A Traveler's Photo Journal

Early morning in Kruger National Park.

Having only three nights at Cybele, I had followed my usual habit and packed in as many activities as possible.  Sitting at home planning the several days of excursions doesn’t exhaust you like actually doing all those activities.  We had experienced a full day on Wed. with the scenic drive and the night dinner, and were all pretty tired.  I think most of us would have appreciated a day of relaxation after getting in at 9 pm, but we mustered the energy and were up at 4:30 for our full day Kruger National Park game drive. 

Edward was our guide again, and he was there at 5 am to drive us back to Kruger.  We entered the park via Phabeni Gate, a location he thought would provide for more animal sightings than the gate we had used the night before.  We had driven an enclosed van to the park but at the entrance switched to the usual open—air game vehicle.  Cybele had packed us both a picnic breakfast and a picnic lunch for the day.

It was quite cool in the open-air vehicle as we made our way through the park.  We had dressed in layers of t-shirts, sweaters and then our fleece jackets and we were still a bit chilly.  Right away we were treated with lions at Nyamundwa dam.  It was early, and they were further away than we had seen them at Sabi Sand, but they were there.  Four lionesses were sitting and walking along the dam, sometimes playing with each other.  We also saw hippos at the dam.  The rules and driving in Kruger are different than that in Sabi Sand, which is a private game reserve.  Kruger is a National Park, and you can self drive through the park.  There are no rules regarding how long you can observe the animals or how many vehicles can stop at any sight, but you cannot drive off the road and there are roads marked no entrance.

Lions in the early morning at the dam.

The park has many Marula trees, the source of my favorite sundowner, Amarula.  Edward explained that the bark of the Marula tree cures headaches, and it also given to people suspected of having malaria.  The bark is boiled in water and the mixture consumed. 

Waterbuck

After several hours and a lovely drive, we stopped in the town of Skukuza, a settlement within the park.  It was named after James Stevenson-Hamilton, the first Kruger Park Ranger.  Skukuza is a Tsonga word that means “clean sweep.”  It was not an affectionate nickname.  It was given to Stevenson-Hamilton because he was responsible for removing the people who had originally lived on the land that became Kruger Park.  He swept them away, hence, Skukuza.  These were the types of stories that Edward entertained us with throughout the drive.  We had our picnic breakfast within the town’s borders.

As we continued our drive the day grew warmer and we started to peel off layers.  We passed several herds of elephants and stopped to watch them.  They are among my favorites to watch, and Edward endeared himself to me when he quietly remarked, almost to himself, “They walk like kings.”  We crossed several rivers and easily checked off a long list of sightings.  Our list included:  guinea fowl, lions, hippo, tawny eagle, dwarf mongoose, kudu, white rhino, elephant, impala, wildebeest, zebra, giraffe, vervet monkeys, crocodile, wart hog, water buck, baboons, and Cape buffalo.

The day quickly began to heat up, and the animals looked for shade and a cool place to rest during the heat of the day.  This is quite typical and what we encountered on all of our other drives.  At the lodges, the drives are morning and evening.  I had booked this excursion as an all day drive, but our eye lids were growing heavy and we were envious of the two lions we came upon at about 10 am already lounging in their shade and “flat.”  At noon I asked Edward to cut it short and head back to the gate and our cool retreat at Cybele.  I didn’t realize that it would be 3 hours later when we would actually arrive at our retreat, but we had to obey the park speed limit and of course stop at more sightings on our way back to the gate.  We had our very close rhino encounter as we neared the exit gate.  

What a relief it was to pull into the cool Cybele forest lodge.  We changed into swimsuits and hit the pool, having our picnic lunch poolside. My sister had given me a CD of African music as an early birthday gift (Vusi Mahlasela, Sing To The People), so we put that into the suite’s stereo and enjoyed the music and our last evening at Cybele.

In the pool of the Forest Suite at Cybele

It was a good day for sightings, but the Wild Dogs I had hoped to see remained elusive.  Another reason to return some day.

A postcard of the elusive Wild Dog

The verandah at Cybele.

