Tag Archives: Mopani Rest Camp

Kruger Funnies

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Before we get to some of the more dramatic stuff, let’s share a few funny shots taken during our recent winter visit to Satara and Mopani in the Kruger National Park.

“Hi” from Kruger!
Is this how slender mongooses give a “high 5”?
Curious Common Dwarf Gecko
Common Dwarf Gecko – Just look at that smile!
The latest trend in wildebeest hairstyles
Flirtatious Plains Zebra
Old buffalo cow losing more than her hair
Waterbuck with an odd sense of hornstyle

Kruger’s Winter Babies

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We thought we’d start the report back on our recent (winter 2016) visit to Satara and Mopani in the Kruger National Park by sharing a few of photos of some of the cute babies we encountered on our drives.

Egyptian Geese goslings at the Sweni Hide
Senegal lapwing chick seen along the S36
Black Crake chick at Shipandani Hide
Black Crake chick at Shipandani Hide
Black Crake chick at Shipandani Hide
You’ll need to look carefully to notice these two Crowned Lapwing chicks!
Natal Spurfowl chick scratching for food in Mopani
Elephant calf
Elephant calf
Elephant calf
Elephant calf
Elephant calf
A tender moment between a White Rhino cow and her calf
A tender moment between a White Rhino cow and her calf
A tender moment between a White Rhino cow and her calf
Baby Baboon getting a piggy-back ride
Just look at the ears on this Roan Antelope calf!
Lion cub out in the open along the Nwanetsi River
Playful Lion cubs at Kumana Dam
This Spotted Hyena mother couldn’t tolerate her naughty child playing in the road one second longer!

Till next time, Kruger!

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I think this sad spotted hyena mimicked our own facial expressions as we passed her on the way from Mopani Rest Camp to Phalaborwa Gate this morning.

03-July-2016

We’ve returned to Pretoria with thousands of photos from our latest trip to the Kruger National Park, and of course we’ll be selecting the best of those to share with our friends here at de Wets Wild in the coming weeks.

Procession of giants

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Kruger’s aristocratic elephant bulls are as thrilling to watch as any of the big cats!

02-July-2016

Every day should start this way…

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Sunrise this morning, seen from Tinhongonyeni waterhole near Mopani.

01-July-2016

Roan Bonanza!

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After five wonderful days of searching for predators at Satara we’ve now made our way to the Kruger’s Mopani Rest Camp, where our focus shifts to finding the rare antelope, like this roan antelope seen on the S50!

30-June-2016

 

Our 2015 in pictures

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Looking back at the marvelous places we stayed at while exploring South Africa’s wild places in 2015 😀

 

Glen Reenen, Golden Gate Highlands National Park, December 2014
Comfortable log cabin accommodation at Forever Resorts Loskop Dam
Glen Reenen at night (April 2015)
Kamberg, May 2015
Camping at Kgaswane, May 2015
Cabin 18 at Cape Vidal, iSimangaliso Wetland Park
Mpila cottage 17
Lower Sabie Tent 26, July 2015
Sweni Wilderness Trail hut, July 2015
Thendele Chalet 23
Ntshondwe Unit 15, Ithala Game Reserve, September 2015
Mopani bungalow no3
Mockford Cottage, Pafuri Border Camp
Lower Sabie cottage 93, December 2015
Olifants Rest Camp, unit 14, December 2015
Shingwedzi Cottage 29, December 2015

> Glen Reenen, Golden Gate Highlands National Park, January 2015

> Forever Resorts Loskop Dam, Loskop Dam Nature Reserve, April 2015

> Glen Reenen, Golden Gate Highlands National Park, April 2015

> Kamberg Nature Reserve, uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park, May 2015

> Kgaswane Mountain Reserve, May 2015

> Cape Vidal, iSimangaliso Wetland Park, June 2015

> Mpila, Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park, July 2015

> Lower Sabie, Kruger National Park, July 2015

> Sweni Wilderness Trail, Kruger National Park, July 2015

> Thendele, Royal Natal National Park, uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park, August 2015

> Ntshondwe, Ithala Game Reserve, September 2015

> Mopani Rest Camp, Kruger National Park, October 2015

> Pafuri Border Camp, Kruger National Park, October 2015

> Lower Sabie, Olifants and Shingwedzi, Kruger National Park, December 2015 (trip reports to follow soon!)

