South Africa & Namibia
Trip Report: African Animal Adventures
Kruger Rest Camp: Skukuza
Day 12
Skukuza is the Tsonga tribal nickname for James Stevenson-Hamilton, one of the park's early administrators. It is the largest rest camp in the park and it also hosts a regional airport and an entrance into Kruger National Park. It was our gateway into Kruger.
But we had another cruel flight to get there, which is why we stayed at the Windhoek Hilton for a night - thankfully for free. The next morning we shuttled in the dark to WDH Windhoek airport for a 6:25 am flight to Johannesburg to connect with a small air hop to SZK Skuzuka Airport. Sounds like fun doesn't it? We had several hours to kill at JNB due to the connection, so we shopped a bit and had a 'gourmet' meal at Wimpeys in Terminal 2. A burger slathered with BBQ sauce. This seemed to be a South African thing because every burger I ate or saw on a menu came slathered with BBQ sauce. Wimpeys sucked bad btw. As circumstances would have it, a member of a Porsche forum that I follow was at the airport at the same time as us, doing a whirlwind reverse version of our trip but unfortunately we couldn't meet up - he was buried in the International Terminal 1 after Passport Control, while we were in the public part of Terminal 2. Oh well, next time, Richard.
The flight went off without issue and we landed at SZK a little after 2 pm. Just a little way out, I had noticed an odd road pattern down below - twice in 2 different locations. They were game roads in the concessions that were adjacent to Kruger. We secured our rental car: a Toyota (what else?) Avanza which is a mini MPV - like a small minivan. Manual transmission, left shift etc etc but after the long drives in Namibia - over 1000 km behind the wheel - this was no longer the slightest issue. Can you guess what color it was?
We drove the short distance to Skukuza Rest Camp seeing Vervet monkeys at the airport, impala on the roadside and a huge crocodile in the Sabie River just before we pulled into the gate. Hmmm. I think this is going to be a lot of fun . . . The gate is a real gate btw. It has a metal animal barrier on the ground to prevent walk-ins and large doors that are shut after hours. The camp's perimeter is a ramped fence with outward leaning electrified fencing - all to keep the wildlife out and the campers safely enclosed. You will read in Day 13 & 14 just how secure this all is.
We checked in at the camp office to get the key and to pay the daily conservation fee of R280 per person per day, so around $25 CAN. The park staff were very welcoming and park map in hand, we drove to our rodavel. Nightly cost (paid in advance) was $71 CAN.
Skukuza is the Tsonga tribal nickname for James Stevenson-Hamilton, one of the park's early administrators. It is the largest rest camp in the park and it also hosts a regional airport and an entrance into Kruger National Park. It was our gateway into Kruger.
But we had another cruel flight to get there, which is why we stayed at the Windhoek Hilton for a night - thankfully for free. The next morning we shuttled in the dark to WDH Windhoek airport for a 6:25 am flight to Johannesburg to connect with a small air hop to SZK Skuzuka Airport. Sounds like fun doesn't it? We had several hours to kill at JNB due to the connection, so we shopped a bit and had a 'gourmet' meal at Wimpeys in Terminal 2. A burger slathered with BBQ sauce. This seemed to be a South African thing because every burger I ate or saw on a menu came slathered with BBQ sauce. Wimpeys sucked bad btw. As circumstances would have it, a member of a Porsche forum that I follow was at the airport at the same time as us, doing a whirlwind reverse version of our trip but unfortunately we couldn't meet up - he was buried in the International Terminal 1 after Passport Control, while we were in the public part of Terminal 2. Oh well, next time, Richard.
The flight went off without issue and we landed at SZK a little after 2 pm. Just a little way out, I had noticed an odd road pattern down below - twice in 2 different locations. They were game roads in the concessions that were adjacent to Kruger. We secured our rental car: a Toyota (what else?) Avanza which is a mini MPV - like a small minivan. Manual transmission, left shift etc etc but after the long drives in Namibia - over 1000 km behind the wheel - this was no longer the slightest issue. Can you guess what color it was?
We drove the short distance to Skukuza Rest Camp seeing Vervet monkeys at the airport, impala on the roadside and a huge crocodile in the Sabie River just before we pulled into the gate. Hmmm. I think this is going to be a lot of fun . . . The gate is a real gate btw. It has a metal animal barrier on the ground to prevent walk-ins and large doors that are shut after hours. The camp's perimeter is a ramped fence with outward leaning electrified fencing - all to keep the wildlife out and the campers safely enclosed. You will read in Day 13 & 14 just how secure this all is.