Following our stay at Savanna in Sabi Sand, we spent three nights at the Cybele Forest Lodge near Hazy View and the Kruger National Park. The resort was lovely and the food wonderful, but it was not the best place to stay if you plan on doing any sightseeing. It is located at the end of a long and bumpy road up in the mountains. It was cooler at that elevation, so the fireplaces in the rooms were nice and the pools were heated. My sister and I took advantage of the spa on the day of our arrival. If your plan was to stay put and relax, it would be the perfect spot. Unfortunately, I rarely plan to stay put and relax, and I had booked three excursions.

Our first afternoon at Cybele was spent relaxing, using the spa, and enjoying a wonderful dinner.  They are known for their food, and it was superb.

The Forest Suite at Cybele.

The next day we started with a half day panorama sightseeing drive from Cybele to the Lisbon Waterfalls, the Bourke’s Luck Potholes and God’s Window. Our guide and driver Edward was both knowledgeable and funny, a really nice guy from the Swazi tribe, who told us the local names for all the locations, historical tidbits and funny tourist observations. His grandfather used to hunt in Kruger Park, before it was a park.

Lisbon Falls, South Africa

 Maybe it was just because Edward knew we were Americans, but he told us that “Americans just want to have fun, whether they see animals or not” while “The Chinese always get into trouble, getting out of their vehicles with long camera lenses to get a good picture. If we get word of someone in the park needing help, it is the Chinese.” According to Edward, if Germans don’t see anything but elephants, “They want a refund.” He kept this steady stream of late night comedy material and local lore up during the drive time between photo sites.

As we drove through the very scenic area, Edward explained that is was formerly called the Eastern Trans Vaal and is now known as Mpumalanga. Mpumalanga means “the place where the sun rises” in Zulu, Swazi, Xhosa and the Tsonga languages. Many of the Afrikaner names are being changed to names in the local tribal languages. Edward confided that he was forced to learn Afrikaans in school, and wasn’t happy about it.
Our first stop was the Lisbon Falls, where the sun was shining and there were few other people. The landscape was different from what we had seen in Sabi Sand; mountains and rolling hills, tall trees and the Lisbon falls with its lush green plunging drop. It was beautiful. At all of the tourist attractions you can find local people selling crafts such as animal carvings and jewelry. There was a sign that said that the sales benefited the women of the community, and they were encouraged to come and sell in that area to support their families. We took the opportunity to do a bit of browsing.

The Bourke’s Luck potholes were gorgeous. It was warmer and there were more people. Edward relayed the story of how Bourke fell down the potholes and not only came out unhurt, but with gold he had found at the bottom. It started the gold rush, hence, Bourke’s Luck, meaning good luck. We had good luck here as well, as the sun continued to shine. I took my shoes off as many others did and soaked in the water above the falls under the watchful eyes of the tourist safety monitors.

Teresa and Katy shopping at the craft stalls at Bourke’s Luck Potholes.

 
Luck evaded us though at God’s Window. God had pulled the curtain and it was shrouded in heavy mist. As we drove away and looked back, you could see that the mist extended only a few hundred feet. It reminded me of how Table Mountain in Cape Town can have a tablecloth just hugging the cliffs.

God’s Window: what we had hoped to see on the left, and what we did see on the right.

Edward suggested we visit a local raw silk “factory” and its shop. We did and got the story on how the local silk worm husks are turned into spools of silk and then woven into scarves and clothing. The factory employed about 20 local women spinning and weaving. Edward told us that the women were local women who were previously unemployed, so this little industry was a very good thing and the results were impressive. So of course I purchased a very beautiful and local creation.  (www.africasilks.com)

The five of us lunched on delicious pancakes (crepes) at Harry’s Pancakes, and purchased two lovely carved wooden Kudus from a vendor walking the sidewalk. Haggling is an accepted practice. My sister spent 60 Rand on her Kudu, while I got mine for 50 Rand ($6). After lunch Edward drove us back to Cybele, where we prepared for our afternoon excursion, a short drive through Kruger National Park at dusk to an outdoor dinner spot inside the park.

