The decade-long fight to save the kruger's rhino against poaching

Hi Everybody,

A very nice article written by "Vertical Magazine" titled "The decade-long fight to save kruger's rhino against poaching". This just brings into perspective the trails and hardships that all have gone through and are still going through to save our very endangered African Rhino species we have in the Kruger National Park. The relentless onslaught of poaching groups coming into the park to destroy this species of animal for no reason but greed. Sometimes morale can be low, especially when you see the scenes of a crime, the gruesomeness that goes with the crime is sometimes not humanly possible to process, and leads to somebody suffering over the long term with PTSD. it is a constant battle to keep the teams focused and ready, not only in body, but also in mind. The mind is one of the most powerful organs of the body, if there is a short circuit in the left or right atrium of the brain, many things have the potential to go wrong. When you are fighting a war like we are in the Kruger National Park, it resembles to the tee, the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, where you have troops returning that look fit and well, and to the human eye, could turn around and go right back to the battle front, but there is always that possibility that some of them have the underlying problem of PTSD. Not an easy thing to treat in the field, so one has to look very closely for signs of this, even in our special ranger corps in the Kruger National Park, PTSD has the ability to raise its ugly head.

For more information on our safaris, please visit www.nhongosafaris.co.za

Lion Photos taken early morning

Good Morning Everybody,
It is always nice to see photos of wildlife, and especially lions, as it is one of the species of African Wildlife that most visiting guests when asked want to see. These photos were taken by one of our guides Amanda while out on an early morning game drive. It is always great to have guides that have good cameras, that can take good photos, but as good as the photo is, it is at the same moment that one must understand that there is a very fine line between guides taking photos and doing the job of guiding clients. Guides have to understand, that when coming into the sighting, their full concentration must be on their clients, and not on their personal job of taking or teying to take the best photos. This is deemed to be totally unprofessional, as your guests and their needs always comes first in every way, even if that means that you as the guide loose the shot of the dat, month or year. a guide never sacrifices their clients for self gain in any shape or form.

I in my days of been a guide, witnessed so many times, guides coming into a sighting, and you see the guide taking photos, before the vehicle has even come to a complete stop. and this goes on for ten minutes, before a word is said to the guests on the vehicle, all this time, the interpretation that should be taking place, is totally non existant, thereby leading to complaints, bad atmosphere on the open safari vehicle with the group or even boredom. Not a pleasant place to be.

A professional guide, always thinks of their guests, and puts everything else second. Always keep it clean, and professional with no room for complaints and guests finding fault.

Below are some phots from the same sighting:

For more info on our safaris, please visit www.nhongosafaris.co.za

The importance of happy clients

When in the tourism industry it is the ultimate requirement that one develops a product that is aligned to the visiting guest, and is something that they can not only enjoy, but also learn from, thereby taking home new knowledge gained from their visit to South Africa. Guests under all circumstances have to be told of both the good and the bad things of the country, thereby giving them a balanced view of the country.

A lot of safari operators have always taken a stance regarding the discussion around politics and race relations in the South African context, we at Nhongo Safaris, have always regarded this conversation as important an necessary for firstly people to understand where South Africa has come from, and where the country is currently heading.

We have certainly experienced over the years that the necessity for a well balanced guide, who is firstly very knowledgeable about the bush and wildlife together with environmental interpretation skills, but at the same time, is well up to date with what is going on in the country of South Africa, and the the world, so in order to keep guests concentration and entertained, it is extremely important to have somebody who has a wonderful knowledge of all that is going on.

It takes time to nurture a guide from the time that they start working with you, that you invest the time and content to get them up to a certain level. Once this level has been achieved, what is the tendency to happen, is that the guest or clients, get an overall experience, go home or proceeding further on their holiday with a huge positive outlook on the country, and a client or guest that is happy and does not actually want to leave.

We have been very lucky over the years, to be a balanced safari operator, that have put a lot of time and effort into our staff as a whole, and we continue to reap the benefits of this, as we have received a lot of feedback from our visitors on this subject. Keep up the good work guys, as we are definetly are on the right road.  

For more info on our safaris, please visit www.nhongosafaris.co.za

Wild animals electrocuted in freak accident

South African National Parks (SANParks) today confirmed that an elephant, giraffe and a vulture were electrocuted in the Kruger National Park (KNP).  The incident took place at Shingwedzi Section in the north of the KNP. The animals were electrocuted after an Eskom Power line collapsed on Tuesday night and the Section Ranger was notified on Wednesday morning 8 May 2019 and immediately notified Eskom who have despatched a team to attend to the scene.

Power has been switched off to enable Rangers to remove tusks for safe keeping and the generator will supply power to the camp until the area has been attended to by both SANParks and Eskom technicians. Voting in the area will not be affected as power is available and visitors and staff are exercising their democratic right.    

An investigation will be established to find the cause of the collapse and an update will be issued in due course. 

