Quick, head for the hills!

Now where else would one go with winter looming and the need to keep warm? Obviously up into the mountains!

After the heat of Kruger getting back to Joburg was refreshingly cool, or cold as some might say. A couple of weeks gave us time to catch up on a few things not to mention the washing and a nice hot bath! Eventually the distant mountains beckoned and it was time to set off again.

The closest point to reach would be the Royal Natal park and a return visit to Mahai campsite. Oh and not forgetting a visit to the truck stop at Harrismith to fill the tanks with cheap diesel, R8.08 as opposed to R8.24 the cheapest we could find back in Joburg.

How things change in just a couple of months since our last visit. We were greeted with a clear sky and beautiful views of the mountains and the Amphitheatre. Arriving near reception closing time we had a silly conversation with the guy on the gate to the park. It was only just 16h00 with 30 minutes till reception would shut. We asked what time reception closed and he said 16h30. Ah plenty of time we said. He seemed completely unsure of the time even when he checked our clock and told us to go straight to the campsite and pay in the morning as the office would be shut. Leaving him behind in his own little world we found reception open and were all paid up with 15 minutes to spare. Perhaps the park should buy the gate man a new clock or at least show him how to use one.

As hoped the campsite was almost empty, well until the weekend probably. The first night was cool and the temp dropped to 11c, no problem. The second night it dropped to 6c at a steady rate as soon as the sun was gone. We were fed, washed up, and in bed by about 18h30! Up in the tent we are fine. Well I am, Sue would wear all the clothes she has if she could and still be cold! The 3rd night was also cold but so far no icy wind to cope with, but I am sure that will come.

Last night we had a braai, well sort of. The wood we made the fire with looked good, well until we made charcoal out of it. It was a bugger to get going but gave no usefull coals. Sue ended up cooking the chicken kebabs in the frying pan and I eventually got the wors cooked next to heat of the flames from some newly lit wood. Oh what fun, ironically the thing that got the fire going best was all the fat dripping from the wors. They should soak the wood in it or make fire lighter out of the stuff!

The hiking here is good with many a destination to choose from. We have been good, yesterday and today been out for a 8 or 9km hike up in the lower hills. I think that tomorrow will be a day of rest, no point in over doing it. The sky has been blue and clear since our arrival, but a few clouds are around this afternoon. Would be nice if it stayed fair, cold nights are fine provided we get warned thru in the day. Keeps the solar and fridge happy too!

Today we paid for 3 more nights as we like it here. As to whether we will still be saying that come Monday after the place goes mad over the weekend, fingers crossed!

Some pics from the Kruger

A few pics from the park ...

http://picasaweb.google.com/wooliesonline/Kruger2010

Life after the Kruger

Our plan, well we did not really have one. So we decided to stop a night at Forever Resorts Swadini on the north eastern side of the Blyde River Canyon. It was ok, huge, not too busy, and nice ablutions, well I should think so for the price!

Today we did the tourist things and checked out the Blyde Canyon, and the other views in the area like Wonder View and God's Window. Now explain. Wonder View free. God's Window a small charge of R5 per vehicle. They are about 200m apart and look over the same view! Needless to say which one we chose!

Now it is back to Joburg. On the N12 as I write this. It has been a long day so far, 450km behind us 120km odd to go. Bloody windy, but sunny. Poor Mufasa has had a hard day with all the steep climbs he has done today. Seems like we have been going uphill all day!

Back in the big city a week or so to get an oil change and do some washing and shopping. Then probably down to the Drakensberg for a couple of weeks if it is not too cold!

Kruger - Tsendze, the end of the road

What a pleasure it always is to get back to Tsendze and the warm welcome of the staff there. However we knew that it meant our last 3 nights in the park.

It started well though. Halfway from Shingwedzi we had a sighting of 4 Lions. Mum and her 3 little ones. Well hidden about 10m from the road. She was sitting out the warm part of the day, the cubs were messing around. That would be our last Lion spot.

Camp was quiet on arriving Friday lunchtime and got busy Saturday night. Sunday it was quieter again. As the end was nigh we made an effort to get out of camp. Long game drives in the morning and a short drive in the evenings to watch the sun go down over the Tsendze river with a cool beer and some nuts.

Our favorite drive which we did Saturday and Sunday mornings was east of camp to the grassy plains at the Tihongoyeni waterhole on the S143 loop. The grass was very long this year and the masses of Zebra loved it. They were quite happy sharing their spot with the Wildebeest and Tsessebe. Oh and us. A perfect place for morning coffee and rusks, and the odd hundred photos!

