Photos By Amanda

Hi There Everybody,

Thought for today, i would just share what i think to be some excellent photos taken by one of our guides Amanda, while on safari in the Kruger National Park. The safari took her for the first night at the camp of Pretoriuskop, a camp known  for is great sighting of leopard. after a successful day, it was off to the camp of Nkambeni. A tented private camp that we have used for nearly ten years with great food for the clients to enjoy. The following night, Amanda was scheduled to stay at the southern most camp of Berg En Dal. Known as one of the more modern camps in the Kruger Park.
When choosing a safari, one needs to take into account, the density of animals in the park, this is where the "Kruger National Park" has the highest densities of animals found in any National Park, thereby making it a lot easier for the visitor to either find or see the animal looked for, as there are good numbers of each species found in the park.

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

 

Nhongo Safaris Safety App

Link to the Google Play Store: http://bit.ly/NhongoSafarisGoogleStore

Link to the Apple App Store  : http://bit.ly/NhongoSafarisAppleAppStore

Above is the Nhongo Safaris App, together with the links to download it of both respective app stores.

This is an app that has been developed solely with the International visitor in mind with regards to their safety in mind. When you find yourself in a foreign country, and you suddenly are faced with a tight situation,  such as a medical emergency, or something more severe, such as crime, which can happen in any country around the world today, by pressing one of the buttons during this time will link yourself with a "Call Centre Operator", who is authorised to despatch response vehicles and ambulances to your location, which they can see from the app on your phone. Our response times to you the phone user is around two minutes, and after that it is around a five minute wait for backup to arrive, and have first responders on the ground.

We have taken a lot of time and effort to get this app up and running in conjunction with a company by the name of "Response 24". Nhongo Safaris also has a very unique feature built into their app, where you as the user can insert friends and family members, into the app that will get notifies when you are in a situation, and where family members will be able to follow you as you are taken to safety, There is also a page with locations of numerous places that a tourist might need while on business or vocation in the country.

We have tried to keep the charges very low, for this app, so for thirty days access it cost R49.99 per month, but if the visitor is somebody that is here longer, we have a subscription that is for one year long at a price of R399.99. Still a very reasonable cost for an app that has so much technology built into it. 

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

"Lux Magazine" "Global Excellence Award"

While we are on the subject of "Awards", we got a shock last week, as we were told that we had won an award from "Lux Magazine"and their "Global Excellence Awards". Nhongo Safaris was crowned the "Best Traditional Safari Tour Operator - South Africa" for the 2018. We see at the same time, we have been selected under in the same competition, just under a different category which is the "Family and Visitor Attraction Award Category", where we have been crowned as the "Best Open Safari Vehicle Operator - South Africa". We have never been a company that has placed a large enfaces on awards, but as the company gets older, and the industry gets larger, with more players, it is a good thing to be recognised for your contribution towards tourism, and the impact the the company has had on so many visiting tourists lives. As I posted in the post yesterday, We now truly know that "Our Journeys Do Change Lives".

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

2019 TripAdvisor Award

It is May 2019, and time for the "TripAdvisor Awards". It is with great happiness that we announce that in 2019 we have managed to get another "Certificate Of Excellence", as well as from time to time, we have also had "Editorials" written about us.
We would just like to take the opportunity to thank our wonderful guides and staff, that have worked really hard to make sure all the guests have a wonderful experience, and are well taken care of.
Without these guys, it would be impossible to get the recognition from "TripAdvisor" that we do.
2019 is a special year, as it is the tenth year that we have got this award, and it has been a long road to get our product offering right, that potential guests and clients feel comfortable booking with us, to experience a wonderful "Kruger National Park safari".
Nhongo Safaris over the years has always lived by one slogan, and that is to "Arrive As a Stranger, But to Leave as A Friend". It is great to see that we have taken over and own the saying that "Our Journeys Change Lives".   

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

The passing of a great friend

Marc, Dorothy and family, there are no words that can be said at this time, in the passing of your dad and brother "Franscois", there is never the right time for anything like this. We count ourselves so lucky to have had him as a friend. We are certainly going to miss the laughs, the chats, the hard times, the good times, but most of all we will remember the friendship we had.
Your dad loved his elephants, and we have certainly lost a man that was a great elephant in the tourism industry in South Africa. But always remember it is not for ever, as you will see him in heaven one day. Francois my friend, it is not goodbye, but see you in heaven, regards to your mom and dad and Katinka as i am sure they are really enjoying seen you again my friend.

Black and White, a bit of a change

Today we have a bit of a change. Some nice photos taken on Shannon and Kara's last safari with a group from the UK. The girls and guests had a smashing time, with all of the big five been seen, and more. It is the first time, we have tried black and white, and i must say, it makes for a pleasant change.