Prince Harry Flies Into Skukuza Kruger National Park

His Royal Highness Prince Harry flies into Skukuza Airport for an update on the poaching. He was met by Glenn Phillips (General Manager Kruger National Park), General Jooste ( Head of Anti Poaching Kruger National Park), William Mabasa ( General Manager communications and Marketing Kruger National Park) and CEO Mr Fundisile Mketeni.

Media Release: KNP Helicopter Lands Safely After Engine Failure

One of the Kruger National Park (KNP) helicopters with three park officials on board went looking for two rhinos, which were believed to be outside the Park west of Orpen Gate yesterday (18 August 2015). The female rhino and her calf were observed outside the park; and a helicopter was dispatched to locate the animals in order to guide the Game Capture team on the ground.

The team was still searching for the animals, when the helicopter suddenly experienced a power loss and engine failure. The pilot was forced to carry out an immediate emergency landing which he did successfully with no injuries or further damage to the aircraft.

“We are grateful that our employees are all safe and no one was hurt; even grateful that the game capture team managed to recover the animals and ensure their safe return to the park. A special commendation goes out to the Pilot; who under critical circumstances, managed to land the aircraft safely;” concluded the KNP’s Managing Executive, Mr Glenn Phillips.

The helicopter is currently being inspected to determine the cause of the engine failure.

Issued by:
Communications & Marketing Department, Kruger National Park
Tel: 013 735 4262, cell: 082 807 1441
E-mail: laura.mukwevho@sanparks.org

Media enquiries:
William Mabasa
GM: Communications & Marketing, Kruger National Park
Tel: 013 735 4363, cell: 082 807 3919
E-mail: william.mabasa@sanparks.org

Reynold “Rey” Thakhuli
GM: PR, Media and Stakeholder Relations, SANParks
Tel: 012 426 5203, Cell: 073 373 4999
E-mail: rey.thakhuli@sanparks.org

On Safari With Robbie 8 April 2015

8 April 2015

Today we headed for Letaba and along the Olifants river we came across well over 20 pods of Hippo which were interesting to observe!

1 Elephant was seen way in the distance and this became our only Ele sighting of the day! It really makes one wonder if the Elephant population count is accurate or not ?

2 Buffalo were also seen! Our highlight for the day was 2 Saddle-billed Storks fishing in a depleted pond close to us! They literally hauled out 10 fish between them!

A leopard was seen but disturbed by noisy visitors!

A very quiet but scenic day!

Minister Edna Molewa highlights progress in the war against poaching and plans for 2015

The Minister of Environmental Affairs, Mrs Edna Molewa, reported back on progress with regards to the integrated strategic management of rhinoceros in South Africa at a media briefing on Thursday, 22 January 2015. Follow the link to view https://www.environment.gov.za/mediarelease/molewa_waragainstpoaching2015

On Safari With Karen from 24 July 2014

24 July 2014

Today was another daytrip with Care for Wild volunteers. We started at Numbi Gate and were lucky to see two elephants quite quickly. The young bulls were in the distance but stepped first on a termite mount to show themselves (1 by 1) and then kept walking towards us. They crossed the road just behind our vehicle. A little further on we found some zebras hiding behind the bushes.

We took a loop around Shabeni where we found a klipspringer posing on top of a rock and a large troop of baboons. They baboons weren't properly awake yet, as they sat huddled together is small groups warming up in the sun.

Back on the tar road we were stared at a lone buffalo bull and spotted a duiker that didn't run away.

We took a slow drive to Shithave Dam where the crocodile was already up and sunning himself. The hippos were nowhere to be seen, but we did get a good look at a grey heron.

We saw warthogs, kudus, giraffes and our first impalas. Then we encountered two elephants bulls in the prime of their lives. One was clearly trying to establish dominancy. Challenging the one that was a teensy bit smaller and at one point even laying its head and trunk on top of the head of the other as much as he could. However, the smallest one was apparently ok with it as he was more keen on the grass and kept chewing away even with the other one's head on top of him. No scuffle broke out, so we continued our journey.

Close to Transport Dam a hyena pup was sunning himself. At Delaporte waterhole we saw a massive male giraffe and a troop of baboons that was feeding and as if it was the themes of the morning, here too two males were establishing the hierarchy. One of the kings mounted the other as if trying to mate it. We also saw impala and two duikers roaming around.

On the way to Skukuza we saw many more giraffes and a large group of buffalo bulls were crossing the road, at their own pace, just before Skukuza entrance.

After a break at Skukuza we turned towards the river. We stopped at a spot where people said there were lions, but through the bushes. We scouted and looked and maybe saw an ear, but that was it. No luck this time. We did however see multiple white-backed and hooded vultures sitting in trees nearby waiting to eat the leftovers of the buffalo the lions had killed. After we continued we spotted lots of herds of impalas, bateleurs fly over and a fish eagle.