There were plenty of young Zebra around, and the adults were playing their own games! It is great just to sit there and watch and listen. Best relaxation therapy available. We even had a sighting of 3 Side Striped Jackals, the rarer cousin of the Black Backed. Many an Elephant around too. Lone bulls and large herds. One herd had some very small ones to look out for. Their older sisters were very protective and we gave them plenty of space and only watched for a couple of minutes.

Before we knew it Monday morning had arrived and it was time for our 24 night visit to the park to come to an end. The drive out to the Phalaborwa gate was nice, quiet, but had its moments. We came across an old couple in their broken down pickup and had to notify the staff at the gate to rescue them. We also came across a throng of Vultures hacking away at an Impala carcass. What a sight, what a smell!

Then it was all over. Thru the gate and back to civilisation, or the zoo outside the park!

Kruger - Shingwedzi, the 2nd half

Its quite amazing to think that the much anticipated or dreaded long weekend is behind us. Just the looming month of May and pensioner concession time. Not a camping spot will be found anywhere for a month!

I think we must have seen our allowed animal quota in the first few days in the park. Even the birds seemed to have gone into hiding. The drive back to Shingwedzi was nice but uneventful. The camp was fairly quiet, but the warm weather had returned. Up in the mid thirties during the day and cooler come evening time, well if 28c at 18h00 can be described as cooler!

Plenty of lion activity in the area if all the evening and morning roaring was an indication. However none that we saw, except a lone male on leaving Shingwedzi on the drive to Tsendze. Also no sight or sound of the Giant Eagle Owls, shame.

We did however get our dose of excitement. Sitting mid afternoon relaxing, the birds started to chirp just next to us. Sue was suddenly up, 'snake!'. It appeared around the base of the tree where we were sat and proceed to hide under the pile of wood I had got out for the evening braai. It wasn't huge, perhaps 45cm long, but we later identified it as a young Mozambican Spitting Cobra! It may have been half its adult size but its spitting venom would still pack a mighty punch. They can spit up to 2.5m! I persuaded it to move on and made sure it was well away from us before I stopped following it.

The next day Sue came rushing back from the ablutions, she had seen the snake again. A bit different this time as it was in the process of swallowing a small bat! It would be like me trying to swallow a badger in one go! Well it eventually did, one big lump in it's belly. We left it to find somewhere quiet to sleep it off.

The pool at camp was a just the place to be late morning or early afternoon. Cold, but refreshing! We had to make use of it as no such luxury would be awaiting us back at Tsendze, just the option of a cold shower if needed.

As mentioned we had a brief glimpe of a male Lion on leaving the camp, but well past halfway to Tsendze we had a better sighting!

Kruger - Punda Maria and the long weekend

We knew full well what we were heading into. A long weekend up at Punda. A
full campsite for 3 or 4 nights. How bad could it be?

The drive up to Punda (S22.69323 E31.01762) was only 70km or so, so not far.
The game viewing along the way, nice, some birds, but nothing to shout
about. Well apart from the Leopard! It was only a brief crossing of paths
but exciting none the less. We had stopped as we do most of the time to
check out a bird in a tree. This one happened to be an Open Billed Stork
perched high up on top of an acacia. Having observed him, I turned the
ignition to get Mufasa growling again, looked up, and before we had moved a
few feet stopped as there was a cat in the road ahead wandering towards us.
Binoculars up, 'LEOPARD'! Beautiful animal. Sadly it was only in view for 10
seconds or so before it slinked off into the grass next to a small river. We
drove up not in much hope of spotting it again, and we didn't. They are hard
enough to see off the road when the grass is dead and low, but in these lush
times, no chance!

As we had set off from Shingwedzi first thing we arrived at Punda not long
after 09h00 and were delighted to find that the campsite was almost empty so
we had plenty of places to choose from. It was a no brainer really. Our
favourite spot is in the first corner by the fence under some trees, but
this was taken. So next to it in the open would do us just fine, the spot we
had camped on when we arrived from Mozambique with a rush that last day of
our trip up thru Africa in 2008.

