Tag Archives: Shingwedzi Rest Camp

Letaba, February 2014

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Following our explorations of the paradise that is Pafuri, in the far north of the Kruger National Park, we headed towards the central regions of the Park, for a two-night stay at Letaba Rest Camp.

It’s a long drive down from Pafuri to Letaba and, at game viewing speeds with regular stops for photographs and leg stretches at the camps and picnic spots along the way, it took us the entire day to cover the distance of 250km, reaching Letaba just before the gates closed. Covering such a distance in a national park like Kruger, you’re bound to come across some great sightings and some thrilling experiences, but we didn’t count on getting growled at when we stopped at Mooiplaas picnic site for a bit of a break. We were back in the car in a flash, and still have no idea what it was that was so irritated by our presence…

A dazzle of zebra on the plains south of Pafuri
A dazzle of zebra on the plains south of Pafuri
Eland seen near the aptly named Elandskuil windpump
Elephants crossing near Punda Maria
Elephants crossing near Punda Maria
Sharpe’s Grysbok
Frozen chameleon
Blue wildebeest at Babalala
Ostrich male among mopane trees
Crocodile and hippo sharing the Shingwedzi
Buffalo with leafy adornments at Shingwedzi
Free-tailed Bats roosting beneath the thatch at Mooiplaas’ ablutions
Doubt it was this squirrel that growled so ferociously at us at Mooiplaas!
Waterbuck on the banks of the Letaba
Waterbuck on the banks of the Letaba
Trio of Pied Kingfisher sharing an elephant bone

When you’re hoping for great wildlife sightings in any wild place, you have to be out-and-about at the times that the animals are most active, being the early morning and late afternoon, to maximise your chances.

Letaba sunrise

We set out early from Letaba the next morning, heading towards Olifants Rest Camp along the gravel roads that follow the courses of the Letaba and Olifants Rivers. We were soon rewarded with a great sighting of a spotted hyena, followed shortly afterwards by the highlight of our trip: an encounter with wild dogs! The dogs came running along the road in the opposite direction we were travelling in, and passed us in a flash. We had to make a u-turn and followed them a couple of hundred metres, before they decided to take a bit of a break right in the middle of the road. These animals are so rare and sightings so infrequent that we spent quite a bit of time with them before moving on.

Spotted hyena
Spotted hyena
Wild Dog pack on the move
Wild dogs
Wild Dogs taking a break
Wild dogs

Fish eagle

Shortly before reaching Olifants we crossed a small stream and noticed lots of terrapins and a lone juvenile crocodile sharing a pool next to the road. It soon became apparent that these animals have become accustomed to being fed by passing tourists as they started moving towards our vehicle the moment we came to a halt. This aberrant behaviour is exactly the reason why the park authorities are so strict about visitors not being allowed to feed the animals, but some choose to ignore it nonetheless. We didn’t stay long, fearing that the terrapins would end up beneath our vehicle preventing us from driving away.

Begging Serrated terrapins near Olifants
Bold, begging crocodile near Olifants
Bold crocodile near Olifants
Begging Serrated Terrapin near Olifants
Bold, begging crocodile and terrapins near Olifants
Bold, begging crocodile and terrapins near Olifants
Sweeping views over the Olifants
Sweeping views over the Olifants
Sweeping views over the Olifants

We spent the hot hours of the day walking around the Letaba campgrounds, enjoying the peace and quite and the company of Letaba’s resident bushbuck and birds.

Bushbuck ewe in Letaba
Bushbuck ram in Letaba
The Letaba River

Our afternoon excursion focused on the riverine drives to the north of the camp. Again we were not disappointed, seeing two waterbuck bulls sparring, herds of other game, including elephants, hippos, impalas, nyalas, bushbuck, giraffes, buffalo and baboons, various bird species, even some fish at a river crossing, and of course beautiful scenery.

