I’m born and bred South African. I love my country (junk and all). Though I’m not naïve to the beauty the rest of the world has to offer, I believe my country has some of the best of the best. Sit back and take a trip with me though the Kruger National Park.
A little insight
Contrary to popular belief, we don’t have wild animals roaming the streets. Well… there was an incident last week when a tiger escaped it’s enclosure at Farm Inn in Pretoria and roamed just a few blocks from where I stay, but that’s a very isolated occurrence. We have cities, towns, roads, electricity, running water and our animals are mostly kept in their natural habitat in parks and game farms.
The biggest part of the Lowveld consists of the Kruger National Park. I’m not going to bore you with the detail – Google it. It’s HUGE! Bigger than some countries/states. Man alive it’s beautiful! Home to not only the BIG FIVE (African lion, African elephant, Cape buffalo, African leopard, and Rhinoceros), but 147 species of mammals. More than any other African game reserve. It’s also home to more than 500 species of birds.
One can easily spend a week in the Kruger and not see half of it. Should you wish to stay a week or two, there are plenty of camps, lodges and tent camps in and around the park. Wait… I’m beginning to sound like a brochure!
On my many visits to the Kruger throughout my life so far, I’ve stayed in a permanent tent camp near Orpen gate (there are 9 entrance gates), Pretoriuskop (the oldest rest camp in the Kruger), Boulders bush lodge, a self-catering house right outside Phalaborwa gate, Skukuza, Satara - you get the picture.
Lots to see
Tamboti tent camp near Orpen gate
African Elephant
Zebra – their stripe patterns are as unique as fingerprints
Giraffe – the tallest mammal on earth
Ranting a bit
In recent years it’s become quite the rage for wealthy ‘intellectuals’ from other countries to visit South Africa to hunt our big game like elephants, giraffe and lions. I come from a family of hunters. I have no problem with hunting for food, but hunting for sport just upsets me to no end. What really gets to me, are these guys posing with their guns next to the poor animal they killed. We have plenty of antelope to shoot if you’re hungry. They breed fast enough so we always have plenty – maybe not at the moment – we’re currently suffering a drought. The big game have gestation periods of 13-15 months for giraffes and 22 months for elephants! You do the math. Why anybody kills them is beyond me. DON'T HUNT IT IF YOU CAN"T EAT IT
Anyway…
No visit to the Kruger is complete without a visit to the Baobab tree
This Baobab is the southernmost naturally occurring tree in Africa. These trees grow to 30m tall and can be up to 11m wide
I have an affinity to tortoises. Ever since I started taking photos of them, I’ll never call them slow again.
White African Rhino
If you read my post about Rhinos you’ll know that they are my passion. With Rhinos being slaughtered for their horns to NOT CURE any known ailments it’s a rarity to still see them or for that matter, still see them with horns.
White Rhinos – My extraordinary experience
I hope you enjoyed the trip through the Kruger Park. I’m a real ‘bush-baby’. I have a deep affection for animals and nature. I love that I live in a county where, even though I live in a city, I’m still able to see them often.
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