Kruger Park: It's bigger than Israel!

Encompassing 30 percent of the surface area, nearly half the park's lion population hang out here as well as leopard, hyena and cheetah, thanks to the quantity of sweet grasses and browsing trees that support large numbers of antelope, giraffe, buffalo, zebra and wildebeest.

The far north region 

Here you'll find major areas of sand formed by river flood plains and riverine forests as part of the region lies in a rain shadow. A picnic site along the banks of the Luvuvhu River provides hours of splendid bird viewing.
The knocking sand frog lives here, as do the the nocturnal bushpig and the rare Sharpe's grysbok. There are samango monkeys, packs of wild dog, and the major water pans across the Wambiya sandveld are home to tropical fish, such as the rainbow killifish, not found anywhere else in the country. The sandstone hills, just west of Punda Maria, is the only place you can see the Natal red hare and yellow-spotted rock dassie, or hyrax.

The northern region

North of the Orange River is a semi-arid region covering 7 000km2 that sees very little rain. Here shrub mopane thrives in the hot, low-lying valleys, but five rivers provide narrow corridors giving rise to trees such as the nyala, the sycamore fig, the tamboti and the tall apple leaf.
The Letaba and Olifants rivers contain 60 percent of the park's hippo population. There are bushpig in the undergrowth of the Luvuvhu River and on most of the river banks you can see elephant, buffalo, waterbuck, bushbuck, impala and kudu concentrated near a water supply.

The southern region

Bounded by the Crocodile River in the south and Sabie River in the north, the southern region also enjoys the jagged ridge of the Lebombo Mountains along the border with Mozambique, and the highest point in the park, Khandzalive, in the southwestern corner - almost in counterpoint to Pretoriuskop that lies in the west of the southern region.
The valleys are home to the Cape chestnut, coral tree and lavender fever-berry. White rhino occur here, particularly around Pretoriuskop, Mbyamiti River and south of lower Sabie. Around Pretoriuskop, known for its profusion of trees, is Ship Mountain, its hull-shape the site of an old wagon trail that crosses a stream marking the birthplace of Jock of the Bushveld. The combretum woodlands, also part of this region, attract kudu, impala, giraffe, buffalo, zebra, white rhino and elephant, while the scarcity of lion in this part of the park, makes way for the cheetah and wild dog.

Bush Walks

A bush walk is a great way to track game on foot, but also one of the most incredible ways to learn about the fragility of the ecosystems of the Kruger and to see the smaller animals and insects that tend to be ignored on the game drives. Take your own snacks and sunscreen as most of the camps in the Kruger do morning and afternoon walks.
Wilderness trails
Some wilderness trails in the Kruger are virtually untouched by humans, with names like Metsi-Metsi, Napi, Massingir and the Sweni Wilderness.
Most of these trails are two days with three overnights in rustic huts with ablution in reed-walled showers and flush toilets, but they're always in such demand that they're booked out way in advance. Here you need to be fairly fit as you'll average 20km a day, although this is at a leisurely pace.
The Lebombo overland trail
This is a five-day "wilderness experience on wheels" takes you from Crocodile Bridge to Pafuri, and deserves a mention here. It's an eco trail that takes you along the eastern boundary along the Lebombo hills (hence the name) from the extreme south to the farthest northern edge.
A maximum of five vehicles, with four people in each undertakes the trail that covers 500km.
The self-drive eco trail crosses rivers and encompasses some of the most beautiful scenery in the park. You'll overnight at Lower Sabie, Olifants and Shingwedzi restcamps. Professional guides will lead the trail and explain the terrain, rated as the best in southern Africa purely because of the rich diversity of fauna and flora en route.
Where to stay in the Kruger National Park.

There are a large number of rest camps, bushveld camps, lodges and even overnight hides, all run by South African National Parks Board.

Private operators have established lodges that offer luxury, guided game drives, and the freedom to move into the greater park area if desired.
These private game lodges offer a more intimate and exclusive experience of the vast Kruger.