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Getting to Pafuri

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Last week, we were so excited to tell you about our time at Kruger National Park’s newest accommodation offering, the Pafuri Border Camp, that we skipped over the part of our visit leading up to our time in the extreme Far North of the Park.

We’ll take this opportunity to rectify that now.

We arrived at Phalaborwa Gate on the Friday, early enough to allow a slow drive along the H14-road up to Mopani Rest Camp, where we were booked for a one-night stopover on the way to Pafuri Border Camp.

Tired old elephant bull crossing the road
Zebra at Ngwenyeni
Crocodile along the Ngwenyeni stream
Big herd of elephant crossing the Letaba
Black crake at Shipandani Hide

A quick afternoon sojourn past Mooiplaas, the Nshawu Vlei and Tinhongonyeni delivered no less than 6 tsessebe sightings, lots of energetic zebras, good numbers of other animals and birds, and a very dramatic storm brewing over the plains…

Tsessebe just near Mopani
Zebra cantering at Mooiplaas
At full stretch
Getting started
Again with the running!
Secretary bird
Reedbuck female
Tsessebe at Nshawu Marsh in Kruger National Park
Another energetic zebra
Blue wildebeest marching away from Tinhongonyeni
Storm brewing over Tinhongonyeni
Wind-blown jackal

That evening we enjoyed a lovely meal at Mopani’s restaurant, the howling wind putting an end to any ideas we might have had of braaiing (the traditional South African barbeque) at our bungalow. Afterwards we searched for nocturnal animals among Mopani’s natural vegetation, and were not disappointed.

Mopani bungalow no3
Scrub hare in Mopani
Free-tailed Bat leaving the roost

Leaving Mopani as soon as the gate opened Saturday morning, under heavy skies accompanied by a constant soft drizzle, we anticipated at least one good predator sighting. Sure enough, near Olifantsbadpan, we had a terrific encounter with two big female spotted hyenas and three of the cutest, most playful cubs you could imagine. Only afterwards did I realise that they were so close to our vehicle that I didn’t manage even one full body photo of them!

Spotted hyena
Spotted hyena cub
Spotted hyena

We expected to have good sightings of elephants around Shingwedzi, and our favourite rest camp delivered the goods just as we had hoped. It was still raining softly as we set of from Shingwedzi after breakfast, heading northward past Babalala Picnic Spot. The north of the Kruger Park is also well known for its exceptional birdlife and all these special sightings made the long road seem much shorter.

Waterbuck
Tree squirrel
Greater Blue-eared Starling
Great white egret
Saddle-billed stork
Elephant bull
Elephant crossing
Woolly-necked Stork
Kudu female

After a quick turn in Punda Maria for lunch, fuel and to stock up on some last minute goodies, we could tackle the last stretch of road to the magical paradise that is Pafuri.

Road to Mopani

Spring in Kruger: September 2014

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Well, according to the calendar it should have been spring. But judging by the temperatures we experienced, it seemed the Lowveld had skipped that season all together. It was only late September, but daytime temperatures rose to the upper thirties. The land was parched and animals were congregating in numbers at the last remaining water sources. It made for thrilling game viewing and just reminded us again that every season holds its own special appeal in the Kruger National Park.

Over the last couple of weeks, we already shared with you some of our most memorable sightings of the trip. Finding five cheetahs moving along the Shingwedzi River was exciting in the extreme, we were enthralled watching the interactions of different species of game at marvelous Mooiplaas waterhole, we laughed for joy at the playful antics of baby baboons, our encounters with the elephants of northern Kruger kept us on our toes and we empathised with thirsty, tired buffaloes along the Mphongolo. Time to wrap up now, and what better way than with a gallery of images taken during our four night stay – one night in the Shipandani Hide (near Mopani), and three nights at special Shingwedzi Rest Camp.

