On Safari With Dean From 1 November 2013

1 November 2013

Today we entered the park through Numbi Gate, we made our way down to the camp of Pretoriuskop for lunch.

After the guests had enjoyed their lunch break, we made our way down the Napi road to the Napi Boulders and the on to Nkambeni Safari Camp.

Animal seen on the drive were buffalo, rhino, elephant, kudu, impala, stenbuck and waterbuck.

Guests got back into the camp with just five minutes to spare before gate closing.

2 November 2013

Well today turned out to be another great day of game viewing in the Kruger National Park.

We left Nkambeni Safari Camp at 06h00 and made our way out on the game drive, we drove up the Numbi gate tar getting good sightings of buffalo, we turned onto Napi Road getting more good sightings of elephant and numerous sightings of buffalo.

Then between the Shithave dam and Napi boulders junction, we got a call about lions at Transport Dam which had been chased up the tree by hyena's as well as a couple of meters away, a leopard was lying under the tree.

This was too good to be true, so we made our way in that direction, praying that we would get there in time.

After what felt like forever, we turned onto the Transport Dam access road and made our way down to the sighting.

It turned out just as explained on the radio, one lioness lying on the ground watching the hyena's and the other one six foot in the tree, when you cast your eyes to the left, there was a large leopard lying in the open under the tree watching the spectacle unfold in front of him. A large sigh of relief was breathed having got such a good sighting.

We made our way back onto the Napi Road and turned in the direction of Skukuza getting a female hyena and her pups playing in the road. We made our way onto Skukuza for a well deserved break.
We left skukuza at 09h30 and made our way down to the low water bridge, getting good sightings of crocodile, hippo and buffalo.

We made our way back to Numbi Gate on the Napi Road getting good sightings of buffalo, giraffe, elephant, as well as a cheetah trying to take down some impala just 3.2 Km's from transport dam.

Numerous rhino sightings were experienced thought the day. We continued on getting back to camp in time for lunch and then dropping some guests off that had been with us for one night to catch there transfer back to OR Tambo International Airport, but had managed to see six of the magnificent seven.

After a good rest, it was back on the road to see what we could find. We got great sightings of dwarf mongoose with their young, kudu, elephant, buffalo and rhino this afternoon.

We returned to the camp at 18h00 with everybody in high spirits having seen lots today.

3 November 2013

We left Nkambeni safari camp at 06h00 and made our way up the Numbi Gate tar, getting good sightings of buffalo and elephant. We turned onto the Napi Road and then turned onto the Voortrekker road making our way in the direction of Afsaal.

Sightings on the road were not wonderful but guests still had good sightings of numerous rhino, buffalo, elephant and Sable antelope.

We stopped off at Afsaal for a coffee break and then made our way up little jock road and onto the S114.

Good buffalo were seen on these roads.

We made our way over the Biyamiti weir and onto the Biyamiti loop looking for some of the cat species which were proving to be quite elusive today.

There was very little activity on the radio so we had to find the stuff ourselves.

We turned onto the S113 and made our way to the H3 and then it was up to Skukuza only getting more sightings of buffalo and elephant.

We made our way onto Elloff street up to the high water ridge getting very little movement of any animals and this could be attributed to the higher temperatures experienced today.

We got a good sighting of hippo's from the high water bridge and then also some vultures drinking and bathing in the Sand River on the Tshokwane Tar road. We made our way back over the Sabie river at the low water bridge. We made our way into Skukuza for a lunch break.

After lunch was enjoyed by all, it was back out on the Napi road in direction of the camp as guests were going out on the afternoon / evening safari. With the higher temperatures being experienced, guests needed to take a break for an afternoon siesta, before heading out in the African sun and dirt on another wildlife encounter.

4 November 2013

Today we left Nkambeni Safari Camp at 06h00 and made our way down the Numbi Gate tar getting great sightings of buffalo, elephant. We continued onto the Napi Road and had more good sightings of the same.

We made our way back to the Numbi Gate in order to get clients onto their return shuttle to Johannesburg.

After this we carried on with the game drive to the camp of Skukuza for a break. Numerous sightings of rhino, elephant, buffalo, impala, wildebeest, waterbuck, duiker, and giraffe were experienced.

Upon finishing with our break, we received a call about lions on the Marula Loop, we made our way there, but sadly only got to see them sleeping, as the temperature had already climbed to well over thirty degrees.

We made our way on to the high water bridge getting good sightings of hippo and then it was back into Skukuza for lunch.