Waterbuck bulls sparring
Waterbuck bulls sparring
Beautiful scenery
Impala being targeted by a biting fly
Waterbuck
Hamerkop
Beautiful scenery
Juvenile Mozambique Tilapia in a small stream
Beautiful scenery
Baboon beauty treatment
Little elephant
Chubby hippo calf and mom

A fascinating but gruesome sighting of a ground hornbill using its massive bill to kill and devour a tortoise in its carapace was a reminder that this is still wild Africa after all…

Ground hornbill and tortoise feast
Ground hornbill and tortoise feast
Ground hornbill and tortoise feast
Ground hornbill and tortoise feast
Ground hornbill and Leopard Tortoise feast

Letaba Sunset

Lacewing

With the sunrise the next morning it was time to pack up and head to our next destination, the Forever Swadini Resort in the Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve. It wouldn’t be our last taste of the Kruger National Park however, and as we were heading towards the Orpen Gate we could console ourselves in the knowledge that we were planning one last day visit for later in the week.

More beautiful scenery
Baboon mothers make excellent vantage points!
Lazy hyena cub
Swainson’s Spurfowl bidding us goodbye near Orpen
Zebra with a hard-to-reach itch

We’ve previously dedicated a special post to Letaba – have a look here if you’d like to read more about this peaceful rest camp

Unexpected

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Finding a little bat in a corner of a kitchen at Shingwedzi Rest Camp, was definitely an unexpected, but not unwelcome, surprise.

Unexpected

“Unexpected” is this week’s weekly photo challenge from WordPress.

Kruger National Park, September 2013.

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Yes, we’ve been to the Kruger National Park again…

Our Heritage Day long weekend in Kruger started early, on the morning of Friday the 20th of September, waiting at Phalaborwa for the gate to open. Formalities completed, our chosen route took us along some of the less traveled gravel roads in the area to Letaba Rest Camp, where we’d spend our first night in the Park.

Impala lilies, S47 road
Blue waxbill, Masorini (Kruger Park)
Klipspringer, Masorini
Elephant, S131 road
Scenery, Ngwenyeni
Yellow-billed Kite, Matambeni
Klipspringer, Matambeni
Pied Kingfisher, S47 road

We spent the afternoon traversing the roads around the camp, soaking in the peaceful atmosphere and spending some time with our favourite Letaba resident, the big tusker Masthulele, and Hlahleni, one of the pretenders to the throne.

Tusker Hlahleni, Letaba
Great egret, Letaba
Letaba River scenery
Tusker Masthulele, Kruger National Park
Impala, Letaba

Come Saturday morning, we were on our way to Punda Maria, Kruger’s northern-most rest camp. A cold front was heading for the lowveld, and strong gusts of wind accompanied us all the way. Good sightings of elephants and some of Kruger’s rare antelope species, and a variety of other animals and birds, kept us entertained on the long drive northwards, and we arrived at “Punda”, where we were joined by Marilize’s parents and would be staying for the next three nights, just in time for the 2PM check-in time.

(We’ll dedicate a special post to Punda Maria soon – the camp and the area around it has a rich and fascinating history and plenty to offer nature lovers)

Hooded vulture, Mahonie
Elephant bull, Babalala
Plains zebra, Malopenyana
Roan and Tsessebe, Dokweni waterhole
Plains zebra, Babalala
Elephant bulls, Babalala
Tawny eagle, Shisha (Kruger Park)
Elephant close-up

No visit to the north of the Kruger National Park would be complete without a pilgrimage to magical Pafuri. And so, despite the cold front having Kruger now firmly in its cold and wet grasp, this is where we headed on Sunday. Pafuri is a lush tropical paradise next to the Luvuvhu River, a bird watcher’s heaven, with regal nyala antelope around seemingly every corner.

Plains zebra, Pafuri
Close enough
Nyala, Pafuri
Kudu cow, Pafuri
Elephant, Pafuri
Kudu, Pafuri
Cattle egret, Pafuri

That evening, a herd of elephant spent a lazy hour or two at the floodlit waterhole next to the camp fence. You’ll understand why I blame the waterhole and the hide that overlooks it for losing quite a bit of sleep this weekend – who can sleep when there’s this much action right on your doorstep!