 
The private game reserves

Flanking the western boundary of Kruger Park are several private game reserves. Together they form the heart of South Africa's big game country with the free movement of animals between the private reserves and the Kruger National Park.
The Sabi Sands reserve is home to Londolozi, Singita and Mala Mala; Timbavati and Claserie.
SANParks accommodation

# Restcamps: Most have electricity, a shop, communal kitchen facilities, laundromats, restaurants, public telephones and petrol stations. Info centres are located at Letaba, Skukuza and Berg-en-dal.

# Berg-en-Dal: Just west of the Malelane gate overlooking the Matjulu Spruit, Berg-en-Dal is bordered by a dam and dry riverbeds. Lovely trees offer shade to the pretty restcamp, which comprises bungalows, family cottages and guest houses.

# Crocodile Bridge: Right up against the Mozambique border and Maputo, Crocodile Bridge is an area famous for lions and rhinos. Crocodile Bridge lies on the northern bank of the Crocodile River, in the south-eastern corner of the Kruger. The accommodation is in basic bungalows and safari tents.

# Letaba: Lying in the bend of the Letaba River, the heavily shaded restcamp is great for bird-watching and elephants. It's close to the Phalaborwa Gate and includes a camping area, guest houses, cottages and bungalows.

# Lower Sabie: Right on the banks of the Sabie River, most of the game comes to you in this family-oriented camp only 35km from Crocodile Bridge. There are large lawns, huge trees, and a swimming pool. You can stay in a range of campsites, huts, bungalows, guest cottages, guest houses, and safari tents.

# Mopani: On the banks of the Pioneer Dam, this little restcamp lies in amongst koppies and Mopani trees. Thatched accommodation, with stone walls, is in bungalows, cottages, guest cottages and a guest house.

# Olifants: Olifants sits on top of a hill, set on rocky cliffs, that provides incredible views over the Olifants River. There are two distinct types of vegetation in this area - mopane shrub and rolling grass plains - and one is likely to spot elephant, zebra, impala, buffalo, giraffe and kudu as a result. Accommodation is in guest houses, cottages and bungalows.

# Orpen: On the western boundary of the central zone of the Kruger National Park, Orpen is a tranquil camp with scattered trees and wide-open plains that attract a large quantity of browsers. The waterhole, just outside the camp, provides sightings of lion, blue wildebeest, vultures and plovers, and accommodation is in cottages and huts.

# Pretoriuskop: This camp lies in a hilly area dominated by granite outcrops just 9km from the Numbi Gate in the south-west. Rare species like sable and rhino are seen here, as well as impala, zebra, giraffe and wildebeest. Accommodation is in guest houses, cottages, bungalows and huts.

# Punda Maria: One of two camps north of the Tropic of Capricorn, Punda Maria lies on a ridge in the northernmost reaches of the Sandveld, 8km from the Punda Maria gate. Some of the best bird-watching is to be found here and it's a good place to spot nyala. There are seven luxury tents, a pool, bungalows and cottages.

# Satara: Regarded as the best camp for viewing the big cats, Satara lies just 47km east of the Orpen gate in the knobthorn veld, which offers some of the best grazing in the Park, and the high number of watering places in the area translates into frequent sightings of antelope, zebra, giraffe and buffalo. Accommodation is in guesthouses, cottages and bungalows.

# Shingwedzi: On the banks of the Shingwedzi River this rest camp is prime elephant spotting country, filled with trees, bungalows and shady verandas. North of the camp is a riverine forest. Accommodation is in huts, a cottage and guesthouses.

# Skukusa: Skukusa lies right in Big Five territory on the banks of the Sabie River. Accommodation ranges from safari tents and bungalows to luxury bungalows, guest cottages and guesthouses.

# Tsendze: With the emphasis on "touch the earth lightly" - there is no electricity. Warm water is from gas geysers and lighting is solar-powered. It has a three-star grading and comes with open-air showers. The camp lies in the shade of leadwood, mopane and apple-leaf trees.
Satellite restcamps
# Balule private camp: Ideal for campers, Balule lies on the southern bank of the Olifants River, perfect for those who seek solitude.

# Malelane private camp: Just 3km from the Malelane Gate, this satellite camp is one of the smallest in the Park, accommodating just 19 people, and lies on the banks of the Crocodile River. Accommodation is camping or little huts.

