The amazing Kruger National Park

Here's a little story to show just how amazing the Kruger National Park is and why I still believe it stands head and shoulders above the rest!

A little while ago I was asked to provide a trip to the Kruger for a client, but being short notice and the park being full we were only able to get one night accommodation at Pretoriuskop camp in the south of the park. I assured the guest it was the right move and we went for it.

Coming from far we only managed to enter the park at 12:30pm on the first day and made our way to the camp. Even being the hottest part of the day we still manage to tick off elephant (first animal); warthog; wilderbeest; zebra and a great sighting of rhino, as well as a wide range of antelope. The late afternoon drive was great as well and provided much of the same, including giraffe and some of what makes Kruger so special! The small creatures, prolific birdlife and amazing sunsets...... The last animal we saw just 100m from camp was a big heard of buffalo that blocked the road and nearly made us late.

That evening around the braai as our meat cooked, we wondered on what tomorrow would bring, one last morning in the park and still no big cats. Little did we know how lucky we would be.......

Brimming with excitement we were the first out the gates and were heading for Lower Sabie. The first animal we saw that morning was something very rare, a herd of tsessebe, just off the road. We followed this up with 3 hyena who came onto the road and offered a magnificent photo opportunity with the rising sun. Next was a honey badger, who tried to trick us by using a storm drain under the road to hide but eventually showed himself and crossed the road in front of us. As the sun warmed up the veld, one by one the usual suspects showed themselves including a massive bull elephant at Transport Dam. By the time we hit the Lower Sabie road we were in high spirits and would have been quite happy to leave it there......

Then, as tends to happen on the Sabie road or 'Eloff street' as my volks called it all through my childhood, we rounded a bend to be greeted by +- 15 cars all jostling for position. This usually means one thing, a cat! After a few minutes straining to see what all the commotion was about we were told by another vehicle that a leopard had been seen and it's last movement was towards where we had just come. From experience I decided to take a chance and turn around, making our way back and combing the bush for any sign of the creature. About 200 yards back was one of those dirt loops that extend a little towards the river so I ducked down it and slowly edged along. Nothing!!! As I was coming out the other side I started to do a U-turn so as to do the loop once more before giving up. As I glanced back down the tar road there she sat, just on the verge watching the goings on down the road, so camouflaged that I could only just make out the distinctive outline of the beautiful feline. Unfortunately as I struggled to turn the car around I spooked her and she quickly 'leopard crawled' across the road in front of us before disappearing into the bush......

We couldn't believe our luck and off we went, before a most unlikely sighting. Another bunch of cars in the road slowly coming towards us, obviously following something special. Lion? I thought, but to our surprise a beautiful cheetah appeared and which we managed to get a good look at before it chased something off into the veld. As we made our way towards Crocodile Bridge Gate we searched desperately for some lion, the only one of the big five that we hadn't seen, but it wasn't to be and frankly didn't bother us at all.

We exited the park at 12: 15pm that day, almost exactly 24hrs after entering knowing we had experienced the best Africa has to offer....................

Animals (pretty much) in order of appearance in 24hrs:

Elephant; impala; zebra; warthog; kudu; grey duiker; wilderbeest; rhino; steenbok; slender mongoose; water buck; bushbuck; giraffe; banded mongoose; buffalo; tsessebe; hyena; honeybadger; vervet monkey; dwarf mongoose; baboon; leopard; cheetah; hippo; crocodile.