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Tag Archive: Kruger National Park

INCREDIBLE AFRICAN ANIMALS

AFRICAN WILD DOG The sound of an African wild dog will send shivers down your spine if you hear it for the first time.  One of it’s most striking features is it’s very large round ears. The ears are not only perfect for hearing calls over large distances but are also important for heat loss to regulate their body’s temperature.  They are very efficient and agile hunters capable of reaching speeds of up to 55km/h.  So watch out for them! Like the African civet, each of these dogs has a unique coat but they also stand out because of their interesting toes. While all other canid species have five toes, the African wild dog only has four. Bucket list:  Ticked  🙂 Status at the moment:   Endangered (estimated 5 500 left on the content) ooOoo AFRICAN CIVET These beautiful creatures are nocturnal and you have an off chance that you will… Read more >

ELEPHANT 101

This post is not about travel as such, but seeing that we had several close encounters with elephants in Mana Pools, Matusadona as well as in many of the Botswana wild parks this may come in handy.  Even in lately in Kruger National Park there were some incidents/accidents. Let’s start off with some interesting and lesser known facts about the trunk of an elephant: Feeling the vibe:  Aside from smell, the trunk is sensitive to vibrations; from the ground it can sense the rumble of faraway herds and even far-off thunder. Mighty muscles:  An elephant’s trunk has eight major muscles on either side and 150,000 muscle bundles in all. It is so strong that it can easily push down trees or roll over a vehicle. Move it:  Like the human tongue, the trunk is a muscular hydrostat – a boneless muscular structure that allows for its excellent maneuverability. Phenomenal sense… Read more >

MALELANE RUSKAMP (KNP)

Malelane Sateliet Kamp is een van die kleiner ruskampe in die wildtuin, sowat 3 kilometer vanaf die Malelane hek, wat selde vol bespreek is.  So dit is ideaal as jy op die ingewing van die oomblik besluit om wildtuin toe te gaan om diere te gaan soek. Maar miskien is die kamp ook nie vir almal lekker.  Daar is nie ‘n winkeltjie of restaurant fasiliteite nie.  Ook nie gras staan plekke nie.  Jou naaste inkopiesentrum gaan wees by Berg en Dal ruskamp ongeveer 10 kilometer verder aan. Daar is ook nie WiFi in die chalets nie, maar wie kom nou wildtuin toe om op die internet te lê? Maar as jy stilte soek weg van die gejaag en gemaal in die wildtuin is dit ‘n baie lekker kampie om in uit te span.  Die kampplekke het nie almal gras en bome nie en sommige effe skuins, maar ons kon daarmee… Read more >

PASS THE BUCK

Kruger National Park is famous for its hordes of Impala from Pafuri in the north along the 350 km stretch to the most southern gate at Crocodile Bridge.  This is so to the extent that if you see a herd of impala that you hardly  mention it to your travel buddies – unless there is really nothing else to get excited about! On our recent trip I took some time to photograph the beautiful buck faces hiding in the grass and foliage. But I think the first prize goes to the cutest curious baby Kudu, with  its white moustache, peeking through the trees to us! Despite the severe drought all the animals seem to have babies and all looked in a good shape considering the extreme drought conditions.  Park officials reckon that it is the worst drought since 1991.  We can all just hope and pray that the rain will… Read more >

THE LIBRARY @ SKUKUZA (KNP)

After  brunch at the Cattle Baron in  Skukuza village, actually on our way to collect some information for a geocache, we stumbled upon  the library with the little hero acre in front of it. Here pets who served with their masters are remembered.  Some died of old age and some died in the line of duty – defending their master and the Park. Here  Spotty, Lappies,  Percy, Hebet, Tessa and many more rest  in peace and are remembered by way of commemorative stones.  However the legendary Jock of the Bushveld  that also traversed Kruger with Sir Percy Fitzpatrick you will not find here. Tucked away under a thatched roof we found a well-stocked library with books ranging from law to French dictionaries, to all sorts of science and reference books as well as all the major daily newspapers.   Must say the comfy leather chairs in the cooled room looked… Read more >

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