The Kruger National Park is home to 21 different kinds of antelope – more than any other protected area in our country. Along with zebras and warthogs they form the staple prey for the majority of the large predators in the Park.
The Satara area of the park, which we visited in December 2021, hosts the largest concentrations of Blue Wildebeest in Kruger. Most Wildebeest calves are born at this time of the year, when the summer rains bring a flush of green fodder for the lactating cows.
Blue Wildebeest
Blue Wildebeest
Blue Wildebeest calves
Blue Wildebeest cow and calf
Blue Wildebeest calf
Blue Wildebeest calves (photo by Joubert)
Solitary Blue Wildebeest bull mingling with Impalas
Blue Wildebeest calves
Bushbuck aren’t seen around Satara all that often; the veld is generally too open for their liking in this part of the Park and any sightings are likely to be along the stream courses where the riverine vegetation provides the cover and browse they need.
Bushbuck ewe
Bushbuck ewe (photo by Joubert)
Bushbuck ewe
The S36 road linking Satara and Orpen to the picnic spots at Muzandzeni and Nhlanguleni is usually reliable for finding Common Duikers, and if you are lucky these shy little antelope may stand still for a second or two so you can take a picture.
Common Duiker
Common Duiker
Common Duiker
It is a real pity that the Impala is so numerous in Kruger that most visitors seem to not even spare them a second glance. They are actually really athletic and beautiful antelope.
Impala Ram (photo by Joubert)
Running Impala (photo by Joubert)
Impala Ram
Sparring young Impala rams (photo by Joubert)
Impala ewe (photo by Joubert)
Impressive Impala ram (photo by Joubert)
Impala ewe preparing to jump (photo by Joubert)
Impala ram leaping (photo by Joubert)
Joubert got these photographs of two impala rams sparring.
Impala rams measuring their strength (photos by Joubert)
Impala rams measuring their strength (photos by Joubert)
Impala rams measuring their strength (photos by Joubert)
Impala rams measuring their strength (photos by Joubert)
The birth of Impala lambs are timed to occur en masse at the end of November and into early December. The lambs congregate into a “creche” within the herd when they’re at rest, but can often be seen running and chasing each other around – seems they have boundless energy.
Flying Impala lamb (photo by Joubert)
Exercise session at the Impala creche (photo by Joubert)
Impala lamb enjoying a drink of milk (photo by Joubert)
Impala lamb
Impala lamb (photo by Joubert)
Impala lamb
Impala lambs
Impala lamb (photo by Joubert)
Impala lamb
Impala lamb
Impala lamb
Impala lamb
Impala lambs (photo by Joubert)
Impala lamb (photo by Joubert)
Impala lamb (photo by Joubert)
Impala lambs
Impala lambs in a creche (photo by Joubert)
Impala lamb
Impala lambs (photo by Joubert)
In the evening of the 31st of December, along the Sweni Road (S126), we encountered a huge herd of Impalas. They were on the move, relinquishing the open plain where they were feeding for denser bush in which to spend the night. We spent several minutes with the herd as they walked off until the whole plain was abandoned.
Big herd of Impala on the S126
Big herd of Impala on the S126
Big herd of Impala on the S126
Big herd of Impala on the S126 (photo by Joubert)
Big herd of Impala on the S126 (photo by Joubert)
Big herd of Impala on the S126 (photo by Joubert)
Big herd of Impala on the S126 (photo by Joubert)
Big herd of Impala on the S126 (photo by Joubert)
Big herd of Impala on the S126 (photo by Joubert)
Big herd of Impala on the S126 (photo by Joubert)
Big herd of Impala on the S126 (photo by Joubert)
Big herd of Impala on the S126 (photo by Joubert)
Owing to the general scarcity of suitable rocky habitats around Satara, our only Klipspringer sighting of the entire 3 weeks we spent in that part of the Kruger Park was at an outcrop to the south of Tshokwane.

Three Klipspringers near Tshokwane
The open, thorny savanna around Satara supports a high density of the magnificent Greater Kudu and they can easily be seen along any of the roads that radiate from the camp.
Young male kudu (photo by Joubert)
Young Kudu bull (photo by Joubert)
Young kudu crossing the road
Proud Kudu bull
Kudu bull
Kudu bull
Kudu bull
Kudu cow (photo by Joubert)
Kudu cow
Kudu bull with an itch
Kudu bull (photo by Joubert)
Kudu bull
By contrast, the Nyala is rarely encountered in this part of the Park and while they’re sometimes seen along the course of the Nwaswitsontso River south of Satara we had to go north to the banks of the Olifants River this time around to see this impressive bull.

Nyala bull
The Steenbok is the small antelope seen most often around Satara – they find the open grasslands perfectly to their liking.
Steenbok ram
Pregnant Steenbok
Steenbok ewe
Steenbok ewe (photo by Joubert)
The less I say about the expression on these Steenbokkies’ faces after mating, the better probably…
Mating Steenbok pair
Mating Steenbok pair
The Tsessebe is one of the rarest antelope in the Kruger National Park, and is not found near Satara. We undertook a day’s outing north to the Mopani area of the Park specifically to go looking for them, and luckily did not return to Satara with nothing to show for our effort.
Tsessebes near Mopani
Tsessebe on the Nshawu marsh between Letaba and Olifants
Another large antelope you would defnitely encounter when visiting Satara is the Waterbuck. They’re quite numerous along the courses of the Nwanetsi and Gudzani streams to the east of the camp.
Waterbuck in a lush central Kruger Park, December 2021
Waterbuck herd
Waterbuck bull (photo by Joubert)
Waterbuck bull
Waterbuck bull
Waterbuck herd
Waterbuck bull
Waterbuck cow
Waterbuck bull
Waterbuck bulls fighting (photo by Joubert)
Waterbuck cow
Waterbuck bull