Lunch At Skukuza & Road To Pretoriuskop

Posted on January 18, 2015 by Tara

Skukuza Restcamp is one of the largest ones so I wanted to have a quick look at it just in case we come back to South Africa (meaning getting more miles). The restaurant is called Cattle Baron Grill & Bistro and has both a sit-down service and a fast food outlet. We went for the fast food so we could get back to the safari asap.

Heading off, we passed another waterhole. Given that it was now the heat of the day, there wasn’t a whole lot to look at.

Not sure what this lizard with the blue head is but he looked pretty cool!

That was pretty much it up to the Pretoriuskop gate.

Game Drive From Satara To Skukuza Restcamp

Posted on January 17, 2015 by Tara

One of the nice things about Kruger Park is that the restcamps are spread out at suitable distances to make it easy to do a game drive from one to another, stop for a meal and a rest, then go off again. After very early morning birding at Satara, we had breakfast and then headed off in the direction of Skukuza for a leisurely game drive before lunch. Then we would continue on the shorter road to Pretoriuskop.

Heading out, the first thing we saw was the lions resting after last night’s feast.

European Bee-eaters looking for a meal.

We got 4 out of the big 5 just on this one stretch of road! Lion, Buffalo, Rhino & Elephant. Sadly Leopards eluded us again!

Helmeted Guineafowl

There’s a nice pond with lots of water birds.

Distances are marked in kilometres so you know how far to the next pit stop.

Signs like this indicate a water hole you might want to check out.

No, I wasn’t too close, I had a 100-400mm lens on my camera!

THIS guy is too close!

Picnic area with snack bar, toilets and BBQ facilities. Great to take a break midway!

It’s the dry season now but sometimes this river can be flooded. I like how they have the turn outs so people can stop and take photos and others can still get by. Good planning!

Hoopoe (Upupa epops)

Posted on January 15, 2015 by Tara

The Hoopoe (Upupa epops) is a colourful bird found across Afro-Eurasia, notable for its distinctive “crown” of feathers. It is the only extant species in the family Upupidae.

There are 9 sub-species and I have seen 3 of them, all in Africa.

They were very easily seen in Satara Restcamp in Kruger National Park, Ankarafantsika in Madagascar and several places in Tanzania. The Wikipedia map shows just how widespread they really are!

LEARN MORE ABOUT HOOPOES

Wikipedia

Birdlife

ARKive

VIDEO

Great close up action and you can hear the sound he makes!

Birding In Satara Restcamp

Posted on January 14, 2015 by Tara

Following on from my review of the restcamp, I thought the birds deserved their own post as there were so many! Just get up at first light and wander around, you will probably see these birds as they were found all over the camp. I started in the circle where our hut was, then followed my ears as more birds made their presence known.

Red-billed Hornbill

Cape Glossy Starling

The African Hoopoe was one of my favourites, I loved watching him manipulate his crest!

I got lucky with a Hail Mary shot of a bird flying overhead, it was a Brown-headed Parrot!

A gorgeous Crested Barbet

Going by the photo in the Sasol book, I think this one is a Greater Blue-eared Starling.

Grey Go-Away Bird

Here you can see our car and our cabin and how close it is to the bush.

Francolin

Mystery bird!

Cape Buffalo just outside the camp

Dark-capped Bulbul

I know I missed some, if anyone can help me out, please comment!

Lodge Review: Satara Restcamp, Kruger National Park

Posted on January 13, 2015 by Tara

You really can’t go wrong with any of the well-kept SANPARKS Restcamps in Kruger National Park. They all have lots of options from tent sites to large family sized cabins. I recommend reading the briefing on each camp to see what sort of wildlife is found in the area and choose based on that. My choice of Satara Restcamp was based on several trip reports of people saying they have seen Brown-headed Parrots in the camp.

LOCATION

Satara is pretty much right in the middle of Kruger National Park. The best access gate is Orpen Gate and you should try to make it through the gate by 3pm so you can enjoy a leisurely game drive enroute to the camp.

AROUND THE CAMP

Our cabin circled in pink. The yellow circled areas I found especially good for birding. The green dot is where I saw the Brown-headed Parrot flying overhead. The yellow smudge down by the reception is where the Scops Owl lives.

We had a fairly small cabin but it had everything we needed and I was really happy to be in the rear of the camp which is quieter and better for birding. No wifi, you should count on being off the grid while you are on safari!

