network worked brilliantly. We told the oncoming visitors about our lion sightings at the kill in the valley and at "Kwang", while they told us about two lions at the "Nossob" waterhole. Those must have been the two boys from that morning! I think it's obvious to everyone, where I wanted to go next. =^.^=

Chapter 34: Heartbreakers!

As soon as we arrived at the camp, we parked our Toyota in the shade beneath the big tree and made our way past the shop to the short path leading to the Nossob hide. There, at the entrance tunnel, we met "Evelyn" and "Mike" with the giant camera again, who had also received the same information and were heading to the hide as well. Together, and in whispering voices, we made our way through the tunnel into the covered hide as quietly as possible. And with my pulse rate, considerably elevated by my nervousness, I crept forward on silent paws until I reached the very front. For one tiny moment, I didn't even dare to look. What if the two of them had disappeared in the meantime?

Very, very slowly, I peeked over the railing there and...
...my heart made an extra little joy-jump! Because I saw exactly what I had been hoping for!

The two gorgeous hunks were still there! =^.^=

And how majestically they were lying there in the shade of the bush! Like two true and noble kings of the Kalahari!

Awww... that magnificent, fluffy mane with its golden-light and black-dark colours!

Yes! Please give it a good shake for me! =^.^=

Wow! That perfect pink tongue! Simply made for licking!

Oh! And then you have lovely long fangs as well!

And last but not least... those golden-yellow eyes! Simply irresistible!

I shall call you "Siegfried" and "Roy"!

But the very best thing of all was that my "Siggi" was happy again! Because the way he was contentedly grooming himself, he simply had to be feeling alright.

And when he got up, he looked healthy, strong and mighty again!

Oh! He looked at me! Did you see that?! He looked at me!!!

Although we may still have to practise the whole dignified positioning-while-drinking thing a little, my dear.

Oh yes! Let me gaze deep into your wonderfully fearsome eyes!

Make way for the king!

Ohhhhoohhh! Now you're flehmening! How sexy!

And you even have a cute little ringlet tail! Your future offspring will love you soooo much for that!

But as so often happens after an absolute emotional high, comes the deep fall.

"Roy" had already fallen into a deep sleep some time ago and didn't move.
Fallen had "Siegfried" into the shade of the tree and was no longer to be seen.
And on top of everything else came the additional downfall,...
...that we had to drive on to "Twee Rivieren"...

Don't look at me like that, you... you... African Yellow-billed Egret!
Never seen a lioness who's hopelessly in love before!?!

While I had to go back to the car and let my ears, my tail, my paws, in fact absolutely everything, droop, my Private Chauffeur still had to get the route sheet updated, go into the shop, send photos home, and he also had to use the loo! So we didn't get going from "Nossob" until almost an hour later, at around 12:00. Almost an entire hour during which probably absolutely nothing happened at the waterhole where "Siegfried" and "Roy" were, but anything could have happened!

Just like here!

Chapter 35: South Is Just Another Possible Direction

Oh, how I would have loved to stay in "Nossob" for much longer, just like "Silke" and "Harald" with their motorhome. Especially because, in all likelihood, my fluffy-collared hunks had been the last lion highlight I would see on this trip. So far, the southern part of the Nossob Valley and the Auob Valley had seemed rather... underpopulated with cats. On the other paw, I was also grateful for everything we had seen between "Kwang" and "Nossob". And whatever was still to come, we would simply take along as a lovely farewell present from the Kalahari.

Curious as we were, we took the loop at "Marie Se Gat" this time. There we encountered several ostrich mums and dads proudly out and about with their freshly hatched offspring.

And suddenly, if I'm seeing this correctly, an entire ostrich harem!

A good bit further on, we overtook a herd of springboks who were travelling in exactly the same direction as us.

They were surely heading for "Kaspersdraai", where their distantly related oryx antelopes were already waiting for them to exchange the latest veggie-location tips.

On the stretch as far as "Dikbaartskolk", we didn't expect to see much because of the low road and the limited view down into the valley. And several park visitors coming towards us had also confirmed that there war nothing to see. They all willingly and without exception stopped to exchange information with us, and in return, we gave them the tip about my fluffy-collared hunks at the waterhole in "Nossob".