The outdoor Kruger dinner was booked through Cybele prior to our arrival, and we were hoping for the experience described on the Cybele website; sundowners within Kruger, a bonfire to sit around and dinner under the stars. Unfortunately, we did not get it. We drove through the park with Chester, a Kruger National Park Guide, the only people legal to drive in the park after dark. We slowly wound our way along the dusty road, mostly devoid of game. We got a lecture on the importance of dung beetles, and saw a tortoise. From a distance we saw a baboon and a male Kudu.

Chester holds a Dung Beetle during his lecture.

Sunset in Kruger National Park, South Africa.

We did not stop for sundowners, but arrived at our dinner spot after dark. After enjoying the overwhelming expertise and thoughtfulness of Savanna Lodge, we were disappointed with the dinner portion of the evening.

The night drive back to the gate where Edward waited for us produced only owls. I don’t blame the rangers for what we didn’t see during the drive. It is always hit and miss on a game drive, but the dinner experience was far from what was promised. Edward had been escorting us since 9 am, and finally dropped us at Cybele at about 9 pm. His day was even longer than ours, having to return the vehicle to its base and then make his way home. 
The Cybele staff was most helpful regarding the disappointment of the night dinner in Kruger. It had been booked with a vendor, the one who dropped the ball. Cybele graciously refunded the entire amount of the dinner. During our stay at Cybele, the staff did their utmost to make us happy and correct any problems, this one being the largest one.

“To move, to breathe, to fly, to float,

To gain all while you give,

To roam the roads of lands remote,

To travel is to live.”

Hans Christian Andersen

(I give full credit to my sister Rebecca for finding this quote.  I opened my birthday card and she had written it inside, it was perfect.)

It was a clear, cool morning for our last game drive at Savanna. The usual wakeup call at 5 am found us already dressed and nearly ready to head out. The air was heavy with dew, and the clear skies promised a very warm day. We agreed that it was the most beautiful morning yet, and we hadn’t even seen any animals yet.

We passed the resident herds of impala and zebra, a side-striped jackal, and a lone wildebeest beating a small bush into submission. We stopped the Land Rover as three Hyenas came trotting down the road towards us. Good photo ops! Zebra grazed in the morning light, a giraffe plucked breakfast from the trees, and a yellow-billed hornbill posed as the sun came up.

Sabi Sand is a true paradise for these wild creatures. We felt lucky to be there as observers, even if just for a few days. The morning was to become even more amazing as the radio calls began to come in. The lionesses with their cubs had been spotted by a nearby dry river bed reclining on boulders in a setting so beautiful it looked staged. Even more exciting was the news that the third lioness, whom Patrick had earlier told us had stashed her cubs somewhere, was also spotted.

Ulusaba, Sir Richard Branson’s lodge in the Sabi Sand

A Sabi Sand lioness trailing her three 8 week-old cubs

She was making her way towards the small pride with her three tiny cubs. We found them crossing a grassy area moving in the direction of the river bed nearly in the shadow of Sir Richard Branson’s Ulusaba game lodge sitting on the highest rocks with a stunning view of the area.
Patrick estimated the cubs to be about 8 weeks old. They were obviously tired and having a hard time keeping up with mom, but she would stop and let them catch up then continue on her way. As they disappeared into the bushes, Patrick announced we would not follow them as the cubs were too little and scared of the Rover. So we turned around and drove towards the river bed to watch the other lionesses on the rocks with their cubs. We had caught up with this little pride every day during our stay and this last morning was a photo op worthy of National Geographic.

One of the Sabi Sand lionesses cleaning her baby

After sharing some quiet time with the lions we left in search of a coffee break spot, finally being able to check vervet monkeys off our animal sighting list as we made our way through a cool green wooded area by the river. Our coffee break was enjoyed down by the river, the air rapidly warming as the sun rose higher in the sky.

Vervet monkeys in the trees by the Sand River

Elephants played in the river while I took the opportunity at this last stop to take photos of our wonderful guide Patrick and tracker Julius.

