Skukuza Camp

We said goodbye to Berg en Dal camp, and headed out at 6:00AM. Just beyond the camp we saw a black rhino. All of the other rhinos we had seen in the park were white rhinos, so we were very excited to see a black one. I was so thankful that the park really does seem to have been able to keep poachers at bay, unlike many other parks in Africa.

We headed out along the dirt road towards Crocodile Bridge. The game viewing was good, the road wasn’t. We were starting to realize that we should have rented a 4 wheel drive SUV as our little Corolla really was not having a good time bumping along the corrugations and trying to stay steady on the sandy roads. Also, being a bit higher up would have helped. As noted previously, the grass is quite high, and some of the animals are quite low, I am quite short, so all in all photography was quite the challenge.

We said goodbye to Angie’s parents and siblings at Crocodile Bridge and headed up north across the Sabie River to Mlondozi picnic site for lunch. Mlondozi is on a hill, overlooking a dam, and is totally the most perfect spot to stop for lunch. We rented our skottles, chopped up the vegetables, and then had the perfect view of a herd of elephants drinking and splashing in the dam below us. I wish every lunchtime was like this. It sure beats a microwaved frozen meal eaten at my desk, which is what my usual lunch looks like.

I could have eaten our delicious food and watched the elephants all day, but it was not to be. The elephants left the water and came up the hill towards the picnic site, so we put everything away, and headed back to the cars for a fun packed afternoon of game viewing.

We were very eager to see the ‘big cats’ in the park; lions, leopards, and cheetahs. We had seen a lion and a leopard in the distance, but wanted to see them close up to really admire them.

We spotted a dead impala in the bushes not too far from the road. Our assumption was that a leopard had probably killed it, but the leopard had been frightened off before it could take its kill to the safety of a tree. Therefore there was a good chance that it would return when things were quieter. We parked the cars and sat and waited. And we waited. Things never became quieter as every car that passed us wanted to know what we were doing, and after an hour it became clear that no self-respecting leopard was going to return until all the cars were off the road at nightfall, so we moved on.

The highlights of the afternoon were watching a herd of zebra who had several energetic youngsters, and the crocodiles and hippos in the water. Although it is the dry season there is still a lot of water around, and the animals seem much more relaxed than we have seen in other parks where they were fighting a drought.

We passed a tree with numerous vultures perching in it, looking like they were going to swoop down at any minute and indulge in a hearty meal. We watched them for a while, but could not see what was interesting them, so we had to move on. Time was fleeting, and we needed to get to the gate at Skukuza before it closed at 5:30.

Our progress was delayed by elephants again, but I am not complaining!

Skukuza is a beautiful camp sited on the banks of the Sabie River. However, it is a large camp, and there is currently construction going on there to build a new lodge, so I fear it will soon lose a lot of its charm. We checked in to our little rondavel, and noticed that the kitchen area was outdoors – which was fine for the plates and dishes, but our sister in law had warned us that the monkeys could get into the outdoor fridge, so before we went to bed, we placed the table up against the fridge door. Good thing too, in the middle of the night I was awoken by the sound of crashing metal, and sure enough the monkeys had been in the kitchen, and the pots and their lids were all over the place, but the fridge door was still securely closed, and our stash of biltong was safe.

Usually we have a barbecue, or should I show my Southern African roots, and say braai, at my brother in laws rondavel every night, but tonight was special.

Three of Kevin’s good friends from California had come to South Africa for his wedding, and they joined us in the game park. Tonight was their last night, and they wanted to take us all out to dinner at the Cattle Baron restaurant. Brave young men. Skukuza has a wonderful bar overlooking the river, and we had our sundowners there, before moving indoors for dinner. Dinner was excellent. I had chateau briande, which is one of my favourite meals, and I rarely have the opportunity to indulge if I am not on a cruise. It was total perfection, and as much as I love to braai in the bush, it was great to have an indoor sit down meal of such high standard. I really recommend eating there.