For the majority of local and international tourists the Mountain Zebra National Park is probably one of the country’s most underestimated protected areas. Conservationists and those visitors who have fell under its spell, however, can’t praise the place highly enough. But don’t give away the secret – we love Mountain Zebra National Park for its untrammeled wilderness feeling far from the madding crowds!
During our visit earlier in January I posted a few photographs on a daily basis to give those following along on our travels a glimpse of what we were experiencing. Let’s start this recap with those.
Kudu bull eating sweet-thorn blossoms
Gemsbok
Black Rhino
Springbok ewe (photo by Joubert)
Blesbok lamb (photo by Joubert)
Mountain Zebra (photo by Joubert)
Young Kudu bull (photo by Joubert)
Black Rhino (photo by Joubert)
Speckled Mousebird
Mountain Zebra National Park: Scenery along the Kranskop Loop
Mountain Zebra family squabble
Black Wildebeest
Black Rhino
Springbok
Black Rhino
Ostrich chick
Yellow Mongoose
Ground Squirrel
Marsh Terrapin
Mountain Zebra
Kudu calf
Scenery in Mountain Zebra National Park
Scenery in Mountain Zebra National Park
Scenery in Mountain Zebra National Park
Of course, pride of place goes to the population of Cape Mountain Zebra, as saving these beautiful creatures from extinction was the reason behind the Park’s proclamation almost 90 years ago.
Cape Mountain Zebras
Cape Mountain Zebra
Cape Mountain Zebra foal
Cape Mountain Zebra foal being shy
Cape Mountain Zebra
Cape Mountain Zebra mare and foal
But of course, Mountain Zebra National Park is also home to an amazing variety of other wildlife that also finds a home in this beautiful landscape.
Ludwig’s Bustard
Chat Flycatcher
Blesbok
Warthog (photo by Joubert)
Southern African Ground Squirrel
Yellow Mongoose
Yellow Canary
Ammocharis lily
Brown-hooded Kingfisher
Four-striped Grass Mouse
Blesbok
Springbok herd on the move
Meerkat
Cape Longclaw
Familiar Chat
I suspect this is Cotyledon campanulata
Common River Frogs
Blue Cranes
Southern Ground Agama
Namaqua Sand Lizard
Springbok (photo by Joubert)
Eastern Clapper Lark
Blesbok lamb
Spike-heeled Lark
Black Wildebeest herd
Scaly-feathered Finch
Bar-throated Apalis
Red Hartebeest
Poynton’s River Frog
Southern African Ground Squirrels
Male Ostrich sunbathing
Blesbok Ram standing proud
Malachite Kingfisher (photo by Joubert)
Grey Rhebok
Yellow-throated Bush Sparrow
Nile Monitor
Male Buff-streaked Chat (photo by Joubert)
Common Brown Water Snake
Female Sentinel Rock Thrush
One of the most exciting sightings of our entire trip occurred early morning on our last full day in the Park, when we came across a herd of buffalo anxiously milling on the road at a precarious downhill stretch on the Kranskop Loop, just where it crosses a small stream. Only after some of the herd passed us, nerve-wreckingly due to the steep slope next to us parked off to the side of the very narrow roadway, we could go around the corner and saw the reason for the buffaloes’ distress – they were being stalked by two lionesses! The cats never went into a full blown attack while we were watching but seemed content to keep following the buffaloes and working on their nerves.
Buffalo roadblock
Buffalo herd on the move – photo by Joubert
Buffalo herd almost forcing their way past our vehicle on a narrow, steep road!
Buffalo close-up (photo by Joubert)
Buffalo
Buffalo
Very nervous buffalo cow – photo by Joubert
Nervous buffalo cow
Nervous buffalo cow
Buffalo herd continuing over the stream and up the hill to get distance between them and the lions
Lioness
Lioness
Lioness
Lioness eyeing us and the buffaloes from the grass (photo by Joubert)
Lioness
Lioness
Seen high from the Kranskop Loop Road the buffaloes are still trying to put distance between them and the lions
But the lionesses are following patiently behind
We ended our visit to Mountain Zebra National Park with a night drive. The Park is renowned for the quality sightings of otherwise rarely seen nocturnal creatures and our drive certainly did not disappoint!
