We were at the entrance gate early to meet up with the spotting vehicle. The first animal we saw was a white rhino down in a river bed, unfortunately obscured by the tall reeds. Further into the morning we came across a group of giraffe that were chewing on some old bones - a behaviour known as osteophagia - whereby they extract the calcium from the bones.

We then photographed a beautiful Fish Eagle perched in a tree no more than 15 meters from the road, what a magnificent eagle !!

Our next destination was Transport Dam, the place where the famous "Battle of Kruger" took place. Unfortunately no buffalo and lions today but we did get some great shots of another Fish Eagle in flight and some impala and waterbuck coming down to drink. A couple of bull elephants also came down for a drink and enjoyed a mud wallow as well.

A Carpenter Bee also made an appearance close to the vehicle as we enjoyed our packed lunch.

Later that afternoon we took a drive down the Sabie River and came across 3 lions resting on a large rock. What a fantastic way to end our first day in the Kruger.

Lions 3
White Rhino
Buffalo
Elephant

We headed out as the camp gates opened and headed towards the Watergat waterhole. On the way we stopped to photograph a hyaena mum outside her den but the pups were not evident. We carried on and came across 3 lion cubs and a male and female. The male had a badly injured right foreleg but was still tolerant with the cubs who wanted to play with him.

After spending some time with the lions we decided to leave them and search for other subjects in the lovely early morning light. A Purple Roller found its way onto our camera sensors. Not as common as the Lilac Breasted Roller, the Purple Roller is a treat to photograph.

Just before Jones' Dam we had a great sighting - the rare Sable Antelope. It is a real bonus to see and photograph this uncommon Kruger antelope species and the group of 6 gave us the opportunity to get some special photographs of them.

At Jones' Dam we came across a juvenile African Harrier Hawk in search of food at the water's edge.

3 elephant later came down to drink and play in the mud and a beautiful female Bateleur Eagle came to investigate something on the ground right in front of our car.

We carried on up to Vutomi Dam where we took photos of an oxpecker-infested giraffe and a group of male buffaloes.

On our way back to camp we encountered the huge breeding herd of buffalo that had crossed in front of us earlier in the day.

Lions 5
White Rhino
Buffalo
Elephant

Hyaena

Male lion playing with cubs

Purple Roller

Sable Antelope

Elephant at Jones' Dam

Juvenile African Harrier Hawk

Female Bateleur Eagle

Giraffe drinking

Male Buffalo at Vutomi Dam

Today we moved camps to Lower Sabie, further down the same river on which Skukuza Camp is situated.
Our first stop was to photograph a Green (Red Billed) Wood Hoopoe as it came back to the communal nest with an offering (a small lizard). These birds live in groups and will help with bringing up chicks. The female that laid the eggs is the only one that will actually feed the chicks.

Further on we encountered a Wattled Lapwing, a beautiful ground nesting bird that are not often photographed.

Just before reaching Lower Sabie Camp in the late morning we saw a mating pair of lions and another 2 lions resting up near the river, doing what lions do best - sleeping !! Not far on from the lions was a huge breeding herd of buffalo on the far side of the Sabie River.

There was quite a bit of activity at Sunset Dam, and a baby hippo stole the show - standing out in the sun with the rest of his pod.

After lunch we were pleasantly surprised to find 2 extremely rare and endangered black rhino, sleeping near the S 128 on the eastern side of the Sabie River. This was a special sighting and the first black rhino sighting of the year !! Owing to their low numbers and the fact that they enjoy spending time in thickets, it is really difficult to see these animals.

The late afternoon was spent south of Lower Sabie. We watched a leopard that had killed an impala and stached it in some rocks, but it was very lazy and did not move much. A white rhino crossed the road in front of us while we were sat at the leopard sighting and back at the Sabie River bridge, the spotting vehicle had found a male lion next to the road. We decided to leave the leopard and head for the lion. As we got there he crossed the bridge and walked off into the reeds. We heard him roaring near the camp all night.

