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|
Safari
begins & ends at Johannesburg International
airport |
3
Photographer
seats plus
1 non photographer seat per safari
MAX 4 people (in a 10 seater vehicle) |
| Stu
Porter (qualified Nature Guide and Photographer) |
| Important
flight
and airport info |
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We begin
our first full day in the Kruger in the early
morning, after a cup of coffee / tea and rusks,
we depart as soon as the camp gates open.
All our food is on board the vehicle with
us and so we can spend the entire day at our
leisure, without having to return to camp
for meals.
Our own private radio-linked spotting vehicle
will be out exploring different roads to us
to increase our chances of coming across good
sightings. |
Northern Kruger around Letaba Camp offers
spectacular photo opportunities and we spend
the day exploring the area around Mingerhout
and E ngelhard Dams, as well as the Letaba
and Tsendze Rivers in search of a variety
of animals drawn here in search of water.
Impala, bushbuck, waterbuck, elephant and
nyala frequent this quiet section of the
park and the bird life is excellent. We
can expect to see Goliath Herons, African
Jacana, Black Crake, African Darters and
much more.
Beautiful Nyala trees line the banks of
the rivers where Leopards can be found,
lying in wait to ambush their prey, perhaps
we will be lucky enough to catch a glimpse
of the most elusive of the Big Cats.
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At the end
of the day we return to camp just as the sun
goes down and have time to relax and download
photos from the day. Delicious home cooked
dinners are prepared by our support crew while
we sit and enjoy the warmth of our crackling
fire and discuss the highlights of the day's
photography.
OVERNIGHT LETABA
CAMP |
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On
the morning of Day 3, we leave Letaba and
head South towards Skukuza Camp where we will
spend the next 3 nights.
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Your
luggage will be transported for you to the
next camp in the support vehicle, enabling
us to depart camp early with only our food
and cameras onboard.
We drive through the Northern plains, dominated
by shrub Mopane and then cross the Olifants
River where the vegetation begins to change
Now in the Southern Plains, dominated by Knob-Thorn
acacia and Marula trees, we can expect to
see larger herds of grazers such as Zebra
and Wildebeest. Typical birds of this open
savanna area include the Kori Bustard and
the Secretary bird.
As we continue south, we begin to encounter
yet more animals such as Waterbuck, Kudu and
large herds of Impala. The permanent water
of the Sabi River attracts these herbivores
in large numbers and along with them, the
predators. Southern Kruger is well known for
good Lion and Leopard populations, and here
we should encounter these magnificent creatures. |
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After a
long day in the bush, we arrive at our second
camp - Skukuza, the head quarters of the Kruger
Park, where we settle in for the next 3 nights.
Being in the heart of Southern Kruger, Skukuza
camp offers perhaps the best variety and choice
for game drives, roads lead north, south, east
and west of the camp and the famous Lake Panic
Bird hide, just 5km from camp offers some of
the best water bird photography in the park
- it is by far the best hide for photography
and we always make a stop here to see what we
can find.
OVERNIGHT
3 NIGHTS at SKUKUZA CAMP |
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By now the early morning ritual
of coffee / tea and rusks, is part of the system
and we set out on each drive in anticipation
of what we might find. Every drive is different
and every trip we see new and interesting behaviour
- are we lucky enough to capture it on film
? - we certainly hope so.
We leave Skukuza and head south east to our
next camp, Lower Sabie. Here we will spend the
next 2 nights with the hope of finding that
elusive big cat speed king, the Cheetah. Kruger
has around 300 of these amazing animals and
it is a real treat to see one. The area south
of Lower Sabie has over the years proved to
offer the best chance of seeing Cheetah and
so we concentrate our drives on the Basalt Plains
around the camp to see if our luck prevails.
The permanent water source of the Sabi River
(River of fear) is vital to the survival of
the local wildlife populations. Due to the abundance
of food, predators patrol this area and Lion
and Leopard sightings are fairly common. The
South is also home to the majority of the endangered
African Wild dog packs in Kruger and this will
be our best chance of seeing these highly efficient
predators.
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The habitat also takes
on a different look as we drive into the open
basalt plains around Muntshe Mountain, perfect
habitat for the Cheetah. This area is dominated
by Marula and Knobthorn trees with precious
water carrying drainage lines and their localized
riverine habitats of Fig, Weeping Boer Bean
trees and Fever trees.
The colourful Lilac Breasted Roller is found
in abundance alongside the gravel roads in
the open savanna areas around Mlondozi Dam
and this is perhaps the best area in the park
to photograph them. Martial Eagles, Fish Eagles
and an assortment of smaller birds are also
found in this diverse habitat area. White
Rhino, Ostrich, Steenbok and Klipspringers
are some of the inhabitants of the southern
section of the park which we will be on the
look out for, as well as the elusive and rare
Black Rhino.
