On Monday morning, we packed
up, loaded the vehicle and started eastward, destination Kruger National Park. Our route took us along well maintained
tolled highways. I was impressed with
these roads and indeed with the freeways in Johannesburg. I had been told to expect potholes the size
of the front wheel. What I hadn't been
told was that this was on suburban roads and not national highways. Now the cost of maintenance fell to motorists
and truckers, whereas it had previously been for the account of the
government. I guess this is in line with
international trends, but I understand the bitterness of the citizens whose
taxes are squandered to pay for, among other things, Jacob Zuma's private homestead
Nkandla, whose upgrade cost the public R246 million.
We stopped en route for sandwiches and again in
Nelspruit to get supplies for the park.
It was approaching dusk and I began to fret that we'd not make it before
the gates closed. Luckily, the car that
Tonya had chosen was powerful, responding well to proper use of the gears, and
I was able to get beyond all the slow-moving trucks on this two-lane (one in
each direction) stretch of country road.
The scenery from Nelspruit was becoming breathtaking, and I was sorry to
be rushing. In the end, we entered through
Malelane Gate in the south with enough time to make it to the first camp. Camps close their gates at 6pm, and it is
forbidden to be in the park after that.
The Kruger Park was
established in 1926 and covers an area of 19,485 sq km. As such, it is a little over half the size of
Taiwan. Its length from north to south
is about the distance from Taipei to Kaohsiung, whereas the park is not as wide
as the island. The park spills across the border into the Limpopo National Park of Mozambique, adding to its size. There are plans afoot to expand the protected area into the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, whose area will encompass 35,000
km2
across South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.
Kruger is home to a
staggering assortment of species - 336 kinds of trees, 49 fish species, 34 classifications
of amphibians, 114 different reptile types, 507 categories of birds and 147
breeds of mammal, not to mention an astounding variety of insects and flora. During the winter, when we were there, the
park is parched and brown. The
temperature is a few degrees higher than that of Gauteng. It is also, we were told, the best time to
spot animals as they tend to gather around or near shrinking watering
holes. In the middle of the day, nothing
much moves as the noon temperature makes all lethargic.
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Our first night was at Berg-en-Dal Rest Camp. It was calming to be clear of the dangers of
Jo'burg. The camp is like a village with
cottages and bungalows arranged beneath a plantation of trees. Here were no electrified fences, no fences of any kind bar the one on the perimeter keeping out the wildlife.
The night was noiseless to the point that my ears buzzed mildly. We did not even hear animal cries from beyond the perimeter, which was one of the things we had been looking forward to. We took a walk along the fence in the hopes
of hearing a call of the wild, but alas, nothing. On the other hand, in the dark we saw the
entire expanse of the Milky Way. Our
cottage was rustic and charming, though here we had to share a room. I don't like doing this as I feel guilty
subjecting anyone to my snoring and nightly discharge of gases. Tonya, however, claimed to not be disturbed
by me at all.
On Tuesday morning we arose not too early,
prepared some sandwiches with our supplies from Nelspruit, bought some snacks
and water, and set off. (I snuck in some
biltong - there are some things from home that one can never outgrow, that one
yearns for beyond reason. There is a
certain subsection of expat South Africans in Taiwan who produce and sell
biltong, but it's never quite the same.
Must have something to do with the diet of the animal, the spices used
and indeed the climate of the country in which the meat is dried. I do buy Taiwan made biltong from time to
time, as the hankering is powerful, but when I am in South Africa I guzzle as
if it were life sustaining, as necessary as air.)
What a treat was in store! We saw a tremendous array of wildlife on that
first day. There were kudu, elephant,
giraffe, buffalo, wildebeest, baboons, waterbuck, a yellow bill hornbill, a
Cape glossy starling, zebra, eland, a grey goaway bird, monkeys, a red bill
hornbill, hippos and the backs of sleeping lions. And there was a profusion of impala, which
Tonya came to dub cat food for their sheer abundance.
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(I added the sound here from a recording of animal
calls I bought in the park.)
We stopped along the way at Afsaal Trader's
Rest and at Skukuza Rest Camp for refreshments and to stretch our legs. The whole drive took eight hours. All this while, I followed the speed limit of
50km/h, which kept me in third gear and my leg in the same position the whole
time. By the fifth hour, my knee ached. Arriving at Satara Rest Camp, I was relieved
to be disembarking for the day. I was
intrigued by the sign that read, "Thank you for choosing Total." There was no other choice! Here our accommodation was in a
quintessentially South African rondavel.
