A day trip to Lower Sabie.

It is Monday 25th August & I planned to drive north in Kruger National Park. However, things didn't really pan out that way! I entered the park & almost immediately saw a very large pregnant Spotted Hyena, unfortunately I was too slow to get any decent photos, before she went into the scrub. I saw very little else as I passed Skukuza & slowly meandered adown the Marula Loop track, which is normally productive.

Some huge old males in this herd.

A small part of the Cape Buffalo herd.



 I then turned right on the H 12 & saw around 500+ Cape Buffalo crossing the Sand River.

One of the old, adult females in the group.

Two, of the three young male Lions.

Yawning, not roaring!



Next I drove the Salitje Road, which is another of my favourites, with little traffic. And so it proved today. I bumped into six Lions along the dirt track & spent around 30 minutes alone with them before another vehicle came & pushed them deep into the bush. It really was a quality sighting.

Hooded Vultures.



 I watched a couple of Hooded Vultures pecking at an old carcass in the river bed.

Woolly-necked Stork

Brown-headed Parrot



I made my way to Molondozi Dam & enjoyed a quiet view watching many Hippos & quite a few bird species including Woolly-necked Stork, Brown-headed Parrot and my first migrant Wood Sandpipers & a Little Stint.

A Black-faced Vervet Monkey eyes my biscuits!

Mother & baby Chacma Baboon.



Both Monkeys & Baboons kept an eye on me & my biscuits!

Another herd of Cape Buffalo

 along the Sabie River.



I also saw two immense herds of Buffalo, the first around 450 strong & the second herd around 750 strong! Amazing, & the noise was very loud with all the bellowing from the calves. I also had several large herds of breeding Elephants.

The wonderful Lower Sabie Camp.

Open-billed storks in front of

a rather large Crocodile!



I arrived at Lower Sabie Camp & enjoyed a nice lunch on the viewing deck. It really is in a superb situation. I then had a quick look at Sunset Dam, which held lots of Open-billed Storks + the usual immense Crocodiles!

I then took the main road back, seeing another group of four Lionesses, but too many cars in the way to get a good photo. I decided to loop around & complete the Waterhole Road & back to the Paul Kruger Gate. 

Klipspringer.

Despite intense searching my only good sighting was of a fine male Klipspringer. And so ended a very pleasant day out in the park.

Barbara in Africa!



Barbara in Africa!

I arrived back in South Africa on 6th August, drove straight to my house to meet up with Jon & Sheila Mayo (who were staying with me for the next few weeks). On the 8th I picked Barbara up from the airport. This was the fifth continent we had met on within the last nine months! Surely some kind of unofficial record? She was tired, but excited to be here.

The very next morning we embarked upon our little trip together, a four night stay in Kruger, followed by Tzaneen & the Blyde River Canyon before returning home.

Barbara at Orpen Rocks viewpoint.

Barbara's first taste of KNP!

Photo courtesy of Barbara.

Barbara was understandably tired, so we had quite a late start, but it was a beautiful morning as we drove north through the Kruger National Park.

Photo courtesy of Barbara.

Our first bit of true excitement was the sighting of nine Lions (with cubs) feeding on a Giraffe in the river bed north of Tsokwane. Four Spotted Hyenas were close by.

On one of the vehicles in the car park.

Photo courtesy of Barbara.

Rondeval at Satara.

Photo courtesy of Barbara.

We arrived at Satara quite late & checked in & had a quiet evening in camp.

A typical African sunset!

Photo courtesy of Barbara.

Savanna along the S90.

 Male Elephant.

The wonderfully charismatic Giraffe.

 Blue Wildebeest.

 Impala.

 Red - billed Oxpecker feeding on an Impala.

Steenbok.

 Ostrich with a young Blue Wildebeest.

 Kori Bustard.

 Red - crested Khoraan.

 Southern Ground Hornbill

Crowned Lapwing

 Bateleur.

Yellow - billed Hornbill

 Red-billed Hornbill.

Mourning Dove - common inside Satara Camp, 
but strangely absent outside of it.

Lilac breasted Roller.

 Long - tailed Shrike, 
a common bird of the savanna.

African (Richard's) Pipit.

Photo courtesy of Barbara.

The next morning saw us driving the S90 at dawn which passes through open savanna habitat. We managed more Lions, but the best sighting was of three Cheetahs, which we watched at our leisure, even though they were a long way away.

 The striking entrance to Olifants Camp.

 The wonderful Olifants River.

A late breakfast at Olifants Camp, followed by an afternoon drive down the Timbavati River Road (one of my favourites). This is a very scenic road, which some great river views.

Rocky outcrops are the habitat for Klipspringer.

 Male Klipspringer.

Female Klipspsringer.

Lions beside the Timbavati River.

Our tent at Tamboti.

We arrived at Tamboti Tented Camp quite late, it was nice to be back here again. There is a genuine feeling of wilderness here on the banks of the river.

 Timbavati River.

 Bobbejaankrans viewpoint. 

In the morning we left quite late but had good stops at  Bobbejaankrans scenic viewpoint & some nice game viewing.

 Common (Grey) Duiker

Immature male Nyala, found in the riverine 

thickets alongside the Timbavati River.

Smith's Bush Squirrel.

The next two days were spent driving various routes around Satara Camp. Game viewing was good, without being superb.

 Late afternoon views from the N'wanetsi viewpoint.

 Looking towards Mozambique.

The N'wanetsi River in late afternoon light.

Waterbuck are quite common, 
in this lightly wooded habitat.

 Female Waterbuck.

Kudu.

 Photo courtesy of Barbara.

Photo courtesy of Barbara.

Pearl-spotted Owl
Photo courtesy of Barbara.

 Red - breasted Swallow, singing.

Greater Blue - eared Starling.

Sunset near Satara Camp.

 Tzaneen, a mixture of agriculture, 
forestry & wilderness.
Photo courtesy of Barbara.

Photo courtesy of Barbara.

Before we knew it, we had to leave to drive to Tzaneen, where we stayed the night in a fine B&B. The next morning we drove to the Wolksburg area & enjoyed some fine scenery before heading south to stay in the resort on the escarpment near Blyde River Canyon.

Barbara at the Blyde River Canyon.

Our accommodation for the night.
Photo courtesy of Barbara.

Photo courtesy of Barbara.

Barbara hiking along one of the trails.

Photo courtesy of Barbara.

 Our chalet was in a great position & we did a couple of gentle walks around. Then we hit the road again heading south stopping off at the Three Rondevaals & Graskop.

 Driving south, towards Graskop.

Photo courtesy of Barbara.

Looking down into the lowveld

 from near Graskop.

Photo courtesy of Barbara.

 Skukuza Golf Course, the only one

 inside a national park!

Grey Heron.

 Egyptian Goose, a common species here.

Three - banded Plover.

Pied Kingfisher.

Olivers Lodge & Restaurant.
Photo courtesy of Barbara.

We arrived back home tired, but elated. The next two nights were at Sabie Park, one day into Kruger & our last night was at Olivers Lodge & Restaurant in White River. The very next day Barbara had to leave to fly back the States. It had been a short, but action packed trip.

Photo courtesy of Barbara.

You may well notice that there are only a few photographs for this post. My computer was stolen from my car on 28th August. I lost thousands of photographs including all the ones for this post before  I could post them. All of the photographs used here, were taken a couple of weeks later when I did part of the circuit I did with Barbara again, alone.

Nonillegitimati carborundum!