Kruger Park Safaris Ranger Blog: 2013-01-13

Verity and Dean Cherry had an African dream in 1999 and started Nhongo Safaris® to eliminate the logistical challenges of international visitors on safari. We provide a once in a lifetime experience for wildlife enthusiast that demand quality overnight safaris in South Africa and most particularly the Kruger National Park. We want to enrich our visitors’ experience by providing Luxury Safari Packages or African Safari Holidays and maintain our position as leader in Kruger Park Safaris.

Friday, 18 January 2013

On Safari with Mark 17 January 2013

17th January - Morning drive

Route: Albaseni - shabeni loop - circle road - nkambeni

A very quiet morning was experienced this morning with 2 herds of elephant on shabeni loop. Great sightings of some Kudu bulls and a troop of chackma baboons playing on the rocks. We returned to camp for lunch and also to check on our sick man. We departed once again in the afternoon for a drive, still with one guest being man down with gastro. The Route driven was napi - H3 - S112 - S114 - napi - back to nkambeni. The first half of napi was quiet going north and coming back down south with very little seen. On the H3 just before the S112 junction we picked up a mating set of lions. We spent a good 30min with them. At Renoster koppies we picked up the 3 lionesses that were hunting late yesterday afternoon. They must of been successful as all of them were panting heavily, with very full bellies. Brilliant rhino sighting with a crash all lying in a mud bath.

What a night was had by us all! Mark ended up calling the ambulance and our guest was taken to Medi Clinic in Nelspruit to be placed on a drip. From mid-night they said he could be discharged, but this is Africa with the Kruger being on lockdown for the night so no getting in or out! Fortunately the hospital gave them a bed for the night and we were able to arrange a transfer for them back to Nkambeni at 07h00am this morning. Mark and his other guests have departed on a morning drive and will return later to keep you updated on sightings and the state of our patient who is now resting comfortably with his wife at the camp.

Thursday, 17 January 2013

Safari Starting The 11th January 2013

Safari Starting the 11^th January 2013

11 January – Dean left Satara at 06h00am and made his way first down the Orpen Road to the dam where they found a good herd of about 800 buffalo and a pod of 10 Hippo and our beautiful Rhino drinking water. After taking in this sighting they made their way on towards Tshokwane tar road and on to Tshokwane for breakfast. Game viewing was slow due to the rain and wind, but we still managed to find impala, giraffe, waterbuck, rhino, elephant and buffalo along the way before breakfast. Just before Tshokwane things changed with the sighting of a Cheetah female walking beside the road looking at a herd of impala, it was not long before she was off after them, but it turned out a very half hearted effort and went off empty handed. After breakfast at Tshokwane, it was back onto the road. We turned onto the H10 and made our way down to the camp of Lower Sabie. Sightings were few with a couple of elephants, and Ostriches seen. When we got to the low water bridge over the Sabie River, we came across a crocodile busy hunting a Marabou Stork, after seeing him catch it, he made his way to the edge of the river to eat it. The guests managed to get some good action shots. We then made our way to Lower Sabie for a break.

We then left and made our way down Eloff to Skukuza for lunch. Things were going along nicely with sightings of Elephant and Hippo. Between the entrance of Echo loop and the exit of Delta loop, what looked like a Cheetah moving quickly across the road. We sped up to see what it was and came across a leopard sitting looking at a sickle bush, he kept looking at us and then back at the bush, only to be met by a lot of noise and screeching of something being killed. This ended up being a vervet monkey. He then took his kill and moved away into the bush. The guests and guide managed to get some good photos of this action. Soon it was off again along Eloff to Skukuza after also seeing a good sighting of a Black Rhino along the way. We only managed to get to Skukuza by 14h30 and then departed at 15h30pm for the camp of Pretoriuskop for the evening.

12 January – This morning being the guests last morning we travelled down Napi to Transport dam and back to Pretoriuskop for breakfast and got to see 7 wild dogs, elephant, rhino. Guests then departed back to Johannesburg with Verity from Nelspruit and Dean then returned to Kruger with new guests. We had lunch at Pretoriuksop and did a bit of an afternoon drive with sightings of general game before going on to Nkambeni for the evening.

13^th January – From Nkambeni this morning we did a bit of a drive down Napi to Quagga Pan with sightings of Elephant, Rhino, Buffalo, Impala and Kudu. After a tea stop at Skukuza we went on to Bravo loop to see the Lions 200metres from the entrance and then back to Skukuza and down the Paul Kruger Gate road to see two leopards, one 50metres past Doispane on the right hand side and then the next 1.9km further on the left hand side with a kill in the tree. We turned back onto Doispane and started on our way back towards Albasini and the Numbi Gate to await our next two guests who were arriving from Johannesburg. They did get lost and only made it to the gate at 14h30pm. The afternoon drive was a bit quiet.

14^th January – This morning Dean handed over the guests to Mark as he had to get back to Johannesburg in order to get ready for our group of 12 Harvard students who we coming in early on the 15^th January for one night. On Marks drive not much was sighted in the morning as he had to hand over guests to Verity at 12 and receive some new guests from America who were on Honeymoon. After lunch the Indian guests departing, all that was sighted were elephant we then made our way to Deans sighting of the Leopard with a kill which was an awesome sighting of him lying on a branch 10 metres from the road. On the way back down Doispane towards camp we got sightings of general game. 5km down Albesini we came across a large elephant bull in musth. He was very calm and relaxed and didn’t pay much attention to us as he crossed the road. We made our way back to camp for the evening and hope to show our guests some lions before our next group arrives in the morning.

15^th January - The flood gates have opened with rain and more rain falling. Our Harvard students arrived and were then taken first to camp for check in and lunch before going out on our afternoon drive. General game was spotted in the afternoon and then the heavens opened once again. We ended up going to camp early as it was raining so hard. Some of the students then went on a night drive in the rain and others decided the rain was too much for them and decided to stay in camp.

16^th January - As we went down Napi we came across a Bull Elephant and then at the Boulders exit a fleeting glimpse of a serval. We then got 6 Hyena ‘s past transport dam at their den. Dean then called Mark on the radio about 3 male lions on a rock enjoying daylight after the storm the night before. The sighting was not very good as they were quite far off the road. General game sightings were great with sightings of buffalo as well. We then started off back to Numbi gate as our Harvard students were departing back to Johannesburg Airport and Verity brought in new guests. Our six guests left in the park with Mark then enjoyed lunch at the camp before we departed on our afternoon game drive. We braved Voortrekker and came across good elephant with one rocking a Maroela tree knocking off some fruit. 1km before Biyamiti loop we had a male Leopard walk out onto the road and we followed him for a while and watched him stalk some Impala and it was not a successful hunt as they spotted him and took off. On the S112 we were fortunate enough to come across three lionesses on the road also going after impala but they were not able to catch one. General game sighting were awesome with views of fantastic Giraffe in the road. All we need now is some Buffalo and guests have seen it all.

That is all for now and we shall give you updates again tomorrow. The weather is changing and we believe the next few days are going to have very heavy downpours so not sure on how good the sightings will be and of course the flooding. We shall keep you updated as we are in the park till the 28^th January 2013!