At high level bridge we spotted an island full of hippos and a crocodile. We then took the road Marula loop where we saw lots of giraffes, zebras and two buffalos close to the road. At Sand river bridge a family of tawny eagles was sitting on their nest. Then we had to drive slowly as a family of ground hornbills was walking in the road. While we were crossing slowly, baboons came up from behind us and played on the bridge.

Back at Skukuza we stopped for lunch. Then we continued our drive on Kruger road where a steenbok decided we weren't worth running away from in the heat and plopped back down to rest. Down River road there were lots of kudus going to the water. We saw some nice fully grown males and large groups of females. Back on Doispane it was rather quiet. The day had turned hot and all the animals had gone into hiding. We did get word about a sleeping male lion under a bush. This time we were in luck and made it to the sighting in time. The lion was having a dream as he rolled on his back and made movements with his legs in the air. It made it look funny for us! On the way to Phabeni Gate we only stopped for zebras, before the drive was over.

Day Trip With Karen 14 July 2014

We started from Numbi Gate with another daytrip with Care for Wild Volunteers. We turned onto Albassini to find a duiker hanging around on a recently burned patch. At Mestel Dam the hippos were not really showing themselves as we only spotted ears and nostrils. Also there were no animals thirsty enough for a drink on this cold cloudy morning.

Down Shabeni road we found kudus, 2 young giraffes close to the road and one adult in hiding, a hoopoe and two bull elephants feeding. The biggest one took down a Marula tree branch by branch as the younger ones were feeding on grass and creepers close to the road.

On Shabeni rock we found baboons skipping their morning ritual of warming in the sun, as there was no sun, but the youngsters played with the same enthusiasm nonetheless. A quick loop around Pretoriuskop Koppies gave us a sighting of green wood-hoopoes and a small herd of elephants crossing while trumpeting in front and behind our vehicle. Especially the youngsters wanted us to know they will protect their herd from us!

We stopped for breakfast at Pretoriuskop where the guineafowls and vervet monkeys were roaming the parking lot. After breakfast we continued down Napi. A giraffe showed that animals have right of way, and don't have to look out when crossing, as he stepped onto the tar road from behind a bush right in front of us. Luckily we have good brakes! The giraffe however didn't look twice and continued crossing. We also had some lovely sightings of white rhino, kudu bulls, a lone steenbok and a hyena cub lying outside its den.

A look down H3 gave us more giraffe sightings, two white-backed vultures gliding on a thermal, a slender mongoose crossing the road, warthogs and lilac breasted rollers. We continued our drive where we had multiple great sightings of white rhinos. One of them was shy and kept showing his butt to us no matter how we turned the car. He always turned with! We also saw a wildebeest and two honey badgers that ran away as soon as we stopped, redbilled oxpeckers on top of rhinos, redbilled and yellowbilled and grey hornbills as well as a steenbok couple.

While having lunch at the Skukuza Golfclub the hippos were playing in the water. And while we were not looking vervet monkeys were having a great time in our vehicle! We had seen them upon arrival hanging around in the parking lot, so we decided to take everything out of the car. However, not everyone in the parking had done the same, as the vervets had been feasting on what looked like a pear or apple and afterwards had a play in our vehicle, what resulted in apple or pear juiced foot and handprints.

On the way out we had some trouble scaring a skink from under Dean's car. The poor creature thought the safest hiding place was underneath a tyre, so he moved from one to another. In the end he settled in the middle so Dean could quickly move out. Then we were lucky to see a daggaboy cross the road on the way to Lake Panic and a giraffe blocking the road just before we reached the tar. We turned onto River road where we saw kudus and a couple of wet elephants striding through the bush (and at least one of them was in must, so we smelled).

Down Doispane we had an elephant feeding close to the road reaching for the highest and therefore bestest leaves to eat. A herd of buffalo just had some gulps of water in a nearby pool and were now taking a rest. We also saw a family of dwarf mongoose in the road and on the side of it. They were quite brave, hanging around our car until another park visitor thought it was necessary to race by us and scared them off.

At Nyamundwa we paid some attention to the waterbirds around: a wooly necked stork, grey heron, african darter, white breasted comorant, blacksmith lapwing and fish eagle in a tree close by. A hippo was also popping up in the water close to the parking lot area.

We finished our drive with another sighting of giraffe, just before Phabeni Gate.

Day Trip With Karen on 10 July 2014

10 July 2014

Today we set off with a car full of volunteers from Care for Wild, who, instead of having to care day and night for their animals, had a day out of just watching them. We entered through Numbi gate and within a 100m found a bushbuck hiding behind a fallen tree next to the road.

We carried on where we had two nice sightings of two white rhinos. Two were watching us as much as we were watching them through the bushes. Two others had no interest in us at all and showed us their magnificent backside only. We also spotted impalas, lilac breasted rollers, a Burchell's coucal, two young kudu bulls, two warthogs running away and two bull elephants hiding in the bushes. Guess it was a morning of twos...

