Posts Tagged ‘Kruger national park’

The sightings have been pumping, really well in the bush of late; can not even decide where to go on drive. We may plan a rough route to take, but within half an hour of game drive, the radio is buzzing. An awesome week to be out on game drive.

Shhh…crackle…pop..lions have killed… or 4 cheetah brothers next to the road..static..crackle… relocated on leopard cubs at…static

Really all the cats have been out and active, rhino, elephant, antelope and giraffe are all begging to have there photos taken.

Wanting to head north for a birds and trees drive, to relax and enjoy the smaller less talked about parts of the African bush, but the sightings keep calling us back, and we head off south or east to find again a beautiful creature.

At this point I must stress that these sightings and conditions is not the “normal”, the bush has just come alive this past week, and we rangers are taking full advantage.

There have been 6 male lions, a strong coalition of 5 young males along with a older and wiser male, they were first sighted and heard at the water hole outside our camp late at night, the next morning we tracked them down they had covered a considerable distance, about 10km from our water hole over night and still had time to kill a old buffalo bull, we converged on the scene as they were lazing about there kill with full extended stomachs. An awesome sighting

The two leopard cubs around the river road area, were hanging around the same patch for a few days so we could relocate them and view them on a few different occasions, one such occasion I took a chance in the morning and headed to that area, the reward was to witness the young female leopard execute a stalk on a herd of impala, we sat patiently for about a hour as we gauged her progress, in the end she failed in the final charge, but for that hour we had her, the adrenaline and excitement were palpable. Such a beautiful young lady in stalking mode, I was reminded again how hard it is to keep with them as she would stalk in and out of view as she used the local vegetation as cover. After having a good look at the leopard thru my binos,I explain that this female is still very young and  inexperienced, and may be punching a little over her weight class. Awesome morning

Our four cheetah brothers are back in our area of operation after not being seen for a month or two, they have returned from Kruger and are scent marking there old stomping ground, next to a leopard the cheetah is as beautiful and graceful. We may be lucky and they may stay in our area. Awesome again to see

Duikers, steenbok, stately giraffe, noisy zebra and other antelope are around, with the dry season not broken as yet, they are a little more few and far between but still there. And as much as the cats, predators and other big 5 are the most sought after, these others can not be ignored. We bumble thru the bush, me happily throwing a piece of information or two about the fauna and flora found here. I try to depart a piece here and there, but honestly the bush has spoken for itself and my guests are happy to simple drive around and enjoy the sightings.

We rangers have a little knowledge on the bush and always wish to share and show off, at the same time, the more we guides find out the more we need to find out more. A good guide will recognize that he/she does not know it all and learn everyday.

would love to have all the answers for the bush out here, but nature simply does its thing and we are the observers, who sometimes wonder and ask why…sometimes it is nice not to have natures answer and simply say ”Nature does as nature does”

Awesome week

So where do guides go when on leave from the bush? Leave fro there lodge? Well most of us go back into the bush, on our own private safari. Most of us book into a camping in a wildlife reserve so we can explorer at our own pace, we can “do it” in our own time. That is exactly what I and the beautiful distraction (girlfriend) did. A few days in Kruger to restore our equilibrium.  A few braai’s, some game driving with beer in hand, good company and a blow up mattress in a tent.

Before hitting Kruger hard, we had a much deserved break in a backpackers up north, very bright colors, walls in red,blues,greens and other colors of the rainbow, some décor that looked like to came from a cycadelic 1980’s collection(those same painting in four different colors style), African art mixed with retro modern, in fact I saw a plague at the check in-desk, all framed and with gold trimmings etc,like a doctors certificate in his office  describing it as the best, funkiest backpackers for 2008.

Think they can add a “2008 and all years between including till now” under the funkiest backpackers. As I have stayed in many here and in New Zealand, I can honestly say this was one the best.

From our temporary last-in-the-past-but-still-hip-cool rented room we organized a river cruise on the Oliphant’s river, adjacent to Kruger, what a blast, cruising at a crocodiles pace along the mighty river with elephants and giraffe and more on the river bank. This we followed with a colossal T-bone steak braai back at the dock and an ice cold beer to end the day.

Next day off to Kruger national park.

Driving though a national park in South Africa is not the same as stating and game driving in a wildlife area from a lodge. Big dissimilarity is the amount of vehicles. I guess one gets used to the exclusivity when driving guests in an open land drover, on roads others do not frequent.

In Kruger you will come across all types of vehicles with all combinations of passengers, little mobile fish bowls complete with open mouth occupants and gawking eyes and viewing them was as much fun as trying too and viewing the wildlife in the reserve.

Started off at satara, nice open camp, with oodles to see, lions,buffalo,elephants plains game, plenty of birds, a wild cat in the day and four cheetah that had just killed a warthog 5 minutes before we spotted them, and we only found them, cause I stopped for a Walberg’s eagle in a tree. Stop for the birds and small things and you will be rewarded.

Sometimes the wildlife would come to us, as our last two nights camping, we stayed at Skukuza, the busiest camp in the park, I erected the tent right next to the fence, and of course the resident hyena would pop around the other side of the fence, exactly where we set up house, to check out what we were doing.

Awesome having a hyena no more than three meters away either watching us or calling his whoop whoop on the top of his voice.

This could be creepy every now and then with an eerie hyena stare while you sit and enjoy a cold one…

A greater bush baby was using the tree over our tent as a thoroughfare to get over the fence and out for a nights foraging, was the fence there to keep animals at bay or the real animals, us humans, from afflicting the animals out in the bush?

When one stays in the camping area, be sure to smile and converse with your fellow campers. Many an interesting person we did meet. An interesting fellow from an island north of Australia. A sea kayak adventure guide (reminded me of my river ratings days in new Zealand, I of course did not have the killer tan, nor the dreadlocks as he does) He brought his son and dad to Kruger to experience the African bush.

The son, a very cool surfer kid, complete also with dreadlocks and a killer tan. Like his dad, the kid did not own closed shoes, but was permanently in sandals or barefoot, this cute kid, Really wanted to see hyena, so of course invited surfer kid and dad to view from our tent, to the little kid’s great joy the hyenas did not disappoint, and gave him a good show from meters away as they patrolled the fence. Great to see the amazement on a face that has never seen African wildlife like this. We might just be taking it for granted.

Funny enough beautiful distraction (girlfriend) jumped higher (almost onto me) when our backs were turned and this bone crushing hyena let out a whoop at the top of its lungs. Surfer kid only stood and giggled to himself.

End of Kruger and off to Johannesburg and family visits. The Rest I will give you short version, drank too much, ate too much, did nothing but act like a carrot i.e. veg. had another T-bone at that South African institution “the spur restaurant” came back to the bush.

Good to be back in the bush from the bush, know what I mean.

Hyenas were named spot, Ted and  bangle(she had a radio collar)