Tag Archives: Kruger National Park

Autumn in Kruger: Berg-en-Dal, May 2014

Along came the 1st of May, and we had another long drive southwards from Orpen to Berg-en-Dal Rest Camp, in the far south-west corner of the Kruger National Park. The three nights we’d spend at Berg-en-Dal would conclude our autumn visit to the Park, and though the thought that our time in Kruger was coming to an end weighed heavy on our minds, we were looking forward to finding out what was still lying in wait for us.

Lions between Orpen and Satara

As expected, we had wonderful sightings along the way and we enjoyed a nice lunch with good friends at the Skukuza Golf Club.

Lions between Orpen and Satara

Buffalo near Satara

Giant Eagle Owl near Satara

Elephant near Tshokwane

Kudu near Tshokwane

Crocodiles at the Sabie River

Skukuza golf course

Roller

White rhinoceros

Spotted hyena near Afsaal

Mlambane Spruit

Berg-en-Dal means “Mountain-and-Valley”

We’ll dedicate a special post to Berg-en-Dal soon, but wanted to include some photos of the camp and our accommodation (Wielewaal Cottage, #26) as a little appetiser.

Wielewaal Cottage

Educational displays in the Rhino Hall

Apart from the wonderful array of wildlife in the Berg-en-Dal area, it is one of the most scenic parts of the Kruger Park.

Mlambane spruit crossing

Egret at the dam in front of Berg-en-Dal’s reception

Chameleon trapeze act

Mlambane spruit crossing

Steenbok

Cone-headed Mantid waiting for us to return to Wielewaal cottage

Berg-en-Dal sunset

Taking a morning drive to the Biyamiti weir turned out to be one of our most enjoyable drives of the trip.

a very determined hyena came rushing past

Elephants crossing the road near Afsaal

Giant Plated Lizard baking on a rock

Dainty klipspringer

Biyamiti River

Mozambique Tilapia in the Biyamiti

Biyamiti Weir is a beautiful photography spot

How Marilize managed to spot this boomslang at a distance of about 50 metres still has me amazed!

Can you spot the snake?

In camp, the Rhino Trail offers up close-and-personal encounters with a variety of wildlife; big and small, furry and feathery.

Waterbuck

Beautiful African Leopard (Phalanta-butterfly)

The marabous are rather suspicious of the approaching crocodile!

Time for one final afternoon drive:

Wire-tailed swallow

Kudu teenager

Pearl-spotted owlet

Heading for the hills

Nature’s beauty abounds

And as it often does, Kruger keeps the best for last. Heading back to camp on our final afternoon, with the sun almost at the horizon, we come across a pack of wild dogs in the road, one of them heavily pregnant. These are among Africa’s rarest animals, and it was indeed a very special treat to have such a close encounter with these top predators.

Wild Dog stretching for the hunt

Wild Dogs are very social

Wild dogs on the Matjulu Loop

It was the morning of the 4th of May and our autumn 2014 visit to the Kruger National Park has come to an end.

Thick-knee (Dikkop) in camp

On the way to Malelane Gate we had a splendid sighting of more hyenas in the very early morning.

Spotted hyena on the way to Malelane Gate

Eight nights of serene peace and quiet flew past in the wink of an eye. And of course we’re counting the days till we return!

Autumn in Kruger: Orpen, April 2014

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We had started our autumn trip through the Kruger National Park up in the far north of the reserve at Shingwedzi, and after three fantastic days there it was time to move camp again, heading south to tiny Orpen Rest Camp in the central regions of the Park.

We were in for a long drive down at leisurely game-viewing pace, stopping en-route at Mopani, Letaba and Satara to stretch our legs.

Reflections in Pioneer Dam, at Mopani

The wide, sandy Letaba riverbed

Elephant having a good stretch!

Old friend Masthulele was a bit shy

Waterbuck

Serrated Terrapins in the Olifants River

Natal spurfowl and chicks

Korhaan

Black-backed jackal are quite common near Orpen

Very near Orpen we received a nice reward for a long day of driving, encountering a beautiful cheetah just as dusk was descending over the lowveld.

Orpen cheetah sighting

Having spent most of the previous day in the car, on the 30th of April we decided to take only short morning and evening drives and spend the hotter hours of the day relaxing in the camp.

Orpen sunrise

Kudu bull

Kudu calf

Bobbejaankrans is a viewpoint close to Orpen, overlooking the Timbavati River

Green, or Red-billed, Wood-Hoopoe

Red-billed hornbill

Rock monitor in camp

Giraffes aplenty

Red-billed oxpeckers on a giraffe’s back

We’ll dedicate a special post to the Orpen Rest Camp in another blogpost, but for now just a quick introduction. We spent two nights at Orpen, in the very spacious Oasis Cottage (number 15) right in the corner of the camp, with a clear view of Orpen’s famous waterhole (which is floodlit at night, and you can follow the action live via a webcam!). Enjoying an early morning cup of coffee and a rusk or two on the veranda and watching first a pair of leopard and then a pair of lion walk past within half-an-hour was undeniably one of the highlights of our visit! The game viewing in the general vicinity of the camp is always excellent, though the road network near camp is rather limited.