After a break for breakfast we drove down towards Marula loop. A duiker crossed the road in front of us and then quickly disappeared. The bushbucks at a waterhole however were hanging around long enough to take pictures. On Sand River low level bridge we encountered a large troop of baboons. They were relaxing, grooming and playing and were fun to watch for quite some time as something new happened or got discovered every few minutes. We also saw a male nyala.

On Marula Loop we saw three giraffes, a family of four tree squirrels, a steenbok and a small herd of elephants. They looked liked they might cross as they were feeding on both sides of the road, but decided not to while we were watching them. An older elephant with a calf looked quite stressed and even got a fright of a bachelor group of impalas coming out of the bush, so we decided to leave her alone and gave her back the peace and quiet of no cars.

On the tar road towards high level bridge we spotted zebras, tawny eagle, more giraffes and a family of warthogs that was feeding on their wrists.

High level bridge was unusually quiet as there were no animals in sight so down Elooff we went. Here the impalas roamed around in big herds and we saw more warthogs, kudus and vervet monkeys before we got a tip about a leopard on the S114. As he wasn't supposed to be too far from the tar road we gave it a go.

Arriving at the sighting there were multiple cars all saying the same thing: yeah the leopard is here, but he is lying flat in the bushes somewhere. We decided to hang around for a bit before turning around and weren't we lucky! Just in the 10min we were there he sat up, and had a lie down again. We then turned around to go to Skukuza for lunch but the traffic wasn't easy to get through. But it gave us another glance of the leopard which got up, walked three paces to a different bush and flopped down again. After that we only saw a tail flick until we managed to get through the traffic to the other side.

After lunch we took a drive down River Road. Having spotting nothing but impalas and a large herd of kudus from Skukuza onwards till just before the S4 turn-off, we were happy to see another leopard. Once again people at the sighting didn't see him, others saying he was walking around stalking something but checking the shady bits we saw him quite clearly just hanging out.

Carrying on we came across a middle size herd of buffalo resting, zebras, vervet monkeys, a bateleur and had an excellent sighting of two rhinos out in the open.

We stopped at Shitlhave Dam to look at a shore full of snoring hippos and a crocodile having a snooze in the sun. A white breasted comorant was apparently hungry as he was catching a fish just in front of us and a fish eagle who didn't pay attention.

Then it was time to continue to Phabeni Gate where we said goodbye to one last sighting of a troop of baboons and a lizard buzzard before driving out of the park.

 

 

South African Nationals Parks Applauds Court Sentence

South African Nationals Parks (SANParks) today welcomed the sentencing of two Mozambican Nationals to 16 years in prison for poaching and related offences. They were sentenced in the Nelspruit Magistrates Court.

Ephraim Bila and Ndombama Salvatore Nkuna were arrested in the Kruger National Park (KNP) in April 2013 by SANParks Rangers after they had killed and dehorned a white rhino. They were sentenced to 10 years for killing the rhino, four years for trespassing and carrying out a restricted activity in a restricted area, and six years for illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition. The 10- and four-year sentences would run concurrently.

The Acting Chief Executive Officer of SANParks, Abe Sibiya commended the courts for imposing the lengthy jail terms. “We are happy that the courts have rewarded the hard work done by the Rangers, our Environmental Crime Investigative Unit and the South African Police. This sentence will certainly make potential poachers think twice, before crossing the fence to plunder our natural heritage. The sentencing will also help to lift the morale of all men and women in uniform who are in the trenches fighting this scourge of rhino poaching” said Sibiya.

The KNP has lost 351 animals to poaching this year and 60 people were arrested in connection with some of the cases. Sibiya went on to say SANParks is not prepared to give up the fight to save the rhino species.

“We are resolute in our determination to win this war that is being waged by greedy individuals, these assets belong to the South African people and we are prepared to ensure their future existence as mandated ” concluded Sibiya.

Issued by:
South African National Parks Corporate Communications

On Safari With Karen From 4 July 2014

4 July 2014

After a pick-up in Nelspruit we drove the scenic route to Numbi Gate. We would spend the night at Nkambeni Safari Camp, where we first of all went to check-in and have some lunch. On the dirt road into camp we already saw some impalas, our first animals.

Then we set off for our afternoon game drive. Camp road had gotten a bit busier with impalas, a warthog and some kudus that were very well in hiding.

They had started burning on the side of the tar road so we passed some warm flames and then a reedbuck was standing in the middle of the burned bit. It looked a bit lost, as if it lost more than just its cover in the fire.

We turned onto Fayi Loop where just around the corner two young elephants were just crossing the road. They showed us their butts as they kept walking in front of us before turning off the road. Within seconds those big grey animals had disappeared in the bush.