Ready to get underway; sunrise at Phalaborwa Gate
No visit to Northern Kruger would be complete without visiting the Elephant Hall at Letaba
Impala lily and aloe thorns
Lifeblood
Tsessebe
Ostrich near Tinhongonyeni, Kruger Park
Shipandani Hide
The neighbours at Shipandani
The neighbours at Shipandani
Just before sunrise, from Shipandani Hide
The cleaners can be a nuisance
Kori bustard close-up
Playful at Bowkerskop
Playful at Bowkerskop
A pool in the Shingwedzi
Verreaux’s eagle-owl near Shingwedzi
Verreaux’s eagle-owl near Shingwedzi
Taking it slow at Shingwedzi
Sharpe’s Grysbok
Baby baboon missing out on attention
Sunrise along the Shingwedzi
Egyptian goose
Alert impala
Grey duiker
Vervet monkeys
Oh, you are so beautiful…
… I could kiss you!
Waterbuck
Epauletted Fruit Bats roosting in a palm near our accommodation at Shingwedzi
Feathered friends visiting our cottage at Shingwedzi: blue waxbills and a green-winged Pytilia
Feathered friends visiting our cottage at Shingwedzi: Blue waxbills
Feathered friends visiting our cottage at Shingwedzi: Mourning Dove
Feathered friends visiting our cottage at Shingwedzi: Crested Francolin
Feathered friends visiting our cottage at Shingwedzi: Arrow-marked babbler
The dry Shingwedzi
Striped Skink hiding in a hollow tree trunk
Nyala and buddies
One of several large buffalo herds we encountered
One of several large buffalo herds we encountered
One of several large buffalo herds we encountered
Giraffe
Hi!
Tiny sandgrouse chick trying to hide on a gravel road
Steenbok
Peaceful scene next to the Shingwedzi
Heading for camp in the late afternoon

Dodging elephants in Northern Kruger

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The north of the Kruger National Park is elephant country. When visiting the area, as we did at the end of September (again 😉 ), the problem is not so much finding elephants as it is staying safely out of their way while enjoying the sighting!

Rather don’t hang out of your vehiicle like this near elephants, especially a herd with calves.
Viewing from a safe distance
The youngsters are often playful
While dad enjoys resting in the road…
The youngsters are often playful
On the way to the river
Bull towering over a SUV

Take this bull as an example. When we arrived at the scene, he was standing out in the open in the middle of the road, but immediately then walked, in reverse, to behind this big tree, from where he kept watching us from either side. Having seen this behaviour before, we knew that he was planning an ambush and was just waiting for us to get closer so that he could have some fun with us. We thought better of the challenge and turned back…

Elephant ambush…
Elephant ambush…

Travelling along the rivers in the heat of the day, we came across breeding herds and solitary bulls making their way to the water for a drink and a swim, and resting in the cool shade of the riparian trees.

Crossing the road on the way to the river
Time for a drink
Resting a tired trunk
Dust bath
Relaxing in the shade
Playing in the pool
Nice shade, on the road…
Cooling off
Nice shade, on the road…
Crossing the road on the way to the river
Enjoying the riverine vegetation
Enjoying the riverine vegetation
Crossing the road on the way to the river
Enjoying the riverine vegetation
“You’re in my way!”
Elephants will dig wells to reach underground water
On the way to the river

Kruger is famous for its big tuskers, and we were fortunate again to encounter about half-a-dozen bulls carrying above average ivory. We always cherish sightings of bulls this size as they’re living proof of the successes of those working very hard, day in and day out, to preserve and protect our natural heritage. The Park has a dedicated researcher monitoring these enigmatic animals, to whom you can submit photos and the location of any sightings.

Promising tusker, but seems to be suffering from “floppy trunk” disease
Drinking from the reservoir
Old bull with single long tusk
Jousting with his young apprentice
Big bull
Stretching to reach the juiciest leaves
Stretching to reach the juiciest leaves
Tusk split along its length
Fantastic attitude
Stretching to reach the juiciest leaves
Elephant whiskers
Tusker on the plains
The biggest tusker we encountered on this trip
The biggest tusker we encountered on this trip
The biggest tusker we encountered on this trip

 

If you love elephants as much as we do, then head for the north of the Kruger National Park. You are sure to have some special encounters, and if you treat them with respect, heed their body language and don’t invade their space, you’ll be perfectly safe.