Kruger National park 2015

Over the February/March half term break, I went to Kruger with my family. It was, as always, an amazing trip. It was a difficult trip personally but you can never beat the magic of the Kruger.

This trip we decided to start by going up towards the northern half and stayed the first two nights at Letaba rest camp. On our second day we ventured further north and on our third day we drove south to stay the night at Satara rest camp. this was the first trip with my family that I saw the big 5, but only just as our sighting of lion wasn't great as a couple of females slinked away into the long grass, whilst being watched through my binoculars.

On our first day we came across a herd of buffalo simply spending the day in a cool but muddy watering hole.

Carrying on along the banks of the water hole, we came across the main body of the dam. Here a herd of elephants were also enjoying the coolness of the water and trying to beat the afternoon heat by taking a swim. We settled in at a hide and watched two of the younger elephants flirt and play in the water as a third youngster struggled not to show his jealousy.

After a night a Letaba we drove north. Going north gives you the chance to avoid the more touristy part of the part, with simpler  rest camps and tea camps. You also have more chance of spotting buck like the Tesebe and the Eland which we were lucky enough to spot. 

We carried on and sat at a watering hole for a while which had buffalo and zebra. After about 5 minutes 3 secretary birds drifted over in only their manner to have a drink.

Towards the middle of the afternoon we were watching an elephant drink from a water storage cement container when a herd of buffalo crossed the road behind us. Right at the back was a noisy calf and mother. The calf can't have been much more than a day or two old and was very unsure of crossing the road, this wasn't help by the idiot behind us trying to get as close to the pair as possible to take a photo. Despite this mumma and bubba made it over the road after which bubba decided to go for a swim in a man made water hole and after struggling out rejoined the herd.

Just 200m from the herd of buffalo's was an elephant drinking from a reservoir.

On our third day we drove down to Satara via the old Voortrkker road. Whilst we did not see all that much on the old Voortrekker road it is a magnificant African drive. The first part of the drive took us down to Olifants for breakfast. about 8km from Olifants we drove up to 4 cheetahs relaxing on the side of the road.

On our last day in Kruger we drove from Satara and out at Orpen gate. It was a strange drive, During one part we heard an elephant trumpeting in great distress, we then found a herd of elephants but none were in distress. However, a short ways down the road we found a hyena who was moving with purpose towards the sound of the trumpeting elephant.

Just before exiting the park we can across two pedestrians, the first was green and scaly and the second was spotted and fluffy and true to character I didn't have the camera ready for the spotted and fluffy.

Sabie, Kruger & Gods window 2014

During the first week of September each year, my family goes to Sabie river golf course for a week for our time share. The resort is only 40 minutes from Kruger's Phabeni gate and only an hour from Graskop and God's window. The resort is always peaceful with great viewing of hippo's at the little dam.

So it was off to Kruger. We went on two separate days. On the first We travel from Phabeni to Pretoriuskop down to Jock of the Bushveld rest stop then up to Skukuza and back out Phabeni gate.

On our way down the old Voortrekker road we found a female hyena with the remains of a particularly leathery carcass. She was followed doggedly by a drooling male hyena. The female then dragged the carcass down the road for around about a kilometer before stopping for a bit of a chew.

A little further down the road we spotted a herd of male buffalo. Later that day we came across a rhino brilliantly lit by the afternoon sun.

On this trip we also saw sable, elephant, kudu, white-backed vulture as well as these beautiful fish eagles.

 The next day we went up to Graskop for pancakes and to see God's window.... with a better view than just fog.

Pinnacle Rock. 

On our last day we spent just half a day going into Kruger going in a Phabeni gate  going across to Skukuza and out a Paul Kruger gate. On our way we spotted this wahlberg's eagle. 

In a dry river bed this bushbuck seemed quite comfortable being around a troop of baboons.

 On a loop taking us over the Sabie river the bright sunlight on the road made for a very cool photo of this Nyala.

We also saw buffalo, an african wood owl, duiker, rhino, elephant and kudu. Lastly I spotted movement just before skukuza. Under closer scrutiny it was a martial eagle. It had trapped a guinea fowl with one foot. With the other, martial eagle stamped on the guinea fowl using its claws to kill it. unfortunately I was not able to get a decent photo of the action but it was great wildlife show.  

My African animal wishlist

I have always found myself intrigued and amazed by wildlife ever since I was just a lighty. I used to prescribe to a youth wildlife magazine that would constantly capture my interest and desire to be in the wild. Being a game ranger was always on my list of things to become as a youngster. Seeing as though I am still young O.o I hope that I will one day be able to give back to and environment that has always given so much to me.

Naturally, along with my passion for the bush, comes an animal wish list that I would like to see in the wild before I am confined to a rocking chair on the front porch. So to start off here is my top 5 "out of Southern Africa" animals:

5. The Gorilla. Gorilla's natural habitat is fast disappearing and we need to look after these majestic Kings of the jungle. They are the only primate that has always captured my interest (them and strangely the ververt monkey).

