South Africa & Namibia
Trip Report: African Animal Adventures
Kruger Rest Camp: Lower Sabie
Day 14 Continued
After the hippo excitement, we hit the road with anticipation. We were on a mission: to see elephants. I mean, how can you come to Africa and not see elephants? Our 1st spots were a herd of 5 giraffes and a beautiful female kudu. Note how close we were to the kudu - you can see Blanca taking the picture in the car's passenger side mirror.
After the hippo excitement, we hit the road with anticipation. We were on a mission: to see elephants. I mean, how can you come to Africa and not see elephants? Our 1st spots were a herd of 5 giraffes and a beautiful female kudu. Note how close we were to the kudu - you can see Blanca taking the picture in the car's passenger side mirror.
Just after the giraffes, another driver went to a great effort to flag us down. He told us to go back and take the dirt loop that we had just passed because there was a pack of wild dogs - a rare sighting - sleeping under a tree. We doubled back and drove the very bumpy dirt road and sure enough they were still there. With 6 vehicles packed in watching, it was hard to miss the spot. As we left another 2 or 3 vehicles came in.
After that, we cut south of the river again and the bush started to green up a bit more. In short order we saw a hippo, impala (of course) and more kudu. We stopped into a rest area for a pit stop - while looking around nervously for mauled tourists. Finding nothing but washrooms, a store for more water and some resident Vervets, we continued on. And then . . . in the distance . . . 100m off the road beside the river . . . we saw our 1st elephants. Success!
Shortly afterwards we pulled into Lower Sabie Rest Camp right at noon. The place was a zoo (hahaha) as everybody decided that it was lunchtime and they streamed into the camp to dine at the Mug & Bean eatery - an SA chain. We did too, amidst loud groups of tourists and squalling babies but . . . with a great river view of Cape buffalo sunning and scratching on rocks in front of us. This was home for the next two nights. We checked in and went to our bungalow to relax. Tonight (actually 4 pm) we had an afternoon game drive booked with the camp.
Shortly afterwards we pulled into Lower Sabie Rest Camp right at noon. The place was a zoo (hahaha) as everybody decided that it was lunchtime and they streamed into the camp to dine at the Mug & Bean eatery - an SA chain. We did too, amidst loud groups of tourists and squalling babies but . . . with a great river view of Cape buffalo sunning and scratching on rocks in front of us. This was home for the next two nights. We checked in and went to our bungalow to relax. Tonight (actually 4 pm) we had an afternoon game drive booked with the camp.
Our neighbours were a couple from KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. They were dairy farmers with 2 teens in private school and she was automatically defensive about it. They holidayed every year in Kruger and had been doing it for over 20 years. Now THEY were addicted. They left at gate opening every day and they didn't return until mid-afternoon. Really nice people. They regularly see impala, kudu and baboons on their own property. They found bush babies and a rock python in the tree in front of our bungalow. He made an interesting comment at one point. "We don't really work the farm, we have workers. Labour is cheap in South Africa." Yes, it is and that's a problem for the future.
We went on our game drive at 4 pm, so we started out in photographic prime time with the warm glow of a sinking sun. There were 2 rangers: the old pro and his young female trainee. The typical Toyota Hilux variant with tiered seating which she drove. Poorly. I suspect that this was her first time driving a stick because she was really, really lousy. She stalled the truck several times. She shudder started. She fought with the gearbox. I mean bad. After 1/2 hour of this nonsense, he kicked her out of the driver's seat telling us that he told her she could only make 2 mistakes driving so she was done. By this time, she had made 20.
But, but, but . . .
We had an amazing sighting. A black rhinoceros. Calmly wandering across the road. Now you may have heard about the disgusting use of powdered rhino horn as a natural Viagra by rich old men in China. It is the black rhino horn. They have been - and still are - widely poached from all over Africa - many from within Kruger itself. The rangers mark the poached skulls with red paint and leave them in place. It is so serious that they won't even publish black rhino population statistics in fear that they will just draw more poachers. They have set up gunshot sensors strategically in the bush with helicopter support. The admin on the SanPark Kruger forum asked me not to give a location of this sighting. I deleted the exif geo data from the photos as well. We were very lucky to have seen this magnificent animal roaming free. If the current rate of poaching continues, future safaris will never have the chance. Just to clarify, the white rhino - who is also black in colour - is fairly abundant. To be honest, without the ranger telling us, I would have thought it was just another white rhino since they aren't easy to distinguish apart.
The other big spot - for us - was a group of 5 sleeping male lions. The ranger had gotten a tip from another ranger so we drove up as the dark settled in. This meant animal spotting by spotlight which - to be honest - isn't much fun. It's all about the eyes. But the ranger knew where to look and this gave us the last of our Big 5 sightings. Night photo-shooting with spastic spotlights doesn't make for good pictures however. In the dark, we also saw zebras, wildebeest, a furtive hyena, hundreds of impala and a (Honey badger don't give a shit) honey badger hurrying off. Unfortunately, it was too dark to see if he was being badass but you know honey badgers . . .
But, but, but . . .