Elephant herd at Punda Maria's waterhole

Elephant herd at Punda Maria’s waterhole

We decided to visit recently re-opened Shingwedzi on our last full day in the Park. Shingwedzi Rest Camp and its immediate surroundings was hard-hit by the January 2013 floods, and we were curious to have a look at how our favourite Kruger camp has bounced back (some photos in our “Shingwedzi after the flood” post). Along the way an extremely aggressive elephant bull showed two buses and several SUV’s exactly who is in charge of this piece of wild Africa!

Elephant roadblock on the way to Shingwedzi

Elephant roadblock on the way to Shingwedzi

The Shingwedzi area is teeming with game at the moment. We had our first ever sighting of an albino impala, and a massive eland bull spending some time in the almost dry Mphongolo River was a welcome surprise, as these large but skittish antelope are rarely seen by visitors to the Kruger Park.

Elephant, Shingwedzi
Giraffe, Shingwedzi (Kruger)
Waterbuck, Kanniedood Loop
Eland, Mphongolo Loop
Buffalo, Kanniedood Loop
Crocodile, Kanniedood Loop
Buffalo, Mphongolo Loop
Albino impala, Kanniedood Loop
Giraffe, Mphongolo Loop
Elephant, Shingwedzi
Flock of quelea, Babalala

Almost back at Punda Maria that evening we had a thrilling encounter with a young lion walking past a herd of elephant on the Dzundwini Loop (photo here).

See the lion?

See the lion?

Dinner was followed by some more time spent photographing Punda Maria’s nightlife instead of sleeping…

Genet, Punda Maria

Genet, Punda Maria

Milky Way

Milky Way above Punda Maria

But all good things come to an end and Kruger said goodbye with a magic sunrise on our way to Punda Maria Gate and back to Pretoria. Wouldn’t a scene like this also just convince that you need to get back here as soon as possible? Yes, we are already planning our next visit to Kruger National Park…

Punda Maria sunrise

Punda Maria sunrise

Shingwedzi after the flood

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Our September 2013 trip to the north of the Kruger National Park afforded us the opportunity of visiting our favourite Shingwedzi Rest Camp for the first time following the devastating floods in January 2013.

Most of Shingwedzi has re-opened for visitors, with only some facilities, including the restaurant, remaining out-of-service – a sterling effort getting the camp up-and-running again so soon!

Revamped Shingwedzi shop

Revamped Shingwedzi shop

The view downstream from camp, to where the causeway is now buried beneath a thick layer of sand

The view downstream from camp, to where the causeway is now buried beneath a thick layer of sand

View upstream from camp, where a huge pool of water now houses hippos and crocodiles where previously there would have been nothing but sand in the dry season

View upstream from camp – a huge pool of water now houses hippos and crocodiles where previously there would have been nothing but sand in the dry season

Shingwedzi accommodation

Shingwedzi accommodation

Shingwedzi camping site

Shingwedzi camping site

Shingwedzi accommodation

Shingwedzi main building – reception, shop and restaurant

Shingwedzi accommodation

Shingwedzi accommodation

Shingwedzi camping site

Shingwedzi camping site

Driving around the area, the impact on man-made infrastructure and the natural environment was still clearly evident eight months after the flood waters of the Mphongolo and Shingwedzi Rivers swept through here in the dark of night.

Elephant at a pool in the Shingwedzi River

Elephant at a pool in the Shingwedzi River

Deep sediment deposits where the Shingwedzi burst its banks

Deep sediment deposits where the Shingwedzi burst its banks

Bent trees and shrubs along the Shingwedzi river

Bent trees and shrubs along the Shingwedzi river

What's left of the Kanniedood Dam wall. Not a single tree remain standing in the immediate area below the broken wall!

What’s left of the Kanniedood Dam wall. Not a single tree remain standing in the immediate area below the broken dam – before the flood you could not even see the wall due to the dense plantlife!

Debris, deep sand and newly formed pools of water along the course of the Shingwedzi River

Debris, deep sand and newly formed pools of water along the course of the Shingwedzi River

Nature is resilient and we have no doubt that the Shingwedzi area will remain a firm favourite for many of the Kruger faithful, the de Wets included! Have a look here to find out why we love Shingwedzi so much!

