We were packed and ready to leave today at 6:30am. It was slightly cooler this morning as we headed south to Satara for our final stop being heading west down the road we entered the park 13 days ago. The drive down to Satara was very pleasant as we got closer to Satara the game noticeably increased. We saw a relative rarity of a Montagu’s Harrier pretty much in the same place I first saw one. We also saw a number of black backed jackal in what looked like them trying to corner a Kori Bustard. They seemed to lose interest and we doubted they would actually be able to take it out.

We had breakfast at Satara and then headed out west back to Orpen gate. Last year we saw leopard on that road as we headed out and we hoped for a repeat performance but alas it was not to be. We headed out of the park and back to the airport. We got to the final turn for the airport and the road was blocked off entirely by police and they just waved us on. This isn’t like you could just take the next road right. I drove while M looked at maps to see how we had to go and it was about another 50 kilometers we had to do and it was showing an additional 30-45 minutes to get back to the airport from the other side.

Last night there was some questioning of me building in a bit of time for eventualities. I expressed it as needing time to watch a lion kill or identify a super rare bird but I did go on to say “you never know what might go wrong”. Fortunately that buffer of time was in place to allow us to do the detour and still make our flight in time. We discovered at the gate of the airport (you have to do a security check) that it was a car accident that morning and 13 people were killed. A minibus taxi collided with a pick up truck (bakkie for Safricans).

We got to the airport at 12:30pm and the queue was ridiculous for checking in (as for some reason it always is at that airport). We sent H off to get a place in the queue while we unpacked the car and I handed back the rental car. By the time we got to join her she hadn’t really moved but then eventually we managed to just cut the line entirely (all the foreigners queue so nicely they entirely left one counter open). The airport was chaos though with people everywhere and no seating available at all. We got some snacks and headed through security.

Shortlly after that an Airlink staff member came through and called for any of the Temple party and said one of pieces of luggage had failed the security check and we needed to come back with her. I went and it was the friidge they were concerned about because of “all the wires”. I explained it was a fridge but that inside we had our coffee machine (we have a hand held nespresso machine) and our flask and mugs etc. The ‘security officer’ assessed my comments and me and said he was OK with it then but I needed to sign stating that and then they would rescan it and load it. It seems I come across as very trustworthy! We departed 15 minutes earlier and landed 30 minutes early back in CT.

While the predator sightings weren’t great – 3 sightings of lion, 2 hyena and 1 set of wild dog – the birding was good even though we never matched last years total. This year’s final tally for me was 208 birds versus 211 last year. Everyone had a list over 200 I believe. The lifer count was impressive – O 25; H 24; M 18 and me 5. Both M & H passed 500 birds with H doing that in just over 2 years. I don’t even have to ask others what the highlights were. I am pretty sure it would be the birding in Pafuri region & wild dog sighting. Miss I might say the impala or elephant or the windmills. She became an expert windmill finder and could tell you whether it was broke or not.

The lowlights would be the lack of game in general around Shingwedzi and the lack of predators and most especially not seeing a leopard. That is actually a first for me to go to the Kruger for 13 days and not see a leopard. I did hear a number of people remarking on how few predators they had seen so our experience was not unique. The heat was stifling at times, the aircons could be more effective and we always end up eating too much meat but really in the grand scheme of things all those issues are minor and we consider it a great privilege to be able to spend 13 days in the Kruger Park. Tomorrow morning I will no doubt wake up at 5am and want to get up for a morning game drive. H & I are already planning next year’s trip 🙂

We have a mini-break around the corner in about 2 weeks for 3 nights away so I will be back soon! Until then …

P, H, M, O, I

Today was our last full day in the Kruger as we fly home tomorrow. O had decided she was just going to be in the camp for the day and wouldn’t do any game drives. M decided to sleep in as well so it was just H & myself that went out for the morning and evening drives. In the morning we left at 5:30am and we were the 3^rd car out of the gate. It seems most people were sleeping in.

