KALAHARI MEERKATS & NAMAQUALAND WILDFLOWERS
29 AUG-12 SEPT, 2024
with Jeremy Woodhouse
Augrabies Falls
Cape Gannets at Lambert's Bay
The Kalahari Desert around Van Zylsrus features a semi-arid landscape characterized by red sand dunes, sparse vegetation, and a scarcity of surface water. The vegetation is well-adapted to the arid conditions. Thorny shrubs, acacia trees, and grasses that can withstand drought are common in the region. Despite its arid nature, the Kalahari supports a variety of wildlife adapted to desert life. This includes animals such as oryx, springbok, meerkats, and various species of birds.
Photograph Meerkats
Meet the stars of Meerkat Manor, a documentary drama series which follows a meerkat family in the Kalahari Desert in South Africa
The Northern Cape, where Namaqualand is located, is South Africa’s largest and most sparsely populated state, wedged between the Atlantic Ocean and the Namibian border. Not many travellers venture here, but the ones that do make the journey will be exhilarated by the expansive landscapes, spectacular natural phenomena and fascinating history.
See Namaqualand in full bloom
Rarely does the natural world put on such a spectacle as the Namaqualand desert in full bloom. An eye-popping patchwork of orange, yellow, white and purple wild flowers seems to cascade out of distant valleys and flood the landscape as far as the eye can see. The majority of the blooms belong to the daisy family (Asteraceae) and, somewhat surprisingly, the most impressive displays tend to appear not in pristine nature reserves, but on recently disturbed ground such as fallow farmland. The flowers are true sun-worshippers, only opening between 11am and 4pm on sunny days, and turning their faces towards the sun, so you’ll get the best views (and photographs) with the sun at your back.
There’s a large element of luck involved in getting to experience this natural show at its height. Namaqualand's flower season tends to peak during August, but can shift as early as July or late as September. The exact timing and intensity of the blooms depends on the winter rains in the preceding months. The flush of flowers starts in the north near the border with Namibia and moves south towards Cape Town.
Meet the Meerkats Up Close & Personal
Tour Itinerary
Arrival, Departure & Visa
Arrival & Meeting Place
Pre-tour: 28 Aug, 2023—Arrive Johannesburg
Early Arrival Hotel in Johannesburg
We recommend that if you arrive the day before the tour starts that you stay at the City Lodge, OR Tambo International Airport. This stylish, comfortable hotel is conveniently located directly adjacent to Johannesburg’s International Airport. A numberof Johannesburg’s most important business facilities, commercial hubs, shopping centres and restaurants are found nearby.
Departure
Cape Town on 12 Sept, 2024
Visa
Not required
Weather
August is a transitional month, and temperatures in Namaqualand during this time can vary. Daytime temperatures typically range from cool to mild, with maximum temperatures often reaching between 15 to 25ºC (59 to 77ºF).
Nighttime temperatures can be colder, ranging from around 5 to 15ºC (41 to 59ºF).
Language
Currency
The South African Rand
2 SPOTS OPEN
$5,500
DEPOSIT: $1,000
SINGLE: $350
Tour Price Includes
- Ground Transportation for 15 days
- Tour accommodation, as listed
- National Parks entry fees
- 3 Nights at the Kalahari Research Center with 3 cooked meals per day
- Transport to the research sites and local guides
Tour Price Excludes
- Arrival/departure flights
- Meals
- Travel insurance
- Pre- and post-tour accommodation
- Alcoholic Drinks
- Items of a personal nature
- Laundry
- Meals other than specified
- Excursions other than specified
- Flights to and from South Africa
- Personal medical insurance
Paying by check
If you would like to pay your deposit and/or balance with a check, please make the check payable to: Pixelchrome, Inc and mail it to:
Paying by Wire Transfer
If you would like to pay by Wire Transfer please contact nicole@pixelchrome.com for bank account details.
Equipment Checklist
- Bring you own laptop computer and storage media
- Camera bodie(s)
- Lenses, 16-35mm, 24-70mm zoom and 70-200mm zoom or similar lenses are very good. A super telephoto zoom up to 400 or 600mm
- Light bag for easy hiking with camera bodies and accessories
- Cleaning kit for cameras and lenses
- Rain/dust covers for cameras and lenses
- Charger for batteries
- Spare batteries
- Spare Memory cards
- Memory card reader
- USB key to exchange images
Also good to have
- Tripod
- Lens extenders
- Good quality polarizing filter