Camping In Kruger

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We arrived at Crocodile Bridge late morning and set up camp just before Aaron and Carrie arrived from Jo'burg for a few days camping with us.

The weather was perfect, hot but not unbearable and a lot of the time overcast which made for good game viewing.

On our first morning drive we saw the big 5. Plenty of elephant of course, several white rhino and a herd of about 200 buffalo which were crossing the road in front of us, at their own leisurely pace of course. We saw 2 lionesses walking down the road and then a leopard just resting on a rock quite close to the road so we could get a good view of it.

The following day we saw a lioness and her 5 cubs right on the road, but Aaron went one better and saw a pride of 17 lions and cubs on his own drive. We also saw a lion lazing on a tree limb, just like a leopard does.

Sitting at one of the hides we were watching a lion in the distance when we noticed a lot of noise from the tree nearby. There were lots of vervet monkeys and we suddenly realised that they were raiding the weaver nests, presumably eating the eggs. They went from nest to nest emptying them, the frantic squawking of the weaver birds having no effect on the monkeys.

Sitting at the Sunset Dam a little later we had another unusual sighting. This time it was a bird of prey raiding the nests of the glossy starlings and sociable weavers. This bird was also going from nest to nest presumably eating the young chicks. The birds were dive bombing the bird of prey who was taking no notice at all. Eventually the bird of prey flew off and was followed high into the sky by the irate parents. We later saw this same bird in another tree close by doing the same thing.

At the Sunset Dam we also saw a goose giving its warning call and on looking closely spotted a crocodile swimming just feet away in the dam but although we were hoping it was looking for supper nothing happened while we were there.

On one of our sundowner drives we were lucky enough to see a leopard up a tree and with just one other car there could get a good viewing of it. We had to leave to complete the loop to get back by gate closing time and met a herd of about 15 elephants walking down the road with lots of young ones. After following them for several kilometres we realised that they had no intention of getting off the road and time was running out for us getting back to camp before the gates closed. We reluctantly decided we had better turn around and go back the way we had come.

We saw the leopard again, and this time it was eating its kill up the tree, so the elephants had done us a favour really.

This year seemed to be the year of the elephant (as the Skukuza area always is), they came to the picnic site when we were having breakfast, stopped us going to one of the hides as they browsed right at the edge of the parking area, forced us to turn around on our sundowner drive and chased us away from one of the dams just for the fun of it.

It was also the year of the baboon and the monitor lizard. For some reason on one day we must have seen about a dozen lizards, maybe it was to do with the fact that the flying ants were out.

It rained heavily the last night (doesn't it always when you are leaving) meaning we had to wait a while and try to dry the tents before packing up from Skukuza.

Our last drive through the park was fortunately uneventful with no scary encounters with elephants.

Goodbye Kruger, see you next year.

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Photos

Supper at Crocodile Bridge
The hyena came to visit every night, and the elephant also paid a visit.

Lion in a Tree
As Andy says (many times) 'a Lion just lion around'

Elephant at the Hide
This elephant refused to move to let us visit the hide and we weren't brave enough to squeeze past

Elephant at the Waterhole
These elephants deliberately chased us away from the parking area at the waterhole

Tshokwane Gravy
Be warned, don't ask for gravy on your pie!