Kruger National Park
South Africa
South Africa
Trip Report: Camping in Kruger (again)
+ a bit of Eswatini
2019
+ a bit of Eswatini
2019
Shimuwini Bushveld Camp
Shimuwini is our holiday camp within Kruger. Its remoteness, its large lawn, the river with its hippos and assorted other creatures to entertain. Who cares if the private road is a mediocre producer. This is the camp you come to when you need a real holiday. If you stay for multiple days, I bet you there will be one day when you don't even get in your car. Yes, it has that lazy plunk your butt in a chair feel.
We had a GC5 again, this time #6. Two twins in the BR and three in the living area with an outdoor kitchen. And it felt so, so comfortable. B was happy because we were finally grounded somewhere for four whole nights so she could unpack. I was happy because I didn't have to haul all the crap in and out of the SUV for four days.
We had a GC5 again, this time #6. Two twins in the BR and three in the living area with an outdoor kitchen. And it felt so, so comfortable. B was happy because we were finally grounded somewhere for four whole nights so she could unpack. I was happy because I didn't have to haul all the crap in and out of the SUV for four days.
So, for the next few days, we relaxed. We went on some no-stress drives. We drove up to Mopani to get cell reception and to have lunch. We enjoyed Shimuwini and Kruger. We went on a SanPark morning drive. In fact, we were the only two on the drive and despite the usual four person minimum, they brought a driver down from Mopani just for us - I guess because I booked it months out. The picture below of the hyena was the only great sighting on the drive. The last full day of our stay - Friday - we didn't even get in the vehicle.
But despite our lazy schedule, we still saw some animals . . .
But despite our lazy schedule, we still saw some animals . . .
This next sighting is all mine. We were on the river road and we went into a wash (a dry river) and I liked the look of the rocks about 20m away. I stopped and looked with the binoculars. Boom! A leopard lounging on a rock. we watched him for 1/2 an hour and then went back to camp and told a bunch of others, who rushed out to see. They all had a good sighting.
Now about that tick . . .
Remember those reds welts? Well, they got really ugly. And a rash started. And I developed a fever which topped out at around 38.7C on our third night in Shimuwini when I basically face planted in my steak from the braai. Four bites of steak. Boom. Something was definitely wrong with me. And we were more than an hour from the closest doctor in Phalaborwa. A conversation with our Dutch neighbours the next morning (both African born btw) seemed to point to the tick bite but with no Internet available, we were just guessing. Finally the next day - Friday - day 4 after I found the tick - and one day after I broke our thermometer - we decided to go to the manager and ask him to call the doctor who was in Skukuza Rest Camp. We were heading further north the next day and we needed to know what options we had. Paul Mgiba (the camp manager) kicked in and dragged out his medical suitcase and he was ready for anything. Malaria quick test kit - available. Thermometer - well, he couldn't find the strips but they were in there somewhere. "Was Medvac available?" "Sure, do you want a helicopter?" No, he didn't really say that but he did assure us that every medical emergency resource we needed was available. Kudos to SanPark and Paul Mgiba!
I talked with the doctor and he talked us down from the ledge. He diagnosed a possible flu, possible tick bites but with my symptoms, it was not a big deal and I should just keep taking the Tylenol and antibiotics from our stash. B always comes prepared.
And he said that unless it got worse we should just continue on with our trip . . . so we did.
I talked with the doctor and he talked us down from the ledge. He diagnosed a possible flu, possible tick bites but with my symptoms, it was not a big deal and I should just keep taking the Tylenol and antibiotics from our stash. B always comes prepared.
And he said that unless it got worse we should just continue on with our trip . . . so we did.