Mpumalanga Archives - TRAVELBUCKET

AT THE WATERHOLE

Plan your trip and times and choose a waterhole where you want to spend some time. The best time to observe the activity at a waterhole is early morning or late afternoon when the animals come for a drink. You may see different animals at different waterholes as the vegetation may differ considerably – be choosy. When approaching the waterhole drive slowly as to make the less possible noise and dust when arriving. If you arrive in a fanfare the animals and birdlife will be gone before you even know it. We are all there to have a once in a life time experience! Be considerate and pick a spot where you will not obscure the view of other people already present. Wait your turn. They were there first and we all want to experience the animals. After all that is what we all are there for. Go prepared. Take… 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 >

Tag Archive: Mpumalanga

AT THE WATERHOLE

ELEPHANT 101

MALELANE RUSKAMP (KNP)

PASS THE BUCK