One exception was this... Hang on, let me just quickly check my own "Safari's-Snake Eagle-Steppe Buzzard-unidentified-Species-Scheme" (SSSuSS)... Chanting Goshawk, which was sitting high up on a dead tree right next to the road and was easy to spot.

At the picnic spot in "Dikbaartskolk", we took a little bladder-pressure-release and refreshment break. There we also happened to run into "Waldemar" from the previous evening. We had actually been looking forward to telling him about our latest sightings, but poor chap had quite different problems on his mind. Following a sudden death in his family, he understandably just wanted to get home as quickly as possible and was therefore rather shaken. And I think it did him good to have a little chat with my Private Chauffeur and receive the advice not to rush anything now and possibly put himself in danger as a result. There was, after all, nothing he could do to change the sad event. We wished him all the best before driving on.

After this little downer, things continued just as they had left off. Namely, way up high!

Like this one here... it was definitely flying rather high and therefore outside my species-identification range!

And these are two... one young and one old... oh, for goodness' sake, some kind of a vulture!

And all of this accompanied by a few flying sheep...

...clouds, of course.

Perhaps the next two park visitors we encountered on our way south at "Jan se draai" also had their heads in the clouds. After exchanging information about our rather unspectacular sightings, we told the two women about the two lions in "Nossob". Disappointed, they told us that apart from me, they hadn't seen any other lions yet and, unfortunately, were also on their way to their next overnight stop at "Twee Rivieren". This statement sent my Private Chauffeur's internal navigation system into such a state of confusion for a moment that he asked the two of them, utterly bewildered, whether they were aware that they were currently driving north. In other words, away from "Twee Rivieren" and towards "Nossob". This somewhat uncertainly worded question, in turn, made the two women wonder whether my Private Chauffeur was actually sure that their route wasn't leading to "Twee Rivieren". Stepping in for my Private Chauffeur, I replied that the days on which my Private Chauffeur had not known where he was or which way to go could be counted by the number of horns on a meerkat. Namely, zero-point-zero! I don't know whether it was my convincing argument or simply my lioness-like self-confidence. Either way, the two of them eventually decided to turn around and put their trust in my Private Navigation System after all.

The next little highlight flew through our field of vision a little later in the form of a very fast red dot. Instinctively reacting to fast movements, we were immediately in (photo-)hunting mode and followed the little bird with our eyes until it reached the next tree.

Well? What sort of pretty little speedster are you?

Thanks to its striking red breast, I can say with great confidence this time that it was a Crimson-breasted Shrike.

We continued with a sighting of Madame and Monsieur Ostrich until we reached the next picnic spot in the Nossob Valley at "Melkvlei".

There we ran into "Waldemar" again, who was busy using his storm-wind machine (compressed-air cleaner) to clear the thousands of grass seeds from his vehicle's radiator, which he had picked up on his way from Botswana to "Nossob". This was also when my Private Chauffeur remembered that another guest had mentioned him that morning. This South African man had told his companion that "Waldemar" might possibly be in the KTP illegally, without a visa. This, together with the fact that "Waldemar" had not collected his route sheet in "Nossob" that morning, now added to his list of problems. So, somewhat at a loss, we consulted ChatGPT and received the reassuring answer that he would get his visa at the customs station in "Twee Rivieren" and that he could also sort out the forgotten route sheet there. He wouldn't be the first person this had happened to.

Reassured by these answers, we continued on to "Kij Kij", where a secretary bird perhaps considered, for a brief moment, checking my papers as well. I think he quickly realised, however, that he stood no chance in a battle against me...

Besides the secretary bird, two German park visitors were also waiting in their motorhome at the waterhole. They seemed to be waiting for the lion from the day before yesterday again. For a moment, we considered joining them. In the end, though, we decided we might come back later.

And so the kilometres simply flew by. Further and further south. Ever closer to our final overnight stop in the Kalahari Transfrontier Park. And even though I was still looking forward to everything else that might cross our path on the remainder of our journey, I knew deep in my soft lioness heart:
With every kilometre, we were leaving the homeland of my great big-cat family a little further behind.