OVERNIGHT 2
NIGHTS at LOWER SABIE CAMP |
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Leaving
Lower Sabie early, we wind our way back north
towards Satara Camp which will be the last
camp we stay at in the Kruger Park. The central
section of Kruger where Satara is located
is perhaps the most beautiful area for scenery
in the park and this area has a similar feel
to the open plains of East Africa.
Being a grassland area, dominated by beautiful
Fever, Marula and Lead wood trees, the herbivores
gather here in good numbers. The N'wanetsi
River and bird hide offer great opportunities
for bird photography, with White Faced Ducks,
Egyptian Geese, Malachite Kingfishers and
Saddle BIlled storks being some of the common
visitors. Elephant, buffalo and large numbers
of Giraffe and Zebra are also fairly common.
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Being
centrally located, the camp offers some of
the best drives in Kruger, the Sweni river
to the south and the Timbavati to the north
usually produce good Lion sightings, and the
s100 road, locally regarded as the best drive
in the Kruger Park, usually produces a good
variety and quantity of game.
Weather permitting, this area also offers
an exclusive 4x4 day trail where a limited
number of vehicles are allowed to drive. We
usually obtain a special permit for one of
our days to drive this beautiful road where
the game is extremely active and the vehicle
activity is quiet (only 6 vehicles are allowed
on the route per day)
This offers a different experience to the
normal Kruger drives and we stop and enjoy
a picnic on the route, in the middle of the
bush, which is a wonderfully relaxing and
peaceful experience. |
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4 different
camps, numerous habitat types and over 1000
km (630 miles) later, we enjoy a buffet dinner
at the camps restaurant on our final night to
end off a wonderful Kruger adventure.
OVERNIGHT
3 NIGHTS at SATARA CAMP |
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On our last
morning in Kruger, we head slowly along the
Timbavati River looking out for any last minute
encounters and photo opportunities. We reach
Orpen exit gate at around 10am and depart
the Kruger National Park. |
We arrive at the private
Big Cat Reserve for lunch, where we get to
meet our ranger who will be looking after
us over the next 3 days.
This section of the Safari offers a totally
different experience to the Kruger Park and
you will get unbelievable photo opportunities
and have close encounters with Africa's "Big
5"
Being a private reserve, we have the luxury
of a lot more freedom. We are able to get
off the vehicle and drive off road too, all
under the expert care of our ranger.
After settling into our rooms and a well deserved
rest, we meet again at around 3pm for our
first afternoon drive in the reserve.
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On this section,
you are guaranteed to get great photos of
the Big Cats as we visit them in their large
enclosures. We enter in our private vehicle
and get up close to a Pride of Lions in the
reserves Lion Breeding Project. This offers
fantastic photo opportunities. We do not shoot
through fences and we make use of a private
open vehicle.
in the case of the Cheetah, we go inside their
enclosure, on foot to observe and photograph
these most elegant cats.
Jabula, the orphaned Leopard offers a great
opportunity for Leopard photography and the
photo session with him usually provides great
entertainment as he jumps in and out of a
Marula tree in pursuit of tasty snacks !
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Over the next 3 days
we will get to photograph Lion, Leopard and
Cheetah as well as a large number of other
animals. National Geographic spent time here
filming Crocodiles and Hippos and we take
advantage of the semi habituated nature of
these dangerous creatures to get really close
to them for some excellent photo opportunities.
There are a number of White Rhino on the property
too which are very approachable as well as
a herd of Cape Buffalo and a free ranging
pride of Lion as well as a habituated Elephant
called Becky and her baby, you will not get
closer to an elephant than this !!
We return at the end of each day to enjoy
a wonderful dinner in the "Boma"
around a crackling fire.
OVERNIGHT 2
NIGHTS AT BIG CAT RESERVE |
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In this reserve we can also do night drives
to search for nocturnal animals such as
Bush babies, Porcupines and Genets.
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| After our final morning
game drive in the Big Cat reserve, usually
spent with the Cheetah's, we enjoy a hearty
breakfast and then depart for Hoedspruit Airport
(a 30 minute drive). The plane for Johannesburg
departs around midday and flying time to JHB
is approx 1hr, arriving in JHB at around 14:00
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| This brings to an end a fabulous Kruger Park
& big Cat photographic experience. |
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*
* * NB * * *
The above itinerary is a sample itinerary from
a previous safari. The camps visited and number
of nights spent at each camp
may vary from trip to trip depending on local
conditions
ie destructive fires (which are fairly common
in the dry season, and also animal movements)
Wild 4 reserves the right to change any itinerary
at anytime, but will inform the participants
of such changes when appropriate. |
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