Africa Wild

Hey all, I decided to post my TR here as well, hope that 's fine for all of you. Some of you already read it so far, but I hope you still enjoy reading it all again and for those you haven't read it enjoy. :lol: Oh by the way, I just copied all episodes :oops:

Okay, let’s start our adventures. First of all, I want to mention that the staff in KNP were all friendly and the check in was always done within a few minutes.
After the hassle with our flights, we arrived safely and in time at Jo’burg. A quick coffee stop at our aunties house and we were on our way to my favourite place ... KNP.

We entered at Malelane and had a lovely welcome commitee ... Grey-Go-Away Birds. Their call always makes me laugh and our little one Johanna imitated it the whole trip.



It was great being back, breathing in the bush air and to leave the daily routine behind.
All excited what we would see on our way to Berg En Dal, we moved on, cameras ready and although tired bright-eyed. There were Impies and a huge family of Warthogs, here are two of them.


Unfortunately we had to leave them too soon, as we had to reach the camp in time, so we moved on and came along this Magpie Shrike in gorgeous light.



Suddenly Denise saw a Rhino with her calf, ohhhh it was so cute and adorable. What a shame that they were far away, but at least we saw our first little baby.



We continued and not even 5 minutes later there were even more Rhinos. We have never seen so many on one spot. We counted 9 of them and were flabbergasted. 11 Rhinos within such a short time, wow! It seems that 11 was not enough, as again a few minutes later we noticed another rhino bull, unfortunately we didn’t get a pic of him.





Could a start be better! A Swainson’s Spurfowl crossed the street in front of us and a Lilac-brested Roller welcomed us as well. Shortly before we reached the camp another two of the Big 5 made their appereance.





After checking in we immediately bought a some food and of course a bottle of Amarula, which we enjoyed under a sky full of stars and the sound of the bush.
We went to bed early, not knowing that we were not alone......

On we go with our adventures. I woke up really early the next morning, enjoying my first morning coffee in the park. Oh, I just love those mornings, when all others are still asleep.
As I told you we were not alone that night, as we recognized in the morning.
A little mouse must have been in the hut, as the following pic proves.




The evening before we were so tired, that we didn’t think about putting the apples away.
What a shame Denise and I slept in the same room and both of us didn’t hear anything. I would have loved to get a pic of the little thief.

Today we left Berg-en-Dal and were on our way to Biyamiti. I read so much about this camp and that sightings are fantastic there.

Our first animal of the day was a shy Commun Duiker, so gorgeous.



It vanished into the bush real fast and we moved on. Next up was a Giraffe in the road.



Such a beauty, unfortunately the light wasn’t good. After it left the street and we could admire it, this Natal Spurfowl made it appearance.



This wasn’t the last bird of the day of course and here are a few more:











One animal I was desperate to see was one of the smaller ones... a mongoose. On our last trip I had no luck to get a pic, this time the luck was on our side.



Dwarf Mongeese, oh aren’t they cute. I could have watched them for ages, as well as the beautiful Impalas.



Two more sightings for this episode were a hungry Kudu bull and a sleepy Buffalo.





to be continued soon.....

... it was a morning without much „big“ game, but we enjoyed spotting all the lovely birds. We had a look at Renosterpan and found a Crested Barbet and African Hoopoe
searching for food on the ground.






Two pretty birds at the same spot *sigh*. On the other side a Black Stork had a rest and didn’t want to move even a little bit. We ate our rolls and waited for animals to arrive, but it seems they didn’t wanted to show themselves this day.



We decided to take the S118 and try our luck there. A Slender Mongoose quickly crossed the road in front of us, these little critters are sooooo fast. High in a tree, quite far away, we noticed a movement and spotted a juv. African Goshawk.



An Ellie and a Rhino weren’t impressed of our presence and only showed us their backside.





As some of you know, I never was quick enough to take a pic of a Blue Waxbill, well this time such a beauty gave me a good opportunity for it.



followed by a Brown-hooded Kingfisher.



