In Search of Some Good "Spots"

[Ratel]

Hi everyone.

In 3 weeks time my wife and I are leaving Central Australia behind and heading on a South African adventure! After 3 nights in Pilanesberg Game Reserve and 2 nights en-route in Dullstroom and Mount Sheba we will enter the amazing Kruger National Park at Orpen Gate. Our itinerary is as follows:

2 nights Satara
1 night Olifants
5 nights Lower Sabie.

As the name of our TT suggests, the target of our trip will be the elusive Leopard, which we have missed on previous holidays to southern Africa and Sri Lanka. We are also keen to see Serval so will be booking on a few night drives to search for the long-legged one!

Its not all about cats with us though, so in our TT you can expect plenty of cameos from other amazing animals big and small along the way.

Anyway, thanks to all of you who have taken the time to write TTs over recent years (particularly Bushcraft, whose TTs have constituted for me an online traineeship in finding Leopards in Kruger). I've enjoyed reading them all very much and have gleaned heaps of great tips and hints for our upcoming adventure.

But before you can tell the tale, you first must live it! Kruger here we come.

[Flutterby]

Hope you have a fantastic trip and find those elusive spots!

[Lisbeth]

It is very difficult to reach BC's leopard sightings, but good luck to you

[Alf]

This can only be an awesome trip.

Wish you great sightings and safe journey.

[Richprins]

Alice Springs!

Good luck, Ratel!

Where the f is Alice?

I would suggest making all 3 the first nights at Olifants or Satara...a bit laborious moving around once you start relaxing?

Lower Sabie is great for leopard, probably the best!

Over the last 7 years or so I would say most serval sightings have been in a sort of triangle between Afsaal, Skukuza and Mlondozi, for want of a better explanation, so LS fits in there as well, but it really is a question of luck, and night drives are the way to go for the best chance.

[Lisbeth]

Alice Springs is up north in the heat

[Mel]

Good luck, Ratel and enjoy big time

[Bushcraft]

Enjoy Ratel

You are in the prime area for leopard and serval. Sunset and night drives from Satara and Lower Sabie are producing plenty leopard and serval fairly often.

At the moment there’s a resident leopard just outside Satara camp (1.5km south is his main area) and he’s causing massive traffic jams there 3 times a week.

Like RP, I think Lower Sabie is in the main area and if your timing is correct you will find leopard in any direction from camp, including the H10 which is producing a leopard fairly often in the 1st 6km from Lower Sabie and 2 seem to be hanging around the Nkumbe area, but the H4-1/S79/H4-2/S130 are better options.

[Richprins]

Not good enough, BC...you must tell Ratel where they will be in 3 weeks' time...very disappointing.

[Bushcraft]

Not good enough, BC...you must tell Ratel where they will be in 3 weeks' time...very disappointing.

It's just luck provided you are driving in the main leopard areas. The leopard outside Satara mentioned above caused another roadblock this afternoon, the H1-3 is producing most days and the Lower Sabie area is firing with leopard sightings at the moment so Ratel would have to be very, very unlucky not to see multiple leopard considering the camp choice.

Serval That's another story in the day and I personally have only ever seen 2, mom and junior I assume, on the S128 and they were in the road for only around 10 seconds, but every 3rd sunset or night drive from Satara or Lower Sabie is producing at least 1 serval sighting. I just skip the drives as it costs me over R1200 for 3 hours for my clan and the first one we ever did we scored a guide who wanted to discuss boons for an hour (RP, you may have enjoyed it ) and then kudu for half an hour and I battled to control my frustration for 3 hours when I knew we were in totally the wrong place for what the majority of the guests wanted to see and my R1200 plus was going down the drain as my clan fell asleep in the first 2 hours