We did our usual route of heading north, across the Letaba River and then head east along the river bank until you get to the Engelhardt Dam. Coffee and rusks at the Engelhardt Dam with some bird watching while we drink and then we head back to the bird hide. It was 26 degrees at just after 7am when we got out at the bird hide. It felt like 20 degrees in the bird hide. It is always like that. The wind blows off the water and straight into the hide. We came prepared this time though I left my jersey in the car and while chilly it was bearable and I didn’t bother to fetch it.

On this route we saw black backed jackal and also a hippo out of the water and easting. Those were both two good sightings. We also added a couple more birds to the bird list. My list now stands at 206 which is still 5 behind our best for the Kruger (which is 211). What is annoying is that we haven’t seen so many standard birds that we would have expected to see.  We have only seen one type of vulture, no goshawks or sparrow hawks, only one type of falcon etc. But then again we have seen almost all the eagles and a significant variety of cuckoos. It all comes down to timing, terrain and weather.

On the evening drive which we only really saw the standard game (and an elephant in the middle of the road about 1km from camp), H and I were chatting about the amount of game and bird life on an evening drive seems directly correlated to whether the temperature is over or under 35 degrees. When we did an evening drive and it was 30-32 degrees, we saw things. When the temperature was over 35 degrees, we saw very little. It was 37 degrees at 4pm today and so that explains both the conversation and the lack of game and birds.  M went out between 1-3pm while Miss I was sleeping. His 2 hours out yielded nothing of interest though.

As it is tradition for our last night, we ate at the restaurant tonight and then came back to pack up everything and head to bed for our start tomorrow to head for the airport. One last opportunity to get those extra few birds and hopefully to see an elusive leopard.

P, H (for coming with me on both drives this AM), M, O & I

We started today to make our way back south today as we headed for our last 2 nights at Letaba before flying home. It was a 160 km drive which takes around 6-7 hours with stops. We left at 6am with the aim to have breakfast at Shingwedzi. The power went off at about 5:45am and that set us back a few minutes and so we left just after 6am. You may wonder why he is so precise with his time and how could that ever be important. The reason is, timing matters in a game park and a few seconds earlier and you wouldn’t see the animal or a few seconds later and you will miss the animal. This morning was another reminder of that.

On the road we could see something in the dawn light that didn’t resemble buck but was sort of buck sized and then H and I recognised it as Wild Dog. There are only about 120 wild dog in the KNP and so to see them is always special and sure enough there were 5 or 6 on the road and running around in the bush. They are always on the go so you never get to see them for long but every time is special. They sniff here and there, wee somewhere and then suddenly head off into the bush. We probably only saw them for 2 minutes in total and they were gone. No other cars with us – just us. One of those special Kruger moments. Two minutes later arriving and we would have never seen them.

Whatever happened for the rest of the drive didn’t really matter as that would always top most other sightings (besides maybe a kill). We stopped at Shingwedzi for breakfast at just after 8am and then we stopped at Mopani for an ice cream mid-morning and then on to Letaba where we have the last 2 nights. We got to Letaba at about 12:30pm and check in time is only 2pm but we fortunately managed to get the key at around 1pm and so Miss I could have a nap. It was pretty warm by this point (around 37 degrees C) and being in an air conditioned room seemed like the place to be. The nap didn’t happen until after M removed another bat from the cupboard in Miss I’s room. We have become expert bat removers it seems.

M, O and Miss I went swimming late afternoon and H & I went for a drink at the restaurant. We got there and almost immediately spotted a lifer for O in the river and so messaged them to join us (which they did). Miss I then saw H’s lime milkshake and look a liking to that and there went half of H’s milkshake.

Dinner was a braai and M did it tonight. The fire was ridiculously hot and large. I lost 500g in perspiration last night and tonight it was M’s turn. We braai’d ostrich steak and pork steaks with some corn on cob (yes I know we had it last night too but we all enjoyed it) and potatoes. Some salad pieces (tomato, cucumber and pepper) was the other side.

