Tag Archives: Mopani Rest Camp

Even only two days in the Kruger National Park will show you more than you expected

Colleague and friend Hannes and I might only have had two days in the Kruger National Park before we moved on to the Manyeleti Nature Reserve (of which I will start telling you in the next installment) recently, but we still had some terrific sightings around Mopani Rest Camp – even more than we could’ve expected, and we had some pretty high hopes!

The charm of the Kruger Park really lies in the amazing diversity of habitats, plants and wildlife that finds sanctuary there.

Hill covered by Bushveld Candelabra Euphorbias next to the Tsendze River

A closer look at the Bushveld Candelabra Euphorbias growing on a hill near Shipandani Hide

African Civet

Blue Wildebeest at Mooiplaas

Black-backed Jackal looking for a little shade at Tihongonyeni

Steenbok ram in close-up portrait

Black-backed Jackal and Blue Wildebeest at Mooiplaas

Plains Zebra

Giraffe

Waterbuck

Klipspringer

Sharpe Grysbok near Mopani

No matter the weather or the time of year, the Kruger National Park is always a slice of heaven for bird-watchers!

African Scops Owl

Chinspot Batis in Mopani

Chestnut-backed Sparrowlark

Wahlberg’s Eagle

Kittlitz’s Plover

Grey-backed Sparrowlark

African Hawk-Eagles

Cardinal Woodpecker

African Green Pigeon

Black-backed Puffback

Black-headed Oriole

Southern Ground Hornbill

Seeing a Ground Hornbill trying to snatch something from between some mopane branches was a very entertaining sighting!

Buffaloes roam the north of the Kruger National Park in enormous herds, but there are also many old bulls that have broken away from the breeding groups and can be quite disagreeable!

Buffalo Calf

Buffalo Bull

Buffalo Cow

You know that I can never get enough of Elephants, and in the north of the Kruger Park there’s ample opportunity to enjoy these magnificent creatures, so I still have a few more photo’s and a video to share!

Elephant feeding on mopane leaves near Tihongonyeni

The very noticeable “grass notch” shows that this elephant is left-handed!

These feet were made for walking

Elephant bulls walking away from Tihongonyeni Waterhole

Of course the large predators also get us very excited, even for people who visit the Park fairly regularly like we do. We’ll be remembering our two leopard sightings – one while we had just driven into the Park, and the other the following day – every time we pass those spots in future!

Leopard up a tree near Phalaborwa Gate

Leopard in a tree on the bank of the Tsendze River south of Mopani

Remember that if you are looking to visit the Kruger National Park by yourself or guided by someone who knows it intimately, DeWetsWild is there for you!

Pondering again the allure of the waterhole

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September is generally regarded as the start of the spring season in South Africa, but with the rainy season still weeks away and temperatures starting to climb higher as the days grow longer, it is a very dry period of the year in most of the northern parts of the country. In our wild places, like the Kruger National Park, animals are seen congregating at or near the few remaining sources of water. The Mopani area of the Park is well served by several reliable waterholes and here visitors to the Park can expect interesting sightings of birds and animals taking turns at the water’s edge.

A Steenbok drinking from a puddle in the Ngobeni streambed

Elephants on the banks of the Letaba River

Mopani is situated on a hill overlooking the large Pioneer Dam, making this the most prominent of the area’s water sources. Visitors can get close to the water along the trail through the camp or at the Pioneer Hide.

White-faced Whistling Ducks

Black-winged Stilts

Goliath Heron

African Jacana

Yellow-billed Stork

Black Crake

Lazy Hippos

Juvenile Black Crake

White-faced Whistling Ducks

Squacco Heron at Pioneer Dam

Wood Sandpiper

Big Nile Crocodiles makes Pioneer Dam a dangerous place

Immature African Fish Eagle

Marico Sunbird

Another large body of water in this section of the Kruger Park is Grootvlei Dam, more distantly located from Mopani along the S50 gravel road to Shingwedzi.