# Maroela private camp: Overlooking the Timbavati River bed, Maroela Camp is an ideal place to spot leopard. It's about 4km from Orpen and Eastgate airport. The nearby Rabelais dam is also a good place to spot game.

# Tamboti tent camp: Self-catering safari tents are mounted on stilts overlooking the dry Timbavati River bed. The camp lies in a flat veld area and shares communal bathrooms, kitchen and food areas.

Bush Lodges

# Boulders: An exclusive camp, accommodating up to 12 people, Boulders is 50km north of Letaba. Raised thatched cottages allow the safe viewing of game. Solar panels provide energy for ceiling fans.

# Roodewal: Just 40km from Olifants restcamp en route to Timbavati, Roodewal accommodates up to 19 people in four cottages close to the Timbavati River, with a lookout platform in a huge nyala tree. Accommodation is in huts and a family cottage. Solar energy provides lighting.

Bushveld Camps

# Bateleur: Set on the banks of the Mashokwe Spruit in the northern savannah, Bateleur is the oldest and the smallest camp. A game-viewing hide overlooks the waterhole, including a floodlight for night viewing. Here you can spot hippo and crocodile. Accommodation is in guest cottages.

# Biyamiti: On the banks of the Mbyamiti River, this intimate camp lies in a wooded clearing, close to the old ox-wagon trade route. This is a good camp from which to spot the Big Five and black rhino, as well as wild dog and cheetah. Accommodation is in little cottages.

# Shimuwini: Shimuwini lies on the upper end of the Shimuwini dam on the Letaba River. The Letaba River is lined with big trees that include the baobab, and the dam provides hours of bird and game watching. Accommodation is in 15 family cottages.

# Sirheni: The northernmost camp, Sirheni lies on the dam of the same name in mopane veld. Accommodation is in 15 cottages.

# Talamati: On the N'waswitsontso River, Talamati lies in a large open valley about 31km from Orpen Gate with two hides overlooking a waterhole. Accommodation is in 15 family cottages.

Overnight Hides

# Sable: Just 10km from the Phalaborwa Gate, this is a unique form of accommodation. This bird hide by day transforms into overnight dwelling. The hide looks over the Sable Dam.

# Shipandani: Overnighting in a bird hide-away is a unique way of being close to elephant, buffalo and other creatures of the night that include nightjars and cicada. On the banks of the Tsedze River, Shipandani is close to the Mopani restcamp and sunset is a particularly gratifying experience.
This is the richly diverse land of the Big Five, the Little Five (buffalo weaver, elephant shrew, leopard tortoise, ant lion and rhino beetle), the birding Big Six (ground hornbill, kori bustard, lappet-faced vulture, martial eagle, Pel's fishing owl and saddle-bill stork) and more species of mammal than any other African game reserve.

Battle at Kruger National Park (Transport Dam)

 

By this time everybody who is anybody that has access to the web and “Youtube” would no doubt have heard about or the term “Battle at Kruger”, well below is the word for word account of the action by the guide “Frank” who had the guests aboard his open safari vehicle on the afternoon that the video was taken of this encounter.

We as a company consider ourselves very lucky to know Frank and have him as a good friend and collegue who we work closely with on a daily basis while conducting our safaris.

'It was during an afternoon drive when one of my colleagues called over the radio reporting the presence of lions at a place called Transport Dam between Pretoriuskop and Skukuza.  Safari vehicles had been visiting the scene for a short stop and had left. On my arrival I found 7 lions lying on the dam wall watching a herd of buffalo drinking at the dam.

The lions were all quite young except for an adult female and I did not believe they would take on the buffalo who in any event were too far from them to approach effectively.  I decided to stay on the sighting a while, for my clients to view the buffalo at leisure, whilst they drank at the river and they then began to move away.

The adult lion female at this stage had moved off the dam wall and was lying out of sight behind a rock near where we were parked.  The buffalo started moving slowly away from the water and the young lions were lying watching them.  For some inexplicable reason the herd of buffalo led by an adult followed by another adult, followed by a calf and then the rest of the herd, started to walk onto the narrow dam wall, directly to where the young lions were lying.  The lions had no cover and I was then intrigued by the developing situation.