It was a lovely evening with a light breeze blowing and H and I sat outside for about an hour enjoying the environment. We could hear the hippos calling from the river below and we heard an owl (African Scops Owl for those of you wondering!) hooting. Accompany that with a glass of red wine and amarula and it really did feel like a great end to the day. H & I love Letaba camp. The camp is lovely and the views are great.

Until tomorrow …

P, M (for doing the braai in 37 degrees heat), H, O & I

We decided to stay near Punda yesterday and in the morning to only head out at 6am and then do the Mahonie loop (as we had enjoyed it the previous evening). Game was in short supply – well at least the predators. We did see a reasonable amount of buck (nyala, kudu, impala etc) and the usual elephant & buffalo. It didn’t take long though for some lifers to be added for M & O. As finished the loop in under 2 hours, we felt a quick trip up Thulamila Hill would be a good thing to do before we headed back to camp. That turned out to be a good call as at the top we saw a white breasted cuckooshrike which was a lifer for all of us and a rarity for the KNP as well. Having never seen either a white or black cuckooshrike, in less than 24 hours I had seen both. Lifer for the trip for me and number 586.

For H though it was the big 500. While we have been birding for some time, H only started properly listing her birds at start of 2023. That is a pretty impressive tally for just over 2 years and 1 month. As a couple we now officially in the 1000 club which requires a minimum of 500 from each person.

We spent the rest of the day in camp. Miss I helped make flapjacks for breakfast with grandpa. Swim in the pool, visit to bird hide to download emails (place with best cellphone signal in the camp), lunch in the restaurant for H & I and then out for an evening game drive to Klopperfontein Dam. Unfortunately the evening drive was singularly unsuccessful. It was much hotter yesterday again (around 37 degrees at 4pm) and so everything was less active (including us).

Braai for dinner as usual. I felt like I perspired off 500g last night while making and doing the braai. Eventually I poured some cold water down my back and then put a wet towel around my neck and that definitely helped. The braai was pork strips, port steaks and barbecue chicken (mis-sold as thighs when it was actually breasts). Meat accompanied by butternut squash and corn on cob both done in the coals as well.

P, H (for reaching 500 lifers!), M, O & I

(PS: Marginally better signal now so hopefully now that I am caught up I will be able to post again tonight)

Today was the day to improve the birding list as we planned to leave at 5:30am and head north to Pafuri as quickly as we could. It is about 45 kms to the Luvuvhu River bridge. We did a stop and scan at the Klopperfontein Dam again (though nothing exciting) and then we headed north. Almost immediately we got into the Pafuri region we started to see birds everywhere. It is just incredible and every time we are here I am blown away by the bird life and the diversity. I think it is the best place I have birded in South Africa so far (though Mkhuze and Hluluwe are not far behind). First bird we saw was a lifer for H & O – Meve’s Starling and the morning just continued in that vain.
 
Unfortunately the bridge over the river did not yield us any specials – Bohm’s Spinetail and Pel’s Fishiing Owl are the two we were really hoping for – but then we headed east toward the border of Mozambique, Zimbabwe and South Africa. This spot is called Crook’s Corner because a crook in the late 1800s and early 1900s would head to this spot. There was a beacon in the middle of the Limpopo River which marks the corner of the 3 countries and the crook used to go there and sit on the beacon and watch the lawmen argue over who had jurisdiction to arrest the crook. Eventually they would abandon the argument and head off home leaving the crook to pick which country he/she wanted to head into.
 
