We didn't stay in Phalaborwa for too long once we arrived, just repacked a bag, because we were spending the night in the Kruger Park. It is a place I have been looking forward to visiting since I started planning my trip to South Africa and it didn't disappoint. Situated in the North East of South Africa it is the flagship of the South African National Parks and one of the largest game reserves, covering almost 2 million hectares. It is largely natural and unspoilt territory, the only additions are roads, many of them gravel rather than tarmac, and campsites but these cause little disruption to the natural ecosystems within the park.
The park, which extends 360km north to south and 65km east to west, can be seen in the above map. The east boundary of the park is the border with Mozambique and the north boundary is the border with Zimbabwe. However, it is a transnational park extending across into both of these countries allowing the animals to roam freely. The problem with this however, is it makes it difficult to ensure the animals safety from poachers, a rather severe threat to animal welfare.
Going to the Kruger Park is visiting the animals in their natural habitat, infinitely better when compared to seeing them in a zoo. Part of the excitement definitely comes from the fact that you do not know what you may see or spot in the Kruger, unlike strolling to an enclosure in a zoo. Not to say that zoos are bad or that we don't need them, they provide valuable teaching and resources, they just do not hold the same level of magic or intrigue that the park does. Obviously there is no guarantee that you will see anything when visiting the Kruger but that raises the levels of anticipation, excitement and achievement when you do spot an animal or bird in the wild, especially if it is an elusive or indeed a rare one.
A Chameleon crossing the road with possibly the least effective walk of all time with all the swaying backwards and forwards before taking a step.
The Bee Eater.
We were extremely lucky to see many animals, often up close, something which Dries and Linette have dubbed the foreigner effect, I guess I am just lucky! Even though we visited on a Saturday the park was extremely quiet. This is probably due to the schools going back that week and therefore the holiday rush being over. It meant that we were able to enjoy the roads, sights and campsites in peace. Often we would be the only people looking at an animal whereas, I am informed, that normally there is a queue of cars packing the road to get a glimpse.
Additionally, visiting during the height of summer meant that the vegetation was thick, lush and very green which was a pleasure to see. The downside to this meant that in some places where it was particularly dense it was difficult to spot anything. Luckily Linette and Dries have very keen eyes... Mine not so much but I did spot one or two things.
On Saturday we entered the park at Phalaborwa Gate and drove 58km east to Letaba rest camp before heading 32km south to Olifants camp where we spent the night. The distances are rather rough estimations as we took many of the gravel roads meaning the journey was actually longer, especially when stopping to observe different sights. We were extremely lucky that the first animal we came across was a young bull elephant at the side of the road, just beyond the camp gates. We also spotted several Impala, Waterbokke, Zebra, Wildebeest, Crocodiles, Hippos, Cape Buffalo and another lone elephant bull just as we reached Olifants camp.
A rather delightful thing about visiting in the summer months is that many of the animals are with their young meaning we got to see some babies, which were adorable.
At Letaba there is the Elephant Hall which is an extremely interesting museum dedicated to everything to do with Elephants, from their evolution and biology, to some of the impressive Tuskers (Elephants with the biggest tusks) that have roamed the Kruger Park. These tusks are huge, many measuring well over 7ft in length. There is also a project involving emerging Tuskers which the public can help identify, and I found out one of the easiest ways to identify an elephant is by the unique marks or damage that they have on their ears.
We stayed in little huts which were minimalistic but extremely comfortable. It was outside one of these that we enjoyed our braai dinner and watched the moon rise, an exquisite deep orange in colour. I was up at 5am the next morning to watch the sunrise over the Savanna. It was pretty spectacular to sit above the river and wait for 20 minutes whilst the Earth turned enough to allow us to see the sun, something both me and Dries commented on. It is easy to see how it was previously believed that the sun looped around us rather than us moving around the sun.
On Sunday morning we left camp just before 6am as the best time to see animals is just after sunrise and just before sunset. We carried on heading south towards Satara going via Timbavati rather than taking the direct Tarmac road.
