The traveling manatees by Nancy French: Kruger National Park

Showing posts with label Kruger National Park. Show all posts

Kruger National Park- Day 6- Biyamati Bushveld Camp and Departure

View along the drive

Moving on to our final camp, Biyamati, animal sightings were minimal in the heavy vegetation but we saw three female elephants with their young and they let us know quickly, with an angry trumpeting sound, that they wanted us to move on.

At Lower Sabie, Alan had noticed a sign and photo of an endangered bird being monitored in the park; and whereabouts were to be reported. At one spot along our drive, we saw 3 of the Southern Ground Hornbill, so gave info on the where and when of this sighting on our arrival. A combination of loss of habitat and crop pesticides is responsible for the decline in the birds' number.

Vervet monkey

No services were available at this camp, but a large apartment with an indoor kitchen awaited us. Vervet monkeys played on the patio outside. There was just time to prep dinner and check out the bird blind before our sunset trip. A beautiful Saddle-billed stork was hanging out in the dry river bed. Our final sunset drive with Simon was sparse of animal sightings. But over the next 3-hour plus drive, he provided a wealth of information on everything from rhino dung to elephant behavior. We happened upon an ironwood tree that had been knocked into the road earlier in the day by a frustrated bull elephant in musth (ready to mate). The tree attack had been witnessed by 2 women on our trip who had driven their car in reverse for a few hundred yards to get away from the raging animal and then rerouted their approach to the camp.

Endangered Southern Ground Hornbill

Dramatic sunset our final evening

Fish owl

Saddle-billed stork

Heavy rains overnight created slushy, slippery dangerous roads on our exit the final morning. With a roughly one-hour drive to the Malelane gate, we weren't expecting any new sightings. We were wrong. 30-minutes into our drive, we saw a pack of African wild dogs romping around in the fields. Though the animals can be dangerous, if approached, they were having a lot of fun chasing and tumbling with each other and ran right in front of our car so we could get a good view of them.

With our safari coming to an end, we had driven over 750 miles within the park, in addition to the 5 guided tours. So, there was a lot of time put into finding such a wide diversity of animals. Many of the animals, like the wildebeest, impalas and zebras are plentiful, but time, luck and patience were the keys to finding many of the others.

Next, we have a 2-hour drive to Mbombela (Nelspruit) International Airport for our flight to Johannesburg and then to Cape Town.

Warthog

African wild dogs

Kruger National Park- Day 4 and 5- Crocodile Bridge Camp

Cheetah

Headed to Crocodile Bridge, we had 2 nights scheduled plus a 3-hour sunset tour. Our drive to this camp produced more of the zebra, wildebeest, and giraffe. But we knew lions and a leopard had been seen in this area so we drove slowly and scanned the surrounding areas carefully.

Oscar, our guide for the evening, seemed to know all the best places to discover critters. On all of the trips, the rangers had placed a rifle on the dashboard or in the seat next to themselves. Shortly after our departure from camp, Oscar left the jeep briefly to scout for a lion pride that had been spotted earlier, rifle in hand. The lions had moved on but the potential for danger is always present in the park. This is not a place you want your car to break down! Over the next few hours, we saw white rhino, porcupine, an African wild cat, a badger, hippos in the water and then on our return hippos grazing as they do after sunset. He even stopped for a chameleon. All of our trips were chilly with evening (or morning) temperatures in the 40-50 degree range, but on this ride with mist and high winds, in the open-air vehicle, we were grateful for the blankets provided.

White rhinos

Since we were in this camp for 2 nights, we headed out at 7 A.M. the next morning to explore. Big cats had been seen on the road toward Lower Sabie Camp, so that's where we headed. Luck and timing are everything when it comes to seeing the animals. Coming upon a road jam on our route, we learned there were some lions nearby. Unfortunately, with our low profile vehicle, we were unable to see them. Located below the road level behind high grasses and low bushes, they were hidden. We waited about 30 minutes hoping they would move on, but finally decided we would move on instead.

Our lion slinking through the bush

Soon, we saw a couple more vehicles stopped and learned that 2 cheetahs were laying down less than 25 feet off the road. Once again they were hidden from our view, except for an occasional brief head popping up. But with patience, one of the cheetahs decided to get up and walk around. What a treat!

With the gates open at 6 A.M., the following morning we decided to go out and explore early, prior to our 10 o'clock checkout. Good call. Within 15 minutes of our drive, we saw a male lion moving through the bush. Now we could move on to our next camp.

Martial eagle

Oscar with a flap neck chameleon

Helmeted Guineafowl

Blue Wildebeest

African Fish Eagle

Red-billed oxpecker cleaning the impala's ears

Our cheetah playing peek-a-boo

Kruger National Park- Day 3- Talamati Bushveld Camp

Mom and baby

Located in more isolated areas of the park, the bushveld camps are located off gravel/dirt roads with no stores or other amenities offered. But our bungalow was spacious and once again offered an outdoor kitchen. With baboons in this camp, security on the kitchen was kicked up a notch. In addition to the cage on the fridge, all of the cabinets and drawers had locks. A bird blind at Talamati didn't result in any new bird sightings but waterbuck, elephant, and giraffe hung out in the meadow in front of the electrified fence.