Chapter 36: Hormone-Triggered Displacement Activity

The decision to carry on from "Kij Kij" turned out to be absolutely purrrrrfect. Because less than 5 km further south, we could already see several vehicles stopped by the roadside in the distance. And this time, we didn't even have to ask what was going on. With my eyes now thoroughly trained to spot things with cat ears, I spotted the cheetahs straight away. =^.^=

There were three cheetahs, who had made themselves comfortable in the shade of the only larger tree around. Unlike my own relatives, however, the three of them were lying in plain sight on the ground. And every now and then, one of them would lift his head, as if expecting dinner to come strolling past at any moment.

But you could still tell that the three cheetahs had spent half the day asleep from their sluggish "I'm-not-quite-awake-yet" yawns.

At least one of the brothers got up for a while.

After about 40 minutes, there was finally some movement in the group, raising our hopes of getting some nice spotty-cat photos, like this one, for example.

Well... what happened next is probably something that can only happen among tomcats.
Yes, how shall I put it... let's call it: youthful, hormonally driven displacement behaviour.

Or better just pay attention to the expressions on the faces of the two of them, because they were beautifully ugyl!

In the end, though, apparently nobody had taken it personally and it was all much ado about nothing. At any rate, the two youngsters ended up peacefully cuddling each other like a pair of sweethearts.

Safari: "I think at least two of the three boys would quite like a nice female in their group right now."

Private Chauffeur: "Yes, I'm sure they'd also love to have a little cuddle with you. Shall I put a few spots on your fur now?"

Safari:
"No, thank you. Not my style."

"I mean fur-style. Spots in my fur just don’t suit me. And even though the cheetah is a huge cat, it isn't a proper bit cat like me. In terms of family relations, the three buddys are more closely related to domestic cats than they are to me. You can tell that from the fact that they can purr like little cats."

Private Chauffeur: "But you purr from time to time, too."

Safari: "Yes, but only when my fluffy side feels like it!"

The apparently youngest cheetah of the trio, incidentally, stayed out of his brothers' pleasurable exercises, which made me wonder whether he was actually a proper brother at all. Judging by the still visibly longer fur on his neck and his slightly smaller body size, he certainly looked younger and may only have been adopted by the two older males.

Sniffing triangle =^.^=

Now that all three male cheetahs were up on their long, gangly legs, they set off in the beautiful evening light.
Perhaps on their way to the next waterhole?

Or perhaps they were going on patrol together?

Or maybe they were even going hunting!?

At least, those were my thoughts before all three tomcats lay down again and started grooming each other's fur. It was cute, admittedly, but...
...someone please explain this cheetah behaviour to me!

They didn't stay lying down for long and instead continued up the Nossob Valley, following the sunbeams.

And it was time for us to move on, too. Firstly, the sun was already getting rather low. And secondly, one of the park visitors had tipped me off that there was supposed to be another lion at "Rooiputs".
So we followed our tipster with great anticipation until he stopped in front of a small group of trees. And I have to admit that without our tipster, I would simply have driven past this spot, just like many others did.

Although twice the size and at least three times as heavy as a cheetah, there wasn't much of the lion to be seen under the tree when we arrived. And we probably wouldn't have seen much more than the sleepy tomcat's tummy if he hadn't lifted his head for a moment after all.

And even though nobody will believe me, I think he instinctively sensed my lioness presence and only lifted his head because of that. =^.^=

With the relentless sundial ticking away in front of us, we soon had to move on. But not before taking a photo of what is probably the most famous tree in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. Although this tree probably owes its fame entirely to its exclusive location for weaver birds.

The view from up there must be as lovely as the view from a penthouse! And apparently this oryx antelope thought the same as me.

This was also the last sighting of this eventful day. Slowly, the sun sank behind the red dunes of the Kalahari, bathing the landscape in warm golden light once more. I couldn't have wished for a more beautiful ending.

