On Safari With Karen From 16 June 2014

16 June 2014

Today was the first day of a new 4-Day Tented safari. We drove the panoramic route to Numbi Gate where we already spotted impalas on the way into Nkambeni Safari Camp. After check-in we had a spot of lunch while watching 3 giraffes eating the leaves just outside the restaurant.

After some time to unpack and relax, the guests went on their sundowner safari. They had a great time, watching the sunset with a glass of amarula (or as they said: at happy hour). On the drive itself they had seen lots of scrub hares, a spotted eagle owl, buffalos, kudus and an elephant up close.

 

17 June 2014

This morning was an early start as Anne and Kathleen went on a bushwalk. They appreciated it very much, paying attention to all the small things in the bush as well as walking in the vast silence of Kruger NP. They came across many interesting things like rhino middens as well as an elephant and kudu.

In the afternoon we set out for our game drive. We took a slow drive around Fayi Loop, talking about the park and management issues like fire as part of it had been burnt. We saw impalas, zebra, waterbuck, including a beautifully horned courting male, a black shouldered kite and a giraffe on the loop.

As it was needed we took a detour past Pretoriuskops ablutions. We did have time to watch a family if dwarf mongoose play and forage on the side of the road.

We then drove down to Shithave Dam where an elephant bull greeted us on the side of the road. He kept us in suspense if he was going to cross, but he apparently wanted more audience. When about 8 other vehicles were waiting he did show us his full body size by crossing the road. A herd of waterbuck females and youngsters were relaxing on the shore. Down at the dam we sat for a while, relaxing, watching the hippo head bob up and down and counting the terrapins on the rocks (36, give or take a few).

Then it was time to make our way back, as the gates were closing for the night. We stopped at the elephant again, now chewing lazily on a sicklebush on the other side of the road with a setting sun in the background. Halfway down Numbi tar we also spotted three more giraffes silhouetted against the sunset. just before the turn-off to Nkambeni Safari Camp two buffalo bulls were grazing on the side if the road. It took a while to pass as one of them apparently studied for roadblock and practised with us. We didn't mind as we got some lovely close-up pictures. It marked the end of another lovely day!

 

18 June 2014

This morning we set off for our full day safari. Just outside the lodge we spotted a duiker which ran away almost as soon as we stopped.

We took a drive around Shabeni Koppie seeing two klipspringers, buffalos and some impalas. Down Napi we went where just around a corner a small elephant just started crossing the road in front. A youngster of about three years started chasing another car which looked very funny. He didn't dare come too close, he was just showing off. After a couple of attempts he went back to his mother on the other side and it looked like he started pushing them across as the rest of the herd was disappearing out of view. We had a great time watching him.

We then continued, spotting a large herd of kudus, brown snake eagle, a hyena cub walking past the car and a slender mongoose running across. We turned onto Watergat after a quiet spell on Napi. Here we came across some more klipspringers, a pearl spotted owlet in plain view in broad daylight, zebras, giraffes, lots of impalas and dwarf mongoose.

Lake panic was a little paradise to stop. There were hippos, crocodiles and plenty of waterbirds to keep us entertained. Then we continued to the golf club where the hippos were performing a show with lots of noises, bum biting, teeth showing and poo spreading. The warthogs walking on the golf course gave no notice.

After a nice and relaxing lunch we drove off. We spotted two large elephants on our left eating from a tree, stretching their bodies up. A youngster was on our right, but before we knew it, about ten elephants showed up from our right and were crossing as if we weren't there at all. The two already on our left made one hell of a racket about the newcomers, lots of head shaking and trumpeting and grumbling going on. But the bigger herd pushed through. As they were dry, going straight we reckoned they were on their way to Lake Panic. So we turned around and drove back. Walking towards the hide we already spotted them over the fence. They came for a mud bath. Two adults and a youngster bathed about 4m away from us and here we are watching over a thin wooden fence that would have been no match for an angry elephant. Lucky us they did not mind us watching! They spattered and played, even made us join in the mud bath when throwing it over its head and missing the body. A youngster completely submerged himself with mud and then was unable to get up out of the slippery mud until his mum or auntie helped him up. We watched until the matriarch called them to leave. It was an amazing sighting!!!

We continued on our way and saw a nyala cross. The drive back towards Nkambeni Safari Lodge gave us baboons, a hyena, a lovely kudu bull, and another herd of elephants. These elephants once again crossed the road close to our vehicle, but then they stayed in the middle of the road being a lovely roadblock. Two youngsters came to their mums to have a drink of milk while they were still munching on branches of silver cluster leaves.

On the last stretch of Napi we saw a small herd of sable. This is a rare sight! Two males were pushing and shoving, but the difference in strength between them was very obvious. With this sighting it was the end of a very busy elephant day.

Hawks Swoop On Rhino Horn Poachers

The Hawks arrested three suspects for possession of a rhino horn in Atteridgville outside Pretoria.