We checked in at the camp office to get the key and to pay the daily conservation fee of R280 per person per day, so around $25 CAN. The park staff were very welcoming and park map in hand, we drove to our rodavel. Nightly cost (paid in advance) was $71 CAN.
The rodavel was in a small group of 3, set back about 25m from the river with a large guesthouse to one side and the open space beside the restaurants on the other. The secure fence separated us from the riverbank. Our little enclave of 3 huts, was enclosed by a small wooden fence on 3 sides so it was actually pretty private. The rondavel was clean and quite comfortable but it had been in use for many years. The daily housekeeping was a major bonus and certainly one that doesn't exist in public park camps in North America. In fact, the whole camp setup is unique. They had large family bungalows, a mess of exterior and interior rondavels, tents for rent, and RV lots, as well as small spots to pitch a tent, so you could camp in whatever style you wanted to suit any budget. For supplies, they had a large store that sold booze, foodstuffs, camping supplies and over half the store was devoted to T-shirts and gift goodies. As well, there was a steak restaurant chain - Cattle Baron - on site - with a take-away snack bar beside it. WiFi was free in this area - compliments of CB. Skukuza is the largest camp in Kruger, but this setup - in smaller form - is duplicated in all rest camps (accept for the free WiFi). Pretty good camp overall and you really don't feel that you are roughing it at all.
With a 5:30 pm gate close, we didn't have time for a drive so we settled in and finished the day with a steak dinner at the Cattle Baron. As usual, it was crazy cheap and very good. A bottle of wine disappeared as well.
With a 5:30 pm gate close, we didn't have time for a drive so we settled in and finished the day with a steak dinner at the Cattle Baron. As usual, it was crazy cheap and very good. A bottle of wine disappeared as well.
Day 13
We were up early with the sounds of the river and the sounds of other campers heading out at the gate opening of 6 am. You know, early bird catches the worm? The river's only visible life seemed to be the hadada ibises whose noisy crow-like call was often heard day or night. I knew there were other things out there but for the whole time we stayed at Skuzuka I saw nothing from our river view . . . except . . . but I am getting ahead of myself again so just wait. After coffee and a light breakfast, we were ready to drive.
So, just to paint the complete picture for you . . . Two early 60s tourists. Road warrior salesman + executive director of an association. Canadians from the near-burbs of Toronto. With outdoor's cognisance but not regular outdoorsy people by any stretch of the imagination. Secure in a Toyota rental in the bush in Africa. Front windows 1/2 way down. Driving on the wrong side of the car on the wrong side of the road shifting with the wrong hand. We have 4 cameras in the car. A Canon EOS with a 18x135mm zoom lens, my incredible Sony RX-100 and 2 x iPhone 6 Plus. We have water - I mean really? You have to ask? We have bought and thrown out so much water by this point in our trip we could have easily filled a bathtub. So we are ready.
Just a mile from the gate, we had our 1st sighting. A pair of warthogs - one of whom is pictured at the top of this page. Ugly things with no fear whatsoever. Then is short order: beautiful graceful impala, baboons doing the barking/shrieking baboon thing, Vervet monkees, Cape buffalo in the distance on the river. These weren't really incredible sightings but I have to tell you that the thrill of not knowing what you would see around the next corner is seriously intoxicating.
We were up early with the sounds of the river and the sounds of other campers heading out at the gate opening of 6 am. You know, early bird catches the worm? The river's only visible life seemed to be the hadada ibises whose noisy crow-like call was often heard day or night. I knew there were other things out there but for the whole time we stayed at Skuzuka I saw nothing from our river view . . . except . . . but I am getting ahead of myself again so just wait. After coffee and a light breakfast, we were ready to drive.
So, just to paint the complete picture for you . . . Two early 60s tourists. Road warrior salesman + executive director of an association. Canadians from the near-burbs of Toronto. With outdoor's cognisance but not regular outdoorsy people by any stretch of the imagination. Secure in a Toyota rental in the bush in Africa. Front windows 1/2 way down. Driving on the wrong side of the car on the wrong side of the road shifting with the wrong hand. We have 4 cameras in the car. A Canon EOS with a 18x135mm zoom lens, my incredible Sony RX-100 and 2 x iPhone 6 Plus. We have water - I mean really? You have to ask? We have bought and thrown out so much water by this point in our trip we could have easily filled a bathtub. So we are ready.