Kruger’s Big Tuskers

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There’s more than 14,000 elephants in the Kruger National Park, and of course they are a big drawcard for visitors to this game reserve, being charismatic animals and members of the famed “Big 5”.

For us too, encountering elephants is always a special treat: witnessing the interactions between different herd members or the playful antics of the calves, and there’s few things in nature as beautiful as the gait of a confident elephant bull, his massive head swaying from side to side,  intent on ensuring anything and everything in his way clears out before he gets there.

The Kruger Park is known as one of the few remaining places on the African continent where you still have the chance to see elephants carrying impressive tusks, sometimes in excess of 2 or even 3 metres in length and weighing anything between 40 and 70kg. In the Letaba Rest Camp there’s a fascinating  museum dedicated to the elephant, where visitors can also marvel at the tusks of some of Kruger’s most famous tuskers.

Over the years, we’ve been extremely fortunate to have encountered a handful of these living monuments while exploring the Kruger National Park, especially in the northern regions of the park in the vicinity of Shingwedzi, Letaba and Mopani Rest Camps. Traditionally, these remarkable giants are given distinctive names, either for the area they roam or in honour of Kruger staff members who have dedicated their lives to the protection of this special place.

Eventhough I was then only a child travelling to the Kruger Park with my parents, long before the advent of cheap (digital) photographic equipment, encounters with the magnificent Mandleve and Mabarule will live in my memory forever.

The photographs we’re sharing here are more recent. In January 2006, Marilize and I became two of the very small number of people to have had the honour of seeing Masbambela -we’ve already posted some pictures of him in a previous post (here)

MASBAMBELA_JAN06

Masbambela

Our sighting of Ngunyupezi in April 2007, when the whole de Wet clan went camping at Shingwedzi, was just as special – it was only the second officially recorded sighting of this enigmatic bull, whose left tusk characteristically grows almost straight down. At one point he charged at us, head held high and that straight tusk leading the way like the lance of a medieval knight! Ngunyupezi is still seen in the Shingwedzi area from time to time.

Ngunyupezi_APR07

Ngunyupezi

Hlanganini was a well-known tusker, regularly seen around Letaba Rest Camp. This is also where we met him, in September 2007. Hlanganini died a couple of years ago, following a fight with another bull.

HLANGANINI_SEP07

Hlanganini

During a visit in June 2011, my brother Niel and I came accross two of the new generation of Kruger  Tuskers: Machachule, right at Shingwedzi’s back gate, and Masanana, near Letaba.

Machachule_Jun11

Machachule

Masasana_Jun11

Masasana

We’ve already had five encounters with Masthulele, believed to be Kruger biggest tusker at the moment, over the years. This sighting was in April 2012 near Letaba, while visiting the Park with our friends the du Plessis’.

Edit: SANParks announced in September 2017 that Masthulele had died during 2016.

Masthulele_Apr12

Masthulele

During our visit in September of 2012 we were lucky to see two more tuskers: Mandzemba welcomed us back to our beloved Shingwedzi, while Ngodzi bade us farewell us we departed from Mopani. These two tuskers haven’t been named “officially” by Kruger’s management (yet) and their names are, for now, derived from waterholes found in their home ranges.

Mandzemba_Sep12

Mandzemba

Ngodzi_Sep12

Ngodzi

Everytime we visit the Kruger Park, we hope for another special appearance by one of these majestic animals. It may be years before we are fortunate to have our path cross one of theirs again, but when it happens it will surely be another thrilling experience!

Kiss

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Our silly contribution for the Valentine’s week photo challenge

Kiss

Masbambela

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One of our most treasured sightings ever in the Kruger National Park. This magnificent animal was called “Masbambela”, named in honour of ranger Ben Pretorius who had spent 35 years working in the Park. Masbambela means “the one that can stand his ground” – isn’t that an absolutely apt name for this beautiful creature?

Masbambela was a shy tusker rarely seen by tourists to the Park and even Kruger’s researchers had difficulty tracking him, making our sighting on the 15th of January 2006 all the more special. We found him to the north of our beloved Shingwedzi Rest Camp, along the course of the Mphongolo River, where he was feeding peacefully only meters away from our vehicle.