The trio was apprehended yesterday morning and expected to appear in the Atteridgeville Magistrate’s Court today. Hawks spokesperson, Capt Paul Ramaloko, said the local police spotted a vehicle during a routine patrol and pulled over a suspicious vehicle.

“Upon ...searching the vehicle, police found the rhino horn wrapped in a sheet and shelved inside the car bonnet. “We suspect that these suspects, who hail from Hammanskraal, were coming from Limpopo were we recently got a report of poached rhinos,” he said.

In a separate incident, another three suspected rhino poachers are expected to appear in the Makhado Magistrate’s Court today for a formal bail application.

A fourth suspect was also arrested in connection with the same case and will also appear in the Makhado Magistrate’s Court together with his accomplices.

The suspects, aged between 36 to 41 were arrested last week after police received information that a rhino had been poached inside the farm in Alldays.

Police, led by members of the Hawks, raced to the farm, surrounded it and after an extensive search the suspects were cornered and arrested in possession of two rhino horns, a ·375 rifle and an axe.

The suspects are facing charges of illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition, poaching of a rhino, possession of rhino horns and trespassing.

Meanwhile, three suspects aged between 29 to 42 held for suspected rhino poaching last week Friday, in an intelligence- led operation between crime intelligrence and Vaalwater detectives, have been denied bail by the Vaalwater Periodical Magistrate pending their next appearance on June 25.

A Toyota tazz, a ·416 rifle with a silencer, an axe and a saw were seized from the suspects. Since the start of the year, 442 rhinos have been poached in South Africa and 123 suspected poachers arrested.

The Kruger National Park has lost 293 rhinos to poachers, with 56 people, including a former ranger and two policemen, being arrested for poaching.

By:
The New Age newspaper

On Safari With Curtis From 13 June 2014

13 June 2014

After meeting my guests in Nelspruit we headed down to Nkambeni tented safari camp and checked in before we went for a afternoon drive. We headed along coming across many impala, kudu, buffalo, giraffe and white rhino as well as hippos and waterbuck at mestel dam as well as having a brief glimpse of a family of steenbok before they scattered into the bush. We then took a drive around Faye loop where we found more kudu, vervet monkey and a family of dwarf mongoose.

 

14 June 2014

This morning was a late start as last night my guests being big football fans stayed up late to watch the Netherlands - Spain world cup match. Immediately we found a large male elephant and then a small herd of fiveelephants on Numbi tar. We headed down Napi which was fairly quiet until we saw a leopard cross our path, we watched as he moved into the bush and hung around a bit until he decided where he wanted to go and disappeared from view. We carried on and found a nice sighting of zebra before finding a young hyena cub lying outside his den, we were then told about a herd of elephants just down the road and made our way there. They were standing right next to the road and wanted to cross but due to the large number of cars blocking their path they didn't. We waited patiently and as the cars all moved on one of the larger females decided to cross the road, this was the signal for the rest of the herd to cross over and we were treated to a wonderful sighting as about 25 elephants crossed in front and behind us. We turned back around and headed to PK for a short break before heading down Shabeni and Albasini where we found vervets, impala, zebra and a very nervous common duiker. On Doispane we came across a pair of mating lions. Hidden in the bush while they were resting we waited and finally the male stood up and went to the female.

Unfortunately it was time to leave Kruger and head to KMIA where my guests are catching a flight to head over to Brazil and follow their team Australia. Thank you for your company the last couple of days and fingers crossed for your team.

 

Day Trip With Karen On 12 June 2014

 Today was only a one day dash. We entered the park through Numbi Gate early in the morning and quickly we spotted a small journey of giraffes. There were two on one side, one crossing the road in front and two youngsters were still on the other side. We waited a while for them to cross, but they weren't paying attention or were distracted by something on the other side as neither of them wanted to make any attempt of crossing.

We continued our drive. We spotted our first of many impalas, three white rhinos hidden in the grass, two buffalos having a stand-off in the high grass that made them almost invisible and two klipspringers standing like statues on one of the rocky bits. Then suddenly there was movement on our right, close by the vehicle and we saw three lionesses walking by climbing up the Shabeni mountain. On a higher area a young male was also getting up. We watched them climb to the top and were hoping they would come out on the other side. We turned around to have a look. We did see them but unfortunately just their heads. They had decided the top of the rock was the best place to relax in the sun.

We left the lions to continue on Napi. Down the road we encountered zebras, a male steenbok, a large group of kudus with two nice fully grown bulls (one of which was clearly checking out a female), a hyena cub sunning outside its den, a warthog, a pair of hawk eagles and just before Skukuza a very old male giraffe. Some birds were also photographed: purple crested turaco, crested barbet and cape glossy starlings to name some.

After the break we took a loop around the river looking for elephants. And we indeed did got lucky. In between the bush we saw three elephant bums. Occasionally a trunk went up out of the bushes to get to the leaves on top. Excited about our first elephants we took many photos, but still hoping for a better sighting. We drove on, but stopped for warthogs, a brown hooded kingfisher, some nice impalas and hippos.