Ours was quite small, and I was once again mortified at having to
subject Tonya to my nocturnal physical functions.
It would have been
really great to have a braai (barbecue) tonight, but that would have required
another two people and at least one who was willing to start and man the
fire. Both Tonya and I relish braais,
but neither of us has any interest in cooking the meat. Like many others, we are quite happy to busy
ourselves with making salads, buttering rolls and criticizing the griller. Others around us were braaiing, but they had
to do that with the aid of flashlights for a while as the electricity went out
twice.
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Exiting the gates on Wednesday morning, a
throng of cars had congregated just beyond where we were to turn right on our
northbound journey. We straggled up to
see what the fuss was about. What a
spectacle! Below in the riverbed was a
high society gathering, including representatives from the zebra camp, five
lazy crocodiles, a solitary water buffalo and a flood of gazelle. Nearby, a maternal hippo was teaching her
calf to forage. It was mesmerizing, and
we stayed to absorb all the day's polyphonic announcements.
(I added the sound here from a recording of animal
calls I bought in the park.)
Driving on, we decided to leave paved roads and
get onto gravel. Here the speed limit
was 40km/h, but we had less ground to cover today. In hindsight, there was no more wildlife to
see off the beaten track, much as it was.
During the day, we did, however, spot more hippo, a white egret,
warthog, a Kori bustard, a Vervet monkey, wildebeest, zebra and a ruff. Best of all was a vulture, which conceded
spreading its wings atop a grand leafless
tree.
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We stopped at Olifants Rest Camp for lunch, and
what a sensational vista awaited! The
Mug & Bean stood precariously at the precipice of a cascading cliff that
relented into a wide riverbed, beyond which lay a vast open plain. I had heard that the restaurant chain Wimpy
had the monopoly in the park, but we saw only the Mug & Bean. The food was great, but it being the only
choice for us, I did eventually tire of the menu. I read later that the Wimpy does still
operate, just obviously not at the places we stopped. Satiated, we hopped back in our now
thoroughly dirty vehicle for the last stretch to Letaba Rest Camp. We were now only half way up the park, but
this would be our final stop, and from here we would exit the park into Mpumalanga Province via Phalaborwa. But this was by
no means the end of our parkland adventure.
We had that morning booked a night ride from Letaba, and we were both piqued.
In this camp, a laundromat cleansed our soiled
threads while a handful of gazelle vaulted about.
(I added this audio.)
Dinner was once again at the Mug & Bean,
and then it was time to get on the truck.
We exited the gates at just after 8pm and were to stay out for two hours. We did not spot a terrific amount of wildlife,
but we did get to see a side-striped jackal, a spotted hyena, a genet, a civet,
a spring hare, some cute bunnies and a nesting crocodile.
Looking back at the park experience, certainly
the best place we stayed was Berg-en-Dal.
The cottage was the most spacious and comfortable. At Letaba our rondavel was slightly larger
than the one at Satara, and in this last rest area, the balcony was also meshed
off to discourage monkey scavengers from stealing guests' food. At all places, though, cash was
troublesome. It was of course possible
to pay for everything by card, but if one is accustomed to using cash, be
warned! Mimic ATMs are available. At these machines, one could withdraw as
usual except that they dispense no cash.
The withdrawal slip is in fact honored by the store's cashier, one is
limited to a maximum withdrawal of R800, and one needs to make sure the cashier
has enough money to honor it, prior to transacting. This was by no means an overwhelming
frustration, but it did get in the way somewhat. I like to pay for everything before I travel,
and as such, I transfer funds into my credit card to cover all expected
expenses, thereby avoiding debt upon my return.
Here I had to allow for a little deviance.
At 8 o'clock on Thursday morning, after I'd
watched a rasp of guineafowl pecking ravenously just beyond the camp fence,
(I added the sound here from a recording of animal
calls I bought in the park.)
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it was time to bid the Kruger Park farewell,
but first we had another two hours' drive to get to the gate. I was excited that our
route would pass the Masorini Archaeological Site. Along the way, I spotted a smattering of
wildlife, but there was no new animal today.
There were, however, some more splendid trees - you may have noticed by
now that I became infatuated with these woody statues. Arriving at the site, we found that it
required parking the vehicle and hiking.
Tonya had already gone back to bed in the passenger seat, and I was
certainly not up for a dusty walkabout.
Furthermore, we had numerous locations on our agenda today and there was
simply no time to go traipsing through the bush. We made use of the facilities and continued
on our way.