Friday night was not too hectic but Saturday, Sunday, and Monday were full
full full. The only thing that was a real surprise was the weather. It had
been pretty warm still during the days up until we arrived at Punda. Friday
was cooler and cloudy. Saturday was cold, it drizzled all day, only got up
to 16C or sommit like that. Sue had 2 fleeces and long sleeved t-shirt on
during the day, and I had on thick socks and hiking boots to keep my feet
warm and dry. Sunday was better and we had a great long drive up to the
Pafuri picnic spot (S22.42312 E31.24746) and then along to Crook's Corner
(S22.42565 E31.30700) at the confluence of the mighty Limpopo river with the
Luvuvhu River. We saw a large herd of Elephant munching their way thru the
trees, several good bird spots, and plenty of lovely Nyala, not to mention a
couple of dozing Lions. Monday was a day of rest again, cold, bit of
drizzle, and some afternoon sun. Perfect feet up and read a book day, yep
another one.

The family group next to us in 'our' corner spot were very nice, all 14 of
them, from Ouma and Oupa down to their grandchildren. One of the families
lived at Punda for a while when the husband worked there as a ranger and
trail guide. They were living at Punda during the great floods of 2000, with
a few stories to tell now. Thanks to them we had a new animal spot one
evening, a Large Spotted Genet, nipping in and out of the grass just outside
the fence, too cute. Overall the weekend was very pleasant indeed. We knew
it would be busy, and it was. We knew that at times it would be noisy, and
it was. But everyone was friendly, although I think we might have probably
been the only non native Afrikaans speakers there! I sometime feel like I am
in a foreign country!

After Punda, only another 6 nights left in the park. Can't be greedy now,
but once you are here and settled in it is just a way of life.
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Kruger - Shingwedzi the first installment

Now we knew that our first visit would be the lull before the storm of the oncoming long holiday weekend, but we were proved somewhat wrong!

Of the larger camps in the park I would say that Shingwedzi (S23 06.580 E31 25.928) is probably our favorite. The campsite is large and fairly open but there are plenty of trees and the pool although dated is large and welcoming. We found a nice spot in amongst some Mopani trees which would offer shade and hopefully some protection from any heavy dew. As it turned out that first night, dew was the least of our worries!

Sue woke me not long after midnight as it seemed that a thunderstorm was approaching and we needed to close the end flap of the tent to keep the rain off. Well that we did and thank God we had. Soon after, the mother of all storms hit! We had to close every flap down, and listen to the gates of hell open outside. It hurled it down. The gusts of wind were scary. But we had faith in the tent, well we hoped we did! For nearly an hour the storm lashed away, and it rained another hour after that until the night was still again. All the while we had to keep pushing the tent up over the ladder to drain the swimming pool that kept creating itself there. At one point in the worst of it I had to hang down on the ladder to rescue our towels that we had hung out to dry. By torch light we could only see water all around us, but at least we were above it, not those in ground tents!

For some reason come morning we felt a bit sleepy! With the ground being quite sandy most of the rain had drained off. We found out later that over 90mm had dropped on the area in that hour or two. A few trees in the rest camp did not survive the wrath of the storm but thankfully none around us.

The remainer of our stay was very quiet in comparison. Lions were to be heard each evening but not seen by day. The cute Pearl Spotted Owls also paid a visit but no Giant Eagle Owls were heard or seen. All we did know was that our looming stay up at Punda Maria from Friday to Tuesday would be another experience altogether!

Kruger - Tsendze

It is always good to get back to somewhere that you like being at. Tsendze is that place, or at least we hoped it would be!

After checking in at Mopani rest camp and been allocated a pitch it was just a short drive to Tsendze to see if the place still had the same magic. I think it is the only campsite that they allocate pitches for, people reserve their favorite spots. You can select an alternative once you are in camp but only if the office approve having phoned them to check. As it turned out pitch 28 suited us just fine. Some shade for Mufasa and plenty of options of sun to move the solar panel around in. We only had 2 nights booked but another stop there was booked for the following week on our way back down from Punda Maria. Our most favorite thing in Tsendze are the outdoor showers either for a cold midday cool off or an evening hot warmer.

The highlight of the stay was a very cute little owl that had not seen before, the Pearl Spotted Owl. We had heard them in the morning and during the day but not managed to locate them, but thankfully they came to rest briefly in the big tree on our pitch, very cute. I also managed to track down an African Scops Owl just before going to bed on the second evening, even smaller than the Pearl Spotted.

The second night was a bumpy one thanks to the thunderstorm that brushed past us, but most of its anger was vented elsewhere. The camp looked like it had had its fill of rain a few weeks before we had arrived and certainly didn't need topping up.

It was a shame to only have a short stay but knowing that we would soon be back we didn't mind. You never know we might even drag ourselves out of camp for a drive next time!

The next stop was Shingwedzi, and with a bit of luck, no make that a lot of luck, the chance to hear and see the Giant Eagle Owls that frequent the area!

