Kruger National Park
South Africa
South Africa
Trip Report: Leaf Leopards & Stone Lions: Kamping in Kruger
Panoramic Route & Phalaborwa
The next morning we headed out of the park to drive the Panoramic route. We exited the park at Paul Kruger Gate and did the slow crawl to and through Hazyview. This is a notorious speed zone with crooked cops so I was very lawful. But I guess I didn’t read about the mountain climb through the pine plantations or the twisty potholed roads that we would encounter shortly thereafter. We were basically driving from the Lowveld up to the escarpment-like edge of the Highveld. I say escarpment-like because it was a westwardly-northerly declining mountain range and we had to loop around its edge and descend again later that afternoon back to the Lowveld. Six hours that turned into eight.
All went well except God had shut the blinds at the first attraction: the God's Window view site. It was in a cloud with no view while the rest of drive was sunny. We got some good pictures of fog, though. I have heard that it only has about 30 clear days per year . . .
All went well except God had shut the blinds at the first attraction: the God's Window view site. It was in a cloud with no view while the rest of drive was sunny. We got some good pictures of fog, though. I have heard that it only has about 30 clear days per year . . .
Then it was further up the road to Bourke's Potholes which are in the Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve. This is a major tour bus stop with lots of bus parking, ticky-tacky shops, a crappy restaurant etc etc. We walked down the stone path to the potholes which are small but pretty impressive water cut sandstone formations in a canyon narrows.
A solo baboon quietly sauntered up and planted himself at a picnic table at Bourke’s as if he just came out as a photo opp for tourists.
And the last stop on the Panoramic Route was the Three Rondavels, which are 3 peaks that look like the small round African huts that are called rondavels. Think of it as South Africa's Green Grand Canyon.
After the Rondavels, the journey took longer than expected as we traversed the Abel Erasmus mountain pass on R36. Construction with lane reductions and construction vehicles – and goats and cows on the road – even in the mountain switchbacks. Certainly some stunning views along the way but as driver, my job was to keep us on the road. After we came down to the lowveld again, it was a high speed run on a lonely road sandwiched between game reserves over to the major north-south road for the rest of the drive.
We finally made it to Silonque Bush Estate just outside of Phalaborwa around 4pm after a quick stop at the Spar in town. To say the road from Phalaborwa was pitiful is an understatement. However, we had a very nice house with no close neighbours in the middle of the bush. It was quite spooky actually, but other than howling hyenas - which were heard and not seen - the only wildlife we saw was a profusion of owlet moths that invaded our dinner, our patio, our kitchen . . .
We finally made it to Silonque Bush Estate just outside of Phalaborwa around 4pm after a quick stop at the Spar in town. To say the road from Phalaborwa was pitiful is an understatement. However, we had a very nice house with no close neighbours in the middle of the bush. It was quite spooky actually, but other than howling hyenas - which were heard and not seen - the only wildlife we saw was a profusion of owlet moths that invaded our dinner, our patio, our kitchen . . .