Summer Snapshots from Kruger: How many kids can you handle?

DeWetsWild conducted a two-week tour of the Kruger National Park with altogether nine people to see out 2025 and ring in 2026 and every day for the month of February I’ll be sharing just a few of the many memories our group collected.

We encountered this family of ostriches a couple of times near the Nkaya Pan waterhole south of Satara. I must say, these youngsters were much better behaved than some school groups I’ve seen (and guided)!

Ostrich family

If you’d like to join me on a guided tour of South Africa’s wild places, of even if you’d just like a bit of help putting your reservations together, don’t hesitate to reach out!

Summer Snapshots from Kruger: Hyena Roadblocks

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The Kruger National Park has a large population of spotted hyenas, and they often use culverts underneath the main roads as dens. This means that visitors are very likely to encounter families of hyenas on the road in the early morning when they reunite after a night of foraging and before they retire for the hotter part of the day.

Spotted Hyenas causing a roadblock in the early morning

If you’d like to join me on a guided tour of South Africa’s wild places, of even if you’d just like a bit of help putting your reservations together, don’t hesitate to reach out!

Summer Snapshots from Kruger: The Jungle Gym

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Young baboons are such jolly, carefree creatures!

Baby baboon

Playful baby baboons

If you’d like to join me on a guided tour of South Africa’s wild places, of even if you’d just like a bit of help putting your reservations together, don’t hesitate to reach out!

Summer Snapshots from Kruger: Lion romance at Nsemani Dam

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For the entire two week period we were in the Satara area a coalition of two male Lions were using the immediate surroundings of Nsemani Dam as a mating place. Considering that the mating process usually lasts about 3-5 days this means the two of them must have mated with at least 3 or 4 females in that period. It is not unusual for the mature females in a pride to synchronize their oestrus cycles in this way, as it is easier for them to raise the cubs co-operatively if they are all similarly sized.

Lions mating at Nsemani Dam

If you’d like to join me on a guided tour of South Africa’s wild places, of even if you’d just like a bit of help putting your reservations together, don’t hesitate to reach out!

Summer Snapshots from Kruger: Chomping Buffaloes

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When they’re so docilely chewing their mouthfuls of lush summer grass it is easy to forget just how dangerous our African buffaloes are – that is until they give you “the eye”!

Buffaloes grazing

If you’d like to join me on a guided tour of South Africa’s wild places, of even if you’d just like a bit of help putting your reservations together, don’t hesitate to reach out!

Summer Snapshots from Kruger: Our one sighting of Painted Wolves

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Cresting a rise between Satara and Orpen one morning we came across a group of at least twelve African Wild Dogs (I much prefer to call them Painted Wolves!) crisscrossing the road and running into and out of the veld. They were clearly excited and were probably out on a hunt, as they didn’t stick around for long before heading into the veld again and out of sight. Wild Dogs are among the most endangered of Africa’s large predators and this brief sighting, our only one of the trip, was a definite highlight.

African Wild Dog

If you’d like to join me on a guided tour of South Africa’s wild places, of even if you’d just like a bit of help putting your reservations together, don’t hesitate to reach out!

Summer Snapshots from Kruger: Scorpion Hunting

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One of the things I love to do with my guests in the evenings is to take a walk through our camp looking for nocturnal wildlife. Over the years I’ve found Satara Rest Camp to be an excellent place to go looking for scorpions, especially the large Tree Creeper Scorpion, using a small ultraviolet flashlight that makes the scorpions “glow” in the dark and easily detectable.

Tree Creeper Scorpion (glowing in ultraviolet light) in Satara

Tree Creeper Scorpion in Satara

Tree Creeper Scorpion (glowing in ultraviolet light) in Satara

Tree Creeper Scorpion in Satara

Tree Creeper Scorpion (glowing in ultraviolet light) in Satara

If you’d like to join me on a guided tour of South Africa’s wild places, of even if you’d just like a bit of help putting your reservations together, don’t hesitate to reach out!

Summer Snapshots from Kruger: Impala Tease

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This Impala ram, pulling faces at the females in his harem, must think himself quite the comedian!

If you’d like to join me on a guided tour of South Africa’s wild places, of even if you’d just like a bit of help putting your reservations together, don’t hesitate to reach out!

Summer Snapshots from Kruger: Boomslang!

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This Boomslang – one of the most dangerous snakes in the world! – was lounging in a tree standing between the shop and restaurant in Satara Rest Camp on New Year’s Day. It was as unperturbed by the throngs of people moving beneath it as the people were oblivious to its presence…

Boomslang in Satara

If you’d like to join me on a guided tour of South Africa’s wild places, of even if you’d just like a bit of help putting your reservations together, don’t hesitate to reach out!

Summer Snapshots from Kruger: Curious George

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This young baboon, so curious about us that he pressed the branches of the weeping wattle he was sitting in out of the way, was just too cute not to photograph!
If you’d like to join me on a guided tour of South Africa’s wild places, of even if you’d just like a bit of help putting your reservations together, don’t hesitate to reach out!