South Africa 2017

[ali-s]

Got back home this morning. Will try to catch up with the trip report in the next week and get some photos added.

[ali-s]

Lower Sabie

While in Kruger I was intending that we get a few early starts as early morning and late afternoon are supposedly the best times for seeing the animals. The really committed Kruger guests are sat in their cars waiting for the gates to open , 6am in July. I knew we'd never be that early but I was hoping we'd be out the door by 7am, this morning was 7.40am and that's the earliest we managed
We drove south down to Crocodile Bridge restcamp, hoping to find the wild dog pack we saw yesterday. We didn't see much at all and I blamed our late start, not that it made any difference to the following morning's start times. ( Looking back at the photos on the camera, we actually saw a heck of a lot )
A troop of baboons entertained us, playing and lounging on the road just outside of camp.

We saw the usual kudu, impala and the occasional giraffe.

We had coffee and snacks at Crocodile Bridge ( you can use the restaurants and shops at any of the camps) and then drove back to Lower Sabie on a dirt ( gravel) road . All along the dirt road we had hornbills playing ' chicken' infront of the car. We couldn't work out what they were doing , why they would sit in the road until the car was almost upon them before flying off. Until a huge grasshopper flew across the windscreen and a hornbill dove after it, catching it midair. I assume these grasshoppers/ locust things were also attracted to the gravel road and the hornbills were waiting for the car to disturb them . It was quite comical how many of these birds would ' leapfrog' the car to always be infront of it.

In fact we saw alot of birds today, maybe cos we saw little of the larger, distracting animals. I love the little lilac breasted rollers, they look as though a child has coloured them in.

Back at Lower Sabie we had lunch at the restaurant, the deck overlooks the Sabie river, can't be many places you can eat while watching hippos and birds.
We were entertained by the starlings who replace monkeys here, waiting for you to turn your head or leave your plate so they can grab a morsel. There are water squirters strategically placed but we enjoyed their chatter and cheekiness.

Lower Sabie in background, restaurant area

We went out for a short drive late afternoon, apparently we saw a lion, I'd forgotten about him! Also a varied selection of animals at a waterhole,and warthogs .

We stop on the bridge over the river to watch the sunset and hippos.

Another braii for dinner, another vege kebab,the accompanying glass of wine and view from our braii area raise it from mediocre to unforgettable. All the accommodation I have booked in Kruger is on the perimeter of the camp and has a view beyond the electrified perimeter fence. This means at worst you can see any wildlife that approaches the fence outside the camp, at best you get a view , in this case of the river. We can listen to hippos as we eat
A quiet day sighting wise but still enjoyable and we make up for it tomorrow.

[ali-s]

Lower Sabie to Satara

We change camps today. Kruger is huge ,about the size of Wales. The vegetation and therefore the density and type of animals varies so it is best to move around to increase the chances of seeing certain animals.
Today we head north to Satara ,a camp in ' cat country' . There are consistently good sightings of lion, leopard and cheetah here, though we have already seen lions close up near Lower Sabie, so nothing is guaranteed, the animals don't read the guidebook
We head out at 8 am on a tar road. Yesterday's lack of sightings has left us disappointed with the quieter dirt roads preferred by some. There are so many places to stop on the way and multiple choices of route, it can take all day to drive a short distance if you want it to. There are ellies just outside the camp and the usual kudu, zebra etc to divert us.

How do you hide an elephant? Stand it behind a tree of course. You can just see the left front leg of an adult Ellie.

How many zebra do you see?

We stop first at a view point where we have an incredible , panoramic view of what seems like half of Kruger spread out below us.

Three hours and 50 Kms later we stop for an early lunch at a picnic site. Kruger's version of motorway services comfy chairs , shop selling takeaway food items , souvenirs and essentials, clean toilets and cafe serving tasty, cheap food. And monkeys. Like most of Kruger's rest areas, this site is plagued with them. They sit around waiting for an unattended plate , or to snatch a morsel from the bin before it is emptied ( every few minutes by the staff)all very amusing for the guests but a nuisance for the employees.

At every restcamp and picnic site there is a sightings board, a map where guests can pin a marker on the place they have seen a lion, leopard, cheetah, wild dog or elephant that day ( rhinos unfortunately can't be included due to risk of alerting poachers to their whereabouts) Leopard and cheetah have been spotted nearby today, so we make it our mission to find them.
We continue our slow drive North , detouring to see the most southerly baobab tree and to watch elephants drinking and playing at a waterhole.