Patrick, me and Julius

On our final drive back to the lodge, our luck continued with the unexpected encounter of the leopard Hlabakuzi and her cub playing the in dusty road. We stopped and watched the very playful cub dash across the road, displaying typical kitten antics. When Hlabakuzi’s patience with her kitten’s playfulness ran out, she stood and called for the cub to follow, passing our Rover as she continued down the road in the direction from which we had come.

Back at the lodge we indulged in the lodge’s sumptuous breakfast and bid farewell to our favorite butler Pumi, a gracious and sweet man just as worthy of his title as Mr. Carson on Downton Abbey. We reluctantly climbed into our transport now on to our next stop, Cybele Forest Lodge.

Pumi, our butler at the Savanna Lodge

Our last afternoon/evening game drive turned out to be one of the most entertaining.  It is best described by my friend and travel companion Augie, who was in the Land Rover with me, my sister and his wife Teresa for the fun.  This is how he tells it:

Who reigns supreme in the jungle or, in this case,  the Savanna Game
Reserve? Well, we found out on last evening’s game drive.

We had been requesting our ranger Patrick and tracker Julius to find us male
lions, which in my opinion were the last on the must-see list in our four days
of drives here.  We resigned ourselves that despite to the fact that the Savanna
reserve has an area known as cheetah flats, there were no signs of the fastest
animal on earth and there haven’ been in some time, according to our guide.
Cheetahs are more prevalent in the flat, expansive Serengeti where they can
utilize their tremendous speed to make their kills.

Patrick and Juluis aimed to please, and the land rover was moving  at a
serious clip after an hour into the evening drive,  which so far was pleasant
but not especially exciting. I was getting giddy seeing the countless impala
grazing along the roadside. maybe so had Patrick. He had stopped and picked up a
tortoise for a playful photo-op.  We naturally discovered a hare, the tortoise’s
renown literary opponent,  several kilometers ahead in the road.

“Something must be up,” Laura  surmised as Patrick put the pedal to the
metal. “I hope it is the male lions.”. The ranger and tracker kept silent,
saying they had another surprise in store.

Here comes trouble. A bull elephant – in musth – with a chip on his shoulder. Look out.

We were the third group to come upon three large male lions napping in the
afternoon, and it turns out we were in the right place at the right time.  A
fourth kingly male lion was sleeping alone, not faraway from the trio in tall
grasses.  We drove over to  him when we saw the lone lion raise his head. Any
activity on the  part of a male big cat is a photographic opportunity not to be
missed.

While those photos were being taken, we noticed a large bull elephant
striding through the tall grasses with a land rover full of guests in careful
pursuit.  This was the same bull in “must” from the day before. He had blocked
the road and was showing an instigating behavior which made Patrick and Julius very leery.  The bull seemed to know that the groups ahead in the green land rovers, including us, were observing something important and he wanted to clear the area for himself.

The elephant made a beeline for the solitary lion but ran past him when he
noticed the three other brother lions being lazy and napping without so much as a stir. Then, in what we all believe was a premeditated act, the bull pivoted
after running  behind the same tree that was providing shade for the nonchalant brother cats. The riled up pachyderm defiantly shook the tree with his trunk.

The violent shaking scared at least half dozen lives out of the supposedly Kings
of the bush.  The male lions leaped out of their sleep and took off at a frenzied
pace right past us and were quickly out of sight.  We couldn’t find them the
rest of the afternoon.

Those three mighty lions looked like ordinary snoozing house cats displaced
by a nemesis Great Dane.
Patrick turned to his guests, with a big grin, and proclaimed, “I guess you
now know who is the REAL king of the jungle.”
We became loyal subjects of the bull elephant and retreated from his
kingdom.

POSTSCRIPT — Teresa has begun using her video feature on Canon digital 35 mm
camera.  Too bad she didn’t think fast enough and shot video of the elephant
outsmarting the male lions because it who uld have gotten a million hits once we
posted it on You Tube.  Maybe next time, we will see something that we can video
and have it go viral.

