Tag Archives: wildlife

Mopani Rest Camp, Kruger National Park

Mopani Rest Camp, named for the mopane tree with its butterfly-shaped leaves that dominates the plantlife of the northern Kruger National Park, is located just south of the Tropic of Capricorn. From its hilltop vantage point, the camp offers splendid views over the Pioneer Dam (with a rich aquatic birdlife) and the mopane plains beyond.

Mopani entrance

Mopani bungalow

Mopani has an unfair reputation for not being a very prolific game viewing area of the Kruger Park, mostly because the mopane shrub can get extremely thick and difficult to see through.

Impalas displaying just how thick the mopane’s can get!

However, if you choose your routes carefully, the Mopani area has very much to offer; the best drive is undeniably the circular route made up of the S49, S50 and S143 gravel routes to the east of the camp that skirts the Mooiplaas and Tinhongonyeni waterholes and the Nshawu Vlei (marsh). Mopani, and especially the area around Tinhongonyeni waterhole, is a hotspot for sightings of the rarer antelope and large birds like the kori bustard, ground hornbill, ostrich and secretary bird. In fact, Tinhongonyeni is one of the best waterholes in the entire Kruger National Park for overall game viewing, and a couple of hours there will assuredly be time well spent. Elephant and buffalo thrive in the Mopani area (there’s a herd of buffalo in the vicinity more than 1,000 animals strong) and we’ve had a number of good lion and cheetah sightings in the district.

Buffalo in rainy weather

This buffalo wasn’t overly happy to have his way blocked!

Unhappy elephant!

Eland – a rare sighting in Kruger – at Tinhongonyeni waterhole

Vultures cleaning up the carcass of a tusker that died almost on Mopani’s doorstep

Claiming the road as his own, and who’s going to disagree?

Elephant procession

Lone elephant bull

Giraffe

Kudu bull

This lion gave us a terrible fright, as we stopped right next to him without knowing he’s there (we were watching a herd of tsessebe at that moment)

Lions quenching their early morning thirst just a kilometer from Mopani

Reedbuck are frequently seen in the Nshawu Vlei

Tinhongonyeni waterhole, with three rare antelope in one shot: eland, tsessebe and Liechtenstein’s hartebeest

Tsessebe are seen more frequently near Mopani than anywhere else in the Kruger Park

More tsessebe. Guess where? Tinhongonyeni!

Just south of Mopani, the Shipandani Hide, which overlooks a waterhole in the Tsendze River, offers a very different overnight experience as a single group of guests at a time may occupy the hide between sunset and sunrise.

Shipandani Hide

The neighbours at Shipandani

Mopani is also special to the de Wets for one more reason: it is here, in the glow of a magnificently romantic African sunset, that Marilize and I got engaged!

The scene was set to get down on bended knee!

Lunchtime!

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We encountered this black-backed jackal hunting for moles near Satara, in the Kruger National Park.

Jackal hunt 1

Jackal hunt 2

Jackal hunt 3

Jackal hunt 4

Jackal hunt 5

Spring

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In South Africa, as in many other temperate parts of the world, the arrival of the spring season sees an influx of birds that had spent the winter in warmer climes. Swallows are great examples, though some individuals of the Lesser Striped Swallow depicted here (in the Pilanesberg National Park) do actually stay in South Africa year round.

Lesser Striped Swallow

We’re participating in the online adventure travel and photography magazine LetsBeWild.com‘s Wild Weekly Photo Challenge for bloggers. This week’s challenge was “Spring“, and we are very pleased to have been awarded an honourable mention!

Austin Roberts Memorial Bird Sanctuary

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Austin Roberts was one of South Africa’s most acclaimed zoologists, best known for his authoratitive reference book on the birds of Southern Africa. Today, his legacy is honoured in the Austin Roberts Memorial Bird Sanctuary, located in Pretoria’s leafy Nieuw Muckleneuk suburb.

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AustinRoberts3

The tiny reserve covers only eleven hectares (about four city blocks), yet more than 170 bird species have been identified here – a consequence of the wide range of habitats that it provides: dense woodland, mixed bushveld, reedbeds and nine small perennial dams. In addition, a few small antelope and a couple of tortoises also occur here.

Blesbok

Cape Teal

Common Moorhen

Egyptian Geese

Fulvous Duck

Laughing Dove nesting inside the hide

Steenbok

White-faced Ducks

Yellow-billed Duck

Red-knobbed Coot with chick

The Blue Crane is South Africa’s national bird

Crowned Crane

Facilities at the sanctuary include a restaurant and photographic hide, both extremely popular, and both offering a very nice lunchtime break from the office!

