Bearded Tit extravaganza !

 

A good 50 on the path, eating grit, on our recent walk. A fantastic sight to see !

Our recent trip to Kruger

Well, what can I say, it was absolutely fantastic !  You can probably tell that from our pics. Not too many birds due to the time of year but we did get just under 20 new ones, which did surprise us.  We flew into Johannesburg, overnight BA direct flight, and then an internal flight to Nelspruit. Kruger is about 50 miles up the road with a stop at the big Spar for a big shop. We had booked for 15 nights staying at Berg en Dal, Skukuza, Satara, Letaba, Mopani, Punda Maria in the far north and then heading back south with stays at Shingwedzi, Oliphants, Satara again and ending with 2 nights at Lower Sabia in a luxury bush tent. I could actually go back there tomorrow, loved every single second.

The lion sightings were far better than we had hoped for and a few close up leopards were excellent. We saw 3 prides of lions on kills that had happened during the night, glad about that as it is not something I would want to see. More elephants, zebra, giraffe than ever and the waterholes were spectacular with a never ending stream of animals coming into drink.  

The park was a bit busier than we would have liked due to it being the best season for big cat viewings. Low vegetation that had not really started to grow makes September a popular month. It is their spring so the temperatures are cooler aswell. 

The only disappointment were the numbers of rhinos. Last time we were there (about 8 years ago), we saw many, many rhinos. This time we only saw 3 and 2 of those were very distant. So that was disappointing. We spoke to a South African mammal watcher who told us the numbers were down 80% due to poaching. So even though they are in a national park with rangers they are still not safe which is sad. 

Back home now with a bump......birdwatching with no birds which seems to be the norm here in the UK. So, got another two trips booked !! And with a Sanparks Wildcard that is valid for another year......who knows !!

Kruger phone videos of elephants, lions, buffalo and rhino from our recent trip

 A few videos taken on my phone in Kruger National Park

A herd of elephants crossing the road, walking to a nearby waterhole, late afternoon. 

A herd of elephants crossed our track on their way from the river back into the scrub to eat, Kruger National Park

Elephants from the restaurant decking at Lower Sabie Camp in Kruger National Park

Elephants coming for a drink in the river along the S100 in Kruger National Park

Helmeted Guineafowl coming to a waterhole in Kruger National Park. 

A hyena chewing off a leg from a long dead carcass and making off with it

Quite gruesome

Two lions still feeding on an buffalo kill. There were 9 lions here this morning but only 2 remained at the carcass, the rest were asleep in the grass at the back

More footage of the two lions on the buffalo kill

Elephants, buffalo, wilder beast, zebra, impala all at one of the many waterholes in Kruger National Park

And the best video ever !!

A stroppy young male rhino chases away 3 lions, but they keep hiding and coming back ! What a fantastic sighting and we will remember it forever. Kruger National Park

A busy waterhole in Kruger National Park with plenty of animals coming in to drink

Lots of waterhole action with plenty of animals coming in to drink

Wild Dogs near to Oliphants Camp in Kruger. Some of the cubs playing in the long grass.

Lots of zebra coming in to drink at a busy waterhole in Kruger

And a leopard crossed the road - twice ! Kruger National Park

 

Flipping heck, it doesn't get much better than this I can tell you ! Just us two and a strolling leopard that crossed the road not once, but twice giving us some stunning views. Our trip was complete !

Simply stunningly beautiful, wowsers !!