Impala

Our last two days at Savanna Lodge were just as successful in animal spotting as our first two.  We had mostly good weather, some clouds, one clear blue afternoon and only one game drive with rain.  To our delight, nearly every day we saw the Big Five.  In total, we watched 5 different leopards; Duane (a large male), Metzi and her cub, and Hlabakuzi and her cub.

Metzi

Hlabakuzi playing with her cub

Dewane

We saw the lionesses and their cubs on three separate occasions.  The rain did not damper our enthusiasm as we watched  Hlabakuzi playing with her cub in a tree.  All the species we observed had young and seemed in the peak of health.  Their lack of fear allowed us to get very close.

A lioness nursing two of the cubs

We did learn that elephants do not like white vehicles.  We came upon a large male elephant “in musth” who did not want two white vehicles to pass.  (Bull elephants in musth are quite aggressive, and have a strong and unplesant odor.  I could only take about 15 to 20 minutes being around the smell it was so strong).  He was blocking their way and threatening them.  When the drivers saw us approach from behind in our open green Land Rover, they pulled aside and let us in front.  There we confronted the bull elephant, and with some coaxing got him out of the road.

Elephant roadblock

During our Monday morning game drive, we came across another bull elephant “in musth” who was posturing towards one of the other Savanna Land Rovers with guests.  As the guide backed up, the elephant advanced.  It is a delicate operation to back away when confronted with an angry bull elephant.  If you back away too quickly, it gives them confidence and they advance more aggressively.  With patience they retreated and the elephant went on his way.

Savanna Lodge and its employees really went above the call of duty in their attempt to satisfy our wishes.  Sunday morning Patrick and Julius surprised us with breakfast in the bush.  They had us fooled again too.  We stopped for a moment and Julius stared at the ground with concentration.  When we asked what he was doing he said “Tracking.”  We asked “What are you tracking” and he said “Bacon and eggs.”   We turned the corner and there was an outdoor buffet and a table set for our breakfast in Robin’s Landing, where the night before we had enjoyed sundowners.  How fun!

After our usual sundowner stop and night game drive back to the lodge, Sunday evening we were treated to dinner in the boma and a local choir.  They were quite good.  After our dinner I was presented with a birthday cake and the choir sang and danced their way back in, surrounded the table and performed a South African a cappella rendition of Happy Birthday.  South Africa’s Gramm Beck sparkling white has been flowing since we arrived.

Sundowners at Robin’s Landing, Sabi Sand

If you find my posts on South Africa interesting, please visit the site of one of my travel companions for more pictures and stories:

https://augieblog.wordpress.com/

The Big Five

The Savanna Lodge

Savanna Lodge

Our room at Savanna Lodge

Wake-up call was at 5 am.  Even though we are on vacation, that does not mean we can sleep in.  There is no late sleeping if you want to see wildlife, active in the cooler mornings and late afternoons just before dusk.  Despite having declined the offer of the two after-dinner cocktails last night, Springboks and Sledgehammers*, 5 am came all too soon.  Fifteen minutes after the call, we gathered for coffee.  The vehicles were already waiting for us.  We pulled out of the compound around 5:45, just as the first light was starting to show in the morning sky.

It was cool with a thin overcast cloud layer, making fleece jackets a requirement.  We found a herd of buffalo right away.  We stopped now and then to listen and watch for birds, and to just enjoy the quiet of the morning.  Keeping with our crew from the night before, Patrick was our Ranger/Guide, and Julius our tracker.  Guests and Rangers stay together for the duration.  We were headed in the general direction of where we had seen the lion family the night before.  On the way to that area, we saw the large herd of buffalo, 5 hyenas, a few zebra, many impala and one lone wildebeest.