4. Whilst not particularly exciting, the Red river hog has got a strange make up and seems tamely out of place in west Africa's jungles.

3. The Ethiopian Wolf is the only wolf to be found in Africa. I find wolves to be fascinating pack animals and their need to partner and a pack is close to home.

2. Strangely enough coming in at number 2 is in fact a bird. I first came across the Shoe-billed Stork on a NaGeo wild documentary and I couldn't believe how this bird was put together, it has an almost comical look about it. I later learnt, through a Davis Attembrough documentary that these birds lay two eggs but will only raise the strongest of the two leaving the weaker one to starve and be killed by it's stronger sibling.

 1. Coming in at number one is the very endangered Okapi. I first saw this animal at the Pretoria zoo and found it to be truly amazing. Not only did its markings fascinate me but the sheer size of it as well. It stood around 16-18 hands in horse terms with large ears to go with it, a truly magnificent animal.

My Southern African wishlist is a bit longer as it is closer to home and these are the animals that when I go to Kruger I always wish for... even just a glimpse.

7. Now I have seen wild dogs once when I was about 8 years old. One dog ran in front of our car and a second later a pack of about 20 strong ran in front of the car up ahead of us. So I have been inclined to put them on my list.

 6. Next on my list is the bat-eared fox. Good old Big-Ears has has got nothing on these little guys.

5. The rubber tyre and butcher's knife combo, tough and dangerous Honey Badger is in next. Once again I have been lucky enough to have already seen one of these guys. We came across a very busy and energetic fellow at Chobe national park in Botswana. They are amazingly brave creatures with great intelligence and so make the list.

4. Next on my list is the Caracal. Once again, this animal with its tuffty ears, has always just captured my interest and I have always home to see one of these guys in the wild.

3. In at number three is the Ardwolf, an illusive animal that can be found all around southern Africa. It is not to be mixed up with the brown hyena who is darker with a more shabby coat.

2. It was a story my parents came back with from a trip to the Victoria falls. Whilst taking a cruise, they asked their guide (working for 20 odd years as a game ranger) what the most amazing thing he has ever see in the wild. His response was that once on a cruise he came across a pangolin swimming across the Zambezi river. To this I thought wow, that is incredible and so the interest too flight.

 1. My number one all time top of any list of animals to see in the whole world ( que drum roll) is the Aardvark. This nocturnal animal as been the pinnacle of my love for wildlife. As a child, my  first animal teddy bear was an aardvark. This is truly one of Gods most amazing creatures. I will spend my last amount of money and go out on my wheel chair and find one of these guys in the wild before I die. Viva Aardvark viva!

 I hope that my animal wishlist has sparked your interest in wildlife and the bush. I hope one day these will be my pictures that I will be showing you.

St Lucia Isimangaliso park & Mkuze Game reserve

In June 2013 we traveled down to Kwazulu Natal's east coast to one of South Africa's natural world heritage site St Lucia wetland park. It was the first time I have ever been there and what a beautiful place it is. The whole St Lucia wetland park is called Isimangaliso wetland park. We stayed in a wonderful bed and breakfast situated on the banks of Lake St Lucia.

On our first full day in St Lucia (where hippo's quite regularly take a stroll through the streets of the town) we went into Isimangaliso on the sea side of the park. Whilst the park as a whole hosts the big 5 only buffalo and rhino stay on the sea side of the park. Game and bird viewing are plentiful and the scenery are phenomenal. We drove out to Cape Vidal and took a walk on the beach where we were visited by a friendly and hungry bushbuck.

Isimangaliso park is truly amazing not just for the wildlife but for the scenery as well. There is a look out point which is a short hike from a picnic point at which you can look in land see the lake and turn around and look at the sea. 

On our second day we went to a Butterfly farm put together and run by a couple of the locals. Whilst they have made do with a the resources they have, the people running the farm were very knowledgeable and friendly.That afternoon we took a boat cruise up the lake. We had spectacular views of huge pods of hippos accompanied by crocodiles and various birds. This is a definite must if you come to St Lucia.

On our third day we traveled through the inland side of the Isimangaliso park which has the big 5 in it. Once again the scenery was spectacular however, it was tough going spotting animals (no reflection on the quality of game viewing at the park).

We then ventured further north to Mkuze game reserve. Despite an article in a magazine saying otherwise, the park is quite run down with a lot of the hides needing some TLC. In the 10 minutes I stood in the reception/shop of the main camp, there were three complaints of various items not working properly in the chalets. Our game viewing experience was good and we spent sometime are watering hole and we saw nyala, warthog, zebra and wildbeest in the space of about 40 minutes.