After lunch we made our way back on the Napi Road taking a turn down to Quagga pan getting good sighting of a pair of saddle billed storks together with their chick. We ace our way back down the Napi road, getting a great sighting of a female cheetah together with her cubs about six kilometres past transport dam.

Other sightings enjoyed were more rhino, elephant, buffalo, kudu, impala, waterbuck, giraffe and baboon.

We returned to camp and had a great sighting of a young elephant right next to our vehicle on the camps access road.

Tomorrow, it is out early again, before returning to Johannesburg for the clients to catch their return flight to the United Kingdom.

Keep watching for more!!

Special Lions

To find out more about what is special about these lions, please follow the link ;) http://www.sanparks.org/about/news/default.php?id=55509

What Lies Beneath

By Dr Ian Whyte

I was only ever chased up a tree by an animal once in my 37 years in the Kruger National Park, by a hippo that had come to graze on the lawn in my garden. Though there is little data to corroborate the reputation hippos have as being the mammal that kills more humans than any other in Africa, and i do wonder heather this reputation is deserved, I wasn’t taking any chances. It may well have been the case when humans and hippos tended to live along-side one another and potential for conflict was far greater. Hippos attacking fish boats, raiding crops or simply grazing around villages are all situations with the potential for fatal consequences to humans. These days I suspect elephants have taken over this role.  Humans and elephant populations are growing rapidly in many parts of the continent and conflict is on the rise. Be as it may, hippos remain dangerous animals capable of inflicting fearsome injuries and have been responsible for many human deaths. In most instances attacks on boats or people on the edge of the water are by mothers with small calves.  You only have to look at their teeth to understand why hippos are so fearsome.  Their huge canine teeth, measuring up to 300 millimetres in the lower jaw and 150 millimetres in the upper, grow continuously. These teeth protrude from the skull in such a way that they wear off against each other, keeping them razor sharp. The jaws open wide enough to encompass a human torso. In a bite from a hippo the upper and lower canines would probably meet inside the body, punching two huge holes right through it, almost certainly a fatal injury. Most field guides will tell you that hippos can stay submerged for up to six minutes, but rangers in the Kruger have recorded times of up to eight minutes. Once alarmed, the animals are wary of exposing themselves and will breath by cautiously allowing only the tip of the nostrils to break the surface of the water. So as not to give their position away, they do this in almost complete silence, compared to the explosive release of air normally heard from relaxed animals in the water. Hippo bulls are very territorial. They maintain a territory, usually consisting of a good pool with sandbanks for sunbathing, for many years. The territory is confined to a stretch of river and its immediate embankments, and does not extend to the grazing areas away from the river. Each territory has its associated females and calves that return to the same pool during the daylight hours. This status quo remains while the bull holds tenure, which he does for as long as he can fend off rivals. Displacement by a younger, more vigorous bull results in a upheaval in which the new contender may kill the calves sired by the previous bull. This behaviour ensures the new bulls genes are passes on into future generations and not those of his predecessor. Fighting is generally ritualised with much posturing and open-jawed displaying of the canines.  But sometimes more serious fights erupt in which males may inflict serious wounds by slashing at each other with their sharp canine teeth. These may last for several hours and are accompanied by weird vocalisations such as squeals, grunts and roars. Such battles can result in the death of one, or sometimes both, of the protagonists. Given their size, hippos have an extraordinarily short gestation period of eight months. Growth of the foetus in the womb is incredibly fast. Black rhinos, which are similar in size to hippos, have a gestation time almost twice as long, yet rhino calf weighs less at birth, about 40 kilograms, compared to a newborn hippo at about 50 kilograms. Calves may be born at any time of the year but the majority are born during the mid-summer, rainy months. When the time comes to give birth, female hippos move away from the herd and remain separated for about a fortnight. The calves are capable of going into deep water and can suckle underwater within minutes of being born. Initially the calf stays in shallow water near a shore while the mother grazes nearby. Growth of the first 10 years of life is also rapid. The average increase in weight is in the order of 100 kilograms a year, so that at 10 years old, a hippo can weigh in excess of 1200 kilograms. Males and females are similar in size, the male being only slightly larger than the female.

Wild magazine summer 2013/2013

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.

Feedback Of Our First Safaris For 2013 Coming Soon!

A very busy month ahead of us with both Dean and Mark in the Kruger National Park. Keep watching for feedback on their safaris coming soon!