We saw waterbucks, more kudus and lots of birds before we hit a roadblock. A herd of buffalos had decided their siesta was on the road and no matter how close we were, it wasn't over yet. We waited for quite some time taking pictures of the buffalos getting up, one of them being grey which stood out. We heard the fire crackling in the background but nothing was speeding them up today. When we were finally cleared to pass, we continued on our way. We then came across a wonderful and pretty unique sighting of an African rock python. He was lying on the side of the road, probably warming up in the sun. His body length was about 5 meters and he was evenly fat so he didn't just eat something. He lingered for a bit before slithering away into his hiding place. Just a little dried grass cover and his entire body was very well hidden!

To escape the fire we crossed the tar. On the crossing we had a troop of baboons pass us. Around Shabeni we found kudus and more impalas. We drove down Albassini to have a look at Mestel Dam. We spotted a pied kingfisher hovering, a fish eagle in a tree and hippos that were bobbing their heads up and down.

Down the road however we spotted a white rhino. He was on the side of the road but got scared by our vehicle and jumped back into the bush. He did however come back out behind us to show us how rhinos mark their territory! He then continued in our opposite direction before disappearing into the bush.

On our last stretch of today before being back in camp we also came across some zebras and some dagga boys on camp road.

 

5 July 2014

This morning we got up early to watch the sunrise from the loop around Manung koppies. The area around it was still burning at some places. We did see two female giraffes each with a young one. One female crossed the road, but the other was quite hesitant. Especially since more and more cars showed up, it decided to go back into the bush and not cross. We then moved on and had, in addition to a beautiful sunrise, multiple sightings of buffalos around Manung and Pretoriuskop Koppies, before turning onto Napi.

We stopped at Shithave Dam to watch a hippo come up to breath multiple times. There also was a crocodile that put himself on a rock already waiting for the sun to warm him up.

Down Napi we drove, all the way to Transport Dam. In addition to the previous sightings we found a kudu bull with some massive horns and vervet monkeys that just woke up and started playing in the early morning.

Then it was time to turn around to go back to Nelspruit as Siri and Alex were due back in Johannesburg today. Here they would transfer to Botswana where they would volunteer on a conservation project. I wish them all the best, and maybe we will see them back one day. Thanks very much for joining us!

On Safari With Karen From 3 July 2014

3 July 2014

Today we set off for a full day game drive right after breakfast. We have seen a lot of animals so far, but still there were many to find! However we weren't quite awake yet as we started our drive. Just before Shitlhave Dam we drove by seeing a little rock, a big rock, a rock with ears, little rocks.... Ho! Back up! A rock with ears? No, it was an elephant with a young. We didn't see the rest of the herd though.

We then continued down Napi where we spotted a lot of general game like kudus, a duiker, impalas and waterbuck. Close to Transport Dam two young hyenas were roaming around their den site, apparently having stolen a rubber cover for a pullhook. The youngsters were having great fun with it. Another younger one, just lay in the sun.

We turned down the H3. We had gotten word there should be lions down there, but no such luck for us. We did see some giraffes in the background, but no lions. We decided to continue down on the H3 anyways, which gave us a nice change of scenery. Down by Biyamiti bridge, a lot of cars were standing around. The word was there were lions, but no one seemed to exactly know where they were lying down now. Somebody even said they were a mating pair. We scouted with binoculars and thought we knew where they would be lying. So we waited. In the meantime all the other cars got impatient and left the sighting. Left all by ourselves we were startled by some weird unfamiliar noises. Then two white-backed vultures came sitting on the tree above the lions. They kind of did a mating dance and then indeed mated, letting us know what the unfamiliar noise was. Those noise little buggers however did show the lions apparently what to do as suddenly the female got up. The male followed suite and they were indeed a mating pair. Good things come to those who wait! We had a great sighting of mating vultures and lions.

We drove down towards Afsaal, but before the coffee we wanted to check out the open area. Normally there are some zebras or other grazers, but this time there were cars as far as we could see. A leopard was crossing in between those cars, unseen by us, but told by others. We scouted around, seeing warthogs, zebras, blue wildebeests and impalas but no leopard. We turned around to go back to Afsaal. While we were scouting around on the right however the leopard had crossed some way behind us, back to the other side! No wonder we didn't see it! We now scouted on the right and caught glimpses of it between the bushes and crossing open areas, before he hid away in the bushes to hide from all the commotion. There must have been at least 60 cars driving around to try to catch a glimpse! So after not seeing for 10min we decided to leave him be and finally go for a toilet break and then some coffee.

We then continued our drive back up the H3, seeing cars at the same lion spot where we had seen them mating, but the lions were lying flat once again. We didn't wait around this time. A little further on we saw 4 ground hornbills at the junction with the S113. They were digging in elephant dung in the open field. As these are very endangered it was a treat to see them.

We also came across a sadle billed stork, a group of five white rhinos, kudu bulls, baboons, bushbucks, warthogs, vervet monkeys and a white rhino mother and her calf. They were snoozing in the shade when the young got up and nudged his mother. Apparently he was thirsty as she rolled to her side and he started suckling!