Kruger 2013 AMAZING!!!

In September 2013 we took a trip to Kruger National Park. I have been going to Kruger since I was 5 years old and I have never had a more successful and peaceful trip. We spent 3 days in the park traveling as far north as Olifants and going as far south as Crocodile Bridge. Day 1 we entered the park at Orpen gate and made our way up to Oliphants camp along the dirt road that follows the river. From Olifants we followed the tar road back south to Satara and back to Orpen gate.

On our first day we began our visit with a siting of a small herd of buffalo and the first of the big 5. We went onto see wildebeest, zebra, giraffe, warthog, waterbuck, kudu and steenbok. Along the river we came a herd of elephants as well as this little guy. 

Further down the road was some ground horn-bills eating some grubs in a dead tree and showing off their plumage in the process.

A little a herd of elephants were having a drink at a waterhole. Whilst the females and young elephants drank, the young males flexed their muscles and had a little bit of a rumble. The dry conditions made for some dramatic scenes as with the  below.

We continued up to Olifants spotting crocodile, hippo and a bataleur. Below is a view of Letba river which meets up with the Olifants river a little after Olifants camp.

After a speedy lunch  we started to make our way back south. Shorty after our departure from olifants we found a big family of very busy banded mongoose. The road between a Olifants and Satara is a good road for viewing. Below is pic of a roadside spot of a lone spotted hyena hanging around her den.

We also spotted this cory-bustard roaming the plains. A common feature of the road.

We had left ourselves with very little time to exit the park by the time we got to Satara. A dangerous thing a the police do trap in the last hour of the day as many people miss time their drive. But a we raced to get to Orpen gate in time the park served us up a little treat and we came across a pair of cheetahs out on an evening stroll no doubt looking for an evening meal.

 What a first day at the park and it only got better!


Day 2 we entered the park at Orpen gate once again and after our previous days success we decided to once again follow the river.

When I say that our day started off in the best possible way, you would not believe. We entered the park and went through the gate in the fence of the park, we hadn't even checked into the park and we came across a lion.... no it wasn't a lion it is a cheetah... NO its a leopard!!! I had been going to Kruger since I was never seen a leopard in the park and within 5 minutes of being in the park we had spotted this leopard sitting on the top of an termite mound. I didn't even have my camera ready. The leopard ducked away as we stopped. Luckily the leopard popped his head up from behind the termite mound and I was able to snap this pic. 

Along the river road we saw elephant, kudu, baboons, bushbuck, nyala, waterbuck, warthog, wildebeest, rhino, lion and oh course impala.

Above are our nyala and bushbuck, A little way down the road we drove by a waterhole where we found a very lovey dovey pair of elephants.

Late into the afternoon, on our way to Pretoriuskop camp, there was a bit of a bang up as people were looking for a leopard who had left her kill in a tree. Through binoculars I caught a glimpse of a tuft of a tail but not a decent enough sighting to say that we had officially seen the leopard. We later arrived at a Pretoriuskop and an hour later we were off on a night drive. We went on to see scrub hare, a spotted genet, buffalo, rhino with a bubba and an african civet. We then went back via the leopard kill we had gone passed that afternoon and there in the tree with the kill was the leopard. This young cub then knocked the kill out the tree. The mother leopard then dragged the kill across the road about 10 meters from the car followed by cub one and cub two. 

Day 3 saw us travel from Pretoriuskop south to Afsaal rest stop, north to Skukuza around to Lower Sabie and out at Crocodile bridge.

Our day started off well with a sighting of a sleepy rhino and then this Buffalo.

We ventured on spotted zebra with a very cute bubba as well as a herd of around 100+ buffalo before breakfast at Afsaal. Shortly after breakfast we drove past a man made waterhole where this rhino seemed to be just contemplating life.

We carried on following the Sabie river, which is excellent for game viewing however you will experience a lot of traffic. Along the Sabie river we saw a lot of elephant, buffalo, kudu and impala. We saw two lots of lion the second of which was this pride of about 14 strong.

We went on to see warthog, hippo, crocodile and a monitor lizard... one of which was... road kill.

Now whilst in Kruger we played a game. The game was that each time we began a day or ended a day we would have to predict what we would spot first in the day and last in the day. Just before we exited Kruger I predicted we would see an elephant. I was losing until we went down the hill to go over Sabie river and out the gate on the other side  and as we went down the hill a young elephant ran across the road giving me the last win of the trip.

Kruger is an amazing place. It is a place that you can forget that there is a world outside of nature. Some idea's or tips for Kruger:

1. Enjoy the peace and quiet, don't feel like you must talk to fill the void.
2. Don't just focus on the big 5, there are so many amazing animals in the park.
3. Don't expect to see anything because there is a good chance that will happen.
4. Go with an amazing person, they will make the trip for you
5. Enjoy every second, even when you don't see anything