Kruger - Shimuwini Bushveld Camp

It had been a particularly wet spring and summer in the Kruger area. That’s great for the animals but not so good for tourists. Water was easily available so game didn’t really need to travel to the man-made drinking spots. The grass was tall and dense, making it easy to hide. We might spot an animal crossing the road but it was completely hidden by the time we got there.

So this particular morning we got up early and hit the road, planning to surprise some of the night folks returning from their orgies. We found this hyaena, one of a group of four, at 6:30am.

Things were slow for some time. We took pictures of turtles, birds, strange plants, basically anything that caught our eyes.

Kurt decided to turn in to a waterhole. Sometimes you can turn off the car and just wait for the action to begin. In this case, the action was already underway.





There is a rumor that a Hippo cannot lift his feet. All you need to do to be safe is to stand behind a log. Look at the photo of these two battling hippos and tell me that one again.


We had all cameras taking photos and movie clips. It was a bit unsettling to be this close to these very angry monsters. We soon attracted a herd of cars, so we left before the end of the battle.









As we traveled further north the ecosystem changed to less of a jungle and more of a plains system. The grass was shorter and the bushes more widely separated. There are a number of these different environments within Kruger.

We began to see some different animals, grazers as well as browsers.









This is just a giraffe, but the scene is so Africa I simply needed to take it. We arrived at the bush camp in plenty of time to relax before dinner and take a few more photos. We fell asleep to the grunting of the hippos.











The view from our bedroom window was spectacular the next morning – at o-dark-thirty.










We thought, briefly, about going for a swim but the croc was waiting.










Across the river we were able to monitor a continual parade of animals and birds including waterbuck, giraffe and kudu. This waterbuck calf is taking a lunch break.







A group of five male kudu wander through our field of vision. These two made a brief show of sparring for us, then went back to eating.

There were some fun interactions among the different animals. Kind of a “what are you and why are you here” type of exchange.





The next day was time to get up early again because we had a long drive back to Johannesburg and our flight to Cape Town.

One the way out of the park we stopped to wonder at this Baobab tree. It is easily 20 feet in diameter. Who knows how old it could be.



A last herd of animals tried to block our exit from Kruger. These Cape Buffalo – there must have been 40-50 – streamed across in front of the car and disappeared into the bush.

Seeing the most dangerous animal in Africa was a fitting climax to our visit to Kruger. We hope that you have enjoyed our adventures. Perhaps you will be inspired to do it yourselves one day. I hope so.

Floyd

Kruger - Biyamiti Bushveld Camp

Our trip for the day involved getting from Swaziland to South Africa’s Kruger National Park. It is important to get to your Kruger destination in a timely manner as they lock the gates at 6:30pm, leaving you outside at the tender mercies of the night-hunters. Not a pleasant thought. So we set off, stopping at only one craft shop, and got to the border right on schedule. Getting out was no problem but getting in to South Africa involved this line being handled by two immigration agents. It took us 45 minutes and we felt sorry for the people in the tour bus which pulled into line as we left.




We drove back to Nelspruit to restock for our four nights in Kruger. Thanks to Becky and Kurt for their meal planning. A stop on the way back to the Kruger gate at this fruit stand finished the grocery shopping and we were off into Kruger.







We passed through the Malelane Gate, paying entry fees and verifying reservations. This family of Wart Hogs greeted us at the gate, welcoming us to Kruger.







We made our way, leisurely but with purpose, toward our evening’s camp. This flight of Impalas got our attention and we watched them for awhile, trying to capture their enthusiasm and zest. Becky got the best picture – a ballet of animals with their heels over their heads.






We surprised a troop of vervets. This mom and baby were cute as the mom tried to keep us from seeing the baby.









This looks suspiciously like an American Bald Eagle. It’s not. It is an African Fish Eagle. I suspect they might be related. We also saw and photographed a lot of vultures but they’re not too photogenic.











This is the best we could do for a picture of a Cheetah. There was a mother and four large cubs in this group, but it was hot and they just wanted to be left alone in the shade.











It’s unusual to see Hippos out of the water in the heat of the day. This family group started feeding at 11:40am.











Betsy and I went on a sunset safari drive on day two at Biyamiti. How fortunate! Another driver clued us in about Lions in the road. We parked in an advantageous spot and took these pictures.







It was a good-sized pride. I counted nine individuals including three mature males, one very young cub, and an assortment of females and juveniles. They passed right beside the safari car, so close that we had trouble taking pictures. Nevertheless, we took a lot.







More birds and some Hyaenas rounded out the pictures for the evening. As it got darker the photos became more difficult. We put the camera away and focused on the night sounds. The bush at night is fascinating.





The next morning we packed up and moved north to our next bush camp. That’s another journal so bye for now.


Floyd

Kruger Trip 2009

January 20th, 2009, we departed Cape Town for an eight-day holiday. Stop one was 1,400 kilometers away, two hours by air, the airport in Johannesburg where we rented a car for the drive east. Our first destination, stop two, was the town of Barberton, about 400km from Joburg. We spent two nights at the Mazwita Bush Camp, moving on across the border into the country of Swaziland, not a terribly long drive in length, but a bit dodgy due to road construction on the South Africa side and road quality on the Swazi side. Stop three was in the Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary where we spent two nights at Reilly’s Rock Hilltop Lodge. Departing Swaziland by way of Jeppe’s Reef, we drove to stop four in Kruger National Park at the Biyamiti Bushveld Camp. Two nights at Biyamiti, then drove to stop five, the Shimuwini Bushveld Camp. Two nights then back to Joburg via Limpopo and Polokwane.

That’s the outline for the next series of journals from the other side (of the world). You have noticed that the schedule allowed two nights at each location. That fine bit of planning gave us an entire day to explore the particular area or rest up – this was a holiday.

Kurt is involved with some of the tourism planning for the 2010 World Cup in Nelspruit (near Kruger and Barberton) so is familiar with the area and has made contacts there. We stopped in Nelspruit to say hello and to stock up on enough provisions to cover us for the next few days, until we made it out of Swaziland and back into South Africa. Drinking water is not an issue in South Africa but we were not so sure about Swaziland. Since people are dying of cholera in the Limpopo area, near Zimbabwe, we played it safe and carried water.


Most of the South African electricity comes from coal-fired plants such as this one between Johannesburg and Nelspruit. The area is rich in coal and we saw many strip mines and processing facilities. Nuclear provides much of the power but more is needed and new plants take time to get online.







The area is also heavily mined for gold and diamonds. We didn’t get samples, but we did get pictures. More on that later.






It was a full day of travel. Also a day full of memories for us. Eight years ago, January 20, 2000, we were in Zimbabwe, sitting around a campfire, in the bush, with three well-educated Zim guides, being grilled on George Bush and his policies toward Africa. Eight years later the attitudes toward America and Americans is different ... and hopeful.

That’s enough for now.

Floyd