Our final full day at Mountain Zebra National Park started with great excitement when we found two lionesses following a very nervous herd of buffalo. As per usual the Park delivered the goods all day long. We’re undertaking a guided night drive later tonight and looking forward to even more special encounters to conclude our visits to the national parks and nature reserves of the Western and Eastern Cape. Thank you to all those who joined us on our travels – I promise to respond to all your kind comments in the next few days.
Today we had to leave Mountain Zebra National Park early, for we had a long way to get back home to Pretoria and had to beat the government-imposed curfew at that. It may have been only 12km from the camp to the gate, but still there was loads to see!
Yellow Mongoose
Buffalo bull
African buffalo
Very near the gate there’s a nice waterhole where even this early in the morning a procession of game was already congregating. The serenity of the scene was shattered when a mountain zebra love triangle got out of hand, but calm soon settled again.
Mountain Zebras congregating at a waterhole
Two Mountain Zebra stallions chasing a mare
Two Mountain Zebra stallions chasing a mare
The winner takes it all!
Cape Mountain Zebra and Eland congregating at a waterhole
Cape Mountain Zebra and Eland congregating at a waterhole
During our time in Mountain Zebra National Park we were very lucky to come across a Black Rhinoceros cow and calf. For their protection I won’t be able to share where or when it was that we saw them, but being able to see more of these magnificent creatures was a privilege we were very grateful for.
Black Rhinos at Mountain Zebra National Park
Black Rhinos at Mountain Zebra National Park
And with that our summertide ramble came to a halt, if temporarily, as I had important start-of-the-year work to attend to back in Pretoria. As it would be some weeks still before the schools were due to reopen we did have another reservation in the offing, but with South Africa in the midst of a serious second wave of COVID-19 infections we weren’t at all certain that we would be able to take it up…
When dawn found the Mountain Zebra National Park under heavy skies this morning we were already underway along the Kranskop Loop.
Black-backed Jackal
The view westwards from the western leg of the Kranskop Loop
Grey Rhebok
The view eastwards (towards the camp) from the western leg of the Kranskop Loop
When we arrived at the start of Rooiplaat Loop we found a male lion lying there, flat on its right-side. We sat there as the minutes passed, studying it through cameras and binoculars and finally coming to the sad conclusion that this lion was dead – there wasn’t even a twitch of an ear or any movement of its stomach to indicate a breath being taken. Disheartened, I started the car to drive off.
King Roy, fast asleep
The sound of the Duster’s engine had a miraculous effect. The lion lifted his head, sleepily. He rested his head on his paws for a while, then gave a mighty yawn before getting up, stretching his legs and then lying down again to look at us in irritation. He is magnificent, known as Roy, and despite his advanced age one of the ruling coalition of lion males here at Mountain Zebra National Park, along with Nomad whom we saw at a distance the day before .
King Roy, awoken
King Roy, in repose
King Roy, yawning
Male lion at Mountain Zebra National Park
King Roy, contemplative
Male lion at Mountain Zebra National Park
When the next vehicle arrived at the lion sighting we moved of so that those visitors too could have a private audience with The King. The skies have cleared and it’s turning into a glorious day. On our way back to camp we passed Roy again, and he was fast asleep again.
Springbok dot the Rooiplaat Plateau
Young Springbok
Black Harrier
Black-winged Kite
Mountain Wheatear
Red Hartebeest trio
Eland cow
Red-billed Quelea
Blue Cranes in flight
Meerkat
River crossing in Mountain Zebra National Park
South African Shelduck
Southern Rock Agama
Steppe Buzzard
King Roy, asleep again…
With it being our last afternoon at Mountain Zebra we opted to visit all our favourite spots along the Ubejane and Rooiplaat Loops and the Link road between them again. There’s just something so indescribably peaceful about driving around wild Africa as dusk approaches.
Young Springbok rams testing their strength (photo by Joubert)
Blue Crane
Cape Mountain Zebra
Thirsty Secretarybird
Mountain Zebras
Cape Longclaw
Kopieva
Springbok on the wide open plains of the Mountain Zebra National Park
Our new year got off to a great start when we encountered this lovely family of Bat-eared Foxes along the Link Road in the Mountain Zebra National Park on the 1st of January. At the den there were three very lively puppies and four adults who did everything they could to get the pups to hide away from the enamoured humans, without much success!