Elephants, Lions, Giraffes, and more
Kruger National Park is all about the animals. Lots of them! The park is 1½ times the size of Vermont and we seldom went more than 15 minutes without seeing something, usually impala or an elephant but we certainly saw a lot more than that.
Staying within some of the campgrounds gave us access to game drives in large open-air vehicles, the advantages being you were guided by rangers who knew where animals might hang out and you were above the cars, so it was easier to see over the brush and tall grasses. We went before sunrise, just before sunset and even at 8pm.
Our first morning leaving the gate we were greeted by a crash of 3 rhinos literally crashing through the bush to avoid the light and the noise of the truck. Sunrise brought one of those spectacular orange-red African skies. Until that morning, I thought those colors in photos couldn’t be real! On a night drive, our guide pointed out 3 little lion cubs hiding in the bush. Mom had left them there hidden and protected while she went off to hunt. Mark dropped a pin on google maps and we went back the next morning to see if they were still there. Sure enough!
On a guided walk with 5 others and 2 armed rangers, we set off for 3 hours to see what we could find. We were very lucky to find ourselves in the middle of a herd of elephants. Very careful to keep our distance, we could see one occasionally and hear them breaking branches for breakfast and calling to others.
It is very true ‘the more you look, the more you will see’. We spent many hours driving slowly through the park on paved as well as dirt roads. We were rewarded many times over. At one point, we followed 3 lionesses and 8 cubs down the road for about 20 minutes. They were meandering and we had the front row seat. Elephants and giraffes would pause traffic by crossing or just stopping in the road. It’s not an easy thing to pass an elephant!
Another time we were nearly run into by a few kudu that crashed through the bush in a hurry to get somewhere. We went to a bird blind near sunset one evening expecting to see a variety of birds but they had already gone to roost. Instead, we were serenaded by 18 hippos bobbing up and down, spouting and snorting as the light faded – a hungry hippo chorus, no doubt waiting until dark to forage in the grass.
One thing that strikes you as you drive through the bush is the striking vastness of the land. Savannahs, riverbeds (both wet and dry), heavy bush, rolling hills and rugged terrain. The topography and vegetation change as you move from south to north.
On an overlook of a large savannah we saw a couple lazy lions watching a herd of 100 wildebeests along with a similar herd of impalas. As we drove, we saw literally thousands of impalas along with many crocodiles, warthogs, giraffes and baboons. At watering holes we saw herds of elephants playing in the water (especially the little ones).
Troops of vervet monkeys and baboons wandered through our campsite and onto our porch. A couple of times, a few leopards wandered out right in front of our car. We were left with a sense that this magical land truly belongs to the animals not the humans.
Fun facts
White rhino isn’t white at all. When the original name was supposed to be wide mouth but wide was confused with white and the name stuck.
The elephant population has grown so much in Kruger that the vultures are threatened. It seems elephants like to eat the bark of the trees in which the vultures nest. They also break many young trees in their quest for food.
Hippos stay in water during the day because their skin is easily damaged by sun. They forage on land at night.
Waxbill birds build their nests in trees near a wasp nest because the wasps protect the young from predators and in return, they get the egg shells to use in their nests once the birds have fledged.
Zebra stripe patterns are unique, like fingerprints.
There are over 850 species of animals in the park including 148 species of mammals.
Enjoy the pictures!