Elephant bull drinking from Grootvlei Dam

Plains zebras drinking from Grootvlei Dam

African Fish Eagle at Grootvlei Dam

Black-winged Stilt

Flock of Cut-throat Finches at Grootvlei Dam

Enormous Nile Crocodile at Grootvlei Dam

Grootvlei Dam harbours many Nile Crocodiles

Watch this short video of a big Elephant bull drinking from Grootvlei Dam on a hot September morning:

On the way to Grootvlei visitors can make a detour first to the Mooiplaas waterhole, where a drinking trough is fed by a windpump and reservoir, and then along the Nshawu Marsh where several springs provide water even in drought years. Both these places are also well frequented by large predators waiting for thirsty herbivores to ambush.

Elephants at Mooiplaas Waterhole

Elephant at Mooiplaas Waterhole

Elephant herd walking away from Mooiplaas Waterhole

A lion in the light of early morning, searching the Nshawu Marsh for easy pickings

Elephants, plains zebras and a giraffe around one of the springs in the Nshawu Marsh

Because Mooiplaas (meaning “pretty farm”) is so close to Mopani, we love whiling away the last few minutes before the gates close there, and that’s exactly what we did when this herd of Elephants were having their sundowners.

A memorable encounter with Elephant bulls near Tihongonyeni

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South Africa’s Kruger National Park is renowned for wonderful encounters with African Elephants, and our quick visit last week proved no exception. We were based in the Mopani region of the Park, where mopane shrubs and trees dominate the plains and elephants congregate in their numbers near permanent water sources, like the Tihongonyeni waterhole. It was on our way to Tihongonyeni late one morning that these two bulls decided to make use of a flimsy shadow cast over the road by a big tree to rest their tired legs. Every time we ventured closer to try and sneak past on the verge of the road, the bull nearer to us would give a warning step or two in our direction, trunk outstretched, and so I’d back up again. Eventually we waited half-an-hour before the two eventually allowed us, with a shake of the head and a toss of the trunk as if they’d grown tired of our meekness and just wanted to be rid of us, to pass them.

Impressive tusker near Tihongonyeni

African Elephant bull near Tihongonyeni waterhole in Kruger

African Elephant bulls near Tihongonyeni waterhole in Kruger

Here’s a short video of an encounter we’ll remember fondly when passing that way again in future.

Returning to familiar favourites and finding new treasures in the Lowveld

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I have just returned from a visit to the Lowveld and in particular the Kruger National Park and Manyeleti Game Reserve with Hannes Rossouw Photography. The following photographs are just a little appetiser of what you can look forward to in the next few posts on DeWetsWild.

Leopard up a tree near Phalaborwa Gate

Sharpe Grysbok near Mopani

Elephant at Mooiplaas Waterhole

Elephant herd walking away from Mooiplaas Waterhole

Plains zebras drinking from Grootvlei Dam

Elephant bull drinking from Grootvlei Dam

Impressive tusker near Tihongonyeni

Elephant feeding on mopane leaves near Tihongonyeni

Squacco Heron at Pioneer Dam

African Scops Owl

Buffalo Calf

Buffalo Bull

Leopard in a tree on the bank of the Tsendze River south of Mopani

African Civet

Blue Wildebeest at Mooiplaas

Young Nyala bull at Ndzhaka Camp in the Manyeleti Nature Reserve

Young leopard in Manyeleti Nature Reserve

Young lion in Manyeleti Nature Reserve

A big male Lion in the Manyeleti Nature Reserve

Playful Wild Dog pups in Manyeleti Nature Reserve

Wild Dog in the Manyeleti Nature Reserve

Cheetah after being chased up a tree by Wild Dogs in the Manyeleti Nature Reserve

Cheetah in the Manyeleti Nature Reserve

Elephant calf

Nyala Bull

Lilac-breasted Roller

White Rhino bull in the Manyeleti Nature Reserve

Sunrise over Manyeleti

Lioness with a very full belly

A very alert Lioness

Hippos in a dam in the Manyeleti Nature Reserve

Wrapping up the “Dads Trip to Mopani”