We had an amazing sighting. A black rhinoceros. Calmly wandering across the road. Now you may have heard about the disgusting use of powdered rhino horn as a natural Viagra by rich old men in China. It is the black rhino horn. They have been - and still are - widely poached from all over Africa - many from within Kruger itself. The rangers mark the poached skulls with red paint and leave them in place. It is so serious that they won't even publish black rhino population statistics in fear that they will just draw more poachers. They have set up gunshot sensors strategically in the bush with helicopter support. The admin on the SanPark Kruger forum asked me not to give a location of this sighting. I deleted the exif geo data from the photos as well. We were very lucky to have seen this magnificent animal roaming free. If the current rate of poaching continues, future safaris will never have the chance. Just to clarify, the white rhino - who is also black in colour - is fairly abundant. To be honest, without the ranger telling us, I would have thought it was just another white rhino since they aren't easy to distinguish apart.
The other big spot - for us - was a group of 5 sleeping male lions. The ranger had gotten a tip from another ranger so we drove up as the dark settled in. This meant animal spotting by spotlight which - to be honest - isn't much fun. It's all about the eyes. But the ranger knew where to look and this gave us the last of our Big 5 sightings. Night photo-shooting with spastic spotlights doesn't make for good pictures however. In the dark, we also saw zebras, wildebeest, a furtive hyena, hundreds of impala and a (Honey badger don't give a shit) honey badger hurrying off. Unfortunately, it was too dark to see if he was being badass but you know honey badgers . . .
Day 15
Rain. A relief for everybody and everything here because this is the 1st rain since March and all of Southern Africa is in a severe drought. We had heard about it at every stage of our trip from Franschhoek to Solitaire. It was particularly harmful in Kruger Park because they have been pursuing a recent policy to shut off most man-made water sources in the park. The wells were sunk decades ago to facilitate game viewing by attracting the animals. But the long term park planners realized that by providing artificial sources of water, they had changed the migratory patterns of the wildlife within the park. Herds - and their predators - stayed put but ate the landscape down to dirt. Previous grazing areas are now denuded dirt - you see them frequently as you move north of the Sabie River. Large mobile animals like elephants were doing really well but other herd animals were not. This coupled with this year's drought does not bode well for some areas of the park. So the rain was a good thing.
The day started out overcast and threatening. I checked the tree in front of our bungalow for that rock python. Yep. He was still there. Looks about 2 - 3m and about 10 m off the ground. We also watched a baboon raid on the bungalow 2 doors down. They came fast. And they came with their usual noise. He had left a bag of something out on his outdoor table. All of the sliding doors have a picture of a cheetah on it to ward off the baboons. If they get inside, they will trash the place as we were warned by our neighbours.
Very light drizzle was falling as we left the gate around 9 am. I planned to drive back to the area we had seen the lions the night before. We did and they weren't. A shy herd of wildebeest and an ostrich on a dirt road that proved undrivable due to washboard was all we found, so we turned back. The rain increased. And then I spotted a really rare one. A civet. We thought it might be a leopard but no, the face and pattern were all wrong. They are shy and they are nocturnal so a daytime spot is very unlikely. He was wet. He was pissed and I only got a shot of his butt as he disappeared into the bush.
Other animals were out on the road drinking from pools in the asphalt. Warthogs. A wary hyena. They loved the rain. Relief!
Other animals were out on the road drinking from pools in the asphalt. Warthogs. A wary hyena. They loved the rain. Relief!
The rain cleared up by lunch. We pitted at Lower Sabie and set out again. And there he was. 150 m away across the river on a sandbar. Thank you to the guy in the truck for pointing him out. You could see him with binoculars but the zoom wouldn't focus. I aimed the camera in his general direction and shot 3 photos. A lion. It was so far away that I didn't even know how good the photos were until 2 weeks later when I was editing them. Poor quality but still great action.
After that we headed south including a long stint on a dirt road. Bumpity bump. That gave us herds of zebras and wildebeest but very little else.
After that we headed south including a long stint on a dirt road. Bumpity bump. That gave us herds of zebras and wildebeest but very little else.
We finally came out just north of the Crocodile Bridge Rest Camp. And it was just before 4:30. We had 1 hour to gate close. We had time - just. It was 30 something kms. Time pressure. No time to stop.
And wouldn't you know it? We saw rhinos. We saw an elephant - much closer than before. And we saw a cheetah. Yes, folks the most elusive of the big cats. A car was pulled over so I slowed down and boom! There he was in the brush 12m from the road.
And wouldn't you know it? We saw rhinos. We saw an elephant - much closer than before. And we saw a cheetah. Yes, folks the most elusive of the big cats. A car was pulled over so I slowed down and boom! There he was in the brush 12m from the road.
We drove into the gate with 8 minutes to spare. Now THAT was a good day.
Day 16
It was great listening to the river wake up. The hippos announcing the morning, grunting and splashing in the mist. The ibises cawing raucously as usual. As the sun hit the riverbank, the crocodiles came out for sun. And the python was still in our tree. It was time to move on again. Lower Sabie suited us to a T. $106 CAN per night. We would happily go back. But for now, the time for luxury had arrived.