Just a mile from the gate, we had our 1st sighting. A pair of warthogs - one of whom is pictured at the top of this page. Ugly things with no fear whatsoever. Then is short order: beautiful graceful impala, baboons doing the barking/shrieking baboon thing, Vervet monkees, Cape buffalo in the distance on the river. These weren't really incredible sightings but I have to tell you that the thrill of not knowing what you would see around the next corner is seriously intoxicating.
To game view, you had to watch the road and you had to scan the bush on both sides for color or movement. As the driver, I also had to keep on the road and on my own side of it. The bush was thorny dry scrub with small thorny trees so you could call it medium dense bush. After 10m the animal was gone. The park etiquette requires that you to pull over on the side of the road with a sighting so you don't block traffic. Of course, a pulled over car signals to everybody to slow down and pull over to see what you are looking at. At major sightings, you can have the whole road blocked with a dozen cars and Land Cruisers and RVs with half the cars not knowing where to look or even what they are looking for. We didn't run into that kind of jam for our 1st couple of days. These encounters do lead to some interesting conversations with people as everybody is universally friendly it would seem. Nationalities dissolve when there are cool animals to see. It was common to give 'the wave' to other drivers although female drivers don't. Not even once.
One thing you have to really plan is meals and washroom breaks. You can't just step out of the car and sneak around a bush for relief in Kruger. These are real live wild animals. You have to go to a rest camp or one of the strategically placed rest stops which while not fenced are considered reasonably secure. You see, animals don't like people as a rule and the places we congregate in the wild are viewed with caution. Baboons and monkeys treat these areas like a buffet but other animals, not so much. This keeps the rest stops safe during the day and at night there are no people as we are all in the camps. Further on this topic, animals view a vehicle as an entity not as transport for tasty treats. They see them all the time and are wary but blasé. But if you break the illusion and step out of the vehicle, or stick your arm out or a massive camera lens, you call attention to the fact that you are meat.
After a couple of hours, we circled back to Skuzuka for lunch and a pit stop. Then it was off again for more. We had seen those few things but we wanted some real game. The Big 5, y'know! And for the record, they are: lion, elephant, Cape buffalo, leopard and rhinoceros. Well, we weren't that lucky this day but we did find a pond with a man made waterhole nearby and . . . a giraffe!
One thing you have to really plan is meals and washroom breaks. You can't just step out of the car and sneak around a bush for relief in Kruger. These are real live wild animals. You have to go to a rest camp or one of the strategically placed rest stops which while not fenced are considered reasonably secure. You see, animals don't like people as a rule and the places we congregate in the wild are viewed with caution. Baboons and monkeys treat these areas like a buffet but other animals, not so much. This keeps the rest stops safe during the day and at night there are no people as we are all in the camps. Further on this topic, animals view a vehicle as an entity not as transport for tasty treats. They see them all the time and are wary but blasé. But if you break the illusion and step out of the vehicle, or stick your arm out or a massive camera lens, you call attention to the fact that you are meat.
After a couple of hours, we circled back to Skuzuka for lunch and a pit stop. Then it was off again for more. We had seen those few things but we wanted some real game. The Big 5, y'know! And for the record, they are: lion, elephant, Cape buffalo, leopard and rhinoceros. Well, we weren't that lucky this day but we did find a pond with a man made waterhole nearby and . . . a giraffe!
I love giraffes. They are so tall but so calm and peaceful. They don't make any sound btw. Very graceful and awkward at the same time. As we were pulling out of the waterhole I glanced over at the pond and remarked that all that was there were some turtles sitting on rocks in the middle. Except when I looked closer the rocks had eyes. Hippos!
I won't bore you with every sighting but around the corner we saw a rhino in the distance up a riverbed and we stopped at a pulled over car a little ways up the road. They were staring at a rocky outcrop. We asked the driver. A leopard! He described where it was and after a while, I finally saw it. It was sleeping - oblivious to its rock star status - in the crotch of a rock. The cameras were useless but my 50 year old pair of binoculars came in handy for a glimpse.
