Kruger National Park 2018

Group photo

On our second-last day we went in a bus with Nadia and another guest for a 1.5 hour drive to Kruger National Park. 5 other lodge guests were in another vehicle traveling in convoy with us. What a huge park - 3.5 million hectares! It borders Mozambique to East and Botswana to North. We hadn’t even entered the park gates when we saw the first hyena of our trip. But it was still pre-Dawn, so he was a bit hard to photograph. Fortunately once in the park we saw a mother and baby hyena with a male attempting to get close - he was quickly shooed away by the protective female. 

Once in the park we saw all of the same animals that we see here in Makutsi (but in larger numbers) with the addition of hyenas, some birds of prey - vultures and Eagles, a group of dwarf mongoose and a male and female African ostrich. Once in the park, cars are limited to 50 km/h, and no one is allowed to get out of their vehicle. Fortunately they have several areas within the park where you can stop and have a picnic and there are camping sites for those with caravans and lodges for accommodation. 

Breakfast Spread

Our drivers packed a breakfast spread for us which we had as a picnic, and lunch was in a restaurant at one of the lodges. From our breakfast picnic site we looked out and saw zebras and giraffes, and from our lunch vantage point we saw a giraffe come down to drink in the river and also a hippo sunning itself on the bank. I had to pinch myself often to believe where I was and what I was seeing. 

Footprints

Sightings Board Updated Daily 

Note herd of zebras behind giraffes

Lunch View

Spotted Hyena

Loved this zebra photo of Helen's