The bird life in this narrow stretch along the Limpopo River is simply incredible. Things you can’t see elsewhere in South Africa you find in this small strip. We went to Crook’s Corner and on route M hit the big 500 lifers with a Broad Billed Roller.  We then headed back to the picnic spot which is on the Limpopo River and probably one of the nicest picnic spots in the Kruger Park. On route some more lifers were picked up by H & O. At the picnic spot someone pointed out another lifer for all of us including me – Black-throated Wattle Eye. This was one the birds that evaded us on our KZN road trip last year. It was sitting on its nest. That was lifer 3 for me on the trip. The lifers just kept coming for H & O yesterday morning including ones as we headed back to Punda Maria. They are both over 20 lifers for the trip now.
 
We got back just before midday and got Miss I off for her nap and the rest of us went to take it easy as well. Unfortunately the sickness that O had which went briefly to Miss I has now moved to M. So he decided to skip the evening drive and stayed in camp instead. The other 4 of us headed out at 3:45pm and did the Mahonie loop around the camp. It is a 25km circular route and it yielded another lifer for me (and when that happens it is generally a lifer for everyone). Disappointing for M but then he messaged to say he had seen a lifer of his own in the camp. Made us feel less bad. I finished the day on 193 birds for the trip.
 
We did steak on the braai for dinner which we then sliced and made into a steak salad. It was a nice way to finish off an excellent day.
 
P, M (he made 500 on a day he was sick so deserves 2^nd spot), H, O & I

PS: I know I am behind – signal bad and hoping to catch up soon.

We left on Monday morning for Punda Maria. As it was only a 75 km drive, we decided to sleep in and only leave around 8:30am and then to take a slow drive. Of course, H & I were awake by 5:30am and it seems Miss I has fallen into a similar routine as she was also awake early (much to M & O’s dislike). H & I went for a walk around the camp for the last time and it was quite pleasant to do it at that time of the morning as it was only mid 20s at that point.

As it was already quite late when we left, the temperate had risen to 32 degrees C and the bird life and animals were already heading for shelter from the heat. We did not see much either in the way of animals (except the standard ones) or birds.  I only added 2 new birds on the drive. We arrived at Punda Maria at about 11:30am and check in time was only 2pm. Usually if it is quiet they are happy to give you a key earlier, but they were still cleaning our accommodation. They said it would be ready at 12:30pm so we decided to order some lunch at the restaurant.

While we were waiting for them to bring our food, the receptionist came and gave us our key and as Miss I needed to sleep, M went to the chalet to drop off stuff and get it set up while we waited for the food to come. He came back and said the accommodation wasn’t great. Firstly, the one bedroom is a mezzanine room with very steep stairs but more importantly it wasn’t air-conditioned and then secondly, one of the other bedrooms air-conditioner was ridiculously noisy. M went to complain and pointed out the reservation says 3 air-conditioned bedrooms (which is factually incorrect). The receptionist said she would call the manager.

In the meantime, M & O went to put Miss I down to sleep in the non-noisy air-conditioned bedroom and when the manager arrived, I went to speak to him. He was very pleasant and agreed that the reservation was mis-stated in its description and that they were aware of the air-conditioner problem but the person coming to fix it could only come next week. I said that we couldn’t have one of us staying in the non-air-conditioned room and so we really needed another room at least and I was prepared to pay for that but staying there without air-con was not an option. Fortunately, they are not full now so he could easily give us a separate room for H & I and M, O & I could keep the house. He also offered that we check the other similar one out and we could have that (it was next door) if we preferred it. Both air-cons worked in that one so we agreed to swap after Miss I awoke from her afternoon nap.

O was not feeling well and so they all stayed and didn’t join H & I on the afternoon drive. We went to the Klopperfontein Dam and while we only added 3 more birds to our trip list, what struck us was the quantity of birds out in the late afternoon from what we had been experiencing. Things were looking up on the birding front it seemed.

Dinner was a braai of ribs and ostrich boerewors (sausage) and then off to bed.

P, H, M (for part-dealing with the accommodation issues), I (for being so good on the drives every day) & O

PS: Blog post delayed due to limited cellphone signal and hence no photos