And then we had to get back to the camp because we had a reservation to keep. I had booked a walk in the bush.
When we got back to our rondavel to change, we were entertained by a raiding troop of Vervent monkeys who buzzed by looking for food. The park has a strict no feeding policy because nuisance animals have to be relocated or put down. The people 2 doors away didn't get this memo and threw them some fruit.
And then we had to get back to the camp because we had a reservation to keep. I had booked a walk in the bush.
When we got back to our rondavel to change, we were entertained by a raiding troop of Vervent monkeys who buzzed by looking for food. The park has a strict no feeding policy because nuisance animals have to be relocated or put down. The people 2 doors away didn't get this memo and threw them some fruit.
Oh and yes, I did say a walk in the bush a paragraph or two back. Like in really out with the animals. No, I am not crazy because we obviously survived as it is all done very professionally. You sign a waiver donating your carcass to the animals. You ride out in a Hilux with 2 Rangers that know the bush well. You get out for a 3 hour small group hike, walking in single file on a trail that they use all of the time. The rangers lead - armed with loaded .458 rifles. You have to dress to blend in. Neutral earth colors only. No blacks or whites or bright colors. Except the woman that came wearing a red sweater . . .
We arrived at the main gate area to wait for the group to assemble. While we were waiting a warthog was loose inside the camp rooting around in the flower bed beside the admin buildings. And nobody cared. The staff just walked by shaking their heads. Before long, his mate and kids had joined him in the fun. So much for the secure camp - although the rangers told us that warthogs can dig under the fence.
We arrived at the main gate area to wait for the group to assemble. While we were waiting a warthog was loose inside the camp rooting around in the flower bed beside the admin buildings. And nobody cared. The staff just walked by shaking their heads. Before long, his mate and kids had joined him in the fun. So much for the secure camp - although the rangers told us that warthogs can dig under the fence.
After the pre-walk pep talk, we set out for the walk. Basically, it was a walk through dung for 3 hours. While it was pretty exciting walking in the bush, the only animals we saw were some impala and kudu. Lots of evidence - lion prints, rhino and elephant dung but no animals in the flesh. But I can now distinguish between rhino dung and elephant dung.
Overall, it had been a good day. We had our 1st big taste of Kruger driving and we were addicted. Our big 5 count: 3/5 Not too shabby for a couple of amateurs.
Overall, it had been a good day. We had our 1st big taste of Kruger driving and we were addicted. Our big 5 count: 3/5 Not too shabby for a couple of amateurs.
Day 14
I woke up early and went outside to make a coffee at daybreak. You can hear the bush slowly start to wake up and the the damn ibises roll by squawking and all peace and quiet is shattered. I walked down to the river fence to look hopefully across but there was nothing as usual. And then I glanced over into the open space between our lot and the restaurant . . . and there was a hippo running around heading for our fence. WTF? A hippo? Inside the camp? WTF? I grabbed my iPhone from the table and took some shots as fast as I could because I knew no one would ever believe me. Please excuse the blurriness but it was only an iPhone cam and the sun was still just coming up.
I woke up early and went outside to make a coffee at daybreak. You can hear the bush slowly start to wake up and the the damn ibises roll by squawking and all peace and quiet is shattered. I walked down to the river fence to look hopefully across but there was nothing as usual. And then I glanced over into the open space between our lot and the restaurant . . . and there was a hippo running around heading for our fence. WTF? A hippo? Inside the camp? WTF? I grabbed my iPhone from the table and took some shots as fast as I could because I knew no one would ever believe me. Please excuse the blurriness but it was only an iPhone cam and the sun was still just coming up.
He was just a large adolescent and he was moving fast because he was panicked about being inside with fences and walls and people. He ran through the restaurant area and then took off down our street. Later in the day, when I told some park rangers at another camp, they were incredulous. As were my SanPark Kruger Forum acquaintances. A big animal inside a camp? Never. But I saw it. Before we left Skukuza, we saw rangers walking the fence perimeter to figure out what went wrong. Btw a hippo attack is one of the mostly deadly encounters one can face and they kill more than 500 people a year in Africa. And that was rolling through my brain as I took those pictures . . .
After that excitement, we had a leisurely breakfast and packed the car for our move to another rest camp: Lower Sabie.
After that excitement, we had a leisurely breakfast and packed the car for our move to another rest camp: Lower Sabie.