Tag Archives: outdoors

Kruger Holiday 2023: 1 July / Day 7

Yesterday I lamented the fact that we’d be leaving the Kruger National Park today and heading back home to Pretoria. Well, as is often the case, the Kruger still had one present in store for us before we left. This morning, just a kilometer from Shingwedzi Rest Camp, that gift took the form of a buffalo carcass, two bloody lionesses and the smallest pair of lion cubs we’ve seen in a long time!

Lioness feeding on the buffalo carcass

Second lioness walking along the road, having fetched her cubs to join the feast (phot by Joubert)

Cutest, tiniest cubs (phot by Joubert)

Second lioness walking along the road, having fetched her cubs to join the feast (phot by Joubert)

Cutest, tiniest cubs (phot by Joubert)

The cubs playing on the sandy riverbed

The two lionesses reuniting

The cubs joining their mom and aunt

The first female, very bloodied, walks away for a drink of water

Here’s a little video compilation of the cubs as they walked along the road with their mother:

Kruger Holiday 2023: 30 June / Day 6

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Sadly today was our final full day in the Kruger National Park, but we still had a marvelous time driving around Shingwedzi Rest Camp

Buffalo Bull

Giraffe Calf

Kudu Bulls

Little Bee-eater

Antlion larvae

The Elephant’s Tail

Elephant Cow and baby

Waterbuck bull

Black-backed Puffback

Roan Antelope along the Shingwedzi River

Crocodile Trio

Sharpe’s Grysbok

Kruger Holiday 2023: 29 June / Day 5

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We had a feast of leopards around Shingwedzi today – no less than 4 separate encounters with these spotted beauties! These photos by Joubert are just a little teaser; we will share more when we get back home.

Lofty Leopard (Photo by Joubert)

Young Leopard at the Sirheni turnoff(Photo by Joubert)

Leopard looking out for prey from a rocky outcrop (Photo by Joubert)

Leopard along the Shingwedzi River (Photo by Joubert)

Kruger Holiday 2023: 28 June / Day 4

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Today we arrived at Shingwedzi in the far north of the Kruger National Park, where we will be spending the last 3 nights of our winter holidays.

Plains Zebra Trio (photo by Joubert)

Kudu Bull (photo by Erlo van Aswegen, Joubert’s friend who was visiting with us)

Olifants River

Waterbuck trio

Natal Spurfowl

Very dark giraffe bull (photo by Joubert)

Elephant hogging Malopenyana Waterhole for himself (photo by Joubert)

Smiling baby elephant (photo by Joubert)

Bull elephant in a hurry

Pregnant Lioness

Red-crested Korhaan

Kruger Holiday 2023: 27 June / Day 3

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We’ve moved camp again and will be spending the third night of our current trip through the Kruger National Park at Tamboti Tented Camp in the central regions of the Park.

Lioness in the minutes before dawn (photo by Joubert)

Martial Eagle

Bushbuck ewe

Crested Francolin

Kudu calf

Loving Zebras

Buffalo herd in the Nwaswitsontso River

Buffaloes (photo by Joubert)

Plains Zebra (photo by Joubert)

Brown-veined White butterfly in flight (photo by Joubert)

Kruger Holiday 2023: 26 June / Day 2

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Day two of our winter holiday in the Kruger National Park, and today we explored the area between Pretoriuskop and Lower Sabie where we will be spending the night.

Lion just outside Pretoriuskop

Marula Tree in the first light of day

Misty sunrise at Transport Dam

Giraffe just after sunrise

White-fronted Bee-eater snacking on a Guineafowl butterfly

Hippo Babies

Impala ewe

Kruger Holiday 2023 : 25 June / Day 1

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It’s the winter holidays in South Africa and we find ourselves back in the Kruger National Park, where tonight we’ll be sleeping in Pretoriuskop Rest Camp.

Small stream on the Voortrekker Road

Young male lion

White Rhino

Kudu bull

Elephant family

Mestel Dam

Sunset at Shitlave Dam

Winter in Mokala: Sable Antelope Mating Ritual

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Early one morning during our recent visit we found a sizable herd of Sable Antelope on the Kniekie Loop in the Mokala National Park. The dominant bull was particularly interested in one cow and we had a front-row seat as he turned on the romance.

Sable Antelope Bull

Sable Antelope Bull and Cow

Sable Antelope calf

Here’s a short video showing the Sable bull courting his mate.

We’ll soon be announcing a very exciting spring-time tour to the Mokala National Park – do keep an eye on DeWetsWild’s facebook page so that you don’t miss out!

Winter in Mokala: The Mammals

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No mention of Mokala National Park would be complete without bringing up the amazing diversity of mammals, large and small, that find sanctuary there. Several of them are species rarely encountered in most of our other reserves and it is not for nothing that Mokala’s tagline is “where endangered species roam”.

Blue Wildebeest

Buffalo

Eland

Gemsbok

Giraffe

Giraffes

Kudu

Kudu calf

Plains Zebra

Plains Zebras

Roan Antelope calf – such long ears!

Roan Antelope

Sable Antelope

Slender Mongoose

Springbok

Steenbok

Tsessebe

Tsessebes

Vervet Monkey

White Rhinoceros

White Rhino cow and calf

Come along as we go on a game drive through the Mokala National Park:

We’ll soon be announcing a very exciting spring-time tour to the Mokala National Park – do keep an eye on DeWetsWild’s facebook page so that you don’t miss out!

Winter in Mokala: Stofdam Hide

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Almost smack in the middle of the Mokala National Park you will find the Stofdam Hide; an excellent place to stop for a while, stretch your legs and wait for the wildlife to come to you instead of driving around to find them.

Walkway to Stofdam Hide

The Stofdam Waterhole

Acacia Pied Barbet

Pin-tailed Whydah

Egyptian Goose

Red-billed Quelea

Red-billed Queleas

Red-billed Firefinch

Red-eyed Bulbul

Violet-eared Waxbill (female)

Neddicky

Blue Waxbill

Black-faced Waxbill

Black-faced Waxbills

Black-faced Waxbill

Springbok

Chacma Baboon

Grey-headed Sparrows

Common Duiker

Fiscal Flycatcher

Orange River White-eye (thank you Don Reid for helping with the ID!)

Green-winged Pytilia

Vervet Monkey

Red-billed Firefinch

Cape Wagtail

Cape Glossy Starling

White-backed Mousebird

Black Springbok

Springbok

Female Red-headed Finch

Impala

Warthog

Yellow Canary

This is a little compilation of sightings Hannes and I had one morning at Stofdam while visiting Mokala earlier in June.

We’ll soon be announcing a very exciting spring-time tour to the Mokala National Park – and we’re sure to spend some time at Stofdam on that trip! Do keep an eye on DeWetsWild’s facebook page so that you don’t miss out!