More Great Photo's by Ronesh Parbhoo In The Kruger National Park



Beautiful Male lion



Elephant Eating



Giraffe with a African sunset



Safari Starting 16th December Ending 18th December 2012

16^th December – Dean collected guests from the Balaika Hotel in Sandton and continued onto Nelspruit going through Numbi Gate.  We stopped off at Pretoriuskop Camp for lunch before starting our first game drive for the day. After lunch we left Pretoriuskop and drove down Napi where we got good sightings of Elephant, Rhino and Buffalo. 700m past Transport Dam Junction we got a large male Leopard lying on a Termite mound this made for a great afternoons game viewing. We then continued on to Klipspringer Koppies and 400m past the H3 Junction we came across a male and female Lion with 3 cubs lying in the drainage line. We then got a call on the radio telling us about another female Lion on the H3 1.9km down from the Napi road. After that sighting we turned around and headed for camp due to heavy rain. On the Nkambeni entry road we got Buffalo walking in the road in front of us. Clients got to camp enjoying the first days sightings.

17^th December – After breakfast we left Nkambeni and got to see good sightings of Waterbuck, Impala, Kudu, Giraffe, Elephant as well as a male Lion 700m from the Watergat Junction. We also got a pair of mating Lions 1km down the H3, after this we made our way to Skukuza Camp for a break. After a bit of a break we made our way down the Marula Loop were we got another two male Lions lying next to the road, after spending some time with them we made our way down to Jones Dam were we got good sightings again of Elephant, Buffalo, Hippos and Waterbuck. We then made our way back crossing Low Water Bridge getting good sightings of Crocodile, Elephants and Hippos. Due to it being still to early for lunch we decided to make our way down River road to see if there was any action going on. We Managed to find 17 Wild Dogs 1.5km before Doispane which was awesome to see. We Returned to the camp of Skukuza for lunch after which we made our way back to Nkambeni with general sightings along the way. All in all a good days game viewing.

18^th December – Today our last days game viewing we saw Buffalo, Elephant and general game before leaving the Park at 10h00 and making our way back to Johannesburg. The next safari will start the 19^th December we look forward to bringing you their sightings until then…  

Jock Of The Bushveld by Sir Percy Fitzpatrick (Chapter 25)( Page 1 ) Our Last Hunt

We had not touched fresh meat for many days, as there had been no time for shooting; but I knew that game was plentiful across the river in the rough country between the Kaap and Crocodile, and I started off to make the best of the day's delay, little dreaming that it was to be the last time Jock and I would hunt together. Weeks had passed without a hunt, and Jock must have thought there was a sad falling away on the part of his master; he no longer expected anything; the rifle was never taken down now except for an odd shot from the outspan or to put some poor animal out of its misery.  Since the night with the lions, when he had been ignominiously cooped up, there had been nothing to stir his blood and make life worth living; and this morning as he saw me rise from breakfast and proceed to potter about the waggons in the way he had come to regard as inevitable, he looked on indifferently for a few minutes and then stretched out full length in the sun and went to sleep. I could not take him with me across the river, as the `fly' was said to be bad there, and it was no place to risk horse or dog.  The best of prospects would not have tempted me to take chance with him, but I hated ordering him to stay behind, as it hurt his dignity and sense of comradeship, so it seemed a happy accident that he was asleep and I could slip away unseen.  As the cattle were grazing along the river bank only a few hundred yards off, I took a turn that way to have a look at them, with natural but quite fruitless concern for their welfare, and a moment later met the herd boy running towards me and calling out excitedly something which I made out to be: "Crocodile!  Crocodile, Inkos!  A crocodile has taken one of the oxen." The waggon boys heard it also, and armed with assegais and sticks were on the bank almost as soon as I was; but there was no sign of crocodile or bullock.  The boy showed us the place where the weakened animal had gone down to drink--the hoof slides were plain enough--and told how, as it drank, the long black coffin-head had appeared out of the water.  He described stolidly how the big jaws had opened and gripped the bullock's nose; how he, a few yards away, had seen the struggle; how he had shouted and hurled his sticks and stones and tufts of grass, and feinted to rush down at it; and how, after a muffled bellow and a weak staggering effort to pull back, the poor beast had slid out into the deep water and disappeared.  It seemed to be a quite unnecessary addition to my troubles: misfortunes were coming thick and fast! Half an hour was wasted in watching and searching; but we saw no more of crocodile or bullock, and as there was nothing to be done I turned up stream to find a shallower and a safer crossing. At best it was not pleasant: the water was waist high and racing in narrow channels between and over boulders and loose slippery stones, and I was glad to get through without a tumble and a swim. The country was rough on the other side, and the old grass was high and dense, for no one went there in those days, and the grass stood unburnt from season to season.  Climbing over rocks and stony ground, crunching dry sticks underfoot, and driving a path through the rank tambooki grass, it seemed well-nigh hopeless to look for a shot; several times I heard buck start up and dash off only a few yards away, and it began to look as if the wiser course would be to turn back.  At last I got out of the valley into more level and more open ground, and came out upon a ledge or plateau a hundred yards or more wide, with a low ridge of rocks and some thorns on the far side--quite a likely spot.  I searched the open ground from my cover, and seeing nothing there crossed over to the rocks, threading my way silently between them and expecting to find another clear space beyond.  The snort of a buck brought me to a standstill among the rocks, and as I listened it was followed by another and another from the same quarter, delivered at irregular intervals; and each snort was accompanied by the sound of trampling feet, sometimes like stamps of anger and at other times seemingly a hasty movement.

