We are in the very North of the Kalahari Basin and are getting ready to head South into the Central Kalahari. We hooked up with a local operator who took us out to meet a Meerakat family, and then a quad bike trip out onto the salt pan (the one they used on Top Gear Botswana).
The Meerakats were lovely little chaps. We sat near their burrow (which they stole from an ardvark). After just a few seconds, they came over to say hello and set up around us. Before the young one came over to play the adults set up 'watches' to ensure safety for us all. Whilst one intrepid fellow thought Tanya's head was the best point to set up watch, he gave up after a few minutes and took to a termite mound instead.
The whole family played around us for as long as we were interested. The juveniles set a wrestling match under Tanyas legs, and the adults seemed quite happy chatting to me.... it really was very nice.
The crew from Top Gear headed out from the same spot we did...but they did it in the dry season...when the salt pan is nice and hard. Whilst on the show they made it look like no one had done it before, the truth is there is a well worn trail out to Kebu Island which is easily driven in the dry. The pan had been closed to vehicles for a few months due to the wet, but we convinced an operator that the last few days of sun would have baked the pan enough to let us get out on the bikes....and he suprisingly agreed.
The salt pan was really amazing...it didn't take long for there to be nothing on any horizon... it felt like being on the moon. We went out to some of the smaller islands, but the 100km round trip to Kebu island would have been pushing our luck....especially as the skies cracked after we got off the salt and a deluge came down.
I know there are places in America they call 'big sky country'.... well this is Africa's version.
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