The main restaurant is operated by a popular South African chain called Mugg and Bean’s. This was by far our favourite restaurant in the park, they had amazing variety that I never expected to find in a restcamp and the prices were very reasonable. I would compare them to a Chili’s in the USA only in a much nicer setting! There is a pizza takeaway just next to the Mugg and Bean’s.

Rules & Regulations are posted in several areas around the restcamp.

The gift shop is next to reception and the restaurant area and is very well-stocked. If you don’t have a birding guide book you can pick one up here. Of course my husband collects baseball caps with local motifs so he was in heaven!

The reception area is where you meet your guide for the night game drive and are shown to the vehicle. They also keep a list of interesting animal sightings so be sure to check it out before you drive off in the daytime.

We didn’t have time to use the pool but they do have one!

Next post will be about the birds found in this restcamp!

Doing At Least One Night Game Drive Is A Must At Kruger

Posted on January 11, 2015 by Tara

Most restcamps offer several game drives with a Kruger park ranger throughout the day. These allow you to experience the park at times outside normal hours which are usually sunrise to sunset. This is a list of what is offered at Satara Restcamp. A full list for all restcamps is found here. Sunrise and sunset drives can be good too but sometimes frustrating for birders if the other people in your group aren’t as interested in birds. With a night game drive leaving at 8pm. birds are pretty much off the table unless you find an owl so you can just relax and enjoy whatever happens along!

Since we are primarily birders, the timing of the night drive was perfect. We had to be inside the camp by 6:30pm although we checked in around 6-ish and booked the game drive as we checked in. Then we had enough time for a quick dinner and met the ranger just before 8pm. We all piled into a large Land Rover with open sides and some people were given torches to spotlight the animals.

We were spotting nocturnal animals such as Civets, Genets & Jackals before we had reached the main road. In the photos below, I have posted some unedited photos to show you just how dark it is, then the same photos with some editing and lightening to see the subjects better.

The most exciting part was seeing a whole pride of lions dining on a kill, probably a wildebeest. Our ranger/guide drover as close as possible. The lions didn’t seem to care although a few of them were eyeing up the vehicle. I was acutely aware that we had completely open sides, there was nothing to stop them from jumping in. Apparently they don’t do this otherwise they wouldn’t be running the trips!

This lioness is looking in our direction, looks like she is saying, “Hey guys, room service is here”!

Hyena skulking in the bush waiting for the leftovers. This was a big kill and there were several other scavengers including jackals patiently waiting their turn but some were too far to be photographed.

I’ve done a few of these sunset and night game drives over the years and this one was by far the most exciting!

Orpen Gate To Satara Restcamp

Posted on January 10, 2015 by Tara

Always allow a comfortable buffer to get from the entry gate to the restcamp as gates are very strict on when they open and close. It’s for your safety and that of the animals in the park. Officially, it takes 1:15 to get from Orpen Gate to Satara but I would allow at least 3 hours as there is a lot of game in this area not to mention all the birds! Here is some of what we saw just on the 3 hours we took on this drive!

Just outside the park we saw this cool statue.

Magpie Shrike, scroll down for better pics.

Helmeted Guinea-fowl

Weaver nest

Even when you are looking up for birds, don’t forget to look down for turtles!

I think this partially obscured little guy is a Gorgeous Bush-shrike.

Lilac-breasted Roller, I did get better pics further on.

Grey Go-away bird

Cape Glossy Starling

This pond was on the left driving in and a real treasure trove of animals!

Bathing Hippos

Look how close we got!

Finally reached the camp.

How To Design Your Own Self-Driving Safari In Kruger National Park

Posted on January 9, 2015 by Tara

If you are planning to visit Kruger right after Magoebaskloof I want to point out a better route. I usually rely on Google maps and they will recommend the route I outlined in red. However David Letsoalo said the road was in poor condition and slow going and it was much better to go via Gravelotte and Hoedspruit as shown below.

Kruger National Park is HUGE and there is so much to see there. It’s impossible to see it all in one trip and odds are that you will make several trips there over your lifetime. On previous trips going back to the 90’s I have been to Lower Sabie, Olifants, Pretoriuskop and Skukuza. In 2009, my husband and I went to Punda Maria in the north since it was recommended for birding. What I really love about Kruger is that is is soooo easy to DIY your own safari in your own car! The roads are very well maintained and although it can get crowded in peak season, if you go in the off season you won’t have to deal with crowds. You don’t need a 4WD, a sedan car will do just fine. Look here for how to find the best deal on a rental car.