Jock Of The Bushveld by Sir Percy Fitzpatrick (Chapter 21)( Page 5 ) Monkeys And Wildebeeste

I stood and faced the bush that Mungo had shied at, and the first thing that occurred to me was that my bandolier and cartridges were with the pony.  Then Jock growled low and moved a few steps forward and slightly to the right, also sheering off from that bush.  I felt that he was bristling all over, but there was neither time nor light to watch him. I stepped slowly sideways after him gripping the rifle and looking hard at the bush. Our line was much the same as Mungo's and would take us some seven or eight paces off the road--more than that was not possible owing to the barrier of thorns on that side.  When we got abreast of the bush two large spots of pale light appeared in the middle of it, apparently waist high from the ground. It is impossible to forget the tense creepy feeling caused by the dead stillness, the soft light, and the pale expressionless glow of those eyes--the haunting mystery of eyes and nothing more! It is not unusual to see eyes in the night; but this was a `nervy' occasion, and there is no other that comes back with all the vividness and reality of the experience itself, as this one does.  And I was not the only nervous one.  Mungo incontinently bolted--probably what he saw warranted it; Jock, as ever, faced it; but when my foot touched his hind leg as we sidled away he flew round with a convulsive jump.  He too was strung to concert pitch. As we moved on and passed the reflecting angle of the moon, the light of the eyes went out as suddenly and silently as it had appeared.  There was nothing then to show me where danger lay; but Jock knew, and I kept a watch on him.  He jogged beside me, lagging slightly as if to cover our retreat, always looking back.  A couple of times he stopped entirely and stood in the road, facing straight back and growling; and I followed suit.  He was in command; he knew! There was nothing more.  Gradually Jock's subdued purring growl died down and the glances back became fewer.  I found Mungo a long way on, brought to a standstill by the slipping of his load; and we caught up to the waggons at the next outspan.

Jock Of The Bushveld by Sir Percy Fitzpatrick (Chapter 21)( Page 3 ) Monkeys And Wildebeeste