Just remember to book your safari early, as it gets pretty booked up. Now that South Africa has been named the best safari destination in the world.

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. 

On Safari With Gert From 29 December 2015

29 December 2015

This afternoon we entered the park at about 16:00, making our way to our camp for the night.

Shortly after entering we saw a few vehicles stopped, but apparently we arrived a few seconds too late and had just missed a Leopard walking into the bush. We continued and saw some good general game, including many Impala, Zebra and Kudu.

About an hour into our drive I noticed something looking slightly out of place on one of the lower branches of a Marula tree.

To our delight, it was an adult female leopard sleeping in the tree. We watched her for a while and she eventually woke up, lifting her head to survey her surroundings, before getting up and out of the tree. We lost sight of her and continued towards camp.

We also saw a large breeding herd of elephants as well as many bulls, solitary or in small groups.

Towards the end of our drive we also saw 2 very large male White Rhinos, both fairly good sightings as they seemed very relaxed and were quite close to the road and in the open. A fairly short, but sweet introductory safari setting the tone for the days to follow!

30 December 2015

Setting out bright and early on a fairly cool morning, our first sighting was of a small breeding herd of elephant not far out of camp. They were very relaxed even though they were on both sides of the road and with cars constantly passing through, dissecting the herd. Their deep rumbling noises fascinating the guests as they checked up on each other, making sure there were no undue disturbances from passing vehicles.

A nearby waterhole yielded some general game in the form of a large hers of Impala drinking as well as a family of Warthogs with small piglets grazing nearby.

Not long after we passed an old Rhino carcass which was still being fed on by a large number of vultures, predominantly White-backed and also a few Hooded Vultures, together with 7 Spotted Hyena. The sounds of the squabbling Vultures and the loud crunching of bone as the hyenas tucked in to the leftovers really adding to the authenticity of the experience. They were not the only ones enjoying breakfast, as shortly after we came across 2 male and 2 female lions feasting on a buffalo that must have been killed early last night. There was not much meat left on the old bull, but it still seemed quite fresh and I suspect that there were more lions around, probably just taking a break to digest.

On arrival at the scene the 2 males moved off to a nearby shady spot, leaving the 2 females at the scene. They got up, first one, shortly to be joined by her companion and we watched them feeding on the buffalo carcass for a few minutes before settling in the shade about 3 meters from the carcass and from the road, affording us a great view of the entire process.

It was also a good morning for birding as we got to see Martial Eagle, Brown Snake-Eagle and a Bateleur perched on trees quite close to the road in the early morning, offering good photographic opportunities.

31 December 2015

We set out at dawn this morning and it paid off again as the first animal we saw, about 10 minutes into our drive, was a young male leopard in the road as we rounded a bend. He was a bit skittish and went into a thicket on the side of the road.

We slowly drove past the spot, turned the vehicle around and waited. Less than a minute later it came back out and carried on walking down the road. We followed it, not too closely as it was still quite skittish and broke into a trot every now and then.

After following him for a while, he took a pathway leading into the bush, eventually moving out of sight, but not before pausing in a gap to stare back at us and give the guests a good picture opportunity!

Next up we got a very relaxed breeding herd of elephant foraging on both sides of the road moving past us, with barely a glance in our direction. It is always a special experience observing these unique creatures when they are in such a peaceful mood! We also saw many Bulls of various ages feeding at regular intervals along the way, including a few in musth on the trail of the females.

A little later, we noticed a large traffic jam ahead, the kind that usually indicates only one thing: leopard! What luck we had, as on approach, while trying to figure out where to look, said leopard, a magnificent male, came walking out of the grass, crossed the road in front of us and continued down a drainage line and out of sight!

Towards the end of the day we found 2 Sable Antelope bulls grazing nearby and getting comfortable for the night, settling in the tall grass at the foot of a large granite outcrop.

A great Safari to see out 2015!

On Safari With Curtis 15-16 December 2015

15 December 2015

After the guests enthusiasm at seeing the rhino we were spoilt with four more sightings of the white rhino today. Eight in total really gave everyone something to smile about.

We also had a lovely sighting of ten giraffe together with a few zebra and fifty odd Impala. Two of the giraffe were busy necking, a rather weak play-fighting done in slow motion. This gave the guests more laughs than concern but always fun to watch.

Also seen were elephants, kudu, waterbuck, zebra, wildebeest, klipspringer,  steenbok, common duiker,  dwarf mongoose,  buffalo, Impala, hippo, Vervet monkey and hyena.

