After entering South Africa, we soon encountered a road crew who asked for water, which we had surplus to share (1). Dodging some herds of goats on the road, we stopped at Komatipoort for supplies before crossing the Crcodile Tiver on a long one-lane bridge to enter Kruger National Park.
We settled into our rented tent at the Crocodile Bridge Rest Camp, located on the fence overlooking the park. A female bushbok soon appeared (on our side of the fence), apparently looking for food. While the animal looked hungry, feeding of animals is strictly forbidden. At dusk, the outline of a giraffe was visible at the top of a rise against the darkening sky.
Setting off next morning in the inky pre-dawn darkness for a bush walk, the increasing daylight soon revealed thick fog over the park. Stopping a few times to observe, we opted to get back in the truck; an unexpected animals encounter while on foot in the fog is to be avoided. We found a modest rise with less fog. The two guides loaded their rifles, and into the bush we walked, me bringing up the rear (2).
Poking about eIephant wallows, dried out millipedes, and dung beetle nests, the watch-guide said he heard on his radio that there was a fresh lion kill nearby, so let's go there instead. Walking briskly back to the truck, we drove a south then west to watch a pride of lions feeding in a fresh kudu kill. Back at camp, elephants were just outside the fence, even reaching their trunks up and over the fence to the trees in the camp.
Heading north later, we opted for the Godwana dirt road, known to be leopard country. Scamming the trees yielded no leopard sightings, but we saw various birds at the Ntandanyathi Game Viewing Hide. Along the Sabie River, elephants were cooling themselves, while Hippo hid their sensitive skin in the water. We arrived at Lower Sabie camp in time for lunch.
(1) Not the first time this has happened to me in S.A. It seems basic to me to have water at a job site.
(2) One guide stops to show us various things, while the other keeps watch.
A bushbok came to visit our tent. Feeding of animals is strictly forbidden, but this bushbok acted as though it had been fed here before.
On the Bush "walk":
Satiated lioness. Note the bloody mouth
Elephants right outside the camp fence
On the drive to Lower Sabie:
Steenbok
At the Ntandanyathi Game Viewing Hide:
Ring neck dove (very common)
Along the Sabie:
Hippo briefly out of the water in the daytime sun on the Sabie River
Elephants wallowing in the Sabie
Trying to catch some shade on the far bank
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