Unfortunately, by August 2006 researchers noticed that he had broken a piece off his left tusk and sadly, Masbambela died, of natural causes, in November of that same year. His intact right tusk measured 2.31m in length and weighed 49kg, while the stump of his left tusk was 2.07m long and weighed almost 43kg.

We are honoured to have one of our images of Masbambela featured in Johan Marais’ book “Great Tuskers of Africa” – a must read for anyone interested in these awe-inspiring African icons.

Over the years we’ve encountered a number of other bulls carrying impressive ivory – if you are as much in awe with these beautiful animals as we are, have a look at the special posts we did on Kruger’s Big Tuskers and Isilo of Tembe.

Masbambela1

Masbambela2

Masbambela3

Masbambela4

Have a look here to see other “unique” entries from wordpress bloggers.

Shingwedzi flooded – January 2013

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Photos have been posted on the SANParks forum of the flooding that hit Shingwedzi Rest Camp in the Kruger National Park – click on the image below to see more.

Extensive flooding at Shingwedzi – published on the SANParks forum

Severe flooding strikes two of our National Parks

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Days of torrential rain in South Africa’s northern provinces have caused severe flooding in two of the country’s National Parks – Mapungubwe and Kruger. It appears that our beloved Shingwedzi Rest Camp has been hit exceptionally hard, with about 70 staff members and their families having to be airlifted to safety from there this morning, just hours after the guests staying in the camp were safely evacuated by road. We have seen the Shingwedzi area being flooded in January of 2006, though the camp itself was never inundated then, and can only imagine what these people had to endure overnight. We are immensely grateful for their safety.

Flooding in Kruger National Park – photograph published by SANParks on their facebook page (click on the image for more)

South African National Parks have posted the following media updates:

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Update on the Mapungubwe floods

Date: 21st January 2013

The recent heavy rains experienced in most parts of the country have resulted in the sudden temporary closure of the Mapungubwe National Park and World Heritage (MNP& WH) site. The park is inaccessible from Musina, as roads leading to the area are washed away.

In the last week, most of the roads within the Park were temporarily closed but the subsequent rains that were received in the area over the last 72 hours, caused the park to be closed temporarily until further notice.

According to Divhani Maremba, spokesperson for the MNP&WH, “most clients who were in the Park at the time are currently safely kept at Leokwe camp. Some tourists who were booked in the park last night and today were asked to postpone their holidays. We appeal to all the people to be very cautious when approaching the area.”

“Although some people cannot be contacted through mobile phones because of network coverage, we are constantly monitoring the situation around the park to ensure that we keep everyone informed of developments. Our emergency personnel are also on site trying to prevent potential disaster,” said Maremba.

“More rain is expected over the next two days and we advise all the people with confirmed bookings in the immediate future to contact our reservations office about the status of their bookings as the Park will be temporarily closed until further notice,” she concluded.

More information will be provided in this regard on the SANParks website periodically and on all social media platforms belonging to the organisation.

Issued by:
SANParks

Media enquiries:
Divhani Maremba
Manager: Northern Regions Communications.
Tel: 012 426 5170; Cell: 082 941 9980
Email: divhani.maremba@sanparks.org

Or

Gabrielle “Gabby” Venter
Manager: Media and Stakeholder Relations.
Tel: (012) 426 5065; Cell: 083 825 9435
Email: gabrielle.venter@sanparks.org

——————————————————————————————————–

Update on the heavy rains in the KNP

Date: 21st January 2013

Members of the KNP Disaster Committee met early this morning to assess the impact of the heavy rain in the Kruger National Park (KNP).

Members briefed the committee on their initial inspections and assessments regarding roads, water and sewerage, vehicle fleets, electrical and mechanical as well Protection through the Operation Centre, that has been set up in the Park.

There have been no reports of any major incidents throughout the park except the ones listed below.

Tshokwane: The low-level bridge to staff and ranger houses were reported as over flowing, resulting in personnel being trapped at the picnic site and others at houses, but their lives are not threatened.