At around 19:00, we reached "Twee Rivieren", where we handed in our route sheet at reception. I seemed to have achieved a certain degree of fame there already, as the lady at reception knew me by name. Well, I suppose they don't normally have lions "in" the camp. Hopefully, anyway...

As we were probably the last campers to arrive that evening, all the best and second-best pitches on the campsite were, of course, already taken. And poor Waldemar apparently had no choice but to park next to the ablution facilities. Nevertheless, we found a reasonably quiet spot on a gentle slope between the ablutions and the restaurant. There my Private Chauffeur put up our roof tent, went for a quick shower and then with me to the restaurant for dinner.

And what can I say? After such an eventful day, I had a lion-sized appetite!

While we waited for our food, I went through all our sightings once more. With the four lions I had discovered myself at "Kamqua" and the male at "Kij Kij" on day two, the pride at "Kwang" with Menelaos, Twiggy, Betzi and Safo and their five cubbies, as well as the two other lionesses with their cub, my two fluffy-collared hunks at "Nossob", and the lone male we had seen earlier, I had seen a total of 20 lions! And I certainly couldn't complain about the seven cheetahs, either. Yes, if that wasn't a great deal of luck packed into our mere four days, I don't know what was!

Safari: "So, what sort of sightings can we expect tomorrow?"

Private Chauffeur: "I'm afraid not much. Probably something like our first day in the Auob Valley. Remember?"

Safari: "You mean the day when we didn't see a single pair of cat ears?"

Private Chauffeur: "Yes, exactly that one. Maybe we'll see some more giraffes or a few meerkats. And with a lot of luck, perhaps even one of your lions in the distance again."

Safari: "Okay. I understand. But after yesterday and today, I'd say we'll simply take whatever comes our way."

Private Chauffeur: "What would you still like to see, if you could wish for anything?"

Safari: "Me? I would like to look a lioness deeply in the eyes again! And you?"

Private Chauffeur: "I wouldn't mind finishing with a leopard in a tree."

Safari: "Give me a leopard and I'll chase it up a tree for you!"

Private Chauffeur: "Ha! I'd like to see that!"

The cheeseburger, incidentally, tasted excellent. Only the waitress seemed slightly puzzled and nervous around me. Well, that may perhaps have been because she had probably never served dinner to a lioness before.

Tired and full, we returned to the campsite at around 21:30 and climbed into our roof tent for the last time. And although, as is usual on such cramped campsites, unnatural noises from the other campers could still be heard here and there for a long time, my Private Tour Leader soon fell asleep without any neck pain, thanks to the slightly sloping position of the roof tent. And I curled up too and started dreaming of my two boys and our pride together in the Namib, before my own tired eyes finally closed. =-.-=

Chapter 37: Lion Guaranteed!
(Monday, 23.03.2026)

Sometime before sunrise, we were woken by the first birds and also the first camp neighbours, who were either singing as quietly as possible or packing up far too noisily. Or perhaps it was the other way round. Whatever.
As I couldn't remember anything about the previous night, we must have slept well, which meant we were well rested and ready to start our driving day with a built-in game drive. After all, today we had to be back in Namibia by lunchtime at the latest, so that we could cover the remaining 266 km to "Lapa Lange" in daylight.
Like our neighbours, we also tried to pack up our things and the roof tent as quietly as possible. And apart from switching off the alarm system and the humming engine of our Hilux, I think we did a fairly good job. So just a few minutes before sunrise, we were able to drive up to the reception and customs building to fetch our route sheet.
As usual, I stayed in the vehicle to keep an eye on our things, while my Private Chauffeur joined the queue in front of the little guardhouse. And while I was making myself comfortable in the driver's cabin, I listened in with one ear to the conversations in the queue.

Alongside the usual small talk about the weather, the latest sightings were, of course, also being discussed here in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. And since we had only just come from the area around "Nossob" yesterday, my Private Chauffeur could naturally tell everyone about our wonderful lion sightings. Although well meant, these stories were like salt in an open wound for one of the visitors waiting there, whom I shall call "Helen" for now, because she then said:

Helen: "I would be so happy to see a lion. Haven't seen one in four days!"