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Middle-May presented an opportunity to visit one of my favourite corners of the Kruger National Park with three very good friends. We set off early on the Friday morning and returned the following Monday, having had a thoroughly enjoyable time exploring the wilds around Mopani Rest Camp. I’ve already shared with you some of what we saw – the exhilarating waterbuck fight, a towering elephant bull owning the road and the love of a mother hyena for her cubs – but of course in a paradise like Kruger there’s still much more to be seen, and shared!

When going to northern Kruger, apart from Impalas, there are three things you just KNOW you are going to see: Elephants, Buffaloes and Hippos!

Sleepy buffalo and red-billed oxpecker

Big old buffalo bull

Mad old buffalo bull

Buffalo cow without her horns

Buffalo Bull

Elephant in the rear-view mirror

Elephant along the stream

Elephant drinking from a reservoir

Unknown Kruger Tusker (2018/05/19)

Young elephant trying to figure out whether to fight or flee

Elephants drinking from a seasonal pan

Big old elephant bull

Hippo pod in the Pioneer Dam

Hippopotamus yawn

Among all the beautiful elephants we saw, our most prized sightings were of Masasana and Ndlovane, two of the big tuskers that call the Kruger National Park home.

Tusker Ndlovane (2018/05/18)

Tusker Masasana (2018/05/19)

Early on the Saturday morning we thought we were going to be extremely lucky and see a pride of Lions take down a Blue Wildebeest at Tinhongonyeni waterhole. A passing rain shower however dampened the lions’ appetites and they went off to search for a drier spot among the dense mopane trees close-by.

Lion pride in the rain at Tinhongonyeni

Apart from the lions there were several predators in evidence around Mopani on this visit, with Black-backed Jackals and Spotted Hyenas being especially common.

Black-backed Jackal

Nile Crocodile juvenile

Big Nile Crocodile male

Spotted Hyena

Spotted Hyena cub

Large Spotted Genet captured on my camera-trap on the camp perimeter

Leopard captured on my camera-trap on the camp perimeter

And of course all those hungry meat-eater mouths rely on a steady supply of herbivores, which Mopani has no shortage of, especially around Tinhongonyeni and Mooiplaas Waterholes and in the marshland along the course of the Nshawu stream.

Blue Wildebeest

Giraffe calf

Giraffe hide

Sharpe’s Grysbok

Impala

Southern Reedbuck ram

Southern Reedbuck pair

Steenbok Ram

Tsessebe

Tsessebes

Waterbuck Bull

Waterbuck herd on the banks of the Pioneer Dam near Mopani

Plains Zebras

Kruger is always a paradise to birdwatchers, even now that most of the summer migrants have departed for warmer climes.

African Hawk Eagle

Black Crakes

Chestnut-backed Sparrowlark

Crested Barbet

Giant Kingfisher

Green-backed Heron

Ground Hornbill

Kittlitz’s Plover

Kori Bustard

Magpie Shrike

Martial Eagle

Namaqua Dove

Pied Kingfishers

African Pied Wagtail

Secretary Bird taking off

Tawny Eagle

Temminck’s Courser

White-backed Vulture in flight

Yellow-billed Hornbill

We always try to pay special attention to the interesting world of smaller creatures so often overlooked in a wild place like Kruger.

Giant / Wrestling Waterbug (Lethocerus niloticus)

Lucia Widow Dragonfly

Serrated Terrapin

Painted Lady

And then on the other side of the scale is the Park’s magnificent scenery!

Baobab with Buffalo Weaver nests

Baobab

Bushveld Candelabra Euphorbias on the hill at Shipandani

Shikumbu Hill near Phalaborwa Gate

Pan on the Shongololo Loop

Pioneer Dam near Mopani

Sunset over Pioneer Dam near Mopani, in the Kruger National Park

Sycomore Fig

The Kruger National Park is such a special place, and what a wonderful experience it was to share a piece of it with good friends!