Kruger - Balule and Letaba

The drive over to Balule from Maroela was nice but quiet on the wildlife
front. We saw the usual numbers of Impala and some White Rhino but not much
else until we reached the Nsemani Dam near Satara rest camp. We spent a
while there watching three young Bull Elephants having a great time in the
water. They kept completely submerging themselves and then would emerge in a
flood of water to chastise each other. Every now and then one of them would
make like leaving the water but would turn and tussle with either of the
other two at the last moment before ploughing back in to go under again.
They enjoyed it, so did we! There was plenty of other activity too. Hippo,
Crocs, Storks and Herons to name but a few. We stopped off at Satara
(S24.39304 E31.77825) to have coffee and breakfast after making use of the
shop to top up on a few essentials, tonic water for the sundown Gin and
Tonics!!

Leaving Satara we headed north to Balule (S24.05328 E31.73388) on the S90
gravel road. Once again a very nice drive but not much to be seen anywhere.
We had checked in for Balule at Satara so we did not need to venture over to
Olifants rest camp first. Balule is another small camp split into two
sections. Camping on one side and basic huts on the other. It was baking hot
when we arrived at around midday. The choice spots are the ones along the
fence near the river with a bit more shade. We didn't think we could fit on
the only 2 free ones so we parked up elsewhere. After a brief stop in the
roasting sun we decided that we needed to get some more shade somehow. There
is no power at Balule, period. So we needed to get some sun on the solar
panel again. We managed to arrange ourselves in one of the free places with
some shade but also plenty of sun where it was required. Cold beer and feet
up time!

Our three nights there were great. You can not see the river from camp but
you can hear it, and its resident Hippos. We managed a good sight of them
during the nights as they came munching along the fence. One advantage of
being high up on Mufasa, we could see over the small bushes between us and
them. As for game drives. We ventured out to Olifants rest camp one morning,
not out of camp until after 08h30 as the tent was soaking with dew. The
skies were as clear as clear can be during the nights. Olifants has had a
lot of work done to it and they haven't finished yet. However as usual what
has been built is starting to look twenty years old already, not good
standards of construction. The high point of the rest camp is the view it
commands over the Olifants river below, fantastic! We were back in Balule
before midday, too bloody hot to be out and about!

We met two very nice chaps in camp during our stay. Peter from Namibia in
his 28 year old Jurgens motorhome that he had only had for a couple of
months and Trevor in his Land Rover Defender 130. Peter was only there our
first night, but Trevor was only leaving the day after us. We had two great
afternoons and evenings chatting, quaffing the odd cold beer, and dinners.
Trevor was tall and interesting chap, with many a story to be told to keep
us entertained! Sometimes it is not just the wildlife that makes for an
enjoyable stay, the interesting people you meet along the way are highlights
too. Leaving Trevor in camp to enjoy his last day in peace it was off to
Letaba rest camp (S23.85553 E31.57902) for us for just one night. Some of
you may guess why knowing Sue, yep washing machine time!!

We like Letaba but it is probably not our favourite of the bigger camps.
However it does have facilities that the little satellite camps just don't.
We were barely in camp 5 minutes and the washing was out of Mufasa and
getting itself clean. Thankfully the weather which was cloudy and cooler
perked up a bit and by the end of the afternoon all was dry, and Sue was a
happy bunny again.

Our next stop in the park would be at our favourite camp, Tsendze, the
satellite camp to Mopani rest camp. We just hoped that it was as good as we
had remembered!
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Kruger - Malelane to Maroela

It is always good to get back to the bush. Mountains are brilliant, the sea
is fun, the bush is ... well the bush, a living breathing unpredictable
vastness.

After a long hot and scenic drive from Dullstroom we eventually arrived at
the gates of the Kruger Nation Park, Malelane gate to be specific. We had
stopped off in Nelspruit (S25.47519 E30.96956) for supplies on our way and
saw the revamped football stadium for the ever nearer World Cup. Looks like
Nelspruit would be a great base for the early stages of the competition,
plenty in town and plenty of camping around and about.

