Wrapping up the “Dads Trip to Mopani”

27 Replies

Middle-May presented an opportunity to visit one of my favourite corners of the Kruger National Park with three very good friends. We set off early on the Friday morning and returned the following Monday, having had a thoroughly enjoyable time exploring the wilds around Mopani Rest Camp. I’ve already shared with you some of what we saw – the exhilarating waterbuck fight, a towering elephant bull owning the road and the love of a mother hyena for her cubs – but of course in a paradise like Kruger there’s still much more to be seen, and shared!

When going to northern Kruger, apart from Impalas, there are three things you just KNOW you are going to see: Elephants, Buffaloes and Hippos!

Sleepy buffalo and red-billed oxpecker
Big old buffalo bull
Mad old buffalo bull
Buffalo cow without her horns
Buffalo Bull
Elephant in the rear-view mirror
Elephant along the stream
Elephant drinking from a reservoir
Unknown Kruger Tusker (2018/05/19)
Young elephant trying to figure out whether to fight or flee
Elephants drinking from a seasonal pan
Big old elephant bull
Hippo pod in the Pioneer Dam
Hippopotamus yawn

Among all the beautiful elephants we saw, our most prized sightings were of Masasana and Ndlovane, two of the big tuskers that call the Kruger National Park home.

Tusker Ndlovane (2018/05/18)
Tusker Masasana (2018/05/19)

Early on the Saturday morning we thought we were going to be extremely lucky and see a pride of Lions take down a Blue Wildebeest at Tinhongonyeni waterhole. A passing rain shower however dampened the lions’ appetites and they went off to search for a drier spot among the dense mopane trees close-by.

Lion pride in the rain at Tinhongonyeni
Lion pride in the rain at Tinhongonyeni
Lion pride in the rain at Tinhongonyeni
Lion pride in the rain at Tinhongonyeni

Apart from the lions there were several predators in evidence around Mopani on this visit, with Black-backed Jackals and Spotted Hyenas being especially common.

Black-backed Jackal
Black-backed Jackal
Nile Crocodile juvenile
Big Nile Crocodile male
Spotted Hyena
Spotted Hyena
Spotted Hyena cub
Large Spotted Genet captured on my camera-trap on the camp perimeter
Leopard captured on my camera-trap on the camp perimeter

And of course all those hungry meat-eater mouths rely on a steady supply of herbivores, which Mopani has no shortage of, especially around Tinhongonyeni and Mooiplaas Waterholes and in the marshland along the course of the Nshawu stream.

Blue Wildebeest
Blue Wildebeest
Giraffe calf
Giraffe hide
Sharpe’s Grysbok
Impala
Southern Reedbuck ram
Southern Reedbuck pair
Steenbok Ram
Tsessebe
Tsessebes
Waterbuck Bull
Waterbuck herd on the banks of the Pioneer Dam near Mopani
Plains Zebras
Plains Zebras

Kruger is always a paradise to birdwatchers, even now that most of the summer migrants have departed for warmer climes.

African Hawk Eagle
Black Crakes
Chestnut-backed Sparrowlark
Crested Barbet
Giant Kingfisher
Green-backed Heron
Ground Hornbill
Kittlitz’s Plover
Kori Bustard
Magpie Shrike
Martial Eagle
Namaqua Dove
Pied Kingfishers
African Pied Wagtail
Secretary Bird taking off
Tawny Eagle
Temminck’s Courser
White-backed Vulture in flight
Yellow-billed Hornbill

We always try to pay special attention to the interesting world of smaller creatures so often overlooked in a wild place like Kruger.

Wrestling Waterbug
Lucia Widow Dragonfly
Serrated Terrapin
Painted Lady

And then on the other side of the scale is the Park’s magnificent scenery!

Baobab with Buffalo Weaver nests
Baobab
Stand of Euphorbias on the hill at Shipandani
Shikumbu Hill near Phalaborwa Gate
Pan on the Shongololo Loop
Pioneer Dam near Mopani
Sunset over Pioneer Dam near Mopani, in the Kruger National Park
Sycomore Fig

The Kruger National Park is such a special place, and what a wonderful experience it was to share a piece of it with good friends!

 

27 thoughts on “Wrapping up the “Dads Trip to Mopani””

    1. de Wets Wild Post author

      You REALLY have to spend some time in Far Northern Kruger, Sam, and you’ll quickly understand why place names like “Pafuri” and “Shingwedzi” are synonyms for “Heaven”!

      Like

      Reply ↓
    1. de Wets Wild Post author

      Glad you enjoyed the visit to Kruger with us!

      The tuskers have some unique physical traits, like the shape of their tusks, a notch or a nick in the ear or a prominent wrinkle on the trunk or ears that help to identify them.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply ↓

Please don't leave without sharing your thoughts?

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.