A section of the hide at Austin Roberts Bird Sanctuary

Our Neighbourhood

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We’re very fortunate in that the housing complex where we live in Pretoria borders the “Serene Valley” – a section of the Moreleta Spruit (“spruit” is a South African term for a small stream) surrounded by natural vegetation right in the centre of our bustling suburb. Because of our proximity to this little nature area we’ve noted more than 70 species of birds in our garden, and we’ve even encountered the odd vervet monkey, bushbaby and slender mongoose from time to time.

Serene Valley

Serene Valley

While this week’s WordPress Challenge is specifically targeted at images taken with mobile phones, conventional camera photos aren’t excluded.

Milestone for de Wets Wild

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“The only man I envy is the man who has not yet been to Africa – for he has so much to look forward to.”
Richard Mullin.

Giraffe at sunrise, near Lower Sabie in the Kruger National Park, South Africa

This is our 100th post on de Wets Wild!

Our deepest gratitude goes to everyone that has contributed to us reaching this milestone by reading, following, liking, commenting and sharing our posts. We appreciate the friendships we’ve made and the inspiration and encouragement you’ve given us through this medium immensely.

There’s still so much beauty and splendour to share from South Africa’s wild places, and as we look forward to doing just that through de Wets Wild for a very long time to come we’d be thrilled to have your continued support.

Our sincere thanks, again!

Dries, Marilize & Joubert – the wild de Wets

The Big-5 in Black-and-White

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The “Big Five” is probably Africa’s most sought-after animals – the term was coined by colonial-era trophy hunters to describe the group of animals considered the most dangerous to hunt: Black Rhino, Buffalo, Elephant, Leopard and Lion. Today, these animals are a major reason for the popularity of South Africa’s wildlife reserves among locals and tourists from all over the world.

1B&W_BlackRhino

B&W_Buffalo

B&W_Elephant

B&W_Leopard

B&W_Lion

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 “Black-and-White“

Letaba Rest Camp, Kruger National Park

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Letaba_entrance

Almost exactly in the middle of the Kruger National Park, on the southern bank of the broad and mostly sandy Letaba River, you will find the Letaba Rest Camp – a tranquil retreat beneath large, shady trees.

Sunrise between Phalaborwa Gate and Letaba Rest Camp

Letaba welcomed its first guests back in 1929, and remains very popular with visitors to this day. Hutted accommodation and camping is available for overnight guests, the restaurant offers sweeping views of the river and a spacious and shady picnic area, complete with swimming pool, is available to day visitors. Bushbuck, squirrels and a variety of birds have made themselves right at home among the accommodation units and provide endless entertainment to visitors lounging along the riverfront throughout the day.

Letaba bungalow

Bushbuck at home among the huts

Day visitor picnic site

The Elephant Hall is a unique educational facility with exhibits dedicated to every facet of the elephant’s ecology. Also on display is the ivory of several of the Kruger National Park’s famous big tuskers that have sadly departed to heavenly pastures.

Elephant statue

Elephant skeleton

Inside the Elephant Hall

You then won’t be surprised when we tell you that Letaba is elephant country. Visitors here have an excellent chance of encountering both breeding herds and bulls carrying impressive ivory. Masthulele, probably Kruger biggest tusker at the moment, is in fact regularly seen along the river right in front of the camp.

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Letaba_elephants2

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The late Hlanganini

Masthulele

Buffalo is another member of the “Big-5” that occurs in large numbers in the Letaba area, and visitors are bound to see a variety of other wildlife, including predators, in the area.

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Letaba_buffalo3

Letaba_Black-backedjackal

Letaba_CrestedBarbet

Letaba_cricket

Letaba_FishEagle

Letaba_Grysbok

Letaba_lioness

Letaba_zebra

The best self-drive routes for game viewing from Letaba are those that track the course of the river; road S46 towards the south-east and road S47 to the north-west. Guided activities such as walks and night drives are also very popular.

Letaba_buffalo2

Letaba_walk

Pay Letaba a visit and you’ll quickly understand why it is a firm favourite with many of the Kruger faithful!

Look Up!

Pilanesberg – 17 February 2013

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Sunrise over the rim of the ancient volcanic crater

Last Sunday Joubert and I accompanied my brother Niël to the Pilanesberg National Park for a day visit – as always it was good to get out of the city and into the wilds, even if only for a day. Pilanesberg’s four entrance gates are all within an easy two-hour drive from Pretoria so it wasn’t difficult at all to be at the Park’s Manyane Gate in time for it opening at 05:30. We departed again, through Bakubung Gate, just as dusk was settling over the reserve at around 18:00 that evening.

Lake Mankwe

We spent most of the day exploring the Park along the extensive network of roads and also spent some time in the various photographic hides (two of which was damaged considerably by elephants recently and in need of repair). Here’s a collection of photographs of Pilanesberg’s mammals, birds, reptiles and fish, all taken on Sunday.