We stopped at high level bridge, over the Sabie river. Hippos were coming out of the water to lie in the sun as well as feed a bit more. Crocodiles were lounging on sand banks, a saddle billed stork was walking across and vervet monkeys were playing in the trees on the other side.

On Marula tar we kept our gaze mostly on the riverside as it was getting hot today. We spotted a nice elephant bull on the opposite side with a buffalo close by lounging in the riverbed. A nyala was trying to hide in the bush while hanging out with kudus and impalas. And we also saw a fish eagle.

After lunch, which we had at Skukuza again, we drove down Doispane. Our first sighting after lunch was a very unhappy one: a hyena was lying dead on the side of the road. When we stopped next to it we saw the flies around a large straight wound, one that looked like as if it had been hit by a car. Sad with this sighting and hoping that people would drive more careful, we drove on.

At a small waterhole we spotted a family of warthogs. While watching them dig while leaning on their wrists, we spotted a giraffe making a water ballet while drinking. And that grey rock on the side turned out to be a white rhino that was waiting for the giraffe to clear off so he could have a mud bath.

Later on we also saw more zebras, two white rhinos close to the vehicle, lilac breasted rollers, a female steenbok, green wood-hoopoes giving a concert and a crested barbet that was feeding young ones hiding in a tree hole.

We had seen many impalas today but just before Nyamundwa Dam we stopped to watch an impala show. The male was obviously not pleased with one of the females and chased her loudly around the open area. When she tried to hide in the herd he singled her out again and continued. He snorted and grunted! The rest of the herd watch comically while making a "huh" kind of noise. The pair even chased two waterbucks out of their comfortable shady spot!

The last bit of today's drive was down Albassini. Here we finally saw zebras in plain view instead of through bushes as a harem was crossing the road in front of us. To make it better they took their time crossing, forming a nicely striped roadblock, or, as they would have it, a zebra crossing. We were also treated to multiple elephant bulls, one of which docilely feeding right next to the vehicle. This gave us some amazing pictures to end the day!

On Safari With Mark From 11 June 2014

11 June 2014

Route: Albaseni – Shabeni loop - Fiaya loop - Napi - Napi boulders - Nkambeni

General animals seen: impala, warthog, kudu, waterbuck, hippos, giraffe, steenbok, elephant, rhino and buffalo

Highlights: on our morning run we were very fortunate to find a serval cat walking in the road as we approached the shabeni koppies. We couldn't get great photos though due to it moving off into the bush before cameras were ready.

On our afternoon ride we found 2 honey badgers digging in a rhino midden. We got great photos of these two and guests loved the activity of both.

We hope to find some lions and leopards tomorrow.

 

12 June 2014

Route: most of the travels on safari have covered the roads south of skukuza

Camps visited were: Skukuza, Lower sabi, Bergendal and Afsaal

General animals seen: impala, kudu, zebra, warthog, common Rheedbuck, bushbuck, waterbuck, steenbok, common duiker, klipspringer, giraffe, buffalo, elephant, rhino, chackma baboons, vervet monkeys, slender, dwarf and banded mongoose

Highlights: on our return to camp along Napi, we spotted a young male leopards on the side of the road. We got great photos as he moved towards us and then crossed over the road very casually.

Seems like he was in a fight as he had two wounds on either side of his rump. All healing though.

 

13 June 2014

Camps visited were: Skukuza, Lower sabi, Bergendal and Afsaal

General animals seen: impala, zebra, warthog, bushbuck, waterbuck, steenbok, common duiker, klipspringer, giraffe, buffalo, elephant, rhino, chackma baboons, vervet monkeys, slender, dwarf mongoose.

Highlights: In the afternoon, we had a mating couple of lions on Doispan. Although guests could see them, they weren't good photo opportunities as they were hidden from the long grass on the shoulder of the road.

 

14 June 2014

Camps visited were: Skukuza, Lower sabi, Bergendal and Afsaal

General animals seen: impala, kudu, zebra, warthog, common Rheedbuck, bushbuck, waterbuck, steenbok, common duiker, klipspringer, giraffe, buffalo, elephant, rhino, chackma baboons, vervet monkeys, dwarf mongoose

Highlights: A early morning surprise as we drove along the Albaseni, we found 7 lions walking towards us on the road. As we pulled off the guests had ample time for photos. Two of the males walked up a termite mound and lay down staring directly at us. Guests were happy.

 

15 June 2014

Camps visited were: Skukuza, Lower sabi, Bergendal and Afsaal

General animals seen: impala, kudu, zebra, warthog, waterbuck, steenbok, common duiker, klipspringer, giraffe, buffalo, elephant, rhino, chackma baboons, vervet monkeys.

Highlights: On 2 different occasions we found solitary saddle billed stalks spending g time on the side of running water. Great to see them as they are so scarce.

In general, the sightings have been acceptable as the increase in tragic due to a public holiday on Monday has sure had an impact.

We leave tomorrow looking for a leopard for the last 2 people that joined me.

 

Keep watching for more!