The Wild – Kruger Park

5 -8 October 2010

Tuesday:

It’s cloudy this morning as we enter Kruger Park and Nick doesn’t believe we have sunny weather or wild animals in South Africa.  Then the sun comes out and we see: Baboons, Buffalo, Crocodile, Elephants, Giraffe, Hippo, Impala, Kudu, Lion, Mongoose, Steenbok, Vervet monkeys, Warthog, Waterbuck, Zebra + some birds (nick’s comment: we don’t know their names because no one really cares).  Hurrah for binoculars.

 Nightime = fire.  Our first few attempts fail miserably, but the Windhoek keeps us going.  We’re almost cowed into going to cook in the communal kitchens.  Then finally the wood takes.   We have our fill (and then some).  A cup of tea before bedtime, outside listening to the hippos grunting at each other.  I have honeybush and it tastes like childhood, expect better.

Janet adds: I’ve rediscovered stars.  They don’t exist in London.

Nick adds: braais rule.

Wednesday:

A bit of a lie in this morning.  Probably needed.  Our fire troubles last night meant we didn’t eat until 10 and quite a lot of beer was consumed waiting for it.  More honeybush tea with Ouma rusks for breakfast outside on our little veranda.  Then we set off for our day’s drive.  We see: Elephant (plus baby!), Giraffe (plus baby!), Hippo, Impala, Jackal, Kudu, Likkewaan (or Nick does anyway), Ostrich, Rhino(!!), Steenbok, Waterbuck, Warthogs, Wildebeest, Zebra (plus baby!) and a really crazy bird (we’ve tried to look it up but still can’t work out what it is).  

Driving is fun, apart from a few corrugated, teeth-rattling roads.  We keep having to stop to let animals cross, and at one case slow right down to follow a giraffe who didn’t seem to keen on letting us pass.  Back to camp for more fire and beer.  There are three elephants playing in the river down below. 

Janet adds: rhinos are awesome.

Nick adds: I am so sick of hearing Janet say awesome.

Thursday:

Another cool and cloudy morning.  No doubt by lunchtime it will be sunny and hot.  We still can’t be bothered to get up early, but the long nights and lack of London routine are doing me good.

On our drive today we see: Baboons, Buffalo, Crocodile, Elephant (plus lots of babies!), Fish Eagle, Giraffe, Hippo, Impalas, Kudu, Lion, Steenbok, Vervet monkeys, Vultures, Waterbuck, Wildebeest, Zebra.  There are loads of little chipmunk things as well running about the camp. 

We stopped on a bridge today overlooking the river when someone pointed out a lion.  A male, soon joined by a female – they disappeared into the grass where, judging by the vultures circling overhead, they had a kill.  We get chatting to two lads stopped next to us.  They’re on their way to Mozambique for some diving.  They give me a lot of grief for sounding so British.  One lad (Chris) says he thanks his parents everyday for moving out to South Africa. 

We also saw an angry bull elephant come very close to charging a car.  They deserved it though.  Later we stop at a lookout point where you can get out of your car (at your own risk!).  A little vervet monkey comes up straight away.  Nick kicked his car door closed just in time, but the cheeky monkey went straight to the next car and jumped through the open window.  He was chased out triumphantly clutching a mielie (corn on the cob), which he then proceeded to eat in full view of us – even moving closer when he saw me taking pictures.  We laughed so much, but then when we got back to camp we left our coolbag outside for a second.  Straight away the monkeys were in it, running off with a naartjie (leaving the peels for me to pick up and throw away).

In the evening, more fire and beer.  The only downside is the sore throat I have from driving down dirt roads with all the windows open.  The water rushing down below sounds like the sea and reminds me of camping holidays at the beach.  Both wonderful and cold. 

Nick adds: One sun bunt ‘truckers’ arm.

Friday:

We leave Kruger today and after packing up take a slow drive towards the gate.  Coming down a deep dip we come across some buffalo grazing.  They’re no more than 20 feet away from us and it’s amazing to see them so close.  Just before the gate we stop for a while at Sable dam.  There are lots of impala around, and then some zebra and warthogs trot in.  One warthog has a grooming session complete with mudbath, belly scratch and tusk sharpen.  A giraffe comes along too and we finally see one drink.  Then it’s goodbye to the wild.