The September school holidays presented the perfect opportunity to visit the Kruger National Park again, this time basing ourselves with family and friends in the south-eastern corner of the Park at Crocodile Bridge Rest Camp.

Camping at Crocodile Bridge, Kruger National Park, September 2019

Crocodile Bridge is located in one of the Kruger’s most game-rich areas, and even inside the camp there’s an abundance of wildlife that I found quite distracting from camping chores… From blossoms to butterflies and birds, bats to bushbuck, all placed themselves in the cross hairs of our camera lenses, and when we were quite certain we got enough shots of them we could peer just over the fence (or through it, in Joubert’s case) towards the Crocodile River flowing in front of the camp for even more subjects.

Banded Mongooses doing their early morning rounds Crocodile Bridge Rest Camp

Golden-tailed Woodpecker

Black-crowned Tchagra

Blue Waxbill

Bronze Mannikins picking seeds from the lawns in Crocodile Bridge

Brown-hooded Kingfisher

Burchell’s Starling

Bushbuck ewe at rest in Crocodile Bridge Rest Camp

Common Bush Brown (dry season form)

Epauletted Fruit Bat

Epauletted Fruit Bats in Crocodile Bridge Rest Camp

Turner’s Thick-toed Gecko in Crocodile Bridge Rest Camp

Female Greater Honeyguide

Southern Grey-headed Sparrow

Pod of hippos seen in the river from Crocodile Bridge

Laughing Dove

Male Lesser Masked Weaver

Rock Monitor

Orange-breasted Bush Shrike

African Paradise Flycatcher

Female Pin-tailed Whydah

Rainbow Skink

Female Scarlet-chested Sunbird

Harvester Termites

Tree Wisteria blossoms and pods

White-crowned Shrike

Wild Mango blossoms

Bushbuck ewe in Crocodile Bridge

Vervet Monkey looking for mischief in Crocodile Bridge’s camping area

Despite being right at the southern border of the Kruger Park, Crocodile Bridge offers a multitude of drives to choose from when heading into the Park. Heading in a northerly direction towards Lower Sabie is a selection of different routes making for comfortable excursions and providing great sightings along the way. Whether you choose the main H4-2 road or one of the gravel S28, S130 or S82 routes, you are bound to arrive at Lower Sabie excited with what you’ve seen. You can then return to Crocodile Bridge along an entirely different option, getting a glimpse at different habitats and having all new wildlife encounters to boast about too!

Bateleur

Bushbuck lamb on the banks of the Vurhami Spruit

Rattling Cisticola

Crowned Lapwing chick

Elephant cow

Elephant cow and tiny calf

African Fish Eagle

Golden-breasted Bunting

Greater Blue-eared Starling

Grey Duiker and Vervet Monkey

Impala ram in the long grass of the Lebombo plains, along the S28 between Crocodile Bridge and Lower Sabie

Black-bellied Bustard

Kori Bustard

Lilac-breasted Roller

Magpie Shrike

Natal Spurfowl drinking from a puddle on the road, following an earl morning rain shower

Herd of Plains Zebra on the move

Red-billed Oxpeckers

Crocodile Bridge sunset

Preserved leadwood stump in the middle of the S130 road

Crocodile Bridge sunset

Crocodile Bridge sunrise

A view towards the mountains of Malelane on a clear evening

Spotted Hyena on the run

Steenbok ewe

Swainson’s Spurfowl

Warthog

Waterbuck youngsters

Whether you stop in Lower Sabie for a simple body break, an ice cream from the shop or a meal at the Mugg & Bean restaurant overlooking the river, don’t miss the chance to stretch your legs with a walk on the lawns along the river in front of the bungalows. From the deep shade of enormous trees you can gaze over the river, perhaps being lucky like we were to see a pair of lions hunting right there, and revel in the songs of a multitude of birds flitting about the branches above you.

Black-collared Barbets

Brown-headed Parrot

Bushbuck ram

Greater Blue-eared Starling

Green-backed Camaroptera

African Green Pigeon in a Jackalberry

Lesser Striped Swallow

Sausage-Tree bloom

White-bellied Sunbird (male) on a Wild Mango blossom

White-fronted Bee-eater

White-throated Robin-Chat

Toad Tree pods

Quite literally a stone’s throw north of Lower Sabie is the Sunset Dam, one of two wonderful wildlife magnets no visitor to this part of the Kruger Park should miss out on. There’s a constant stream of wildlife coming and going at Sunset Dam at anytime of day, and the resident crocodiles and hippos (including these boisterous buddies) are easily among the most habituated of their kind anywhere in Africa, making for excellent photographic opportunities.

Nile Crocodile

Grey Heron using a hippo as a fishing island at Sunset Dam

Pod of Hippos in Sunset Dam

African Pied Wagtail

Sunset Dam

Yellow-billed Stork

Just on the other side of Lower Sabie, the causeway over the Sabie River is another highlight. Here too there’s always crocodiles (like this one having fun in a cascade), hippos, terrapins and all manner of wading birds in attendance, often accompanied by elephants, buffaloes, antelope, baboon and giraffe, while the elevated vantage point provided by the bridge offers excellent views into the clear water of the Sabie below.

Nile Crocodile

Goliath Heron

Great White Egret

Grey Heron

Hippopotamus in the rapids below the causeway

African Jacana

African Spoonbill

Squacco Heron

Serrated Hinged Terrapin

Beautiful Redbreast Tilapia in the Sabie River

White-crowned Lapwing

Because there was so much to see around Crocodile Bridge and Lower Sabie, we didn’t really feel the need to venture farther, and only took two extended drives to other parts of the Park. One of those excursions was to Skukuza, roughly a four hour drive from Crocodile Bridge along the most direct route past Mpondo Dam. After spending the midday hours at Skukuza’s nursery and a delicious buffalo pie at the golf club, we headed back to Crocodile Bridge via Lower Sabie again.

Crested Barbet

Crested Francolin (photo by Joubert)

Crested Francolins

Dwarf Mongoose

Egyptian Goose gosling on the banks of Mpondo Dam

Young Giraffe

Magnificent Kudu bull

Tawny-flanked Prinia

Tree Squirrel

Vervet Monkey

Baboon youngster

White-backed Vulture at its nest

Powerful Buffalo Bulls

Crocodile Bridge sunset

Crocodile Bridge sunset

We only wandered north of the Sabie River once, putting a full day aside to traverse the routes between Lower Sabie and Tshokwane Picnic Spot – where we had to contend with a dusty, blustery wind of note while trying our best to enjoy our picnic lunch! Our rewards for sticking to the planned route despite the deprivations of sand and dust on our ham-and-cheese sandwiches was the little leopard cub and flashy hornbill we showed you a few days ago, so you’ll hear no complaints from us!

Blue Wildebeest

Buffalo herd on the plains north of the Sabie

Elephant cow

Klipspringer ram at Mlondozi Picnic Site

Klipspringer ram at Mlondozi Picnic Site

Klipspringer ewe at Mlondozi Picnic Site

Little Bee-eater

Martial Eagle with its Scrub Hare prey

Nyala calf

Dust Storm at the Nwaswitsontso

Dust Storm at the Nwaswitsontso

Sycomore Fig on the banks of the Nwatindlopfu

Sad as it was to return to Pretoria at the end of a fantastic week, we could at least console ourselves with the knowledge that the December holidays aren’t that far way… Guess where we plan to be heading?