Private Chauffeur: "Well... One lion sighting, I can guarantee you!"

Okay, that was my cue. I immediately started grooming my fur, while my Private Chauffeur smiled at the woman with his gaze firmly fixed on the future and the lion sighting that was guaranteed to occur in it. She, naturally, was completely baffled at first. And another park visitor, who apparently thought my Private Chauffeur could only have meant it ironically, even went one better.

Park-Visitor: "I will not leave this park before I have seen a leopard!"

Well, I hope he had at least another four weeks left in the park...

When the queue finally started moving, my Private Chauffeur was soon able to collect our route sheet. And, naturally, he came straight over to me afterwards and politely asked me to help "Helen" with his promised lion sighting. And since I am always very happy to do such things, I didn't need to be asked twice. After another little information-processing moment, "Helen" was delighted, laughed and wished us lots of sighting luck.

As a reward for my good deed, I was then allowed to ride an oryx antelope. =^.^=

At 6:40, we left "Twee Rivieren" and drove straight to the "Samevloeiing" waterhole.

We didn't see any larger animals there, but it was still as busy as a pigeon loft.

I think at that moment I wished my Private Chauffeur would occasionally get lost and simply continue following the Nossob River. But of course he didn't do me that favour and drove back to the junction before heading up the Auob Road into the dunes. And as expected, apart from lots of natural fauna, we didn't see anything at first.
And behind the next dune... nothing again.

But if the four-legged residents couldn't be relied upon, at least the flight-capable inhabitants could. Because just one dune further on, we spotted a dark dot standing on the road. As we got closer, this dark dot turned out to be a Northern Black Korhaan. For me, this was a lovely little success, because I had actually managed to identify its species!

Its big brother, the Kori Bustard, I recognised without even needing my reference book. :)

I had considerably less success with this bird circling overhead.

And this perhaps young Lanner Falcon...

...as well as this Chanting Goshawk...

...I wouldn't have been able to identify without my SSSuSS (Safari's-Snake Eagle-Steppe Buzzard-unidentified-Species-Scheme).

And as KTP veterans will be able to tell from the next photo, that was already the entire photographic haul as far as "Auchterlonie".

After that, however, our sighting luck noticeably improved, because just beyond "Gemsbokplein", my Private Chauffeur suddenly called out to me in delight.

Private Chauffeur: "Oh, look! We're lucky! I can see a giraffe!"

What the dear fellow failed to notice, however, were the first three...

...and then what felt like the entire giraffe population of the southern Auob, strolling through the valley like walking towers.

Somehow, one giraffe on the far right of the group stood out, with a noticeably darker pattern than the others. Here my Private Photographer explained to me that this was apparently the giraffe equivalent of a lion's mane. Okay, I'll just take that at face value and not question it.

With our eyes still fixed on the distant giraffes, we almost overlooked the meerkat family that had lined up not far from the road to bid farewell to the Namibian Lion Queen, namely yours truly.

That was really sweet of you!

The next waterhole on our route was "Rooibrak". Let's see whether something nice was waiting for us there, too.

Chapter 38: Lionesses Among Themselves

The "Rooibrak" waterhole we were now approaching marked the halfway point to "Mata Mata". And with not even two of our planned six hours of game driving behind us, we were more than comfortably ahead of schedule.

We could already see the gleaming white coachwork of another vehicle standing near the waterhole in the distance. And since there was only one car and not several, I assumed we were in for another bird-of-prey or owl sighting. I suspect my Private Chauffeur thought much the same when he said:

Private Chauffeur: "Look over there. There's a car! They're bound to be looking at something in one of the trees."

Safari: "Forget the trees! I SEE EARS!"

Yes! Ears!

And not just any ears! A pair of lioness ears, barely poking above the grass in the shade of the big tree beside the waterhole, silhouetted against the brightly sunlit background!

Hello, sister "Livi"!
You have no idea how happy I am to see you here! =^.^=

So there we were, parked on the valley side of the road, me already thoroughly enjoying every precious moment with my sister while my Private Photographer was busy taking pictures, when the other park visitor drove over to us.

