Sandpatrys Guesthouse was a life long dream of your hostess, Petro. With the grace of God, I finally have the opportunity to live out my dream! We are a family of four, Hardus my husband, Arie an JD our two boys. They will play an active part in all the “Guesthouse jobs”….

 

Petro & Hardus Smit                        JD & Arie Smit                              The family                      

Nature lovers, is what we are!  The name of the Guesthouse comes from Sandgrouse that we identified in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. They are mostly seen at waterholes in the Kalahari or Namib dessert where it announces its presence with the characteristic, melancholy kelkiewyn call. One special feature of sandgrouse is their long flights to water holes in desert and semi-desert country where not only do they drink, but during breeding they wet their belly feathers to carry water to the chicks. The male's belly feathers are specially adapted to hold up to 15-20 ml of water. By far the best way to see Sandgrouse is to await their arrival at waterholes.

4 Species indigenous to Southern Africa:

Double banded sandgrouse       Yellow throated sandgrouse       Namaqua sandgrouse              Burchell's sandgrouse