Approaching the turn off where the leopard was spotted we come across another ' cat jam' not leopard though, lions again. But they are lying in long grass and impossible to see. Having had our close up view at Lower Sabie we aren't inclined to wait for them to show themselves. We head down a dirt track near where the leopard was spotted ( the sighting locations aren't exact, they just get you to the general area) and unusually , this normally quieter dirt road is quite busy. Maybe this is a good sign? An oncoming vehicle stops and tells us the leopard is a few Kms further on , on the left Yes! Most people in Kruger are keen to pass on special sightings and will flag you down to tell you of something worth seeing. We find the leopard, due to the cars parked up , not by spotting him, that takes a few minutes with the binoculars, how the first person spotted him I don't know. He is draped over a branch asleep, he doesn't open his eyes, let alone move. But still! It's a real live leopard! We watch him far longer than his comatose state justifies, then head on to Satara, arriving at camp at 3 pm. It has taken us 7 hours to drive 98 Kms!

We have perimeter bungalows again , this time the boys have their own bungalow as each sleeps 2. The accomodations at Kruger range from guesthouses that sleep 10 to basic huts with nothing but a single bed . The perimeter bungalows I've booked are generally a bit dearer than the other rooms, but still good value. They are basic but have kitchen and bathroom, sometimes a bit worn, but clean and comfortable, and in the park! What more could you want?

I have booked a sunset drive tonight. Another Sanparks activity. We leave the camp at 4.30 and get to stay out until 7.30, 2 hours after the gates have closed. There are ten of us on the drive, DS18 and I are at the back and are given the task of using the spotlights when it gets dark. Our guide has heard about the invisible lions from earlier and knows just where to look for them. They have moved from their grassy hideaway and are now at the side of the track we took to see the leopard. It's a lioness with cubs of varying ages, so obviously not all hers, she is babysitting. We have a lovely, unobscured view and we don't have to share it with anyone.

Wethen continue down the road to see if the leopard is still there, he isn't, so back to the lions who have now moved to the tar road and are lounging about creating a one vehicle cat jam' the look the lioness gives us when she finally deigns to move aside for the vehicle leaves us in no doubt that she's moving because SHE wants to, not because it suits us Altogether on the drive we see impala, elephants, zebra, waterbuck,giraffe, hyena,lions and DS spotted a Genet, but it was gone before we could get a picture. We've seen more than enough to make up for yesterday's lack of sightings.

We eat at the camp restaurant tonight , we are too hungry to bother with a braii and there are only so many vege kebabs a person can eat

[Melbatb]

Again - wow! What a fabulous experience!

[ali-s]

Satara

We are on a cheetah hunt today. Based on the markers on yesterday's sightings board we head out to drive the river loop, a 60 km circular route on mainly dirt roads , before heading North for lunch at Olifants restcamp. After the first 20 Kms anticipation quickly gives way to boredom. There is nothing to see ( I don't mean that literally, there are always impala, wildebeest, waterbuck etc but their novelty has worn off, though we do occasionally feel guilty about taking them for granted and stop to say hello ) The road follows a river, on one side we have a lush , green but dry riverbed. With the huge old trees we could be in England, until we turn our heads to see the acres of long, dry grass on our other side.

When we get to a junction we decide to forego the rest of the dirt road loop and head back towards the tar road. A few Kms along several cars are parked up , all heads turned towards the sea of dry grass. We ask what they are looking at to be told ' apparently there are cheetah somewhere in there' Great, we've found the haystack, now to find the needle We sit and scan the area with binoculars, trying to pinpoint where people are aiming their huge zoom lenses. Then DH shouts ' I see a head' it's a young cheetah, not fully grown and he has sat up long enough for us to get a couple of photos. The adult then stands up , turns around and lays down again. Laying down they are impossible to see. We wait a few minutes longer than agree to be happy with our sighting and continue on to Olifants for lunch. So that's everything we hoped to see seen. How lucky are we? We are in such a good mood we stop to say hello to some impala

The drive up to Olifants has to be the most boring of the week. We get off to a good start with elephants just outside Satara. We can sit and watch ellies for ages, they are fascinating. But after that , nothing ( except for impala and kudu etc ) all the way to Olifants.
Olifants camp is as far north as we get on this trip. It's known for it's lovely location high up , overlooking the Olifants river. We have lunch while enjoying the view.

Leaving Olifants we stop on the bridge over the river and watch baby baboons playing in a tree. They are taking it in turns to climb up a branch, leap across a five foot gap, swing down and climb up again. They are very well mannered, all waiting their turn and obviously enjoying their practice at being ' big ' baboons. They remind me of toddlers in a playground.
A non eventful drive back to Satara, we have a wander around the camp looking for photo ops and find a troop of monkeys playing on the benches of the outdoor cinema. They seem to be playing tag and take turns jumping up and bobbing down to hide. We watch for so long , it grows dark and our stomachs are rumbling.

We have another restaurant dinner. Then DH and I take our torches to walk along the perimeter fence to see if we can spot anything on the other side. After 100 metres of so we decide this is a waste of time and turn around to find a hyena less than four foot away from us .He was probably following us silently all the time we were walking. It made me shudder!

[Melbatb]

re the hyena!

Great that you managed to see all the big tick list! It sounds as though it was worth all the boring bits of the driving!

