FORUM

KUKONJE & BOTSWANA’S RIVER FLOWS

I was most interested in reading the article on Botswana’s Hunter’s Road in the April issue of SA4x4. It certainly is a challenge with all that black cotton soil in the rains!

In the article, the author mentioned that they visited Kukonje Island. Although more people are familiar with Kubu Island, I agree with the author that a visit to its sister Kukonje Island is worthwhile. Although both are located on Sowa Pan, the two islands are very different. Kubu is much smaller with rounded outcrops, boulders, and small cliffs of granite which are dotted with massive baobabs. In contrast, Kukonje is much larger and is made up of a flat horizontal sheet of dolerite, a blackish igneous rock. This has resulted in the formation of a flat-topped plateau along the centre of the island; here the dolerite is capped with cliffs of calcrete. Great views across the pan can be enjoyed from here, especially at sunset. Along the margins of the island, the land