HAVING completed our route from southerly Malelane to Kruger’s most northern Pafuri area, it was turnaround time for us.
We would now start heading back south, paying whistle stop visits to a couple of rest camps where we had already stayed and staying in some of the camps we’d missed on our way north.
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First stop on the southern leg of our journey would be an overnight visit to Letaba, where we’d spent two nights on the way to the north. Because of our pleasant experiences there during our previous stay, I was looking forward to revisiting this big and attractive rest camp.
It was St Valentine’s Day and Mother Nature arranged a super-romantic beginning to our morning, giving us stunning bush sunrise soon after we’d left beautiful Punda Maria. The dawn painted the scrubby mopanes gold and red to blend with the tangerine, orange and lemon of the sky.
Soon we reached the scenic area around Mopane Rest Camp area, a particularly attractive part of the park. On our way north we’d spent a wonderful two nights at Mopane’s rustic satellite, the delightful Tsendze camping area.
We didn’t have the time to spend another night in that magical place but we lingered in the area for quite a while, enjoying the attractive scenery and the good game viewing.
At Shipendani Hide near Mopane we spent a pleasant hour or so watching all sorts of elephant antics and ticking off some interesting birds then we had a pleasant coffee break and some more quality birding at the lovely Mooiplaas Picnic Site.
There was plenty of evidence that places along the route we were taking that day had also benefited from the rain we’d had at Punda Maria.
hole.
Everywhere, there were puddles alongside the road, which were being used as impromptu water holes and baths by the four-footed and winged denizens of that part of the park. The vegetation was markedly greener than when we’d travelled through there a few days previously. At the Letaba River bridge, we stopped for the ritual bridge stroll and noted that amidst the sandy braids of the ‘River of Sand’ much deeper pools had formed. All the waterways in that area seemed to have risen quite a bit and were flowing strongly.
All this meant wonderful birding and game viewing and en route we were treated to good sightings of hyenas, elephant and plenty of buffaloes and zebra.
In spite of our many stops along the way and a few buffalo and elephant road blocks we reached Letaba just after lunch time and enjoyed a restful afternoon at our camp, beneath the graceful mopanes Lovely Letaba was even emptier than when we’d stayed there a few days previously and we were spoilt for choice regarding quality camping sites.
We enjoyed a small St Valentine’s celebration – a glass of good red wine as we watched the sun set over the river – then wandered back to camp for a St Valentine’s Day braai. One of the many resident bushbuck came over to wish us a romantic evening. We were sure we would have one. It would be hard to beat Letaba for a prettier setting to celebrate a day dedicated to love and romance.
Our pleasant evening in camp was also a farewell of sorts. From the next day we would be leaving the land of the mopanes as we headed further south into the central part of the park. And while there would be much to look forward to over the next week or so, we would miss the wild and wonderful spirit of the north.
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