Several Kudus and Impalas came across our way and we admired them for a while. The landscape looked so different since our last summer trip and it was amazing to see how animals just blend in with the dry grass. At a little water puddle we noticed some Terrapins taking a sunbath, their „toenails“ are really long and I think they need a pedicure.



Kruger wouldn’t be Kruger without the naughty Hornbills, for me they always look a bit cheeky. Especially at picnic spots they can be a nuisance, always begging for food. We often noticed people feeding them and some even offered Johanna breadcrumbs, which she rejected with a single word „NO“. We told her that it is forbitten and not good for the animals. I bet if Johanna would have been able to speak English, those people wouldn't have offered a child ever again breadcrumbs.
Yellow-billed Hornbill



We were always happy to see Giraffe, these elegant and beautiful animals. It is so funny to watch them eating with their looooong tongue. This one looked a bit strange with all the humps.




The last pic was one of our highlights of the day, it was the second Pearl-spotted Owlet we saw that day and this time in better light.



I hope you don’t mind so many pics, but I just cannot leave too many out.

To be continued.....

We were still on the S25 and on our way to Biyamiti. I really like the S25, as we had such wonderful sightings there (well you have to wait for one of the highlights there ).
The scenery was beautiful, lazy hippos, crocs and birds.
During the whole trip, I tried to get the shot of the shots of a LBR in flight. It was frustrating, as if they were close by, they just didn’t want to take off or if they did I was too slow.
Okay, I got this one, not the greatest pic, but I love the colours of this little beauty.




As we slowly moved on we noticed a dead tree. I remembered a pic on the forum with a monitor and told my family about it. Guess what...... we were lucky as well and a monitor presented himself in perfect light.



A bit further a Tawny Eagle sat on its nest, obeying its surroundings.



The junction came closer and our last sighting on the S25 was again one of a little, cute critter. A Dwarf Mongoose quickly hit himself behind a branch, but was curious enough to have a look at the strange people watching it.



We just waited for a while and it got even more curious and inspected us a bit closer.



The car was filled with ohhhs and ahhhhs. At the junction to Biyamiti we noticed a maintenance sign. There was a huge trench on one side of the road the whole way up to Biyamiti.
I was a bit afraid, what would happen if a herd of ellies would cross our way. No opportunity to turn around or to drive backwards quickly. Well, we were lucky and nothing happened. A Lizard used the opportunity and found himself a new home.



We noticed a herd of impies in front of us and approached slowly. A ram jumped over the trench and it seemed that the rest of the herd wanted to follow him. We stopped and to give them time to do so. Suddenly we saw a huge dust cloud, a staff car came closer with high speed and the impalas rushed over the trench.





Poor Impies, they really got a fright. We didn’t see much on the road, only two Warthogs in the middle of the road. Gladly we could give them enough space to pass our car.



The check in was fast and very friendly and we got hut No. 5, which had a lovely view. We noticed that we didn’t have enough bed sheets for four people and had to go back to the reception, well it was done within no time and we didn’t mind the little mistake.
After unpacking we enjoyed the view and saw a herd of ellies in the riverbed.



A lone Kudu Bull had a groom at dawn.



This Ellie Bull enjoyed an evening meal, before he had a good scratch with lots of noise.





We lit the fire for our first braai and watched the amazing sunset.



Oh what a great day we had, very tired we went to bed early wondering what KNP had in store for us the next day.

To be continued soon.....

....on we go with our adventures. It was quite a chilly morning, but nevertheless I enjoyed my first coffee outside listening to the bush awaking. We started at about 6.15 and had a beautiful sunrise.



I really miss those stunning moments! We were on our way to the S25 again, but only saw a Burchell’s Coucal, it seemed he didn’t like the cold morning.



For us the S25 was very productive that morning and I’m sure we will never forget it.
We heard a Fish Eagle’s call and scanned the area, finally finding the raptor overlooking its territory at dawn.



Further along some Guinea Fowls and a lone Kudu bull were having their breakfast. Many a bird made their appearance and these gorgeous impalas.



They are such beautiful antelopes, with wonderful eyelashes. We had many impala sightings and each time it was great to watch them.
Again a Commun Duiker allowed us to make a pic before it disappeared.