Birds included the malachite Kingfisher, Pied Kingfisher,  saddle billed stork, dark chanting goshawk,  grey headed hornbill, white breasted cormorants and lilac breasted roller.

16 December 2015

The final morning which was taken up with a leopard search. We responded to two sightings but no luck!!!

Sometimes that's the way it goes!!!

Our highlight was at mestel dam where we found three bull elephants having a drink. They seemed to be finished as they walked off but then one turned and walked straight into the water submerging himself.

This was the queue for the other two to do the same. Now while the two were busy play fighting each other the larger one made up a game of his own. Namely eight pin hippo bowling!!!

The rules are simple you just walk straight up to eight hippos and walk right through forcing all the hippos to scurry in all directions, then if one hippo is silly enough to pop up to close you smack your trunk down on the water scarring him away.

With hippos shown whose boss he went back to submerging himself with the other two ellies.

Also we had two new species of mammal for the tour in the form of bushbuck and common reedbuck.

Then it was time to say farewell to Ming and Qhan. Travel safe guys and great to have met you.

On Safari With Gert 7 December 2015

7 December 2015

Setting off early for our final morning game drive, we headed out along a dirt road close to camp. About 5 km out we noticed something far ahead of us in the road. It turned out to be a Spotted Hyena, on a serious mission, galloping in our direction.

We watched as it approached, run past with barely a glance in our direction and continue on it's way, down the road. We let it be and carried on in the original direction.

A few minutes later we found a majestic bull Sable Antelope, unfortunately moving away from us, but stopping off here and there for a quick graze and affording us a good view.

It was also a good morning for buffalo as we encountered some large bulls as well as breeding herds. The dung beetles were taking full advantage of all the buffalo activity and we watched a few of them rolling their dung balls in various directions trying to find their spots for burying it, some more successful than others, but sheer determination seeming to prevail.

We also received word about 2 leopards on the move not very far away, thanks to the dream team, Amanda and Shannon. As these were reportedly moving out of sight temporarily, we decided not to rush there,  but rather take our chances later on.

We passed the area about half an hour later and were lucky enough to catch some glimpses of the two young leopards, who had now been joined by their mother! It was a fairly quick sighting, but always exciting to find as this leopard family had become rather famous in the area and we had seen their brother the day before.

After a hearty breakfast and loading luggage, we headed out of the park along another loop and it was a fitting end to the Safari to find, at a nearby dam, 6 elephant bulls playing in the water to cool down; very shortly before exiting the park after three days of good fun, fine weather and great sightings

On Safari With Gert 12 October 2015

12 October 2015

Today started off quite cool and overcast and turned out being a very good day for predators. As we haven't really had very good lion sightings as a group, we set out with that as the main mission for the day.

First up however, we were alerted to the presence of a leopard a few kilometers away. We went looking for it‎ and were lucky enough to find it, lying on a termite mound under a small tree and optimistically eyeing some Kudu close by. As this was a female Leopard and hence not very big, attempting to catch a large kudu would most likely be a step too far for her and she eventually just lay down and got comfortable on the mound. We left her in peace and carried on past a hyena den, where we found 1 hyena sleeping outside the den entrance. It woke every now and then, lifting it's head and sniffing the breeze. We also found 3 wild dogs lying under a tree, quite far off the road, but offering good visibility when they raised their heads occasionally. When their heads were down, it was just the occasional flick of their large rounded ears that betrayed their presence. 

After plenty of‎ searching we did manage to find 2 lionesses at a watering hole, lying in the shade as by that time the sun was breaking through the clouds and it started warming up significantly. Even though they were also quite far from the vehicle, we did get to see them quite well as they got up and wandered around the waterhole looking for a more comfortable spot.

The real highlights of the day came at other waterholes later in the day as we at one stage had a small herd of impala, several large kudu bulls and a giraffe drinking at the same time. Later on at a large dam we were lucky enough to find a small breeding herd of elephant drinking and playing in the water. One of the young males were quite excitable and cocky and took it upon himself to make sure they have no unwanted visitors. He also came right up to our vehicle and we decided to give them a bit of space as elephants always have right of way..! They then found a new spot along the bank to drink and swim, before having a quick dust bath. At the same dam there was also a large (approx 5m long) crocodile, some hippos in the water, warthog, Zebra, blue wildebeest, impala, Waterbuck and velvet monkeys, all at the same time.

The dam was the hub of activity for about 20 minutes before it quieted down and only a few impalas were to be seen and the distant rumbling of the elephants could be heard.

We also found several large bull elephants among which were some impressive tuskers on the way back to camp. All in all a very lucrative day with sightings of all the big 5 members and Hyena and Wild dogs‎ to make it mission accomplished!