Kruger National Park
South Africa
South Africa
Trip Report: Camping in Kruger (again)
+ a bit of Eswatini
2019
+ a bit of Eswatini
2019
Olifants Rest Camp
Olifants Rest Camp is a conventional large camp with over 100 bungalows, rondavels etc. We chose a premium river view rondavel - a BBD2V #12. The kitchen was outside except for the fridge which ate up valuable space inside. And while rondavels are cool from a cultural connection standpoint and they do visually fit the African bush, you really miss those corners. Yes, it was pretty squishy and the place was showing it's age. The reason for the inside fridge became apparent quickly, as I was sitting admiring the view and caught something peeking over the brick wall of our kitchen in my peripheral vision. A young baboon was checking us out to look for food to steal.
But did I mention the view?
But did I mention the view?
Yes, Olifants certainly has the best view of any camp, sitting high above the Olifants River, with the hippos munching and grunting and calling to others in the pod - all day and all night. Waterbuck on the far shore in the grass. Giraffe in the distance. Fabulous.
A funny note . . . while I was checking in at reception, the man next to me, checking in with another attendant, asked: "I saw that the water in the river wasn't blue. It was brown. Will this stop the animals from coming?"
She patiently replied: "It rained upstream and that sometimes makes the water brown with silt. The animals don't care what color it is."
A funny note . . . while I was checking in at reception, the man next to me, checking in with another attendant, asked: "I saw that the water in the river wasn't blue. It was brown. Will this stop the animals from coming?"
She patiently replied: "It rained upstream and that sometimes makes the water brown with silt. The animals don't care what color it is."
And then came the nasties . . .
It was just getting around dusk - around 6 pm. I was lighting the braai and I felt something landing on me - like raindrops. It was clear so it couldn't be rain. It was bugs. Round black bugs that smelled like cumin or coriander on your fingers when you touched them and they had green round bug friends that weren't as plentiful. They were attracted by light - any light. And they came by the thousands. This plague continued all through the dinner process. I swept our patio several times because you couldn't walk without squishing them underfoot. I cleared out the sink, the counter top and they found their way inside every time we opened the door. Disgusting. The plague lessened as it got darker but there were still a few crawling in the morning.
The next night we went to the restaurant and kept our lights off at dusk until we got back in the dark. The restaurant was very dark because they had many lights off - inside and on the patio - because of the same bugs. Under every light, there was a pile of them. The waiter said that they are a problem. And for the record, the food wasn't great - nor was the selection offered. The service wasn't bad at all but the two servers had to hustle to keep up. Another body would have really helped them.
Back to the bugs: from the forums . . . the stink bug (Nezara viridula) could be the culprit - appearing in various stages of moult. We have heard of infestations at Talamati, Lower Sabie, and Chobe in Botswana . . .
The next night we went to the restaurant and kept our lights off at dusk until we got back in the dark. The restaurant was very dark because they had many lights off - inside and on the patio - because of the same bugs. Under every light, there was a pile of them. The waiter said that they are a problem. And for the record, the food wasn't great - nor was the selection offered. The service wasn't bad at all but the two servers had to hustle to keep up. Another body would have really helped them.
Back to the bugs: from the forums . . . the stink bug (Nezara viridula) could be the culprit - appearing in various stages of moult. We have heard of infestations at Talamati, Lower Sabie, and Chobe in Botswana . . .
Now about that tick.
And what are those red welts on your foot . . . ?
And what are those red welts on your foot . . . ?
I don't know where and I don't know when but I found a tick chewing on my lower back on Tuesday morning. I ripped it off and B inspected it to make sure it was gone. A tick. Yuck. Then we started noticing all of the red welts on my right foot and leg. And they got worse over the next few days. Nasty, big tricolor zits. To be continued . . .
We went out driving and we heard about some lions from a driver that flagged us down. We drove to the spot on dirt S89 and could not find them. I guess we suck as lion spotters. Then it was off on another drive. But we came back after several hours and a car was there and he pointed them out. Perseverance pays off. A male under a tree on one side of the road about 10m back in the brush. And a female - supposedly with two cubs - in a thicket on the other.
In the picture below, I will admit that Kruger cockiness was in play here - windows open - but when the lioness tensed and gave us this look, I knew we may be a little too close. I usually shut the engine off as well to keep animal disturbance to a minimum but it was running for this photo. and the window went back up . . .
And a pair of hyena sightings. A pack at rest and a pregnant mom laying beside the tar road. There were a lot of hyenas evident on our trip. I heard them nightly wherever we were and we saw a number of them.
Two nights of the large Olifants camps was enough and we were ready to move on. The stink bugs, the fridge in the bedroom, and the people. If you have ever stayed at a bushveld camp then you already know. People are far, far friendlier in a bushveld. Everybody talks to everybody. You meet your neighbours or at least say hello. You share sightings. The larger suburb of a rest camp is just not conducive to striking up a conversation. Its like an apartment building versus a tiny village. And that is too bad.