The bush was so full of life, we saw Giraffes and Ellies, but too far away. Then we found our first juvenile Bateleur of this trip. This is one of my favourite raptors. On our last trip we never saw adult Bateleurs and I wondered if this would continue?!



Big and small game, a Rhino had a groom at his backside and a Squirrel tried to warm up.





So many sightings, nearly every 5 minutes one of us spotted an animal or bird, we were flabbergasted! These three feathered ones came along our way. White-backed Vulture, a Korhaan and the colourful LBR.








Suddenly Matthias stopped the car, as he saw something black besides the road. I couldn’t believe my eyes what came out of the bush.



Two Honey Badgers scurried around and disappeared as fast as they appeared.



We still stood there and smiled all over the faces when the two rattels crossed the road a few metres in front us. Unfortunately I didn’t get both in a pic.



to be continued......

The S25 had lots of raptors in store for us that day and I wished I had a bigger lens.
Especially the birds in flight were difficult to photograph, as they were not willing to circle close by.



Well, finally we found a Bateleur and even an adult. It was basking in the sun before taking off.



Our drive came to an abrupt halt. A huge herd of Buffalos crossed the road in front of us accompanied by Egrets. I think sometimes those birds are living in high danger, as they walked underneath those giants. There were lots of little ones and especially one of them was really cute. Always close to mummy, looking for protection.






We waited patiently till the last buffalos reached the other side of the road and while waiting we discovered a Green Wood-Hoopoe, who just caught its breakfast.




The last sighting on this road was again a raptor, the wingspan of the White-backed Vulture is incredible.



We took the H4-2 and had great sightings at the Gezantfombi Dam, wow it was so busy, Wildebeests, Kudus, Zebras, Impalas, Storks and a Rhino seemed to have a date there.






When we returned to the tar road there was a huge traffic jam on the bridge, it was impossible to get through and we wondered what caused this crowd. Well, after a while it was our turn and ...... there were two lionesses disturbing some impalas grazing.
One of them layed down to have a short rest, well a short rest as the rhino again scared them away.



We continued on the S28 to Lower Sabie, in a very far distance we saw an Ellie with huge tusks, but unfortunately too far away for a pic. I really hope to find Duke somewhere, but luck was not on our side. Instead we a Kori Bustard had a walk on the burned side of the road.



The last pic of this installment is a very relaxed Ellie bull, it was a joy watching him, as he showed no sign of bad behaviour and a Giraffe using a young tree to have a scratch at the belly.






..... to be continued

The rest of our way to Lower Sabie was a bit quiet. Just a few animals showed themselves, such as a Black-shouldered Kite, Wildebeests and Kudus.
Lower Sabie was busy, but what a lovely camp. We ordered something to eat and enjoyed the view. Hippos lazily laying around, a Bushbock grazing nearby and all the birds. They gave us a good opportunity for pics. Here are a three of them.

White-fronted Bee-eater


Black-headed Oriole


Speckled Mousebird




With full bellies we drove to Sunset Dam, wow such an awesome place. There were so many different species and we just sat there and watched them for a while. Johanna noticed a Water Monitor nearby.



I think it couldn’t decide where to go and ended up taking a sunbath at a branch.
This Grey Heron showed his wingspan and took off to take a ride on a hippo.



Well, it seemed the ride wasn’t good and he thought about its adventures afterwards.




I could have stayed there for ages, as it is like watching a great movie. This little Pied Kingfisher didn’t wanted to fish and the Yellow-billed Stork neither.





It was time to leave this lovely place and return to Biyamiti. On our way we saw a Grey-Hornbill, Zebras and Raptors, here is one of them.



The rest of the drive, till we reached the S25 again, was really quiet, only some Impalas were willing to show themselves. This one really liked the green leaves.



Our welcome committee were some Warthogs. Only one of them felt disturbed and looked at us, while the others were busy munching.



A bit further two Ellies had their feast. So far we only met totally relaxed ellies, good for us as a close up of one of them was possible. I just love their eyes and eyelashes sigh



The last couple we saw before turning into the Biyamiti road were these squirrels, it seemed they were already freezing, as they huddled up against each other.




