Tent Travels: A dusty drive and a green oasis

I HAVE to say slack camping in a Kombi camper has its merits. With no tent to take down and hardly anything to pack away, we’d had our coffee and rusks and were once again ready to roll well before Skukuza Rest Camp’s gates were opened. We had a long drive ahead of us – and a new road to discover, the gravel S36, an alternate route to our destination that day, Maroela Rest Camp, near Orpen. We like to hop off the tar as much as possible while travelling in Kruger and have discovered many wonderful, less-travelled back roads and byways in the process. For some reason we had missed this road on previous visits to the park.

First, though, we had a bit of a riverside route to enjoy, the H1-2, heading north east away from Skukuza.

It was a really pretty stretch of road and once again we were reminded about how scenically situated was Kruger’s bustling main camp. Although this rest camp is never our first choice, we were glad we’d spent a night at Skukuza. It was our third stay there and we really were getting very fond of it. In a way it summed up our feeling about Kruger.

Kruger and Skukuza can both be a bit touristy and busy, but they have so many other wonderful attributes, including the first class visitor facilities that make even a camping trip anywhere in the massive park just so pleasant and easy. When visiting Kruger you just have to accept a bit of hustle and bustle now and then but there are many quieter places off the beaten track when you get to know your way around. We’ve been irritated by some of Kruger’s notorious lion traffic jams but we have also spent more than an hour watching a group of six teenage lions at play, with not another car in sight. Yes, our night in Skukuza’s camping area had been pleasant – and surprisingly quiet and peaceful – but it was good to be heading north and further into the park.

Shortly after the H12 junction we left the tar and turned north onto the S36 via a little network of pans and sandy tracks.

We were heading towards the game-rich savannah area and soon we were starting to see more of the plains animals like zebra, wildebeest and giraffe. It was pretty dry and dusty in places although the route more or less followed a water course and wove its way through some well-treed, greener area, quite well populated with ellies and kudu. We really were seeing so many elephants on this Kruger trip, including fairly large breeding herds with plenty of babies. And then, of course, there were the ever-present impala herds almost everywhere we looked. We did notice a lack of baby impalas. Perhaps the clever mommies were waiting for the rains to drop them.

Our breakfast stop that day, at Nhlanguleni Picnic Site, was an absolute delight. Smaller and so much quieter than the popular picnic sites on the main routes, this pretty little piece of fenced-in wilderness overlooked a small pan. At this dry time of year it was a bird magnet and from our picnic table we had a ringside view of all the avian action. A leafless thorn tree at the edge of the water was transformed into a Christmas tree, generously decorated with a flock of electric blue glossy starlings, a small group of acid green and yellow brown-headed parrots and a single lilac-breasted roller.

Back on the road, we continued to enjoy fairly good game viewing and birding although the route was dry and dusty.

After another short break, at the attractive Muzandzeni picnic site, we trundled on, along the S36 until the junction with the tarred H7 Orpen Satara Road. Soon after turning left towards Orpen we encountered a gorgeous old warrior of a lion. He was a bit tatty, battle scarred and muddy – he’d obviously been cooling off in a pan somewhere – but he was still a magnificently regal creature. In no hurry, he sauntered past our car, not even bothering to acknowledge us. If he could talk, what stories this venerable old survivor could tell.

We stopped at Orpen to book in then proceeded to Maroela, a rustic rest camp that only offered camping and caravanning facilities. It is a quiet, peaceful little spot, situated beneath some magnificent riverine trees, alongside the Timbavati River and we have always enjoyed staying there. Although most of the perimeter sites were taken there were plenty of roomy, shady sites in the centre and we quickly set up a comfortable camp. As we’d been on the road for about seven hours we decided to stay put and spend the rest of the afternoon and evening relaxing in camp.

Maroela really is a place for the true nature lover and it is the perfect spot to set up tent if you are a little allergic to crowds.

It is a no-frills camp, without a shop or restaurant. However, ablution and kitchen facilities are more than adequate and, as one comes to expect in Kruger, perfectly maintained and spotlessly clean. Soon after we arrived we met friendly Zhondi, who is in charge of the camp and who seemed to spend most the afternoon running to and fro, ensuring his camp ran smoothly. On a couple of occasions we even watched him helping elderly campers set up tents and caravans. He certainly kept Maroela ship shape, clean and as litter-free as the rest of Kruger.

The Sanparks staff members in all our national parks are wonderful and I am sure they are hand-picked for their friendliness, helpfulness and efficiency. Now, if we could extend their wonderful work ethic to the rest of South Africa – and perhaps even get Sanparks to take over the government – what a winner of a country we would have. Driving round exploring the park and game viewing is always exciting but sometimes you need to take time out. You need to spend one or two peaceful afternoons under a tree in lovely rest camp like Maroela to appreciate this world-famous park’s unique and very special sense of place.

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