I love the very early light turning the grass into gold fields and filtering through the trees transforming the Nossob riverbed into a soft romantic landscape before the heat takes over. I have photographed many of these twisted sculptural forms and don’t tire of their sprawling aspects, inspecting them carefully as they often hide the treasures of the day.
A welcome break, a cup of coffee and a bite to eat is most necessary after hours of intense concentration looking for mammals, birds, reptiles etc.
Then comes the quiet, hot period
It's still, not an animal and not even a little bird twitches in the midday sun. Just clouds of dust lifted by the occasional passing vehicle and not the slightest breeze to disperse it from the road. The sleeping feeling of the bush is infectious, becomes harder to keep our eyes open to scan the dune crests in the hope of spotting a sentinel Cheetah looking over its territory.
The memory of the early morning start in icy temperatures with the birds perched in sunny spots warming themselves up has long faded away. The light is harsh, the golden fringe of fluffy grass lining the road in the sunrise is replaced by a multitude of textures in browns and beige. But we don’t give up, we know a treat is around the corner.
Eventually, tired and happy we get back to Kieliekrankie, our favourite Dune Camp and watch, from its height, the visitors to the little water hole in front of the cabins and enjoy the sun set from the deck while preparing our evening braai in the last light of the day.
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