Even hyenas need a loving family

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These tender moments shared by a Spotted Hyena female and her two small cubs, seen on a recent weekend visit to the Mopani region of the Kruger National Park, is another one of the reasons why we keep going back to the Park as often as we can. It also made the four dads in the car really miss their own “cubs” back home…

Spotted Hyena female and two young cubs

Spotted hyena female and two young cubs

Spotted Hyena female and two young cubs

Elephants have right of way. Are you going to argue?

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Just after sunrise last Sunday, while driving in the Mopani area of the Kruger National Park, we encountered this enormous Elephant bull in musth staking his claim to the narrow road. He was on his way to Mooiplaas waterhole and did not have any intention of letting four humans in a tiny (by his standards) metal cocoon derail his plans. In the end he made us reverse for over a kilometer before veering off towards the water.

Elephant bull owning the road in Kruger National Park

Waterbuck Duel at Dusk

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While visiting the Mopani area of the Kruger National Park this past weekend, we (myself and three very good friends) came across these waterbuck bulls involved in a massive fight about a patch of the Nshawu Vlei (marsh) and the eligible cows that inhabit it. As is the case with several antelope species in the Park, their rutting season will be coming to an end soon and these bulls are quite desperate to sire their share of the calves that will be born towards the end of the year.

Dueling Waterbuck Bulls in the Nshawu Vlei (marsh) near Mopani in the Kruger National Park

Back from the bush, again

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Fresh back from a self-made long weekend in the Kruger National Park again. Lots more photos coming your way in the days to follow!

Sunset over Pioneer Dam

Easter in Kruger

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The Easter break afforded us the opportunity to visit South Africa’s flagship National Park, and one of our favourite destinations, again, spending first three nights at Skukuza Rest Camp in the south of the Kruger National Park, and then four nights around Mopani Rest Camp in the north. After a summer of apparently good rainfall, the Park’s vegetation is lush and green, with water in ample supply. These conditions make searching for wildlife a bit trickier, but it is wonderful to see the Park transformed from the harrowing effects of the recent drought that is still so fresh in our minds.

Leadwood stump

Tsendze pool

Nshawu view

Sunset on the Shongololo Loop

Sunrise over a pan near Mopani

Malelane mountains

Kwaggaspan

Sabie Bridge from Skukuza

Sabie River

Sabie Bridge near Skukuza

Blue Water Lily

White Water Lily in Skukuza

Kruger sunset

Sausage Tree Fruit

Shipandani Hide

Nkumbe View

The Kruger National Park is renowned for its Big-5 sightings. There isn’t very many other places where one can so easily find completely wild lions, leopards, elephants, buffaloes and rhinos from the comfort of your own vehicle, at your own pace and according to your own schedule. And then there’s always a chance that you may cross paths with a magnificent big tusker!

White rhino’s poor attempt at hiding

Lion near Skukuza

Lion with his zebra meal, just outside Satara

Lioness pacing the H4-1 between Skukuza and Lower Sabie

Pride of lions at Kumana Dam

Leopard near Lower Sabie

Leopard in a tree south of Skukuza

Buffalo near Mopani

Buffalo in the rain

Buffalo roadblock

Trio of buffalo bulls

Elephant near Mopani

Unknown Kruger Tusker (2018/03/21)

Testing their strength

Just a little irritated

Walking along the Ngwenyeni

Elephants on the way to Phalaborwa Gate

Elephant bull enjoying a puddle near Mopani

Young elephant interactions

Crossing the Letaba River

Tiny baby next to mom

Testing the wind

Elephant’s tail

The deep water in the reservoir is much cooler than that in the trough

On the other side of the scale are those less frequently noticed smaller critters (“creepy crawlies” or “goggas” as we call them), that fairly seldom feature on any of the Kruger visitors’ sightings wish-lists. They may be small and unobtrusive, but they are certainly no less fascinating than the glamorous Big-5. We already shared with your the exciting scenes of a Western Stripe-bellied Sand Snake catching and swallowing a skink in Shingwedzi, but there’s plenty more to see if you bend your knees!