Snack time

Our 2-hour night tour with Orlando departed at 8 P.M., so there were no twilight sightings. What we saw, but were unable to photograph, were countless bush babies. These small, nocturnal gray and white fur balls can jump up to 6 feet, and by shining our high-powered flashlights into the trees, we could follow their antics.

The washboard roads which had been a challenge on our entry were somewhat better on our different route out, but we were both wishing (again) that we had rented

a jeep or larger profile 4-wheel drive vehicle instead of our tiny Toyota.

Photo from the African Wildlife Foundation
Bushbaby

Waterbuck

Kruger National Park- Day 2- Orpen Camp

Following a hearty breakfast at the Oliphant restaurant, we moved on to our next camp, Orpen. We saw the usual cast of characters, giraffe, zebra, blue wildebeest, impala, and elephant, but it was no less exciting to see them each time. A turn down a gravel road, however, produced our first hippo sightings. First, we saw a group submerged in the water, and though we watched for quite a while, the only thing we saw were their eyes. A little further down the road, we hit the hippo mother lode. A group of 14 were laying and walking around on the shore, hanging out in the water and yawning for us. Funny to watch and also no threat since they were across the river from us. We had been informed that the hippo, along with the rhino and Cape buffalo are the most dangerous animals in the park because they will attack without provocation or warning. We had the perfect vantage point.

Further down the river, we saw a number of sizeable crocodiles, one we estimated to be about 14 feet.

Male Kudo

Nothing else was in the water near these big guys. The evening before we had caught a quick glimpse of a stately looking male kudo. So it was a treat to see a few small groups, including some family groupings. Arriving at the Orpen Camp, we had a more nicely outfitted bungalow with an outdoor kitchen. Vervet monkeys were widely present in the area, so the refrigerator was enclosed within a gate with a slide lock to ensure they would not empty it for you.

With a sunrise tour scheduled the next morning, we departed shortly after 4:30 A.M. looking again for nocturnal prowlers and the early movers around the park. No new sightings initially, but we saw two large groups of baboons playing and running along the roadway. Octavia, our ranger/driver, shared not only tidbits about the animals but many of the plants

White rhino

as well. She introduced us to the Marula tree, which has been used as a nutrition source and multiple other uses in Africa for over 10,000 years. We were told that one fruit has 5 times the vitamin C of an orange, and that, traditionally, this is a preventative/cure that is used for colds or flu. The fruit is also used to produce the liquor, Amarula, which tastes similar to Bailey’s Irish Cream. We were able to buy a bottle at the Orpen camp store on our return. The highlight of the morning trip, however, was our first white rhino sighting. White and black rhinos are both gray. They are told apart by a few physical differences and their diet. White rhinos only eat grass while black rhinos eat plants and fruits, as well. Several of the animals were about a hundred feet away from our 10-passenger jeep. Rhino sightings are not reported to the general public due to poaching concerns, so guests are asked not to say when and where they saw the animals on social media or on the animal sighting boards within the park. Time to move on to our next camp, Talamati.

Zebra and Blue wildebeest

Glossy starling

Lilac-breasted roller

Baboons

Kruger National Park - Day One-Oliphant Camp

Our first elephant sighting

At roughly 7500 square miles (220 miles long and 40 miles wide), this is an immense area to explore. With 7 days and 6 nights scheduled within the park, we intended to give it our best shot. Prior to making reservations in the park, we researched which animals are seen in different areas. Selecting different camps, starting in the middle of the park (due to time constraints) we felt would provide the best exposure to the widest variety of species.

Having booked our first night in Oliphant Camp, we had a 3-hour plus drive from the entrance. That timing was based on driving directly at the speed limit (50 km/hr-31 mph) and not stopping to enjoy the animals along the route or meandering on the gravel roads or stopping at the viewing areas. By booking through the South African National Park website, we were able to secure reasonable accommodations throughout the park. With 37 camps, ranging from basic with minimal services to luxury resorts, most folks can find something within their budget. We opted for 5 different camps, which, in all cases but one, offered a basic kitchen with a hot plate, refrigerator and essential cookware and utensils. Bungalows in this range were around $90 a night. Oliphant Camp offered only a refrigerator in the room, but a restaurant and a communal kitchen were also on site. Rooms in the luxury resorts start at around $400 p/p per night, but that's not our travel style (or budget).

Cape Buffalo

Impala by moonlight

Greeted near the Phalaborwa gate by a small herd of impala, the discoveries continued to unfold as we moved toward camp. Soon after spotting some elephant dung in the road, we saw our first elephant within 50 feet of our vehicle, followed shortly by another elephant and a warthog. Taking a side trip down a dirt road we were surprised by a small herd of elephants crossing the road less than 75 feet in front of our car. By the time we reached Oliphant, we had seen several clusters of giraffe, waterbucks, zebras, herds of blue wildebeest, and a small group of Cape buffalo, in addition to many more elephants and herds of impala.

Having scheduled 5 park ranger-led tours during our stay, we had our first sunset tour with a guide named Wonderful. By leaving at 4:30 P.M., the 3-hour trip is half daylight hours with the second half at night when the nocturnal creatures appear. Over the next few hours, we saw not only a fabulous sunset, but baboons, crocodile, a cackle of hyena, a spotted genet, and our first lion. Seeing the big cat at night and moving, photography was a challenge, and National Geographic will not be buying any of our photos, but it was our first lion and we were thrilled!