Since this trip was just a whistle-stop tour as part of a major trip all over Africa, we only had 2 days to spare so I had to choose wisely. Here’s how to make the most of your time in Kruger, no matter how little it is!

1. Use the SANPARKS website to study the park. Make sure the driving time is realistic if you will be leaving the park and going straight to the airport. I decided Orpen Gate was a good entry point from Magoebaskloof and leaving via Malalane Gate would give us a nice safari on the way out of the park and back to JNB.

2. If you know what species you are targeting, see if any camps are known for that species. You will probably have to look at each camp individually so make the time to do your homework! I was targeting Brown-headed Parrots (Poicephalus cryptoxanthus) in particular, then just birding in general and of course any mammals in the area. Voila, there they are, right in the top 5 for Pretoriuskop!

We had 2 days and Pretoriuskop was too far to drive considering a half day of birding in Magoebaskloof first so we needed one night a bit closer. After spending some time on Google and reading birding trip reports I saw that several people reported seeing the parrots in Satara Restcamp which was an easy drive from Orpen Gate. Satara is also known for lion and even the most devoted birder likes to see lions in Kruger!

3. Book everything in advance on SANPARKS website. You can even pay the conservation fees in advance so you can just breeze right through the gate. Bring your printout to show the rangers.

4. Never pass by a public restroom! You will find them at all restcamps, entry gates and picnic areas but they can be 2 hours away in some areas and you are not allowed to leave your car outside of picnic areas.

5. Fill up your car before entering the park, also stock up on supermarket goods such as snacks and drinks. You can either self cater in the camp kitchens or braais (BBQ) or eat in restaurants which turned out to be pretty reasonably priced. I will review camp facilities later.

6. Do at least one night safari with the camp rangers! We did one at Satara and it was awesome! What I liked about Satara’s safari is that it left at 8pm whereas some camps only have sunset drives which leave around 6pm.

Here’s a teaser shot of what’s to come on my night safari post!

Lilac-breasted Roller (Coracias caudatus) – An African Beauty

Posted on July 13, 2013 by Tara

Today I am going to share some more about one of my favourite birds, the Lilac-breasted Roller.

The Lilac-breasted Roller (Coracias caudatus) is a member of the roller family of birds. It is widely distributed in sub-Saharan Africa and the southern Arabian Peninsula, preferring open woodland and savanna; it is largely absent from treeless places. Usually found alone or in pairs, it perches conspicuously at the tops of trees, poles or other high vantage points from where it can spot insects, lizards, scorpions, snails, small birds and rodents moving about at ground level.

Nesting takes place in a natural hole in a tree where a clutch of 2–4 eggs is laid, and incubated by both parents, who are extremely aggressive in defence of their nest, taking on raptors and other birds. During the breeding season the male will rise to great heights, descending in swoops and dives, while uttering harsh, discordant cries.

The sexes are alike in coloration. Juveniles do not have the long tail feathers that adults do.

This species is the national bird of Botswana and Kenya.

Lilac Breasted Roller Range

Since they are so widespread, you have great odds of seeing them on any safari in the southern half of Africa. Kruger National Park is one of the easiest places to find them, also any of the national parks in Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana and Zimbabwe would be a good bet. Even though they aren’t a rare species, their beauty makes them firm favourites with birders and artists alike. Just have a look at the variety of images on Google of this stunning bird!

Here’s a few videos to further enjoy them.

Northern Kruger Park’s Mahonie Loop

Posted on July 12, 2013 by Tara

The Mahonie Loop is right next to the Punda Maria Rest Camp in northern Kruger Park and is a treasure trove of wildlife.

We did this drive twice during our trip, once with the ranger guides from Punda Maria and once on our own the following day. Although I am primarily a birder, there are plenty of animals in this area so traditional safari goers won’t be disappointed. You can see photos of our night drive on the Punda Maria post. Below, these photos are of birds we saw during our afternoon drive. We had been hoping for Brown-headed Parrots which are regularly seen here but couldn’t find them.

The Mahonie Loop is listed as one of Siyabona’s Top Ten Birding Drives in Kruger National Park.

Here’s a few photos from our trip in April 2009.