One of the guests asked me what I thought would happen and based on past experience I told them the lions would run away.  I had no sooner expressed this opinion than one of the lions did in fact turn and slink off out of sight.  The buffalo kept walking in single file towards the lions apparently unaware of them and the lions moved closer to one another and crouched down in a threatening posture.

When the lead buffalo was about 15-20 metres from the lions, it suddenly stopped and started tossing his head about.  At that stage everything happened so fast that I cannot recall whether the buffalo turned and started to run away or if the lioness charged and they then ran.  In any event the lions all charged the fleeing buffalo.

They ran past the two adults and jumped on the calf who fell into the dam with the lions still attached to it.  The rest of the lions were all busy attacking the buffalo calf in the water while the rest of the herd ran away.  Suddenly a huge crocodile grabbed hold of the buffalo calf and a tug-of-war ensued between the lions and the crocodile.  The lions were victorious dragging the buffalo calf out of the water and up the bank with the crocodile hanging on its' leg before it finally relinquished its' grip.

By now the herd had regrouped, turned and amidst a cloud of dust they charged the lions who were busy mauling the poor calf lying on the ground.  The lioness tried to stand her ground but was tossed into the air by one of the buffalo.  The other lions lost their nerve and fled with the aggressive buffalo behind them.  As if this wasn't enough the calf stood up and was enveloped by the herd who moved off.  UNBELIEVABLE!!'

Down at the Waterhole, KrugerPark

Kruger National Park Safari with the Dag Party and Jan and Lauren Burford 26th – 30th March 2010

Day 1

Guests were picked up from the "City Lodge Airport" for there transfer to the Kruger National Park. For some in the party, this was not the first visit to Africa and so the expectation was quite high as to what would be seen  while on safari in the Kruger Park aboard our open safari vehicles. After the change over from our air-conditioned microbus, it was off to the camp of Pretoriuskop for check in, and a chance for some lunch and a rest, before departing at 15h00 on an afternoon game drive to see what was out there.  At 15h00 I picked up my new “Lion Hunters” and drove down the Napi road. Not much happening in the beginning of the trip but as it progressed, so did the animal sightings. At the entrance to Napi Boulders, 2 White Rhino (male and female) crossed the road, sent marking the territory. On our drive back to camp we had two large Elephant bulls on the side of the road. Further to this we also saw 2 huge “Dagga boy’s” (Cape buffalo). My guests were happy and could’nt believe you could see so much on your first afternoon drive. They weren’t as fortunate as the previous people, and only had 5 days in the Kruger Park. At supper they wanted to know if this was enough time to see the “Big 5”. My answer to this is “How long is a piece of string?”. It’s difficult to answer as I might see the “Big 5” in one game drive or I might not for an entire week. With this in mind, I bid my guests a good night.


Day 2

06h00 Time for tea and coffee before leaving the camp on the mornings game drive. My guests hadn’t seen Lions or Leopard’s and obviously where very anxious to see them in “Wild Africa”. Knowing that the mating Lions were around, we drove towards Manungu Koppies as I was sure I’d pick them up. I was totally wrong. I didn’t get the mating Lions but 3 Lioness’s lying together on the gravel road approximately 1.6Kms from the koppies itself. With photos taken, we proceeded to Skakuza for breakfast. Approximately 700m north of the S114, a colleague called in a sighting of Leopard. Apparently mobile, so we didn’t have a lot of time to get to it if we were going to go. I turned the open safari vehicle around and headed in the direction of the Leopard sighting, staying in touch with Jan all the way. It’s as though the Leopard waited till we got to the area before turning and walking straight across the road in from of us. As it moved off the road, it continued with its sent marking, not bothered by our vehicle at all. As we drove forward, so the Leopard walked parallel with the car – You can imagine the photos taken. This mighty cat walked right between a herd of Impala, with no care in the world, and then as fast as it appeared so it disappeared. At that stage I couldn’t make out if it was a Lion roar or my stomach. With hunger pains we drove into Skakuza for breakfast. Must have been hunger pains because all I could think of was a farmer’s breakfast. After breakfast, I traveled along the most western board of the Kruger Park (River road), hoping to see a herd of African elephant or Cape buffalo close to the water. Nothing spectacular was found. My guests requested that instead of an afternoon drive, we spend a couple of hours at the Shitlhave dam. Although not much was seen, while sitting there, it was lovely just to be able to sit and watch nature as the sun set over the savannah plains.