Olifants and Sweni trails: Eleven tourists who were trapped on these trails have been safely airlifted to Satara.

Tamboti: The camp is isolated with 8 guests and staff including the section ranger. The water levels are being constantly monitored and a rescue plan will be executed to airlift them to Satara.

Talamati, Biyamiti: The camps have been closed and guests moved to the safety of Satara and Berg-en-Dal.

Houtboschrand: Four patrol rangers and a SANDF unit are stuck in the area, they are in constant contact with the Section Ranger and will be assisted.

Muzanzene: Four guests and one staff member have been air-lifted to safety.

Shingwedzi: All guests were evacuated to Mopani last night. 70 staff members are currently being evacuated.

Roads

H1/1 link road between Skukuza and Pretoriuskop has been closed off due to the heavy current over the low level bridge.

Crocodile Bridge Gate is overflowing and as a result the camp has been isolated and no cars are allowed through.

Lucy Nhlapo: Regional Manager Marula: KNP has reiterated her appeal to all visitors to the Park to stick to the tarred roads as all gravel roads have been closed for safety reasons.

At this stage all is still in order at the Skukuza Rest Camp, the biggest in the Park,  with the  Nwatsishaka river level slowly rising but flowing steadily, however the low level bridge is currently closed as water is overflowing at high velocity, while the high level bridge is being  constantly monitored.

Northern KNP:

The Northern part is still experiencing heavy downpours and the bush camps are still out of bounds. Visitors are still urged to drive only on tarred roads.

Camps and Facilities Closed:

  • Sirheni,
  • Shimuwini,
  • Shingwedzi
  • Bateleur
  • Boulders
  • Tamboti
  • Talamati
  • Muzanzane
  • Biyamiti
  • Crocodile Bridge
  • Makhadzi Picnic Spot
  • All trails camps and Wilderness Safaris

Gates Closed:

  • Crocodile Bridge
  • Orpen
  • Punda Maria
  • Pafuri
  • Giriyondo Port of Entry
  • Pafuri Port of Entry

Roads Closed:

  • H1 – 2 Sand River & Sabie Low water bridge – alternatively motorists can use H12
  • H1/1 link road between Skukuza and Pretoriuskop has been closed off due to low level bridge overflowing.
  • H1-1 – Pretoriouskop to Malelane T-Junction
  • H10 – Lower Sabie to Tshokwane
  • H7 – Satara to Orpen
  • H1 – 9 – Pafuri entrance to Punda
  • H15 – Punda Maria to Shingwedzi
  • H1 – 6 Letaba to Mopani
  • Nwaswitshaka low level bridge.

NB: All gravel roads in the park have been closed off for safety and motorists are requested to stay on tarred road.

“Generally our emergency plans are running accordingly and we’re constantly monitoring the developments, if anyone requires an update, our emergency 24hour hotline is available 013 735 4325. Please call to check on the conditions in the area you intend visiting” concluded Lucy Nhlapo.

Issued by:
SANParks

Media Enquiries:
Reynold “Rey” Thakhuli
GM: Media Liaison
Tel: 012 426 5170;  Cell: 073 373 4999
Email: rey.thakhuli@sanparks.org 

Ike Phaahla
SANParks Media Specialist
Tel: 013 735 4300; Cell: 0836736974
Email: isaac.phaahla@sanparks.org 

Travel and Tourist Enquiries:
Emergency 24 hour hotline: 013 735 4325

New Beginnings

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Water cleanses, which is why a river in flood to me symbolises a new beginning; a clean slate, a fresh start, and getting rid of all the debris that clogs up life.

Depicted here is the Shingwedzi River and its tributaries in flash flood through the Kruger National Park, South Africa, following a cloudburst.

Stream in flood KNP5

Stream in flood KNP4

Stream in flood KNP3

Stream in flood KNP2

Stream in flood KNP1

Shingwedzi River in flood2

Shingwedzi River in flood1

We’re participating in the online adventure travel and photography magazine LetsBeWild.com‘s Wild Weekly Photo Challenge for bloggers. This week’s challenge is “New Beginnings“.

Happy New Year!