After lunch at Skukuza, we took Napi road back towards camp. We spotted more general game and one hyena young was still outside its den, just in a different spot to soak up more sun. Just before the end we spotted a elephant in the bush. We stopped and then saw and smelled a large elephant bull in must on our right. The ladies in front were crossing the road and one by one took a sniff of the large bull. But none was really interested as they all continued on their way. The big bull was now left with just us to impress. Which is exactly what he tried to do. He turned around facing us and then came towards us to inspect the car to see if there would be room to join us. But smelling like that and obviously urinating, we told him firmly that he was not allowed to come any closer. However he didn't want to listen so we continued on our way. Looking back from a distance he slowly resumed molesting the marula tree he was feeding off.

Then on carrying on we were surprised by not one but another two herds of elephants crossing the road. Both times we were just on the right spot to enjoy the sighting but not to scare the mothers and their young. They crossed nicely with the youngsters fussing over the cars watching them and protecting the herd. Also two giraffes decided to cross the road. Here was where it all was happening as we saw a white rhino walking in the high grass and we came across two buffalos on camp road before it was the end of a long but very successful day!

 

4 July 2014

Unfortunately today was the last day for Leigh and Rachel. We started as soon as the gates opened and came across a small group of buffalos on camp road almost right away. It was still dark so most of them we couldn't see properly, but a female and her calf were standing in the middle of the road.

We drove up Numbi tar, towards Shabeni where we saw a lone giraffe. Around Shabeni loop we encountered a herd of elephants feeding right next to the road.

We then got a tip about some lions nearby so we went to Manung koppies. There we found a lot of open vehicles and heard some rustling in the grass. Word was there were indeed two lionesses walking around in the high grass. Unfortunately the rustling had stopped so apparently they lied down and no one saw them anymore. Lions are the same colour as the grass at the moment so difficult to spot when the grass is high. We hang around a bit longer before turning around, when suddenly they crossed the road about 50m in front of us!! We stopped next to them, where both of them stood staring at us. After a few seconds we weren't worth their attention so they walked off into the grass on the other side.

As time was running out we made our way back to Numbi, where we were caught by surprise by a massive herd of buffalo. Probably smelling the lions they were moving away. We counted around 40 buffalos before we found a gap to go through and there were at least the same amount still waiting on the other side to cross.

After transferring down to Nelspruit it was time to say goodbye to Leigh and Rachel. I hope you had a great time and will treasure all the memories of your round the world trip! Maybe we see you again one day!

 

 

New Update On Wyntir The Rhino

Little Wyntir's new "hat". She is loving her new enclosure and nightpen and is sleeping very soundly at night only waking up for her 1am feed. We are also very happy with the progress of her wounds.
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THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO CONTRIBUTED

Wyntir sends her love!

KNP GATE QUOTAS SET FOR THE SCHOOL HOLIDAYS

Day Visitors to the Kruger National Park (KNP) are requested to take note of gate quotas when planning their visit, as these will strictly be enforced during the coming school holidays which start on Saturday, 28 June until Sunday, 20 July 2014.

Visitors are advised to either arrive at the gate very early in the morning because the serv...ice is on “first come first served” basis or pre-book their entrance with central reservations office on telephone number 012 428 9111 in order to ensure that they gain access to the park in terms of their own plan and are not sent back at the gate.

“Our gates have experienced a high volume of visitors during the past holidays, reaching their full daily quota fairly early in the day; therefore we are calling on everyone who is planning to visit the park as a day visitor to please make the necessary arrangement before hand in order to secure entry”, said the GM: Communication & Marketing in the KNP, William Mabasa.

Pre-booking comes with a non-refundable deposit of R32 per adult and R16 per child entering the park; which must be paid in advance and is meant to ensure their space because they would have been counted in the number that made the daily quota. Day visitors with advanced bookings are expected to arrive at the booked gate and date by not later than 13:00, after which the booking lapses. A pre-booking however does not exempt the day visitor from paying the normal conservation fees upon arrival at the gate but secures him/her entry.

All visitors are also reminded to bring along their identity documents (IDs) or alternative form of identity to avoid problems at the gates. Wild Cards cannot be used to identify one as legitimate holder and should be accompanied by some form of identity.

Mabasa also reminded visitors not to bring liquor with them as the alcohol ban on public areas in the Park is a permanent rule which is enforced at all times; and the rest of the Park rules shall be fully enforced as well. Visitors can report any rules and regulations infringement to the Emergency Call Centres on 013 735 4325/013 735 0197 or 076 801 9679.

Day Visitors, who may not be able to gain entry because the quota shall have been reached, can if they wish, make use of the park and ride a facility which is available at some gates. The park and ride will cost visitors extra money but should be better than having to be turned back at the gate.

“We also request visitors to plan their trip by observing gate opening and closing times so that they do not find themselves either speeding or arriving late at the camps/gates on their way in/out of the park. People must please read their permits received at the gates because all the rules and regulations of the park are clearly stipulated in those documents,” concluded Mabasa.