Orpen Oasis Cottage

View from the veranda

Orpen’s waterhole is floodlit at night

Come May Day, and it was time to head on again, to Berg-en-Dal in the far south-west of the Park.

Misty Orpen sunrise

Autumn in Kruger: Shingwedzi, April 2014

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After entering at Phalaborwa Gate in the early morning of 26 April 2014, our most recent visit to the Kruger National Park kicked of with three nights at our beloved Shingwedzi Rest Camp, in the far north of the Park.

Rocky outcrop near Phalaborwa Gate

Sunrise on the Mphongolo Loop

When it comes to game-viewing we’ve always maintained that Shingwedzi does not need to stand back for any of the more popular camps in the southern half of the Park, and this latest visit served only to reinforce our opinion. We had excellent sightings while driving slowly along the Shingwedzi River, both in the direction of Tshange Viewpoint to the west along the S52-route, and towards the Lebombo’s in the east, along the S50 (our favourite Kruger drive) that skirts the Kanniedood Dam (or what is left of it after the January 2013 floods).

King of Kanniedood

Shingwedzi is elephant country

Hello from Shingwedzi!

Shingwedzi is elephant country

Waterbuck

Hyenas’ early morning bath

Hyena profile

Monster croc

Plains zebra

Impala youngster

Buffalo

Despite the autumn season being in full swing, with most of the summer migrants having already left for warmer climes, the birdlife around Shingwedzi did not disappoint either!

Bateleurs

Red-billed hornbill with a snack

African Paradise Flycatcher (juvenile)

Natal spurfowl with her chicks

Verreaux’s (Giant) Eagle Owl

Even if there were no wildlife around to keep us enthralled, Shingwedzi’s scenery alone would have been worth the trip.

Causeway over the Shingwedzi near Tshange

Shingwedzi sunrise

Clear nightskies above Shingwedzi

Impala lilies were blooming all over

Butterfly-shaped mopane leaves

Evidence of the comings-and-goings at the waterhole

Our accommodation at Shingwedzi, unit 29, was built in 1956 in the traditional white-washed Shingwedzi-style, and is a very comfortable little two-bedroomed cottage, ideal for our group of four (we were joined on the trip by my mom, a real treat and even more so for Joubert having his granny by his side for nine days in a row).

Cottage 29

Shingwedzi

Shingwedzi’s local youth

There’s few places where the hustle-and-bustle of daily life seem so far away as at Shingwedzi, and it was an excellent start to our eight-day autumn visit to the Kruger National Park. From Shingwedzi we moved to the central regions of the Park, basing ourselves at Orpen Rest Camp.

Work of art

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Misty sunrise in the Kruger National Park

Work of art

“Work of art” is this week’s photo challenge from WordPress

Mountain-and-Valley

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02 May 2014, Berg-en-Dal Rest Camp, Kruger National Park

We find ourselves in the far south-west corner of the Kruger National Park, at Berg-en-Dal Rest Camp, on the last leg of our current visit to the reserve. Translated from Afrikaans, “Mountain-and-Valley” is a very apt description for these beautiful surroundings.

Berg-en-Dal 02052014

What a way to end a day

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29 April 2014, Orpen Rest Camp, Kruger National Park

We had a long drive southwards today, moving from Shingwedzi to Orpen Rest Camp in the central Kruger National Park. A long drive, but richly rewarded, with sightings of hyena, jackal, lion, elephants (including big tusker Masthulele), various antelope, warthogs, zebras, giraffes, baboons and monkeys.

And to cap off our day, a splendid cheetah sighting at sundown…

Orpen 29Apr2014

King of Kanniedood

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28 April 2014, Shingwedzi Rest Camp, Kruger National Park

We’ve just arrived back at camp after a fantastic morning drive along the Kanniedood Dam and Shingwedzi River.

Apart from the beautiful scenery and tranquil atmosphere, we enjoyed numerous good sightings of elephants, zebras, waterbuck, impala, baboons, monkeys, lots of crocodiles and hippos, two satiated hyenas, a myriad of bird species and this magnificent male lion.

Kanniedood 28 Apr 2014

Letters

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Heaven on earth is spelt S-H-I-N-G-W-E-D-Z-I…

Yes indeed, we’re back in the Kruger National Park, and kicking of our visit with three nights in our beloved Shingwedzi Rest Camp! We had a great first day with sightings including two promising new tuskers (elephant bulls with heavy ivory), four roan antelope and even a lone pelican hundreds of miles away from the nearest ocean.

Letters (1)

Letters (2)

“Letters” is the theme for the WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge

Street Life

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Not your everyday street life scene…

These photographs were taken near Crocodile Bridge Rest Camp, during our October 2012 visit to the Kruger National Park.

(You can click on the images for a bigger view)

Lion pride near Crocodile Bridge in the Kruger National Park

“Street Life” is the theme for this week’s WordPress Photo Challenge

Reflection

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During our latest visit to the Kruger National Park, we saw this crocodile lying in a pool near the Olifants Rest Camp, likely pondering just how and where its next meal would come from…

Reflection