Again we had a wonderful day in the Kruger Park spotting many things including some of my highlights listed below.
We exited the camp at Orpen, heading back north to Phalabowra. Unfortunately, by this time I was feeling pretty drowsy; a combination of the heat, early starts and the slight insomnia caused by my antimalarials, which also give you crazy dreams it turns out. I did doze of a couple of times in the park waking with a jolt every couple of minutes or so as I did not want to miss anything! A good rest was needed by the end of a hectic but thoroughly enjoyable weekend.
I must thank Dries and Linette for sharing their time and incredible knowledge about the park with me and also for Dries' fabulous photos, many of which are seen here. I had a fantastic first trip to the Kruger Park with them.
And so after bombarding everyone with a lot of pictures and writing I think I am ready to call this blog post done.
Until next time.
A x
This shows just how green the vegetation was and also a lovely Wild Fig Tree.
A young crocodile enjoying the sunshine.
Waterbokke, with distinctive white ring markings on their backsides.
Wildebeest.
Cape Buffalo at a waterhole. This only shows a few of the hundred that were there.
A lone Cape Buffalo who appears to have broken his horns and damaged his tail.
A rather delightful thing about visiting in the summer months is that many of the animals are with their young meaning we got to see some babies, which were adorable.
Impala doe and fawn.
Zebras with the cutest calf.
A family of Warthogs - which remind me of Pumba. When the young warthogs run their tails stick up as you can see on the middle one.
The preserved tusks and skull of Mandleve (meaning ears, as he had a large tear in his left ear) who holds the record of heaviest tusks recorded in the Kruger park at 142.4kg and both were over 7ft long.
Staying at Olifants rest camp we witnessed the most spectacular sunset, full moon and sunrise all with the backdrop of the Olifants river. As Dries is a keen photographer he captured some beautiful images whilst Linette and I just took the time to admire the wonderful changing colours.
Gorgeous African sunset.
These Bush Babies joined us at sunset.
We stayed in little huts which were minimalistic but extremely comfortable. It was outside one of these that we enjoyed our braai dinner and watched the moon rise, an exquisite deep orange in colour. I was up at 5am the next morning to watch the sunrise over the Savanna. It was pretty spectacular to sit above the river and wait for 20 minutes whilst the Earth turned enough to allow us to see the sun, something both me and Dries commented on. It is easy to see how it was previously believed that the sun looped around us rather than us moving around the sun.
My home for the night.
Sunrise over the Olifants river.
On Sunday morning we left camp just before 6am as the best time to see animals is just after sunrise and just before sunset. We carried on heading south towards Satara going via Timbavati rather than taking the direct Tarmac road.
The Scops Owl spotted in a tree at Timbavati where we had lunch.
A Baboon chilling in a tree just past Timbavati.
Again we had a wonderful day in the Kruger Park spotting many things including some of my highlights listed below.
A family of Giraffes meandering down the road in front of us. I love the height order.
Ververt Monkeys with their young.
A baby albino Vervet Monkey.
A stalking Lioness.
The other lionesses waiting.
A Hyena puppy basking in the sunshine.
Lastly, the Elephant who had ripped off a branch of an Amarula tree and was munching through it quite contentedly just outside Satara camp.
We exited the camp at Orpen, heading back north to Phalabowra. Unfortunately, by this time I was feeling pretty drowsy; a combination of the heat, early starts and the slight insomnia caused by my antimalarials, which also give you crazy dreams it turns out. I did doze of a couple of times in the park waking with a jolt every couple of minutes or so as I did not want to miss anything! A good rest was needed by the end of a hectic but thoroughly enjoyable weekend.
I must thank Dries and Linette for sharing their time and incredible knowledge about the park with me and also for Dries' fabulous photos, many of which are seen here. I had a fantastic first trip to the Kruger Park with them.
And so after bombarding everyone with a lot of pictures and writing I think I am ready to call this blog post done.
Until next time.
A x
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