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Published: August 20th 2021
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Kruger National Park
The most sought after sighting. Sabie River in the background. “Crocodiles are easy. They try to kill and eat you. People are harder. Sometimes they pretend to be your friend first.” – Steve Irwin Slipping off into slumberland in Kruger is easy. Waking up is a bit more frenetic and chances are high you won’t sleep late. The gentle lullaby at night of the Scops Owl is replaced, in the very early morning, by the loud shrieking calls of the different Francolin species. Other noisy birds add their morning voice to this cacophony of sound. Much more effective than any alarm clock, the bonus of this early start is a cup of coffee to hand gazing into the early dawn light of a new day.
Planning a trip thoroughly through Kruger is worthwhile and to pull it all together, one needs a collection of the right books and guides. We are probably guilty of literature overload. On board we have,
Kruger Park Map & Guide 3rd edition (excellent!), Kruger Routes – Self Drive edition (a must have), Aardvark to Zebra – Questions and answers, Game Ranger in your backpack (outstanding), a small book on mammals and a number of bird books. Also on board is chief navigator, Susan, who
Kruger National Park
This huge giraffe stepped into the road. They can reach a height of 6.1 meters. has made great progress since our first RV trip up the Australian West Coast in 2009. Still a few rough edges to work on, one of them being a tendency to rotate the map through 360 degrees when not entirely sure of directions! Instant disorientation!
So, armed with the above, the chances of not locating our next two-night stop, Lower Sabie Camp, were remote. This was a drive of roughly 55kms which was in line with camp location distances and it was the only camp in the central region we hadn’t stayed at before. Always good to explore and not follow a straight line up the main road. Our one deviation produced a very special sighting when we spotted a fairly large breeding herd of
sable antelope. A few Interesting facts about
these impressive
animals; young bulls are evicted from the herd when they become sexually mature after 3-4 years whereupon they join bachelor herds to establish territory. Apart from their spectacular markings, they are capable of defending themselves against predators with their magnificent backward shaped horns by backing up against a thorn bush, going down on their knees, holding the head low and lashing out with sideways sweeps
Kruger National Park
Then surfing heron. It covered a large area of the Sunset Dam on the back of his best mate, Harry the hippo. of their horns. Predators have to be very cautious and there are recorded cases of a sable antelope killing lion. Anecdotally, the first tourist to be attacked by an animal in Kruger in the 1930’s involved a sable antelope when this unlucky person got out of the car to take a photo. After spending months in the wilds of East Africa in 1909, President Theodore Roosevelt said the following:
“The sable is the most magnificent and stately of all the antelopes, its only possible rival being the greater kudu.” Well said, Sir!
Its not always about the big animals as there is so often something tiny out there which takes one’s breath away. Eyes wide open, Sue spotted a Pearl Spotted Owlet sitting on a low branch alongside the road. This is the smallest owl in Southern Africa and an obvious question was; so, what is this little owl doing out and about in the middle of the day? Quick check and there was the confirmation that it is a “bold hunter, often active by day.” Our bird count to date is 68 which is not too shabby considering many of the summer migrants are not back yet. Hoping
Kruger National Park
A stunning breeding herd of sable antelope. to see some “lifers” (i.e., first time sightings) when up in the north of the park. Another real standout bird moment was watching a grey heron surfing on the back of a hippo in the Sunset Dam close to Lower Sabie. This was highly unusual with both hippo and heron completely relaxed and unfazed. I suspect the heron was using this unique tactic to catch little fish or frogs disturbed by the hippo moving through the water. Clever bugger!
To digress from the animal kingdom. A tree which gets very little press is the
Leadwood. This is probably due to the fact that most of these trees are dead but they stand tall and proud, devoid of any colouring apart from their grey trunks and many solid branches pointing skywards. Due to its density, this tree is termite and borer resistant and it will remain standing for hundreds of years after it has died, providing ideal perches for large birds of prey and vultures. Its uses in the past included mine props and railway sleepers. For good measure, try cutting one with a bandsaw; it will produce sparks.
Locating animals is largely based on luck and being in the right place at the right time. By way of example; our arrival at Lower Sabie was too early for the allowed 14h00 check in. Only solution was to trundle up the road north of the camp to pass time. A large collection of cars up ahead was a sure sign of something out of the ordinary and there they were; three female lions walking down the road towards us. Inevitably a sighting of predators on the major roads creates the largest imaginable car park outside of any major city. It is the equivalent of a huge motor car scrummage with drivers losing all sense of decorum in their maniacal quest to get closer to the predator in question. The guy in front of us simply kept reversing and only stopped at the last minute as he gazed into his rear-view mirror. Lions fascinate us humans more than any other animal and I sense this is largely due to the fact that they do not fear us as a rule. These magnificent female lions were heading down the road oblivious of the human chaos around them and occasionally glancing down to the Sabie River to see if there was any lunch on offer.
We duly checked into our tented bush chalet after observing far too many people milling about in the car park. The reason for the hordes was the location of a Mugg and Bean restaurant within the camp and the temptation of nosh and coffee etc., seemed to be irresistible for those passing by this camp.
The Lower Sabie camp is well positioned along the banks of the Sabie River which was teeming with hippo and herds of elephant. It is a very popular Kruger camp but our overall rating was 15/20 largely due to it being far too busy and unless one’s unit is along the front river perimeter, the location and views will be a bit disappointing.
Kruger Park fact file: ever wondered how big Kruger is? It measures roughly 352kms from south to north and is 60kms across at its widest point. Total area of 2,0 million hectares makes it bigger than Wales. Throw in 147 wildlife species, 507 bird species and 300 species of trees and this leaves little doubt that it is a unique and splendid reserve.
Next stop. Olifants camp, slap bang in the centre of the park.
“It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement; the greatest source of natural beauty; the greatest source of visual beauty; the greatest source of intellectual interest. It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living.” – Sir David Attenborough.
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Megan
non-member comment
The ,ahi always allure of Kruger
Thank you, Tim, for bringing Kruger alive in your articulate, wonderfully evocative descriptions. We have stayed so many times in so many of the camps, but each new visit is an exciting adventure of discovery, peace, soul satisfying moments and deep contentment. Your trip sounds truly wonderful...you will love the north - very different from the south. And you may even get to see a Pel’s fishing owl! Enjoy, enjoy!