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