Gecko Goes to Kruger – Lower Sabie

8 December 2019

Clearly, the school holidays have started as today we saw more cars than usual on the Kruger roads.   It’s lovely to see families enjoying the wild.  It is the most awesome way to spend a holiday.  We have had our grandchildren in The Park with us before and they just loved it.

When I booked at very short notice for this holiday, I had no problems getting the camps that I desired.  The only camp that was a little tricky was Lower Sabie – it was totally booked up except for the three nights that I wanted.   So I was a little surprised and disappointed to find that this is the worst maintained camp of all that we have visited this year.  There was no hot water in the ablutions this morning.  The men’s side had blocked drains, no benches in the shower cubicle and only one hook on which to hang a towel and clothing.  Two of the camp kitchens that I went to did not have boiling water on tap.  The third kitchen I tried did.  It is really a beautiful camp and it is a pity that management here is so poor.

It rained quite heavily last night and it was still raining when we got up at 4:30 am this morning.  After a cold shower, we set off at 5:30.    It’s lovely to have the rain in Kruger but it does mean that the animals are hiding somewhere we can’t see them and when we do photography is difficult.  So today I am simply going to show you the highlights of what we saw.

When you have a whole river to swim in why would you choose a tiny, muddy pond?

Baby Elephant

I’d just taken a cell phone photo when this ellie and I had an encounter.  The Earl took the photo

Of course, birds feature a great deal.

Lovely to spot some Brown-headed parrots.  This one was all wet!

A Black-bellied Bustard spread his wings and fluffed up his feathers

A treeful of cattle egrets

A Green-winged Pytilia

A Blue Waxbill

A treeful of Wattled Starlings

Male Wattled Starling

An immature Martial Eagle

A Treeful of Barn Swallows

Zebra and Giraffe enjoying each other’s company

Giraffe Browse – Zebra Graze so they do not compete for food.

 

Wildebeest

 

Warthogs

This morning, just outside the camp we found this impala carcass hanging in a tree.  There was no sign of the leopard who had obviously left it there.  Unless a ranger had put there as a joke!?   A few cars decided to wait and see if the predator would return.  I’m afraid we don’t have that kind of patience.  We went past it again on our return and there were still cars waiting  – nobody had seen any sign of a leopard.  When we went out in the afternoon – same story.  And on our return at 5 pm, all that could be seen was the impala hanging in the tree but still, there was a traffic jam!

Leopard’s pantry – perhaps he likes his meat well hung!

It will be interesting to see whether the impala is still hanging there tomorrow.

This evening the Earl cooked a curry in the Smart Space pots and we sat outdoors and enjoyed the wonderful ambience of a wildlife campsite.  Two bushbabies came to visit and entertained us with their amazing ability to bounce from the ground and into the trees.

I can’t imagine a more perfect place to be.