The grimacing little imps invariably tempt one to tease or chase them, just to see their antics and methods; and when I rose, openly watching them and stepping about for a better view, they abandoned the silent methods and bounded freely from branch to branch for fresh cover, always ducking behind something if I pointed the gun or a stick or even my arm at them, and getting into paroxysms of rage and leaning over slang and cheek me whenever it seemed safe. Jock was full of excitement, thoroughly warmed up and anxious to be at them, running about from place to place to watch them, tacking and turning and jumping for better views, and now and then running to the trunk and scraping at it.  Whenever he did this there was a moment's silence; the idea of playing a trick on them struck me and I caught Jock up and put him in the fork of a big main branch about six feet from the ground.  The effect was magical: the whole of the top of the tree seemed to whip and rustle at once, and in two seconds there was not a monkey left. Then a wave in the top of a small tree some distance off betrayed them and we gave chase--a useless romping schoolboy chase.  They were in the small trees away from the river and it was easy to see and follow them; and to add to the fun and excitement I threw stones at the branches behind them.  Their excitement and alarm then became hysterical, and as we darted about to head them off they were several times obliged to scamper a few yards along the ground to avoid me and gain other trees. It was then that Jock enjoyed himself most: he ran at them and made flying leaps and snaps as they sprang up the trees out of reach.  It was like a caricature of children in one of their make-believe chases; the screams, grimaces, and actions were so human that it would have seemed like a tragedy had one of them been hurt.  They got away into the big trees once more, to Jock's disappointment but greatly to my relief; for I was quite pumped from the romp and laughter. The river at this point was broken into several sluices by islands formed of piles of rocks on which there were a few stunted trees and dense growths of tall reeds, and here and there little spits and fringes of white sand were visible.  There was plenty of small game in that part, and it was a great place for crocodiles.  As we were then about half a mile below where Mungo had been left I strolled along the bank on the look out for a shot, frequently stopping to examine suspicious-looking rocks on the sand spits or at the borders of the reed fringes on the little islands. The shooting of crocodiles was an act of war: it was enmity and not sport or a desire for trophies that prompted it, and when it did not interfere with other chances we never missed a practice shot at these fellows.  I picked out several `rocks,' so suspicious looking that I would have had a shot at them had there been a clear chance, and twice, while I was trying to make them out, they slid silently into the water before there was time to fire. However, further on there came a better chance than any: there was something so peculiar about the look of this `rock' that I picked a good spot and sat down to watch it; and presently the part nearest me turned slightly, just enough to show that it was a crocodile lying on the flat sand with his nose towards me and his tail hidden in the reeds.  It was fifty yards away, and from where I sat there was not much to aim at, as a Martini bullet would glance from almost any part of that polished hard case if it struck at such an angle. I was sitting on the bank above the shelving beach of the river on which a dense mass of reeds grew, and the waving feathery tops partly obscured the sight.  I know the bullet hit him somewhere, because he bounded with astonishing strength and activity several feet in the air and his tail slashed through the reeds like a mighty scythe.  The huge jaws opened and he gave a horrible angry bellow--something between a roar and a snarl--as he plunged into the river, sending masses of spray and water flying every way.  He made straight across, apparently at me, swimming on top of the water at amazing speed and throwing up a wave on either side and a white swirl of foam from the propelling tail. It was certainly a most surprising and unheard-of proceeding, and as he reached my side of the stream, and because hidden from me by the screen of reeds at my feet, I turned and bolted.  It may be that he came at me with murderous intent; or it may be that, blinded by rage or pain, he came towards me simply because he happened to be facing that way; but, whatever the reason, it was painfully clear that if he meant business he would be on to me before it was possible to see him in the reeds.  That was enough for me.  It had never occurred to me that there was going to be any fun in this for the crocodile; but one's sense of humour and justice was always being stimulated in the Bushveld. With twenty yards of open ground between us I turned and waited; but no crocodile appeared, nor was there a sound to be heard in the reeds.  A few minutes wait; a cautious return; a careful scrutiny; and then resort to sticks and stones; but all to no purpose: there was neither sign nor sound of the crocodile; and not being disposed to go into the reeds to look for something which I did not want, but might want me, I returned to Mungo--a little wiser, it is true, but not unduly `heady' on that account. Half an hour's jogging along the bank having failed to propose anything, I struck away from the river taking a line through the bush towards camp, and eventually came across a small herd of blue wildebeeste. Mungo's pricked ears and raised head warned me; but the grass being high it was not easy to see enough of them from the ground to place an effective shot, and before a chance offered they moved off slowly.  I walked after them, leading Mungo and trying to get a fair opening on slightly higher ground. Presently half a dozen blackish things appeared above the tall grass; they were the heads of the wildebeeste- all turned one way, and all looking at us with ears wide spread.  Only the upper halves of the heads were visible through the thinner tops of the grass, and even an ordinary standing shot was not possible.  I had to go to a tree for support in order to tip-toe for the shot, and whilst in the act of raising my rifle the heads disappeared; but I took chance and fired just below where the last one had shown up. The wildebeeste were out of sight, hidden by grass six feet high, but a branch of the tree beside me served as a horizontal bar and hoisting myself chin high I was able to see them again.  In front of us there was a dry vlei quite free of bush, some two hundred yards across and four hundred yards long, and the wildebeeste had gone away to the right and were skirting the vlei, apparently meaning to get round to the opposite side, avoiding the direct cut across the vlei for reasons of their own. It occurred to me that there must be a deep donga or perhaps a mud hole in front which they were avoiding; but that it might be possible for me to get across, or even half-way across, in time to have another shot at them the next time they stopped to look back, as they were almost certain to do; so I ran straight on.

Eleven Lions eating on a buffalo killright next to our open safari vehicle

A video clip taken of eleven lions eating on a zebra kill

that they had killed right next to the road on route to the camp of Pretoriuskop

(Kruger National Park) (South Africa)