Blogs from Kruger National Park, Mpumalanga , South Africa, Africa

Before sunrise, we found ourselves again climbing into open air vehicles for our day of game drives in Kruger National Park. Again facing very cold temperatures, these vehicles were equipped with nice blankets that I wrapped around myself a la Indian style. It never occurred to me to bring a heavier coat other than a windbreaker, which was not enough in the midst of a cold front. Kruger National Park is referred to as the jewel in the crown when it comes to nature preserves, and it lived up to it's reputation. The topography was not as beautiful as Hluhluwe, although I fell in love with one particular river bed, but although we were only in a small section of this large park, we encountered more animals and in greater number throughout the day. It occurred ... read more

“Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of the earth.” – Henry David Thoreau A splendid two-night stay at Sirheni Bush Camp duly ended and, all that was left, was a slow drive up the R56 to Punda Maria, the final stop on this ten-day expedition through Kruger. The name Punda Maria is a little out of step with all other Kruger camp names which are based on local language interpretations. It has a distinct Portuguese “flavour” to it. Well, it turns out that a guy named Coetser was posted to that area way back in 1919 as the first ranger. He mistakenly named his post Punda Maria thinking this was the Swahili name for zebra (the first big game he ... read more

“You watch the slow lope of a lioness and forget to breathe. You marvel at the tripod of a giraffe bent to water.” – Jodi Picoult Olifants camp was the next destination on this journey and, on this occasion, a golden rule had to be broken by virtue of the distance getting there being 154kms which was much further than the target of about 75kms travel between stops. The reason for this was largely not being able to book into any other camp closer to Lower Sabie as we had spent time camping a few years back at Satara. Not a problem as it afforded time to thread slowly to the end point taking in the spectacular Kruger tapestry of endless views and multiple brown and green colours. Impossible to get bored gazing at these surrounds. ... read more

“The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for our destruction.” – Rachel Carson Every adventure has a start point and, in this case, ours was on a very cold and wintery morning from Johannesburg. It was an opportune time to leave “the big smoke” for something brighter and more cheerful. The wind of the preceding days had very effectively re-arranged the dust on the many mine dumps which dot the landscape, and the cold air was thick with this brown dust providing a doomsday feel to the city and its surrounds. August and September are traditionally windy, dry months which add this smoggy blanket to the dry, winter-tinged countryside. It is not appealing but nature will do its thing ... read more

5 AM wake up call. Safaris are best early morning or early evening. And after a brief coffee we hopped on the lodges 4-wheel drive and set out into the bush. The sun was already up (sunrise this time of the year is 4:30) the coolness of the night still there. But it was clear it’s going to be another very hot day. The dry season has not yet given way to the rains in this area of the country, everyone, mostly the animals, were eagerly awaiting. Tiaan skillfully drove the Toyota on dirt roads with huge potholes looking for wildlife activity. However, this morning unlike yesterday it was quiet, except for a few birds and antelopes and plenty of spiderwebs we picked up in our faces as we drove along. There are 72 different antelope ... read more