Western Stripe-bellied Sand Snake swallowing a skink in Shingwedzi

Common River Frog in Skukuza

Painted Reed Frog in Skukuza

Plain Grass Frog at Twanana

Cricket perfectly imitating a mopane leaf

Rainbow Skink

Serrated Hinged Terrapin

Juvenile Mozambique Tilapia in the Tsendze River

Water Monitor

The Mopani area is well-known for prized sightings of the rarer antelope species, and we weren’t disappointed on that score either, ticking bushbuck, nyala, eland, tsessebe, reedbuck and roan antelope on our list.

Eland near Bowkerskop

Eland at Tinhongonyeni

Roan antelope in the dense mopane near Middelvlei

Southern Reedbuck in the Nshawu Vlei

Tsessebe at Mooiplaas

Tsessebe at Nshawu

Nyala near Skukuza

Bushbuck near Skukuza

Bushbuck mingling with baboons and impala along the Sand River

The lush vegetation made it very challenging to see the smaller antelope species. We managed to photograph steenbok, grey duiker and klipspringer, but unfortunately the grysbok just weren’t willing to pose for a picture this time around.

Grey Duiker

Klipspringer

Steenbok

There’s quite a few herbivore species that you are virtually guaranteed to see when visiting the Kruger National Park. Among these are baboons and vervet monkeys, blue wildebeest, plains zebra, impala, kudu, waterbuck, giraffe, warthog and hippo.

Wet Baboon after a rainstorm

Baboon youngsters at speed!

Blue wildebeest

Giraffe

Hippo eyeing us from the Sabie River

Impala Ram

Kudu Calf

Plains Zebra

Vervet Monkey

Warthog

Waterbuck Bull on the bank of the Sabie

Waterbuck cows and calves

Of course, with such a menu there are many predators in attendance. Apart from lions and leopards, on our latest visit we also encountered spotted hyena, side-striped and black-backed jackal, crocodile and large-spotted genet.

Nile crocodile at Sunset Dam

Large-spotted Genet patrolling outside our bungalow at Skukuza

Black-backed Jackal

Spotted Hyena cub

Spotted Hyena cub and mother

Spotted Hyena cubs with a bone

The Kruger National Park is regarded as a paradise for bird-watchers, and that is not without reason. During the warmer months especially, when many summer migrants from northern latitudes enjoy our warm weather, the variety and numbers of bird species to be seen is absolutely prolific, but even in winter feathered life abounds in the Lowveld.

European Bee-eaters

Temminck’s Courser

African Mourning Dove on a nest at Satara

Knob-billed Duck

White-faced Whistling Ducks

Black-chested Snake Eagle

Wahlberg’s Eagle

Tawny Eagle

Spotted Flycatcher

Swainson’s Spurfowl

Natal Spurfowl

Green-backed Heron

Grey Heron

Ground Hornbill juvenile

Hamerkop

African Jacana

Pied Kingfisher

Black-winged Kite

Red-crested Korhaan

Black-bellied Bustard

Kori Bustard

Blacksmith Lapwing

Ostrich male

Verreaux’s Eagle Owl

Red-billed Oxpecker

Yellow-billed Oxpecker on a festering wound

Long-tailed Paradise Whydah

European Roller

Common Sandpiper

Double-banded Sandgrouse

Lesser Grey Shrike

Male Red-backed Shrike

Saddle-billed Stork

Black Stork

White-backed Vultures in a tree near a carcass

African Pied wagtail

Greater Painted Snipe

Blue waxbill

The Kruger National Park is an addictive place. You only need to visit once for it to get under your skin, and stay there. The more you experience of Kruger’s wonders, the more you pine for it. We’ll be back again and again, no question about it.