Day 3

06h00 Time for tea and coffee prior to leaving the camp.We set out for another day in the bush. Heading eastwards we drove down Voortrekker road, hoping to see some unusual sights. The words were scarcely out of my mouth when to the right of us we spotted a large Sable bull. Majestic in his approach to the road/us, but as the wind turned and he picked up our scent, he was off with a “Dash of speed”. No sight of any Lichtenstein’s hartebeest, on route to Afsaal picnic spot. At the first historical sight, we drove straight up to 6 White Rhino grazing right next to the road. Close up photos could be taken and lots of questions could be answered as we enjoyed the scenery around us. We drove past Afsaal, to check if any black Rhino where on the Gabro plains, however nothing today. Just then we heard that approximately 7.2Kms from us were the 3 nomadic male Lions. We drove on and as we got to them, so they got up and walked towards us. I turned the engine off and all we could hear was the clickity click of cameras as these massive beasts walked past us. Seemed like an everyday occurrence, that we would pick up Lions before breakfast – I kept reminding the guests that this was not a Zoo. After a late breakfast our general game viewing was excellent and many hours where spent enjoying the basic features of nature. Midday I had my guests back at camp for them to spend some time around the swimming pool. While they were enjoying themselves, I met more clients (2 day safari) that had just arrived and gave them a briefing. I could see, cloud build up around the camp. We left camp at 15h00 sharp. No sooner had I left, I got a call from one of my colleagues that he had spotted Lions on Napi boulders. Approximately 20m of the road both males where lying sleeping. We headed on down the Napi road to a small waterhole called Deleporte. As we got closer, I could see a couple of cars on the bridge and approached slowly. I decided to turn the open safari vehicle around, and as we did that so a female leopard approached us on our left. Guest’s cameras going, she paid no attention to us and politely ran across the road into the tall yellow thatch grass. My new clients from the USA thought this was better than “President Obahma”.  Slow drive back to camp, explaining the African bush and answering questions. On our return to the camp everyone was happy, that a successful day was had by all.

Day 4

06h00 Tea and coffee and an explanation of the days line up. With this done, we headed out for a round trip north. My plan was to show my clients more of the Kruger Park and not just riding from animal sighting to animal sighting. A late breakfast at Tshokwane picnic spot was planned and most of the day was spent, stopping for unusual sightings. Rhino, Elephant, Buffelo, Lion and Lepoard sightings where achieved on the day and before we new it, we started heading back to camp. All the clients on my open safari vehicle, was booked for the Sunset drive and as all of you know, I don’t like to get back to camp only to put my guests onto another vehicle for a further 4 hours. At supper, I said my goodbyes to some of my clients that were leaving really early the next morning in order to get there flight from Nelspruit Vilencoulos and wouldn’t join us on the following mornings game drive. Sadly my trip was also approaching an end and the drive in the morning would be my last for a couple of days.

Day 5

05h30 Tea and coffee ready, @ 06h00 Tea and coffee still ready, and again @ 06h30 Tea and coffee still ready,
“Oops” my guests overslept, who said been on safari is easy. Early morning rising, takes its toll on some that aren’t use to it. Most of our early morning safari was spent taking pictures of interesting things and very little on the animals themselves as guests had seen so much in the last couple of days. We returned back to camp, for a warm breakfast and after packing up departed for Nelspruit where the guests would be transferred by Dean back to JHB International airport in order for them to catch there flight on to Cape Town.

With my job done to the best of my ability and trusting all clients where overjoyed it was time to say:


Till next time “Good Night, GOD Bless, Good bye”.

The feedback from the guests about the safari to the Kruger National Park was that they had a wonderful time, none of them ever thought to see so much especially the leopards thay all seemed to be in the right place at the right time for them. All have said that they will be returning to us to come on another safari, with a large number committing to doing a nine day safari starting in the north of the park and ending in the south 9 days later.

The photos shown in this post were taken by Jan Burford while on safari with Nhongo Safaris to the Kruger National Park.