We greeted each other warmly and briefly exchanged information about our other sightings, which so far had been in no way more exciting than this lioness at the waterhole. I had just turned my gaze back towards "Livi" when I heard him confirm that these two lionesses were also his best sighting of the morning so far.

Wait a moment... Did he just say TWO?!

Our faces must have looked just like that meerkat from the previous chapter when he pointed out the second lioness, lying between the trees on the other side of the road. She was practically within a a lion's leap of the road and could probably have given me one long lick right across my back, if she had wanted to and approached stealthily enough.

Instead, she preferred to lie there completely relaxed, contentedly licking her paws. =^.^=

Safari:
"Greetings, sister of my heart!"

"I am 'Safari', a desert lioness and queen from the Namib, visiting you here in the Kalahari."

Safari: "May I please, please hang out with you for a little while?"

Safari: "And would it be all right if I call you 'Amy'?"

I am quite certain that the two nose-licks can unequivocally be interpreted as two very definite "yeses". =^.^=

Oh, how happy I was! At last, I wasn't merely a lioness. I had become part of a lioness pride!

Private Photographer: "I have a question for the lion expert. Do you think the lioness over there might be pregnant, or is she simply very well fed?"

Safari: "I'd say that, judging by how contentedly 'Amy' is panting... erm... smiling, I'm rather hoping for both!"

And although "Amy" probably had every reason to switch into lion energy-saving mode, she stayed remarkably alert for my benefit, carefully keeping an eye on her surroundings.

Safari: "I don't know what you're looking at, but your teeth are looking absolutely tip-top, 'Amy'!"

Safari: "Oh! And may I ask you one more favour? Would you please look deep into my eyes?"

Safari: "Thank you." =^.^=

Amy was truly a queen amongst us lions. I could feel it immediately. Because only a true queen can lie on the ground in perfect Sphinx-like fashion and still look like a monarch appointed by the gods.

And naturally, just like with every respectable cat, grooming comes first.

After that, however, she made it very clear that she had posed for me quite enough.
And no, even I wasn't about to pick a fight with such a formidable lioness.

So, energy-saving mode after all...

Private Photographer: "Phew! A few more photos and I could make a photogrammetric 3D model of her."

Safari: "How many photos have you taken of her so far?"

Private Photographer: "Hang on... let me check... almost 200!"

During the lion energy-saving break, we used the time to nibble a few biscuits and drinking a lemonade like people at the cinema. And for the occasional tourist or park visitor who stopped by, we explained the sighting, so that they could take some photos of the two lionesses as well. And so we stood by the roadside for a good hour, simply enjoying the atmosphere of having my relatives nearby.

Until "Amy" woke up again, sat up and allowed my Private Photographer to take a lovely side portrait for our photo collection.

But she had noticed or seen something...

Private Photographer: "Hey Safari. Look over at the other lioness. Why is she lying as flat as a pancake on the ground?"

Safari: "What? Huh?... WHAAAAT?!"

Safari: "SHE'S IN HUNTING MODE!!!!!"

*Safari follows 'Livi's' fixed gaze into the valley*

Safari:
"She sees something! But what?"

"Darn! I can't see anything! The car in front of us is in the way!"

Private Photographer: "I can't see anything either. Shall I drive forward a little?"

Safari:
"ARE YOU MAD?!! ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! You'd ruin 'Livi's' hunting plans!"

"Whatever is coming. I bet my tail it's heading for the waterhole!"

And anything heading for the waterhole would automatically have to pass Livi...

So strategically speaking, the best thing to do was to sit very still and hold our breath.
And although those six seconds felt like half an eternity, we didn't have to wait long before...

Safari: "Is it a springbok? Is it a wildebeest? Is it an oryx?"

Private Photographer: "Oh! I think something's coming."

Safari: "It's a..."

Private Photographer: "It's a..."

Safari and Private Photographer together:

"!!!!! I - DON'T - BELIEVE - IT !!!!!!"

😱 =O.O= 😱 =O.O= 😱 =O.O= 😱 =O.O= 😱