KNP has 10 entrance gates i.e. Pafuri, Punda Maria, Phalaborwa, Giriyondo, Orpen, Paul Kruger, Phabeni, Numbi, Malelane and Crocodile Bridge.

For interest, the upgraded museum at Skukuza Camp which was temporarily closed for renovation since December 2012 will be open for tourists; as from Monday, 30 June 2014.

… Ends

Issued by:
Communications & Marketing Department - Kruger National Park. Contact: Tel: 013 735 4262, cell: 082 807 1441 or email: laura.mukwevho@sanparks.org

Enquiries:
William Mabasa, GM: Communications & Marketing - Kruger National Park. Contact: Tel: 013 735 4363, cell: 082 807 3919 or email: william.mabasa@sanparks.org

Media Release

Permits for operators using KNP border gates - All business operators who travel through the Kruger National Park (KNP)’s border gates i.e. Giriyondo and Pafuri, transporting passengers to and from Mozambique, will be required to produce valid passenger transport permits as from 1 August 2014.

Read more ---> http://bit.ly/1l6IaCz

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!

Airlink Commences Flights To Skukuza

Airlink has commenced flight operations between Johannesburg and Skukuza and Cape Town and Skukuza. 

 

The return of the scheduled air services to Skukuza allows tourism stakeholder and tourists access to various destinations within the Kruger Park, Sabi Sands Game Reserve and other SA national parks, serving as a hub for regional wildlife areas. 

 

Airlink departs Johannesburg at 10h00 and arrives in Skukuza at 10h50. The return flight departs at 13h20 and arrives at 14h35, daily. 

 

The Cape Town – Skukuza flight departs at 10h35 arriving at Skukuza at 13h05. The flight returns, departing at 11h20 and arriving at 13h55, daily. 

 

A second afternoon flight between Johannesburg and Skukuza will commence from August 1, departing at 13h20 and returning at 14h50.

On Safari With Curtis From 27 May 2014

27 May 2014

The start of a new tour and after picking up my guests in Nelspruit we headed straight down to Kruger and Nkambeni tented safari lodge, our accommodation for the next few nights. No rest for the wicked however  because as soon as we had arrived and checked in to our rooms it was time for the guests to head out on their sunset drive.

 

The drive turned out to be a very good start to their safari as they saw a nice herd of about 50 buffalo as well as three elephants as well as general game. They also heard hippo but couldn't see them. On their arrival back to camp it was time for dinner in the boma with a nice hot fire to warm up in front of.

 

Tomorrow we hope to add to tonight's successful first drive.

 

 

28 May 2014

 

Leaving the lodge early morning we had only just got onto Numbi tar when we came across a herd of buffalo, possibly the herd that was seen on last night’s sunset drive, they were hidden quite well in the bush but we managed to see a few heads. As we carried on we came across a group of giraffe, two adults and three youngsters. Gradually the adults crossed over the road and the youngsters followed them. We turned onto Napi and found plenty of herds of impala and kudu as well as waterbuck in the distance.  For some distance the road went quiet and this gave us the opportunity to stop and look at some of our feathered friends such as the Yellow-billed hornbill, Red-billed hornbill, Grey-headed hornbill as well the cape glossy starlings and lilac breasted rollers. As we drove past transport dam we found a little traffic jam and found the hyenas outside their regular dens. 7 hyenas in total, 4 cubs and 3 adults and we were able to spend quite a bit of time watching them as the youngsters fought over the remains of their last meal even treating to the wonderful hyena sounds when they get excited.

We then drove down watergat and found a male cheetah sat under a tree. The visual wasn't good to start with but we waited and eventually he started to move towards the road,  if that wasn't good enough it turned out that he was accompanied by two other male cheetahs and after about ten minutes of following them they came out into the open and then crossed the road close to us. After such a great sighting we carried on and found more impala, kudu and waterbuck before turning onto the Doispane where we found a second hyena den this time with much younger cubs who were just getting rid of their black coats and obtaining the spots. We headed off to the golf club for coffee and spent our time watching the hippos coming out of the water, impala and lots of warthog around the ninth hole. After coffee we stopped off at the Lake panic hide where more hippos were seen as well as a crocodile, chameleon and plenty of water birds. We then took a short drive on the river doing a couple of loops where we saw more hippos out of the water as well as a beautiful Martial eagle and baboons. As we headed back to the lodge we saw vervet monkey's and a nice crash of white rhinos and a small family of elephants as well as white-backed vultures, a tawny eagle sat on the road and leopard tortoise.

 

 

29 May 2014

After such a good day yesterday we left early in the hope that we could match yesterday’s sightings. It didn't take long before we were looking at an elephant which was close to Numbi gate,  we then drove down Napi spotting plenty of herds of impala, waterbuck and kudu. After getting a tip off about a sighting we headed down and found a white rhino dozing near the water hole and then at the river bed found a huge family of baboons alongside impala and kudu. We spent quite a bit of time watching the interactions of the three species especially the playful younger baboons who chased a couple of the impala around. We then found what we had been looking for as we came upon a male lion with his head up. We watched for some time when he decided to stand and walk a few metres before collapsing back down. We also spotted a steenbok and klipspringer along the way.

