Kruger - Aug '16

Though wildlife is not my genres, African wildlife has always been my attraction. Thanks to my dear friend Rigard de Wet. When he casually mentioned the idea of doing a trip, I caught on to that and as usual was after him for the trip. Finally we decided to do this trip in Aug '16 and this was for about 10 days. The entire planning and booking of the resorts was done by Rigard. All that I had to do was book my tickets and leave.

I took Emirates airlines to fly into Johannesburg. We had a Toyoto Land Cruiser for our trip. Thanks to my friend Anthon for sparing his Land cruiser. Next day morning we got ready for the trip and loaded the car with varieties of food items, Bar-be-Que grill and of course not to forget the Single Malt Whiskey.

We entered the park through the southern section of the park. Once we completed the formalities at the gate, we were ready with all our equipment, as we didn’t want to miss even a single opportunity of photographing the wild life in Kruger. We happened to see the usual suspects – Zebra, Giraffe. That night we stayed in Lower Sabie Rest Camp and our plan was to stay here for two nights.

The forest rules are very strict. The gate in the resort / lodge open at 6 AM. Only then the vehicles are allowed to drive in the park. One can get down from the vehicle only at designated spots. The gate close at 6 PM. I am told that if one reaches beyond 6 PM, lot of explanation has to be done to the park rangers. The park has also speed restrictions. Our routine on all days was to be at the gate by 530 AM to join the cars already waiting to exit the park, return by 6 PM, have a shower, prepare some delicious Bar-be-Que food (being a vegetarian this was only for Rigard though occasionally I got potatoes!!), sip a few rounds of single malt while enjoying the vast forest land before retiring to bed.

Travel Date : 12th Aug ’16 to 21st Aug ‘16

Our schedule :

13th Aug to 15th Aug - Lower Sabie Rest Camp, is situated on the southern bank of the Sabie River, to the east of the southern section of the park.

15th Aug to 16th Aug - Satara Rest Camp, in the southern part of the Kruger National Park

16th Aug to 17th Aug - Letaba Rest Camp, is situated on a sweeping bend of the Letaba River, midway between the southern and northern boundaries of the Kruger National Park.

17th Aug to 18th Aug - Mopani Rest Camp, in northern Kruger National Park is situated on the banks of the Pioneer Dam, giving it a relaxed atmosphere and a beautiful view.

18th Aug to 19th Aug - Shingwedzi Rest Camp, lies in the northern part of the Kruger National Park

Unforgettable Incidents :

• From the main road we took a turn into a sandy track. After driving a few meters in the sandy road we saw a tusker coming from a bush and walking towards our car. Being faced with such a situation for the first time, I was speechless and scared. Rigard being a veteran of Kruger, started reversing the car while the tusker continued to walk towards us. Thank God, at a particular point he decided to get inside the bushes. The moment was scary.

• We were told by a group about sighting of a Lion pride. We found the location and waited for hours for them to come out. I was watching the time and it was getting closer to 6 PM. I had serious concerns of reaching the camp on time. But Rigard had this trick of timing the drive based on GPS and it worked. We entered the gate just 2 minutes before closing time

• After a long and tiring day, we were returning to our camp. It was around 5 PM, we saw cars parked and there was a massive crowd. I was hoping to see something interesting. What we saw was a photographer’s delight – a Leopard sleeping on a trunk of a tree with the Golden light on the Leopard. This is definitely my pick of the tour.

We had sighting of almost all wildlife except Cheetah. Elephants and wild buffaloes were in abundance. Kruger is one place one should visit to enjoy the wildlife. All the camp sites were outstanding and located with beautiful views. Unfortunately, we were out most of the time and we couldn’t enjoy the facilities in the resort. It may be a good idea to have one or relaxed days in the itinerary. I am told that these resorts have to be booked at least 6 months in advance.

To view the album --> http://kruger--aug-16.gopsview.com