IT is almost impossible to have a bad day in Kruger National Park but sometimes the park turns up the magic quotient to produce an extra-special day, one you know you will never forget.
On our recent Kruger trip, the first full day we spent in the park was one of those days. Game viewing was phenomenal and we were astounded by all we experienced and saw.
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It was January 30 and the second last day we could take advantage of the January early gate opening time of 4.30am. From February 1, gates would open an hour later, so we were up, awake and out of Malelane Rest Camp even before dawn had a chance to crack. Our destination that day was Skukuza and we chose a fairly direct route, via the tarred H3, a road that had often produced the goods on previous visits.
There is something so magical about being allowed out in the park while it is still dark to watch this great wilderness wake to a new day. We drove very slowly at first, keeping a close watch out for all the dikkops, nightjars and other small creatures that were using the road as a warm spot to sleep. The sky was just starting to lighten when a small honey badger scuttled across the road. You don’t often see these feisty little fellows so that sighting was an early morning treat.
At the attractive Afsaal picnic site we stopped to stretch our legs, then headed slowly onwards, only to come to an abrupt stop soon after setting off. Scattered across the road was a pack of wild dogs, five adults and four gangly teenagers. How beautiful are our painted wolves, each one uniquely patterned and all so precious because of the precariousness of their continued existence. For me a wild dog sighting is one of the most exciting experiences that Kruger has to offer.
The boisterous youngsters were in a playful mood. We stopped to watched them for ages before they were summoned by their elders and instructed to move on. Then the whole pack melted silently into the golden grass on the side of the road and disappeared from view. Vehicles travelling past that spot just a few minutes later would never know these charming canines had been there.
About ten minutes later, still feeling exhilarated by the wild dog encounter, we were thrilled to notice a leopard on the side of the road. He was unfortunately in a hurry and not prepared to stop for a photo-shoot but it was wonderful to see this illusive cat striding through the golden early morning bush, illuminated by the day’s lemony first light.
A few minutes after encountering Mr Spots, within less than half an hour of seeing the wild dogs, we came across a couple of cars parked on the edge of the road, the occupants keeping watch over four sleeping lions. The fabulous felines were doing what lions do best – they were simply lying around doing nothing at all.
At first all we could make out were four tawny rumps in the long grass. We watched for a while and suddenly two lionesses raised their heads, giving us a good view of their striking profiles. Then they lowered their heads again and joined their male companions in Dreamland.
The main route from Malelane to Skukuza is usually excellent for game viewing but never before had it been quite so amazing. By the time we’d turned off the H3 to do a small detour to Transport Dam, we’d ticked off all of the big five, three ground hornbills, herds of zebras, quite a few giraffe and big herds of impala.
Birding had been good, too and our fast-growing list included a couple of black storks, plenty of European and lilac-breasted rollers and a good selection of raptors including quite a few white-backed vultures and three bateleurs.
At Transport Dam, always a productive spot for game viewing, we spent quite a while watching the resident hippos, a big herd of waterbuck, and plenty of giraffe, including one of the smallest babies we’d ever seen.
After our Transport Dam stop we turned off the tar onto the S65 and then back onto the tarred S1 to Skukuza, admiring the lush riverine vegetation and the many shy kudu that live in that area. By the time we reached Skukuza camp we’d added quite a few warthogs and an amazing amount of interesting birds, to that day’s game viewing tally.
I have to say, Skukuza is not our favourite rest camp as it is usually very full and busy and we tend to avoid the madding crowds whenever possible.
However, it is pretty, well-appointed, tourist-friendly and has many pluses in its favour and we have grown very fond of it over the years.
The Skukuza area almost always offers good game viewing and there are plenty of scenic drives in close proximity to the rest camp. With so many foreign tourists flying in to use this big main camp as a base for whistle-stop visits to Kruger, Skukuza has a great, international vibe, too.
We love Lake Panic and have spent many happy hours at the popular hide overlooking this attractive stretch of water. Kruger also has an excellent indigenous plant nursery and I have a couple of mature trees in my garden that started their lives there.
One of the Skukuza drawbacks is that the camping area is often jam-packed and noisy but when we arrived this time around we were in for a surprise. It was almost empty, setting a trend for the rest of our Kruger trip. While January and February are pretty hot in Kruger, if you can stand the heat these summer months are lovely and the park is so quiet. Most rest camps have swimming pools so you can always make a splash and keep your cool.
We made the most of Skukuza’s excellent facilities, enjoying a tasty lunch at the golf club then spending a few hours at Lake Panic. A short later afternoon drive, along one of Skukuza’s scenic loops comprising the H1-2, H12 and H4-1 offered amazing elephant sightings and some big impala herds. It is a lovely route taking in sections of both the Sand and Sabie Rivers.
After that we were more than ready for a beer on the delightfully touristy terrace, then an early supper braai.
What an exceptional day our first full day in the park had been! And it set the tone for the rest of our three-week Kruger stay. All in all, most days produced exceptionally good game viewing and birding. There were, of course, quieter days but Kruger is such a special place any time spent in this magnificent chunk of unspoilt wilderness is always a privilege. Whatever you see is a bonus.
We were in bed early that night, in readiness for another early start the next day. We were planning to do a longish drive, travelling the lush, riverside route from Skukuza and Lower Sabie then returning to the main camp for our second and final night there. Both Bill and I consider this one of the most beautiful and interesting routes that Kruger has to offer.
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