Lions 5
White Rhino
Black Rhino
Buffalo
Elephant

We left the camp as the gate opened and headed back up the Sabie River. It was really cold - 3 layers of clothing and a blanket were necessary !! Not long after we left camp we noticed a shape crossing the road in front of us - as we got closer we saw it was a leopard. It looked at us briefly and then moved off towards the river. We carried on and experienced 3 lion sightings. Firstly a single female crossed the road, then a group of 3 females walked past us in the road - clearly intent on finding their next meal, and finally we arrived at a mating pair and a second male who eventually wandered off. We waited with the pair to observe their behaviour.

The spotting vehicle stayed with the 3 lionesses that had passed us and after we had got good mating lion photos, we went back in search of them, only to find another lioness and 2 cubs crossing the road heading down to the river. A real lion morning along the Sabie River !!

We then headed south to Crocodile Bridge and encountered a pair of Klipspringers right next to the road. Just outside Croc. Bridge we saw 3 more lionesses resting up near the Crocodile River. We enjoyed lunch at a bird hide where we observed a serious hippo fight between 2 bulls.

The end of the day found us at Sunset Dam photographing the wildlife as it came in to quench its thirst and prepare for the long night ahead.

Lions 13
Leopard 1
White Rhino
Buffalo
Elephant

We left early and headed to Croc. Bridge Camp in search of a large lion pride which we unfortunately did not locate, but we ended up spotting a large number of white rhinos - 14 in one day !!

Zebra, wildebeest, giraffe and a lone hyaena were also seen on the S 90 road, as well as a very distant cheetah.

We stopped again at a bird hide and watched a different couple of hippos having a bit of a fight - one was much smaller and hid under the bank of the river for safety.

A beautiful Martial Eagle perched close to us in a tree and we also got good shots of the largest vulture in Africa, the Lappet Faced.

Further north on our way to our next camp, Satara, we photographed a small Pearl Spotted Owl which are also known to hunt during the day. A lioness blocked our progress for a while as she lay unperturbed in the middle of the road, a male lay close by - another mating pair.


Just before reaching Satara we encountered 4 lions, 2 young males and two females in the beautiful late afternoon light.


Lions 6
White Rhino
Buffalo
Elephant

Today we took the option to do the 4x4 trail near Satara Camp. With only 6 vehicles allowed on the trail per day, this offers a slightly different experience to driving on Kruger's other roads. Two male lions lay near the central waterhole and they watched us closely. Further on up the road we found a couple of baby waterbuck that posed nicely for a photo.

Later in the day we came across a couple of giraffe that were clearly fixed on something lurking in the bushes. Finally the culprits emerged, two lionesses lay in the afternoon sun, closely watching the giraffe.

Amongst other animals photographed today were a monitor lizard, chacma baboons and zebra. The day ended with a beautiful sun glowing an odd red colour before it disappeared below the horizon.


Lions 4
White Rhino
Buffalo
Elephant

Moving day again, we first drove down the S100 and found a group of kudu with a small baby. Then we encountered 2 male lions. They lay in the early morning sun warming up before they got up and walked alongside our vehicle to a new resting spot a few hundred meters from their last, and lay down again.

Zebra and waterbuck also found their way onto our shooting list before we headed north towards Olifants Camp. An excellent spot by one of the clients revealed a leopard on the prowl. It was more than 200m off the road when we first saw it but gradually it made its way closer to us, pausing every now and then to have a good look for prey. The female leopard eventually crossed the road in front of us and started stalking a steenbok antelope as it browsed unknowingly on some shrubs.

The leopard got close to its prey on a couple of occasions but the steenbok sensed something and when the leopard eventually gave up the stalk and stood up, the steenbok darted away to safety.

A Saddle-billed Stork, elephant, Laughing Doves and a female hyaena with two cute pups were waiting for us further up the road. Just before Olifants Camp we encountered a brief sighting of another leopard as it moved through the thickets in search of its next meal.