We then made our way down to skukuza for a break before heading down the S114 towards renosterkoppies. We found impala and a lone wildebeest at the watering hole but a collection of cars caught our attention and we made our way there to find a lovely sighting of a male leopard lying up on the rocks. We were able to spend a good 15 minutes at the sighting before we decided to move on down the s112. As we headed down the H3 to Afsaal we found a large herd of elephants, at least 30 strong, which I hoped would cross over the road. Unfortunately they didn't and disappeared into the bush but not before we had followed them for ten minutes or so getting lots of great photos. The rest of the drive to Afsaal was fairly quiet but we did see a lovely African harrier hawk sat perched in the tree. After lunch we headed down Voortrekker which was very quiet for long periods however we did see more impala, kudu and a group of 5 giraffe as well as a brief glimpse of a slender mongoose scurrying across the road.

 

 

30 May 2014

 

It was the final day for one of my guests after so many great sightings over the last couple of days we still had unbelievably not seen any Zebras yet, with this in mind we set off early and found two separate sightings of common duikers which both scurried off into the bush. We drove along Albasini, stopping at mestel dam where we found the hippos popping their heads up occasionally and then carried on. The road was fairly quiet for the first half seeing just Impala, we then found a journey of giraffe just walking parallel to the road a few metres in the bush. After leaving them we then found what we were looking for, a group of about 10 zebras standing right out in the middle of the road. We had plenty of time to view them as they seemed a bit confused as to which way they wanted to go as they crossed the road a couple of times before deciding on the right hand side. We carried on and just a few hundred metres we found a beautiful male lion lying just a couple of metres from the road. I don't think he appreciated the attention as he got up and walked off further into the long grass, we were then beckoned by the car facing us that there were two more lions sitting further ahead. We moved forward and found them both lying in the grass. We waited a while and then the female got up with a second male in pursuit with the female leading him across the road and then the second male got up and followed them. We managed to get some great photos before they disappeared into the bush. We turned around and headed back down the way we came finding another larger herd of zebras and a lovely old male giraffe before having two male elephants crossing the road before we went to Petoriouskop for an ice cream. Afterwards we went round Faye loop finding a pod of hippos in the reed beds and a herd of buffalo before driving round the koppies finding impala, kudu and vervet monkeys before arriving at Numbi gate.

Unfortunately it was time to say goodbye to Tonya who is heading down to Durban on the next part of her South African adventure. I know you enjoyed all the amazing sightings of the last few days and hope to see you back here one day.

This afternoon we went for a short drive along Albasini stopping off at mestel dam. The dam was a hive of activity as the hippos were out of the water and very vocal, we had a crocodile sitting on the dam wall, impalas grazing in the background while a giraffe walked towards them. We also had a small herd of buffalo lying nearby and we could see an elephant in the distance. We also had waterbuck and steenbok near the dam. Further along the road we found a couple of very noisy tree squirrels in the tree, kudu, vervet monkeys and impala however the highlight of the drive was a pack of wild dogs we found next to the road just on doispane. They started off hidden in the bush but given time they gradually appeared more relaxed and came out giving us the opportunity to view them better. Time was getting short and so we had to leave the dogs and drive back along Albasini and we found Zebras and five separate elephant sightings before we got back to the lodge.

 

31 May 2014

Today was the final day of the tour and after loading up the car with luggage we left Nkambeni tented safari lodge for the final time to have one final morning drive. Immediately we found a 'dagga' boy loitering in the drainage line on camp road and a second one further along on Numbi tar. As we drove down Napi the road was fairly quiet at times although we saw plenty of impala, kudu and a couple of elephants before we found a young hyena cub sitting outside it's den, we heard the familiar sound of more hyenas around but found none. As we were going to move on we informed off a lion sighting further along the road and made our way stopping for a white rhino along the way. When we got to the spot where the lions had been they had moved off, we turned around and searched for them but to no avail. We then turned back around and headed to Skukuza, as we turned around a corner we suddenly found 8 lions walking down the road, 7 females and a juvenile male. They decided to lie down on the road and we spent a good while talking with them before they strolled off into the bush. We then found another white rhino with a young calf before getting to Skukuza.

After our break we headed along river road where we found bushbuck, more kudu and impala, warthog and vervet monkeys. We even had one final look at a big bull elephant before we had to head out of phabeni and transfer to Kmia.

I know Cory and Will, Louise and Marcel have enjoyed the many amazing sightings we have over the last 5 days and will go back to Australia with so many greats photos and videos and more importantly great memories of their time in Kruger and I hope one day we will see you back here. It has been great fun and an absolute pleasure in your company.

 

More coming soon!