Not just another trip to kruger national park

Kruger National Park is one of the few places in the world that you can visit repeatedly and see something new every time you go. It doesn't matter how many times you visit, the magic of the place builds a deep excitement, especially packing and preparing the night before, Kruger eve.

Aurore holding a Lappet faced vulture

Leaving camp at 4 am is always tough, especially knowing you are driving 4 hours on South African roads to get to your destination. We finally left, after waiting for the hire car to be returned, at 5:30 am. The race has started to get to Moholoholo Rehabilitation Center before 9:30, even from the start we realised we were fighting a loosing battle. 

The eyes of a king

As we got closer to Moholoholo the road surface deteriorated, we were dodging pot holes at 120 kilometers an hour all over the road. Finally we arrived at the gate of Moholoholo at 10 am just as the talk was finishing, we didn't miss the tour! As we entered we were told that they had something special for us, and we stood behind a fence, appart from the lucky few who were allowed the other side, including Marjoleine. They announced that they were "running" their cheetah. one car had a pulley system that pulled some meat and then they released the cheetah from about 150 meters away. It was over in a second, if you blinked you would miss it. They then said they would run him one last time, at the word go my camera was up following the cheetah and I took one single photo.

Cheetah running

After we went to see the lions, and the leopards. One of the leopards was climbing a tree to get meat, offering a few good photo opportunities. Looking back at the photos there was one single photo that stood out, one of the best photo's I have ever taken. 

Leopard in the tree

After leaving Moholoholo we headed to hoedspruit for a few essential supplies and headed in good spirits toward orpen gate. Driving along, listening to the Lion King and singing the songs split between 3 languages: English, Dutch and French.

A purple breasted roller takes flight

Finally we made our final bets, on what will be the first Kruger animals we will see: we had Leopard from a very optimistic Oriane, Elephant from Aurore, Impala from Marjoleine and a zebra from me. Less than 500 m away from the gate an elephant was at the side of the road! 

A majestic elephant

The evening was very chilled driving along the roads stopping for steenbok and elephant, one of the elephants fell asleep against a tree at the side of the road. We pulled into camp and settled into our safari tent that would soon turn into a freezer. Hearing Hyaena through the night was the highlight.

Leopard, Number 1

The next day was an early start to head for lower sabie. The first 3 hours to get to Satara was very quite, our first swap over of drivers and we were off again. Over a small rise in the flat landscape there were 10 cars stopped in the road. Excitement built up as we pulled up to our first pile up. After waiting for half an hour to get a decent spot, and a few minuets staring into the river bed, a cat, a leopard! Telling someone about the leopard they gave us a tip off that on a dirt road (S86) there had been a lion kill. Moving off, with almost a certain lion sighting coming up, the day was lucky and we had only just started.

Lionesses near a kill

We arrived at the kill, the lions were disappointing, a few cars around and they were being lazy as lions do for most of the day.

A lioness standing over a buffalo carcass

 We had a clear view of the kill, an adult buffalo. Looking back to the road, all of the cars seemed to have disappeared. As if perfectly on que, one of the females stood up and made her way towards the carcass, she started feeding and dragged the Buffalo towards a male, who got up and joined her feeding. Magic. 

Lion Feeding on buffalo

The Largest Owl in South Africa... The Veraux Eagle Owl

We moved along towards our lunch break and swapped drivers after defending our kudu steak roll from sneaky vervet monkeys and baboons we headed out, unrealising that we were on the wrong road. We eventually reached the sabie river road, I knew that we were guaranteed to meet elephants on this road. With only 10km left to the camp and about 15 minutes to do it in we met our first crossing elephants. There was a break in the herd and we moved the car forward, only to be blocked by another car in front moving and then parking on our side of the road, we were blocked with elephants getting closer by the second, after a few pulse racing moments the car moved and we were on our way. 

The smallest owl in South Africa, a Pearl Spotted Owlett

We reached Lower Sabie with no time to spare, I immideatly spotted our driver and went over to apologize for being late, it turned out that there was only us and two other people in the huge game drive truck. The driver introduced himself has lunga.

