Tag Archives: outdoors

Spring in Kruger: September 2014

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

Just before sunrise, from Shipandani Hide

The cleaners can be a nuisance

Kori bustard close-up

Playful at Bowkerskop

A pool in the 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

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

Lightning over Glen Reenen

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Time to pack up and head back to Pretoria this morning, but not before sharing one last photograph from the Golden Gate Highlands National Park; last night we were treated to a display of thunder and lighting over the mountains around Glen Reenen as a storm cell passed quickly through the area.

Golden Gate 8 Nov 2014(b)

Buffaloes of the Mphongolo

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It was hot. It was dry. It was dusty. The bellowing and snorting of buffalo filled our ears, their smell hanging thick in the air. The ground around our position was already littered with the trampled dung and tracks of hundreds of the animals. And still more of them kept coming, making their tiresome way in single file up the steep bank of the Mphongolo, then standing at the top catching their breath before rushing after the rest of the massive herd disappearing into the mopane. The last thing a tired buffalo needs at the end of a long, hot Lowveld day is to be caught alone when darkness falls…

Catching their breath in the Mphongolo road

Crossing the Mphongolo road

Catching their breath in the Mphongolo road

Crossing the Mphongolo road

Waiting their turn

Up the steep bank in single file

Stragglers making their way into the river from the opposite bank

Still they keep coming from far in the distance

Up the steep bank in single file

Still they keep coming from far in the distance

Up the steep bank in single file

Still they keep coming from far in the distance

Tired old cow further burdened with a load of Yellow-billed Oxpeckers

During our September 2014 visit to the Kruger National Park, we encountered several exceptionally large buffalo herds around Mopani and Shingwedzi Rest Camps. This sighting however was the most memorable and we’ll undoubtedly think back to it every time we pass the location in future. The dry winter season had seen to it that the Mphongolo River was reduced to little more than a few stagnant pools surrounded by deep, soft, dusty sand. These pools sustain an incredibly diverse array of birds and game through the dry winter, making the 30km-long S56 Mphongolo River Loop, which follows the river course and offers dozens of good vantage points over the river, one of the best drives in the Shingwedzi area.

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…

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

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

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

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.

Refraction

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Dew droplets on a spiderweb at Chelmsford Nature Reserve turning the world upside-down…

$Refraction$

“Refraction” is this week’s WordPress photo challenge theme

Signs

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Finding and interpreting the signs of the wild can be just as fascinating and rewarding as watching the actual wildlife that were responsible for it!

Wind-blown grass-stalks drawing semi-circles in the dust

Rhino tracks

What looks like a shoeprint is actually an imprint of an elephant’s trunk

Elephants enjoy walking along roads

A gaping hole in a termite mound is a sure sign that it was visited by an aardvark at some stage

Elephant tracks in baked mud

The remains of a millipede indicates a civet enjoyed a tasty morsel here

Nyala spoor

The comings and goings at the waterhole

Marula tree debarked by an elephant

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

Memorable sighting: Cheetahs near Shingwedzi, 27 September 2014

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At the end of a hot Lowveld afternoon, we’re enjoying a slow drive along the Shingwedzi River, as has become our habit every time our visits to Shingwedzi Rest Camp come to an end. This route, the gravel S50, is our absolute favourite road in the Kruger National Park and we’re taking in as much of the magical wilderness atmosphere as we can. After enjoying snacks and a cold drink in deep, cool, shade next to the Tshilonde waterhole, it’s time to head back towards camp.

Only minutes later, turning a corner near the Ntsumaneni Spruit crossing, we spy a feline shape next to the road… We’re thrilled to find two cheetahs waiting by the roadside, and our excitement grows tenfold as a third, fourth and then fifth make their way out of the mopane bushes towards us. With no other cars around, we find ourselves in the company of what we assume is a female with her four almost fully-grown cubs, a rare sighting indeed. The cheetahs seem nervous, constantly staring back towards the vegetation they emerged from, and do not hang around very long before crossing the road and heading into the bush again, disappearing from sight. We may have spent only a few minutes with these lithe cats, but it is another Kruger memory we’ll cherish for as long as we live.

(You may click on any of the images to view them in bigger resolution)

Cheetahs near Shingwedzi, 27 September 2014

The Endangered Wildlife Trust in conjunction with the SANParks Honorary Rangers, is conducting a census of Kruger Park’s cheetahs and wild dogs, and inviting visitors to contribute to the project by submitting photos of these species they encounter between September 2014 and June 2015. Of course, we’ve already sent in our submission!

Five days later…

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We’re back in Pretoria after five wonderful days in the Kruger National Park, and we’re praying with this buffalo that it won’t be too long before we go back 😉

Please let the de Wets come visit us again soon?

We’ll share some more about this latest trip to the Kruger Park in upcoming editions of de Wets Wild, soon.

Nighttime

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This was the scene above our heads after darkness fell over Shingwedzi in the Kruger National Park last night.

Milkyway above Shingwedzi

“Nighttime” is this week’s WordPress Photo Challenge

Heritage Day in Kruger

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South Africa celebrates the 24th of September as Heritage Day, a public holiday. Of course, South Africa’s natural heritage is very close to the de Wets’ hearts, and so we’ve headed back to our beloved Kruger National Park for a few days (as if we needed an excuse 😉 )

The three of us are spending the night in Shipandani Hide, next to a tranquil pool in the Tsendze River, and kilometres away from the nearest other humans. As I’m typing this, Marilize and Joubert have already been lulled to sleep by the symphony of the wild African night; hippos bellowing metres away from the hide, scops owls hooting for attention, lions roaring in the distance and a myriad of crickets, frogs and bats chiming in.

Heaven.