Lions 2
Leopards 2
White Rhino
Buffalo
Elephant

Today we had a restful day, an early morning drive took us to a dam where a massive herd of over 800 buffalo congregated for a drink. A lioness watched and the buffalo herd was joined by a large herd of impala.

We then headed back to Olifants camp and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon watching the Olifants River from our accommodation. It was enjoyable to sit and watch the animals come to us for once :) elephants, giraffe, hippo, impala, waterbuck, African Fish Eagles, crocodiles and zebra were all spotted from the comfort of our chairs.

Lions 1
White Rhino
Buffalo
Elephant

Leaving early again to head even further north in the Kruger, we came across a young male lion with a female and 2 cubs. They seemed a bit nervous and soon headed off into the bush and lay down.

A pair of Bateleur Eagles were up next, perched in a tree close to the Olifants River.

We made a short stop at Letaba Camp to visit the Elephant Museum and then carried on north into Baobab tree country ! The north does not have the quantity of wildlife experienced in central and southern Kruger, but it is all there. Instead it offers a distinctively different atmosphere, created by the different habitat and vegetation types.

A beautiful White Fronted Bee-eater perched close to the road for some excellent photographic opportunities, and we ended the day with a peaceful drive along the Shingwedzi River.

Lions 4
White Rhino
Buffalo
Elephant

Today we headed even further north, to reach the far eastern corner of the Kruger National Park, a place called "Crooks Corner", where in the early days, poachers and criminals alike would elude capture by the relevant authorities by slipping across the Limpopo River into either Zimbabwe or Mozambique, as all three countries meet in this far north eastern corner.

Traditionally not as busy with wildlife, the north has its own charm as the scenery is markedly different and this together with the huge ancient Baobabs that are common in the area, creates its own atmosphere, unlike any other part of the Kruger.

On the way, we spotted a great number of raptors, especially the Black Shouldered Kite. We had lunch at the Pafuri Picnic Site which nestles on the banks of the Luvuvhu River. We then enjoyed what is perhaps one of the most beautiful drives in Kruger, along the Luvuvhu River towards "Crooks Corner" which we reached in the mid-afternoon. After taking a few photos of the Limpopo River we headed back to Shingwedzi Camp and were pleasantly surprised on the way back with a sighting of a mating pair of Lions and also two separate groups of Roan Antelope which are extremely rare to see in the Kruger with their numbers estimated at around only 40 or 50. It was a special treat.


Lions 2
White Rhino
Buffalo
Elephant

Our final morning drive in the Kruger took us towards the Phalaborwa Gate which we reached late morning.

An hour and 15mins later we were having lunch at the Forest Lodge enjoying the sights of the Quinine Tree Forest in front of the dining area.

We enjoyed a short rest before getting our equipment ready for the afternoon Vulture Feed.

The weather and wind direction were perfect and the vultures put on an incredible display as they swooped down from high in the sky. Marabou Storks, Hooded Vultures, White Backed Vultures and a few Cape Griffons arrived in good numbers to try and get their share of the food.

Later on we waited for the sun to set and got some shots of the vultures as they flew off to their perches to rest for the night.

After an early breakfast we headed off to spend our morning photographing the non-venomous reptiles. Giant Plated Lizard, Rock Scorpion & Flap-Necked Chameleon. After a lunch back at the Forest Lodge, we headed out for our PM exclusive photo session with the venomous reptiles. Green Mamba, Boomslang and Horned Baboon Spider were followed by a unique opportunity to photograph the Rinkhals, not a true cobra, but it hoods and ejects venom like some of the cobras do.

Some time was then spent back at Forest Lodge in their forest level wildlife hide, photographing the animals as they came in to drink. Nyala and Baboons were captured using a mix of flash and spot light.

We enjoyed our final morning breakfast, packed and headed off towards Hoedspruit.