We heard over the radio that the lions and cubs were on the move, so we picked up the pace.  Luckily another one of the Savanna Rangers was already with the lions and on the radio, so we found the family before they disappeared into the brush.  Four lionesses and the four cubs were slowly making their way to another part of the reserve.  One of the lionesses had stashed another three cubs somewhere, and it was believed they may be headed in their direction.  We watched the lion family as they slowly strolled along, cubs playing, sometimes resting.  It was a beautiful sight.  One of the little cubs was quite a noisy kitten, crying and demanding attention.  We watched them play, nurse, and get a bath.

Reluctantly we pulled away to give other vehicles a chance to watch the family.  Patrick informed us that the rule was no more than two vehicles around an animal, and they would change places after about 15 or 20 minutes.  That was fair, but I hated to leave them.  I could have watched them all morning.

Julius makes coffee.

Julius

On the way back to the lodge we stopped for a break of coffee and snacks.  Patrick and Julius had also packed a bottle of Amarula, and without much arm twisting talked us into a splash of Amarula in the morning coffee.  It was great.  Driving back to the lodge we saw a few water buck, a tree squirrel, wart hogs and a leopard.  The leopard sighting was a 1 out of 5, as Patrick described it over the radioed to the other guides.  I asked what a 1 out of 5 meant, and he said, the male leopard was “flat”.  The leopard was in a tangle of bushes, lying flat.  You could see it was a leopard, but photos were impossible.  Our lion encounter had been a 5 out of 5, where the animal is active and highly visible, with good photo opportunities.  So yes, the leopard sighting was a 1 out of 5, but it was an official sighting.  If we included the elephant sighting during the night drive back to the camp after sundowners last night (large dark shapes really), we had officially seen The Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, water buffalo and rhino) in just 24 hours.  Patrick wasn’t satisfied though, and said we must see a leopard with a cub, and elephants in the daylight.  We did not argue.

Breakfast was waiting for us back at Savanna Lodge.  You wouldn’t go hungry here.  Our routine for the next few days will follow this schedule:  up at 5 am and out on the morning drive, breakfast upon return, on our own to do as we please (shower and a nap) until lunch at 3:30 followed immediately with the afternoon game drive, return to the lodge after sundowners, one hour rest, then dinner at about 9 pm.

Lunch was great, and we headed out again in clear, blue skies for our afternoon game drive.  We again found the Cape Buffalo and a few zebra.  Patrick got a radio call with the location of a herd of elephants, so we sped off in their direction.  We found them on the Brass Monkey Donga Clearing.  We stopped the Land Rover and the group filed past us, incredibly close.  There was one very small Elie, and a few more young ones.  We were delighted with the sighting, but this incredible day wasn’t over.

Another radio call announced the sighting of a female leopard on the move, following one of the dirt roads.  We caught up with her.  It was the small female leopard they call Metsi.  She was definitely on a purpose, walking straight line, ignoring the vehicles.

When she stepped off the road into the brush, I thought we would stop following her.  Silly me.  We continued, truly bush whacking at this point.  Still she carried on.  You could tell she was on a mission.

Metzi calling her cub

We soon found out what it was.  She had stashed her cub in a hide out.  As she got close, she started to call for the cub.  Finally he answered and they were reunited.  She licked him over, but he was very shy of the vehicles and stayed mostly hidden.  We left them at peace, very satisfied with the sighting.

On our way to sundowners we ran into four White Rhinos.  What a day.  In one day we had spotted the Big Five, and not just glimpses, but photo op sightings.  Sundowners followed where we learned more about our Guide Patrick and our Tracker Julius.  Julius had earned a nick name “Julius The Bull-shitter”, given to him with best intentions, which he accepted graciously.  Augie said Julius had earned his BS degree this day.

Julius serving sundowners

Our Guide/Ranger Patrick

Dinner back at the Lodge, the dinner was excellent, then four very tired but very happy “campers” went to bed.  Up again tomorrow at 5 for a repeat performance.

*A Springbok is peppermint liqueur plus Amarula, with the peppermint green liquid on the bottom and the white Amarula on top.  It is quite pretty.  A Sledgehammer is Kahlua, plus Amarula next, with a float of rum on the top.  Patrick had advised us last night to skip the drinks if we wanted to get up at 5 am.  Good advice.