SAT 19/5/07
We leave Pietermaritzburg for Kruger National Park at 06.00. We have 750 odd km to travel and lots of road-works to liven up the journey. We stop twice en route (other than roadworks!), once for hot chocolate (it’s a pretty cold morning, 60C) and once for a toasted sandwich. Birds seen on the way include Pied Starling, Pied Crow, Black Crow, Black-headed Heron, Grey Heron, Little Grebe, Black-shouldered Kite, Long-crested Eagle, Jackal Buzzard, Yellow-eyed Canary, House Sparrow, Red-Winged Starling. (I don’t count these as birds seen in Kruger, so there may be some repetition) By the time we get to the Malelane gate it is 3.30 and 350C!
(Note – we have been taking malaria prophylactics for six days before entering the Park. This is essential. Consult the Kruger Park Website for advice. Not being able to take the drugs on offer, I get a homeopathic prophylactic which has no side effects. We also buy anti-mosquito wipes impregnated with natural substances such as citronella oil which work brilliantly and are far more pleasant to use than Peaceful Sleep - diethyl toluamide – and we use citronella candles and bare as little skin as possible at night. We also use only citronella soap on our skin.)
There are several gates to the Park and it depends on where you are booked in for the first night and how long it will take you to get there as to which gate you use. We usually enter through Malelane Gate. This is easily accessed from Gauteng so if you fly in to Johannesburg (4 -5 hrs from the Park) and intend to hire your own vehicle to go to Kruger, you travel along the M4, straight through Nelspruit and the Crocodile river valley (spectacular scenery) pass the town of Malelane and 4km further on and 45 minutes from Nelspruit, is the LH turn to the Park gate. There are two camps close by – one is Malelane camp itself, on the edge of the Crocodile River (although you can see very little of the river from the camp, the bush is too thick) and one is Berg-en-Dal. Malelane is very small, with both camping and hutted accommodation. The huts are rondavels with two or three beds and a shower and loo. Cooking facilities are separate and you have to provide your own utensils. It is an atmospheric little camp, but the need to carry cooking pots for one night when we shan’t need them elsewhere has made our choice Berg-en-Dal. This camp is on the banks of a dry (in the winter) river bed and at the far end of the camp the river is dammed to make a small body of water so that you can watch animals coming to drink from the camp. A negative feature is the view of a distant sugar mill which looks like an ocean liner lit from stem to stern at night! The chalets are big with three beds, small kitchen area and bathroom with shower, wash basin and loo; they are very well positioned with many of them on the perimeter fence.
(Note – if you want accommodation on a perimeter fence anywhere in the Park, you have to specify this when booking.)
Before booking in at the main gate, stop on the bridge crossing the Crocodile River. This river is the Park border and, as such, I start counting bird species as being in the Park from here. We see crocodiles, hippo and impala and get a start on the bird list - Grey Heron, Three-banded Plover, Blacksmith Lapwing, Green-backed Heron, Saddle-billed Stork, Pied Kingfisher, Water Thick-knee, Goliath Heron, Fork-tailed Drongo, Egyptian Goose, White-faced Duck, Lilac-breasted Roller, Reed Cormorant and Great (White) Egret. On our meandering way to Berg-en-Dal we see giraffe, elephant and rhino, plus Helmeted Guineafowl, African Grey Hornbill, Violet-backed Starling, Black-backed Puffback, Red-eyed Dove, Grey Go-away Bird and Hadedah Ibis. Unloading only basic essentials for our one night stay, we are very glad to heat up spag bol and have an early night after our twelve hour drive.
(Note if you are interested in Bats, Berg-en-Dal has plenty and has put up several bat houses!)
Nice one Sal, this is bringing back memories