Hardly needs an introduction, 20,000 square kilometres of some of the best wildlife country in Africa. Started my trip in the far north, at Punda Maria and Parfuri, then worked southward, staying at various camps on route.

Rolling red dunes of the Kalahari punctuated by the shallow valleys of the Auob and Nossob, slithers of grassland and acacia savannah supporting abundant life, both birds and mammalian. Renowned for felines in particular, this slab of land protruding up between Namibia and Botswana is truly one of the gems in South Africa's rich crown of wildlife localities.

Encompassing half the sub-continent, this section of the trip incorporated the property of Marrick Safari and the nearby Mokola National Park in the Kimberly area, before dropping south for a few days at the excellent De Hoop coastal reserve and a number of sites near Cape Town.