Indholdsfortegnelse for Winter 2022 i Kruger Magazine

“Lowveld winters are warm with lazy afternoons, coloured in browns, yellows and oranges of leaves and aloe flowers.” A winter safari in the Lowveld is most favourable for local as well as international travellers, as Lowveld winters are warm with lazy afternoons, coloured in browns, yellows and oranges of leaves and aloe flowers. The pinks of the beautiful impala lily flowers stand out, and if you are lucky enough to live in the area, it is a sure sign that winter is here. Most camps in the Kruger National Park have impala lily bushes, but some camps are known for this, like the Shingwedzi Rest Camp. Some of these bushes are quite old, measured by their stems, and a feast for the eye. Read all about our recent visit to…

“Some experiences will never leave your memories.” My visits to the Kruger started when I was only two months old. Not that I remember every detail of each visit, but my mom and dad always made sure to capture every moment of it. But there will always be some experience that will never leave your memories. Mine must be the time my whole family decided to go for an afternoon drive towards Mopani to check out the water levels of that low-water bridge because I remember it was raining a lot that day. “The Kruger will forever be my home away from home.” But what we all thought would be a relaxing drive ended up in a tight situation… Before you cross the bridge there’s a gravel road on the…

“All three genera are represented in South Africa, two of which occur in the Kruger National Park.” All modern hyraxes (also known as dassies or rock rabbits) are members of the family Procaviidae and are found mainly in Africa. The Procaviidae are split into three genera, Procavia, Heterohyrax and Dendrohyrax. All three genera are represented in South Africa, two of which occur in the Kruger National Park. These are the rock hyrax (Procavia capensis) and the yellow-spotted rock hyrax (Heterohyrax brucei), which both have wide distributions across the drier parts of Africa, though the rock hyrax is also found in the Middle East. Both live on rocky habitats, including cliffs and isolated granite outcrops or koppies. The southern tree hyrax (Dendrohyrax arboreus) does not occur in the Kruger. It has…

I grew up visiting the Kruger National Park. My family and I often stayed in Marloth Park and entered the Park at either Malelane or Crocodile Bridge Gate. A favourite road to travel is the S25, which connects these two gates, for three reasons: 1. easy access for day and overnight visitors, 2. excellent game viewing, and 3. diversity in ecozones. “It is always a privilege to see Africa’s most endangered carnivore, the ‘painted wolves’.” The S25 is an easily accessible road for overnight visitors enjoying a Kruger stay at camps like Crocodile Bridge, Malelane, Berg-en-Dal and Biyamiti Camp. Day visitors can access the S25 either from Crocodile Bridge or Malelane Gate. Being a day or overnight visitor, accessing the road from one of the above-mentioned gates or camps, means…

Two tree species of the Kruger National Park (KNP) that are very similar in appearance and hence often confused with each other, are the waterberry (Syzygium cordatum) and the Bushveld waterberry (Syzygium guineense subsp. guineense), also known as a water pear. To add to the confusion, the alien Syzygium cumini (Java or Malabar plum, or jambolan) is also confused with the Bushveld waterberry and has been widely planted along roadsides in the Lowveld. In the late 60s or early 70s, the confusion also resulted in S. cumini being planted in gardens in the KNP, but when the error was discovered in the late 80s, all the specimens were removed, and fruit destroyed and have consequently been eliminated from the KNP. It is classed as an invasive species in the country.…

The Luvuvhu River, together with a number of its major tributaries, such as the Dzinda, Sterkstroom, Latonyanda and the highly diverse Mutale, originate in the Soutpansberg as deep and spectacular gorges in the landscape. The Luvuvhu and several of its tributaries are regarded as perennial. Once out of its source, the Luvuvhu coils along the plains and re-enters the outlying reaches of the Soutpansberg before entering the Kruger National Park (KNP) at Dongadzivha, from where it winds its way through one spectacular ravine after the other. Eventually it breaks clear of the mountains and lazily finds its way through the Pafuri lowlands to its confluence with the Limpopo River in the vicinity of Crooks Corner. “The once rich riparian vegetation has given way to forestry, orchards and cultivated lands.” The…

There are a number of gravel road loops in the area, of which the Mphongolo Loop is a favourite for early mornings, starting a few kilometres after the bridge towards Sirheni, where you can then link onto the short drive up to the very popular Babalaba Picnic Spot for a well-deserved brunch. One of the most spectacular sights in the north is the huge herds of elephant and buffalo, and these are frequently encountered on drives, even if you stick to the main tar road going north. Keep your eyes on the horizon for the large dust clouds they create when moving towards water holes or the river. “One of the most spectacular sights in the north is the huge herds of elephant and buffalo.” Your afternoon drive in a…

In Issue 19 of KRUGER MAGAZINE, we featured the history of Malelane. In Issue 20 we look at the history  of Mopani Camp, the satellite Tsendze Rustic Campsite, as well as places of historic interest nearby. Origin of Mopani At the Board meeting of September 1981, it was resolved, inter alia, that new medium-sized (50-100 units) camps be built and one of these was to be in the large, undeveloped tract between Letaba/Phalaborwa and Shingwedzi. The site was at Pioneer Dam, west of Mooiplaas Ranger station, and it was initially referred to as Pioneer Camp. Origin of the name Mopani and other local names Bowker Kop: Hill just north of Mopani named after a hunting party from the Reef (Johannesburg). The party consisted of Miles Robert Bowker (his name was…

The famous Jock of the Bushveld Route starts at Pretoriuskop Camp in the southwest of the Park, and descends into the rolling foothills of mixed bushwillow on the old Voortrekker Road (H2-2), where the birthplace of Jock is commemorated with a plaque and the date of his birth, 1885. This scenic route continues past Afsaal Picnic Site where one can find another two heritage plaques just before the junction of the S114, before heading south on the game-rich S114 and then east along the Crocodile River Road (S25) and eventually onto Crocodile Bridge, where Jock and his owner, Sir Percy FitzPatrick, had their famous fight with a crocodile. This must be one of the most historically significant trade routes as well as one of the most prolific wildlife corridors in…

My story about the H7 and the Orpen area – where dreams began and came true – our all-in-one happy place. We first fell in love with Maroela Camp in 2021. The H7 has rewarded us with hours of beautiful wildlife and photo opportunities. As we are a chuckyholics, discovering a hyaena den, which we now call Chucky’s Palace, started an exciting place to meet chuckies (hyaenas) and we never fail to stop there. We have also been robbed – first a crested barbet stole biltong from the table and on another trip, we lost a piece of koeksister to a cheeky squirrel! We have met lions, especially our favourite Zig Zag, we have watched the clean-up crew getting really busy after kills, saw elephant mud baths and so much…