The Sun setts over the Sabie River

We headed out and stopped at a bridge over the sabie river to watch the sun go down, and see three hippo's that lunga named, Hippie, Poppy, and Thomas. The sun set and we were hopeful to see rhino, the last member of the big 5 for the day. Stopping for a couple of Genet's and buffalo on the far bank, it all went quiet for a while. Out of the darkness came 3 elephants.

Marjoleine looking over the bush

We moved passed the elephants and in the beam of my spotlight I catch eye shine. "Stop! Hyaena!" I yell as we stopped I change my identification quickly "It isn't hyaena guys! It's a leopard!" The male leopard was lying in the bush, he then stood up and slowly walked back and then disappeared like a ghost into the bush.

Leopard at night, number 2

Further down the road we come across two white rhino in the bush walking fast away from the car. We did it, the big 5 in one day. However the luck did not stop there. A hyaena was walking along the road next to the game drive vehicle, not long after, the driver suddenly picked up speed. We come across a Porcupine walking off into the bush, surprising us on how fast they can move.

Once again a quite spell and then in our spotlights, two more rhino, walking with their heads held high, I could not believe what I was seeing. The rarer, harder to spot species of rhino, a black rhino.

The game drive was coming to an end, as we headed back to camp. Eyes in the bush, the truck went silent, 3 lionesses lying in the bush. The big 5 in a 3 hour game drive. We left the lionesses only to find a single old male lion in the bush calling. We then rounded a corner and there was another 5 male lions lying in the road. What a way to end an amazing game drive and a stupidly good day, for once in my life as we pulled into camp, I was speechless.

A Lion Roaring

The next morning we headed onto the golden loop below lower sabie with no luck, came back to camp to have a coffee with lunga the guide from the game drive. After we headed north back to tamboti. Heading up to a view point we came across a group of ostrich next to the road, having only seen them from a distance, this was a perfect sighting to watch these amazing birds.

A female Ostrich

Less than a kilometer from Tshokwane picnic site we stopped just before a bridge to try and find a bird that aurore spotted. Failing to do so, we moved onto the bridge and stopped to photograph some buffalo in the river bed. Just as we were pulling off to leave the bridge, Oriane's excited voice from the back of the car "There is a leopard!" Sure enough a leopard had just moved out from under the bridge we were on and sniffed a bush, turned and scent marked the bush slowly moving away from the car. He was about 100 meters away when eventually another car arrived on the scene, that was special. Pulling away from the sighting I was shaking like a leaf from excitement. 

Leopard sits meters away from the car

We signed in at open and it was a race to get back to camp before gates close, we made it, with not a second to spare as the clock ticked 5:30. After cooking and eating we headed to bed. Just before falling asleep there was rustling outside the tent, dismissing it as someone putting rubbish in the bin, I started to fall asleep. Ten minuets later the rustling was still there, I climbed out of bed and shined a torch through the window. "Marjoleine, you awake?" the reply was muffled by the number of blankets but clearly a yes. "There is a honey badger outside our tent".

Big male leopard mid stride

We went outside the tent to see a honey badger that had just raided the bin, he was distractedly licking a packet. Turning on a sixpence he came towards us, both of us took a step back at exactly the same time and he then walked off around the side of our tent. Honey Badgers are the most tenacious and fearless carnivore in Africa.

Leopard smelling tree before spraying

Goodbye Leopard

After a relaxed start we moved out for our last day in the park, not long after passing Satara we came across a group of 6-7 white rhino in the bush. Not even 1km away from the rhino a single car was stopped, the driver wasn't paying much attention so I overtook him, Aurore spotted a hyaena walking along the roadside vegetation, he then moved into the road and trotted in front of us for 200 meters before moving back into the bush.

Spotted Hyaena

Leaving the park by Phalaborwa was strange for me, seeing as in exactly 7 days time I would be back in this town to make my way to C.A.R.E baboon sanctuary for the last leg of my African adventure. The trip to kruger was the most amazing for wildlife sightings, I know I will return someday, but for now the memories and photo's will stay with me forever.

Tawney Eagle feeding