Again the Biyamiti road wasn’t eventful for us, there was a small herd of Ellies in the
riverbed and we got this pic of a Crested Barbet and Woodpecker.



At our return to camp we started the fire and enjoyed the sunset with a glas of Amarula.



... next up Saturday 30th July....

Saturday 30th July we left Biyamiti and were on our way to Skukuza where we would spend the next two nights. It is really difficult to get out of the gate at opening time, especially with the kids. Johanna never wanted to leave the warm bed and I believe Denise would have loved to sleep a bit longer too. Therefore it wasn’t bad that we nearly made it a 6.15 each morning.

The sunrise was breathtaking and lots of pics were taken.



Again one of the first animals was a Commun Duiker.



They are so shy and it vanished into the bush all too soon. Johanna loved those little antelopes and often was frustrated when she wasn’t fast enough to take a pic. We are not only looking for the Big 5, so there was lots of interest, such as this lovely plant.




We saw Hornbills, Grey Louries (which were to fast again to take a bird in flight pic ), Steenboks and a Wooly-necked Stork preening himself and asorbing the first warm rays of sunshine.



It was a typical morning in KNP, with Giraffes crossing the road, birds singing like being in a competitiion. I couldn’t think of being at a better place. A lone Kudu bull showed us his beauty, he looked really impressive with his huge horns and the Pearl-spotted Owlet looked like she had a terrible night. Moreover some Slender Mongooses decided to give us a show instead of rushing across a road.








I told my family a lot about the Biyamiti Weir, that some mites took pics of crocs and heron and that it must be an awesome place. So on we went to this special place. On our way another Steenbok watched us curiously. A funny sighting as at the beginning she looked like she had no ears.



When we arrived at the Weir there were no crocs and no herons. It was the wrong time of year, as there was less water than I expected. Nevertheless it was beautiful and first signs of green where everywhere



and here comes a promised Swallow Lisbeth (okay not in flight:roll: ), a Wire-tailed Swallow was so kind to pose for us.



One of the last animals before reaching Afsaal was a lovely Ellie bull. I still wonder why the ellies in the South are so relaxed, well at least we didn’t make other experiences during this trip.



A little bit further on we noticed a small herd of Impalas, suddenly they started running and we thought that maybe some kind of predator could be near. No luck again for us, but luck for the Impalas. We still don't know what frightened them.



Near the picnic spot a White-crested Helmet-Shrike showed us the direction and much to Johannas and Denises delight there was a lovely welcome committee at Afsaal. A Bushbock mum with her little one where resting in the shade.








ohhh those eyes....


Afsaal was quite busy and we immediately had a look, if the Scops Owl was „at home“.
Unfortunately it was nowhere to be found. While waiting for our breakfast we used the time to take pics of the begging Hornbills.





Johanna had fun at the picnic spot, she always chased those naughty birds away and played hide and seek with us. Meanwhile Denise had to carry around Johanna’s jacket and had a good laugh at her little sister.





It was amazing to sit there and watch all those birds. One was preening itself and afterwards tried to get some bread crumps at the neighbours table.



We continued our way up to Skukuza and saw plenty of general game. There was a big herd of Zebras, which crossed the road after a while. One of them gave us a good laugh and a nice pic.



They were peacefully grazing, accompanied by Impalas and later on Wildebeests as well.



A little one had a little disagreement with an adult, but they were within the herd and all we could see was their heads.



The Wildebeests decided to move on to the near waterhole and so we turned and followed them.




They are funny always in movement and two were chasing each other. They didn’t stayed there for long and so we decided to admire the Impalas instead.
This looks really painful



Our plan was to arrive early in camp and to relax there a bit. As we still had plenty of time we turned towards Transport Dam and wow what a good decision this was.

On the way we noticed this:



How kind of Sanparks for all those who want to do a little walk to the loo.

This cute Klipspringer wondered definitely too what this strange blue thing was for.



.... to be continued with a really cute sighting.

Transport Dam.... on our first trip to KNP we saw lions there, well today I know it was a mating couple and another male. This time a majestic Waterbuck was waiting for us in the middle of the road. Okay he wasn’t waiting for us but for his herd.