[ali-s]

Satara to Biyamiti

Today is our last full day in the park. I am up early to make the most of it. I love sitting with my cup of tea , listening to the noises of everything waking up ( except DH and the boys, they are still slumbering ) I get to meet some early morning visitors. The kitchen area of our bungalows at Satara is outside, the fridges are fitted with lockable grills over the doors to stop the monkeys from helping themselves. I watch two potential fridge rustlers trying unsuccessfully to reach goodies on top of a neighbours fridge.

Then I'm visited by a starling and a very pretty crested barbet, both of who take a rather obsessive interest in my toast. I'm sure they would have sat on my hand if I'd let them.

Next to come along and say ' good morning' is a banded mongoose. He is checking out all the kitchen areas in the hope of finding something the monkeys have overlooked.

When DH and the boys finally surface , we begin our longest drive down to Biyamiti camp, via Skukuza camp. Biyamiti is a bushveld camp, meaning it is small with no restaurant, laundry or fuel station. Skukuza is the largest camp in the park. It has a golf course and a marathon is run from here every August. Yes, a marathon in a game reserve! I've read that on occasions the race has come to a halt while lions have been chased from the vicinity. I wonder if the runners get many record breaking times?
On the road just outside camp there is a troop of baboons

We haven't long left Satara when DH spots something moving at speed in the scrub on our left. It's a hyena and it's carrying something. As it runs into the road ahead of us we realise it's two hyenas .One has the front half of a baboon carcass , the second has the tail gruesome but funny. We follow them on the road for quite a way before we lose them in the undergrowth.

At a waterhole we count five different types of animals

We stop at our favourite picnic site for breakfast and to say goodbye to the monkeys, then continue slowly on to Skukuza. It's immediately obvious that this is the biggest, busiest camp in the park. There are coaches lined up in the carpark and large queues at the restaurant and restrooms. Some of the accommodations are right next to the carpark. So pleased we didn't stay here. I have my one and only yuk meal of the trip here. I buy a pre prepared Greek salad, it looks lovely with feta, tomatoes, olives and onion on lettuce. It is actually a bowl of lettuce with a bare handful of the above sitting on top. I would have complained if I hadn't queued so long to get it. We buy ingredients for tonight's braii in the camp store. I've found a tin of tuna and bought some cheese, so I'm looking forward to a tasty jacket potato. I remember reading a tip to take a decent can opener to Kruger if self catering and almost buy one from the store, but we have a kitchen and utensils tonight, so should be fine.
At a waterhole near camp we stop to watch eles drinking and playing, the babies are so cute.

Giraffes and warthogs are always nearby.

We step up the pace for our last leg to Biyamiti, we have another sunset drive booked and I want time to look around the camp and relax first. There isn't a great deal to stop for. We see our first ground hornbills which pleases DS18, he can check them off his list.

The driveway to Biyamiti is about 15kms long and is open to camp guests only. It's nicknamed the ' magic road' as there are so many good sightings along it. Not so magic for us. We see nothing, not even impala! Only one little duiker.
On arriving at the camp the ranger tells us we are the only ones on the sunset drive, so we have a private drive! It starts off very slow, we are asked what we would like to try and find and reply ' rhino and wild dog's we aren't that far from where we saw them on our first night. After half an hour of not much at all, we're about ready to settle for impala then we come across a vehicle from another camp, they have found a male lion with a kill, a young giraffe , which is unusual. Lions are often wary of going after giraffe as a kick could kill. We watch for a while then continue a few kms to find a small group of giraffe, I wonder if they are missing a family member? When we switch the spotlights on we see an owl and get a glimpse of dwarf mongoose and honey badgers, another first. So a reasonably successful evening after all.

Back at camp we light the braii and I get my potatoes started. I've grated the cheese and find the can opener. But it is as much use as a chocolate teapot. I knew I should have bought one. My tatties are ready and DS is stabbing my can of tuna with a carving knife, trying to make a hole big enough to wiggle some tuna out. Luckily it's flaked tuna, so I'm able to extract enough to top my potato. And very nice it tastes too. But in future I'll heed advice given .

[ali-s]

I've started adding photos. First time I've done it from my tablet and it's taking ages. Can you see them? Hope it's not just me that can see them !

[Melbatb]

I can see the photos - the rhino one is amazing!

about the heist (just seen that - agree that it was better not to know!)

Your ladt day in Kruger seems to have been full of cats running off with their prey - can't have been pretty!

[OnOurWay]

Just read from the beginning and really enjoyed it. Hope you had a nice lunch at the restaurant at Kirstenbosch - my cousin works there and another cousin got married at Groot Constantia. I haven't thought about dassies in years 😀
I have sadly never made it to Kruger, it never appealed to me when I still lived in SA (probably aided by the belief of many foreigners back then that we had lions roaming the street 😆&#128518, but the longer I am away the more I fancy a visit there). Looking forward to seeing more of your photos. Oh, by the way, it is braai, not braii- got to love foreign words, just had to retype each version about six times as it kept auto correcting to something completely different 😉