BERG-EN-DAL REST CAMP TO THE SKUKUZA REST CAMP, KRUGER NATIONAL PARK--Thursday, March 20, 2014

---

Berg-en-Dal Rest Camp to the Skukuza Rest Camp, Kruger National Park. 71 km (44 miles) Thursday, March 20^th.

We were up this morning while it was still very dark out, to take a sunrise (left at 4:30am) game drive. Frankly, we saw nothing new being out that early. We might have seen something unusual if the Park’s dirt roads were not washed out and several of them closed to even their own staff-driven vehicles.

After it got light, we did see a pack of wild dogs who paid no attention to the vehicles in the road and moved around them. Something had their attention on the side of the road for some time as each sniffed at a spot. We did see a female lion lying on one of the side roads, elephants, wildebeest, zebras and giraffes. A new bird for us was a Snake Eagle that posed on a post. When we got back to the main camp, we got out of the jeeps, and gathered in the restaurant for a buffet breakfast.

We then got into our RV and headed out on a self-drive working our way toward the next camp further in Kruger National Park.

We drove North on the H3 until we could find an dirt road going east that was open and turned there. We then slowly made our way to the S-114 and turned north. Along the way we saw some really interesting birds--a flock of the Southern Ground Hornbill was most exciting. They are endangered and are being tracked in the park, so we registered our sighting at the desk.

We pulled into the Skukuza camp and was directed to a spot that was right on top of the ablution block, not at all where we wanted to be. Not only was it right where everyone came and went by, but the ground was covered in ant nests. Dinner was on our own, so we settled in early as it had been a long day.

---