It took a while till all joined him, for different reasons.



Finally they were on their way to the water, a croc was basking in the sun and a heron resting in a distance. It was very quite and no other animals were in sight. The young waterbucks had a feast on the green and looked like they would need a good wash afterwards.



We left the dam and were on the way back to Skukuza, when I suddenly saw a movement on my side of the road. OMW, there was a hyena pup coming out of a tube.



We couldn’t believe we found a hyena den. The little one came out and lay down, watching its surroundings curiously. Suddenly there was another head peeping out, we all were in awe, such a cute and tiny pup. Well it only showed us its head, as his elder brother noticed something in the air. It was sniffing the air and went back into the tube in a hurry.









We waited a bit in hope they would come out again and luckily one appeared again. First a cautious look and a bit of smelling again, then brave enough to come out and have a rest.









Meanwhile other cars had arrived and we made place for them to have a better view. The rest of the drive was quite uneventful and we arrived at Skukuza later than expected. The check in was fast again and I was surprised to get the key for the Waterkant cottage. After some shopping for the braai we arrived at the hut and OMW we were flabbergasted, it was huge!!! Johanna immediately discovered a sad sighting, a dead bat was at the wall outside of the unit. You can imagine that the kids were sad and after unpacking we had to fulfil our duty. A funeral!
Matthias and Johanna made a little hole and the bat was carefully put into it. Afterwards Johanna collected sticks and a flower. She was so sad, but told us that the bat has now a nice grave.







Later Matthias made a fire and we enjoyed the evening with the serenade of hippos.
The last pic shows a ghostly pic of Johanna.




.... to be continued

July 31st

We decided to go to Lower Sabie again and back over the S21. We woke up with the sound of the bush, owls calling and hippos seemed to be everywhere. Our first sighting of the day were a couple of Bushbocks during the whole trip we saw lots of them.





It was a wonderful drive and the landscape looked amazing. Wafts of mist over the river and lots of birds everywhere. Denise spotted her favourite bird an African Hoopoe again, which she wanted to find so desperately. Now she had already seen him several times. You must know everyone of us was allowed to speak out 3 wishes and except one of Matthias wishes they all came true.



On the way a family of vervet monkeys entertained us for a while. Well, they weren’t impressed us watching them.





This little one emphatically expressed that we should leave.



We heard a Fish-Eagle calling and found him sitting on a tree in a distance. It was great to watch him, everytime he called his head went back and forward again, followed by preening. Another Fish-Eagle answered and we just loved this. We continued and soon found two Verreaux’s Eagle Owls. Unfortunately they were sitting on different branches and it wasn’t easy to get a good pic. This is all I managed.



Soon other cars arrived and we pointed out the Owls. Getting a bit hungry we left the sighting, as we wanted to stop at Nkuhlu and had a road block soon after. Ellies were at both sides of the road. We waited till this laggard followed the others deeper in the bush.



We made a stop at the picnic spot and had a little breakfast and loo break. I really like Nkuhlu, it’s fantastic to just sit there and enjoy the nature. We saw a Pied Kingfisher hovering several times, gorgeous.

On our way to the S21 we came across a little waterhole which was highly frequented by different species. On a branch a LBR kept company with a Pied Kingfisher.



A majestic Kudu Bull had a feast on the green leaves and lots of impalas and a few warthogs were drinking and grazing.



A bit further a troop of Baboons appeared, one of them turned its back towards us and ... was caught in the act.



It was a a day with lots of general game, but no predator wanted to show up. Well, we weren’t disappointed as it was wonderful to see all these animals. How could we be sad, if we spotted Mongooses, Blue Waxbills, a lone Buffalo and so on. Okay, we saw some lion poo, so there were lions somewhere, I think they hid and waited for Hayden to arrive.

On the S21 again a Common Duiker showed up, strange that we saw one each day.



At a nearly dry waterhole plenty of game met. A dark Giraffe was just leaving and Herons, Storks and Impalas shared the bit of water which was left.





The last sighting for this episode was a first sighting for me, a Southern White-crowned Shrike.



.... to be continued