Our first camp would be at Malelane Camp (S25.47633 E31.51265) just a few
kilometres from the gate, and a new camp for us. All we knew was that it was
small. It turned out to be a pretty camp, and pretty busy in both the
camping and the few huts, well it was the last weekend of the school Easter
holidays. However the camp was quiet, well inside the camp at least. Being
so close to the edge of the park and also the town of Malelane it was not
the most peaceful of places at times. The area outside the park is prime
sugar cane land with all the noise that goes with farming, and the town was
quite noisy at times with music drifting its way over on the wind every now
and then. All in all though the camp was a good stop but being busy we had
only a few spots to chose from. The first was nice and we had almost settled
in when we noticed a couple of dangling branches overhead swaying in the
breeze. Not good for tents, solar panels, or Mufasa! The second was a muddy
swamp. The last spot was in full sun and pretty hot that first afternoon,
but seeing as our power lead would not reach the nearest plug point the sun
was gratefully received by the solar panel. We had 2 pleasant nights there,
not even venturing out for a game drive as we had a long drive north thru
the park to the second camp. Our rest day was as usual taken up with
chilling, reading, and feet up.

Come the morning it was back into bush drive mode. Up with the larks to try
and get out of the gate as soon as possible after the 06h00 opening time. I
think we managed it by 06h15, not a bad effort considering we have to pack
everything away before we leave. We started off with the loop west and north
via Berg-en-Dal rest camp (S25.42696 E31.44987). As it turned out a slow but
fruitful drive. Elephant, Giraffe, White Rhino, and some endangered and
crazy looking Ground Hornbill. Oh and 3 Lions, 2 Male and 1 female. One male
an onlooker and the other two a mating pair. As usual the poor things were a
bit hampered with tourists being the busy southern part of the park and also
a Sunday. We eventually made it up to Skukuza rest camp (S24.98991
E31.59269) for a late breakfast at just gone 11h00 some 85km later. Knowing
we had quite a way to still go we had a quick bite and a cup of coffee
before heading off again. As always Skukuza was bursting at the seams, not
our favourite camp at all.

The rest of the drive was slow going at times, and not much to be seen. We
chatted to a passing Canadian couple who seemed disappointed not to have
seen much. Well that all changed. First off we came across another
endangered bird, the Saddle Billed Stork. What a pretty bird, goofy looking
but stunning. Must remember to send some pics to the EWT, just one of the
species of bird and animal they are tracking. THEN, not long after, Lion and
their kill, a very rank Giraffe corpse, not too fresh and very smelly. About
3 male and 7 female Lion we counted all very fat and sleepy. Two were still
picking at the rank remains, probably as they were to full to move away. As
with all Lion sightings it was zoo time, quite a few vehicles. We only
stayed for a few minutes when we managed to get thru. Some people just park
for ages blocking the way, stopping the traffic jam from moving and worst of
all hassling the poor cats. Sigh. THEN, just up the road, a sight that we
only saw as far as we know. A cat in the road ahead. We stopped a way back.
Binoculars up, WOW, a female Leopard and a tiny tiny cub!! She must have
been crossing the road and stopped for a pause and a breath. As soon as we
stopped, about 30m away, she picked the little chap up oh so carefully and
made her way off into the bush. No pics, but it lives upstairs in the memory
bank.

We eventually made it to Orpen rest camp (S24.47441 E31.39081) to book in at
just after 17h00, a long hack, but what a great day. Our final encounter on
the way was a large herd of Elephant, some cute youngsters. With booking in
formalities done we drove the short distance to Maroela camp (S24.45630
E31.39827). Again a small camp and only camping, no huts. We have a lovely
spot right at the fence, the electric cable just reaches the box to plug in.
A bit of shade for Mufasa. Tonight is our 3rd and last night here. Again we
have not ventured out as it is so nice just sitting watching birds and the
odd buck. As we are in the park for over 3 weeks we do not feel the need to
drive every day, relaxing and just listening to the sounds of the wild is as
good as a game drive sometimes. As with most camps there is a electric fence
and a security patrol at nights. Well, Spotted Hyena security patrol outside
the fence. People have a stupid tendency to chuck scraps over for them to
eat, which eventually leads to the poor animals being shot as the become a
danger. You would think the 'DO NOT FEED THE ANIMALS' signs on the fences
with the picture of a Hyena, and the threat of fines and jail would stop the
idiots but we have seen it in the past.

Last night was a clear starry night, absolutely beautiful. All day today we
have had over 15 little Dwarf Mongooses running around our feet chirping to
each other as they go. One almost took a fancy to my toes until I wiggled
them and it hopped away in fright. They were very intrigued with Mufasa.
Hopping up on the axles and even getting higher up and plodding around on
the rear fuel tank. I think they got the invite from one of the Squirrels
that has been with us since we got here, he had to be chased out of the rear
of the truck!! Tomorrow we have another 06h00 date with the road and a
shorter trip up to Balule camp just the satellite camp to Olifants rest
camp. This area is supposed to be good for Cheetah, Leopard and Lion,
fingers crossed!!!
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