And...just as I was typing the last sentence, We had to load into the van. So I am going to try to recount for you 3 of the fullest days of my entire life! If it seems a bit overblown and confusing, you just would have had to live it, that's all!
So, we left at 8:00 am Saturday morning with some friends of Jessica, who were to be our guides and drivers in Kruger National Park. We were all ready to go on time, and everybody was well organized and took just a backpack for our overnight. It took about 45 minutes to get to Kruger, and along the way we passed through Phalaborwa, the largest town we have seen since we left Johannesburg. Bene, the girlfriend, had grown up there and attended university in that town, so she pointed out a few major points. Then we arrived at the gate to the park. There was paperwork, a car search and warnings to surrender firearms and alcohol, a bit stricter than our National Parks. We loaded back up and started driving. Troy, our other guide, said he most wanted to see leopard, and sure enough, the first thing we saw was a leopard resting under a tree!
Back toward the center of the photo; these guys are unbelievably hard to see!
We drove on for several hours, with very light traffic along pretty good paved roads most of the time. The only time there were any traffic tie-ups was when people had sighted something, and several cars were stopped. Everyone seemed congenial and patient, so it was never a problem. We saw so much over the 2 days, I can't possibly remember in what order they were, so I am going to just post the photos and presume that you don't care that much which we saw first!
Elephant at water hole. They seem unconcerned with our presence (reasonable, I suppose!) and come very close. Troy, our guide, says that he has been charged by elephants every time he has been in the Park. Maybe one reason you can't get out of your vehicle!
Nice big bull elephant coming our way. He had finished drinking (see the darker water line on his trunk) and was ambling away.
This is the lilac-breasted roller. The photo doesn't really do it justice; it is vividly colored, and in flight it has bright blue broad bands on its wings. We saw at least a half dozen of them in the park. If you want to see a better picture (and I recommend it!), here is a link:
One of the rivers in the Park. The water is relatively shallow right now; in the rainy season it will rise 12-15 FEET! If you look closely, there is an abundance of life here!
Opposite bank, same river
Impala. We saw literally thousands of these in the park, in herds as small as 4-5 and as large as uncountable hundreds. They are elegant and graceful, and provide many meals for predators!
A troupe of vervret monkeys. We saw lots of these as well, both in and out of the park. They are along the roadsides, in preserves and everywhere else!
A group of elephants among the green trees near the river. Note the large one on the left and the youngster just to her right.
a vervret monkey approaches our vehicle. He was quite confident; we suspect he was used to panhandling food from the tourists!
Spotted hyena at rest during the heat of the day. We saw an astonishing number of these!
The water monitor, seen here on a rock. Later, you will see a photo of the other species, the rock monitor. Next to the water! Apparently they enjoy confusing the tourists!
More elephants. They totally fascinate me, and I have endless photos and videos of them!
Isn't he gorgeous?! Just eating grass beside the road!
Leopard just to the right of the clump of bushes
Nearly sunset. Our group on a high boulder looking far out over the veldt.
Spotted hyena near dusk. They tend to like to use the culverts in the road as dens, so they are often seen on the roadsides.
Jackal near dusk. He is actually vividly colored on the patch over his back; it looks like a black and orange pattered saddle blanket!
Hyena family at their den entrance. Note the youngster in the foreground, and dam to the right.
More hyenas. I have a lovely video of a female nursing her pups, but it won't upload! I'll keep trying!
More hyenas. Such an oddly shaped creature, but a highly effective predator/scavenger.
(Yes, we sang a bit of Lion King at this point!)
Another hyena
Female hyena caring for pups. They are born black, and acquire their characteristic coloration and spotting pattern when they get their adult coat.
Sunset over Kruger National Park
Starlings here are iridescent!
These guys came up to our feet at a rest stop!
Giraffe browsing in the trees
They are often found quite near the road, and can be quite startling if one is not paying attention!
Part of a massive herd of Cape Buffalo. This was less than 1/4 the number here at this water hole. They have horns curling down and forward, and a plate of horn material called a bos across the front of their forehead that grows larger with age.
Another vervret monkey in the road!
This one sat right up and introduced himself!
Another river from the bridge.
Elephant
A herd of elephants!
Wild dog resting in the shade (just below and left of center, orange and black patched coat)
And....just one more elephant, because it's a really great photo!
All in all we spent about 9 hours driving through the park, and saw only a tiny slice on Saturday. We kind of crowded our time, as visitors are required to exit the park by 6:00 pm. Due to our pause to watch the nursing hyenas, we arrived at the gate at 6:17. With only a minor hassle, we exited, only to discover that our camp was the last driveway, literally 10 feet inside the gate! The guard was not overly enthused about letting us back in!
Eventually, we did spend Saturday night in a safari camp on the edge of the park. It featured a large main lodge with a restaurant and lobby area, and accommodations were individual canvas-walled platform tents with real beds and indoor plumbing! It got pretty chilly overnight (45-ish), but we were warm in our beds.
Morning came early, and we had a huge buffet breakfast and hit the road again. We were a bit more relaxed with less distance to cover on our planned route. We were able to stop several times to watch wildlife; again, my videos won't upload well here, but I will try to add them ASAP, maybe while waiting in the airport. It was a gorgeous drive again, and we spotted every single species we could think of: The Big 5--elephant, hippo, rhino, lion and leopard, as well as buffalo, kudu, impala, daikker, ground hornbill (rare bird, see previous post), lilac breasted roller, Franklin (another ground bird), rock and water monitors, crocodiles, cheetah, hyena, jackals, an impala that a leopard had stored about 15 feet up in a tree, thousands of zebra, wildebeests (they hang out with zebra, who knew?!), and I'm sure others that I am forgetting!
Wait til you see what we did Monday!!!
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