It all started with a Land Rover Defender and the quest to find the vehicle's natural surroundings. Now there are many nature reserves a relative stone's throw from Joburg, but we wanted something a little more hardcore to suit the attitude of the vehicle. Only one place fitted the bill. It had to be the Kruger Park.
But what nobody told us was exactly how far the main gate nearest to our accommodation was, and that this gate actually closes, and that from there you need to get to your camp, which incidentally also has a gate that closes. So we packed up the Landy and left the City of Gold around 10am, heading for the Phalaborwa Gate, then on to the Mopani rest camp. Both of these are situated towards the north of the Kruger - it's obviously closer from Joburg if you're staying in a more southerly part of the park - but we didn't know this either.
We reached the Phalaborwa Gate at 3.50pm. The gate closes at 5.30pm (times vary depending on the season), but Mopani was still 75km away, or an hour and a half's driving at the 50km/h tarred road speed limit (gravel roads are limited to 40km/h).
Now the Kruger is a tightly run operation. The main entry gate staff factor in which camp you're staying at before they let you into their 20 000km2 wide backyard. If we were any later than 4pm it would have meant that we would have missed the 5.30pm cut-off to get to the camp, and they're not keen on tourists sleeping in cars. And before you even think you can hotfoot it to the camp, they trap on tar roads, I saw two speed traps, and they looked expensive. But the bottom line is we reached the Mopani rest camp ten minutes late (after almost eight hours of driving). Dirty looks from the gate-keeper but he let us in, after examining our entry (and exit) permits issued at the main gate.
South African National Parks (SANParks) control quite a few camps in the Kruger, and Mopani was one such camp. I noticed when checking in that it had won awards for being one of the best, and deservedly so. Besides the different sized bungalows and cottages, it has a decent supermarket, a little fuel station with carwash, and quite a swish viewing deck and bar over a large dam. I was expecting less, much less.
The chalets we stayed in were also more than simply up to scratch. They each had separate bathrooms with showers and bath tubs, and were serviced daily with fresh towels and soap left on each bed. Thatched roofs, outdoor kitchens and big braai areas made for great evenings under the African sky. And if you're feeling energetic the reception desk offers guided morning and afternoon walks; or morning, sunset, and night drives - all at competitive prices. The three-hour sunset drive will set you back just R140 per person.
The Kruger itself is really well signposted. I was expecting this mass of land and bush, but found tarred road (that was in better condition than some around Joburg) and properly marked gravel roads.
The gravel sections are called loops, and are there to get you closer to rivers, or little dams, or dense bush - all so you can view the game up close and personal. And remember, you're not allowed to get out of your vehicle, the Kruger is the real deal.
There really is no need for a Garmin here, spend R25 at the gate and get the visitors' guide book, it clearly maps out the entire park - Kruger Park 101. And at every single intersection there's a little post telling you which camps are in which direction, with mileages.
The loops are marked in a similar way, and even indicate rivers. Very impressive, it's impossible to get lost, really, you'd have to leave the paths to do it.
According to the visitors' guide, the Kruger Park is home to 147 mammal species, 507 birds, 336 trees, 114 reptiles, 49 fish, and 34 amphibians. They don't mention the group of Mozambicans we saw making a run for it, but I'm sure the lions know about them.
Also worth knowing is that you're not allowed to feed or disturb the animals in any way. And no stealing of plants or roots that you think will look attractive in your garden; vehicles weighing more than 4 tons or carrying over 25 passengers are restricted to tar roads; parts of the park pose a malaria threat (now they tell us); and roadside assistance is available should a leopard start nibbling on your tyres (cellphone reception was perfect throughout our stay).
Night drives on your own are out, that's what the guided tours are for; and motorbikes and bicycles are prohibited, for obvious reasons (sounds like an idea for an episode of Survivor).
We were no more than 10 minutes past the main gate when we saw our first buffalo, and over the next two days, we saw lots of elephant, impala, zebra, and the odd croc and hippo. I was hoping to see a few real predators, like lions, leopards and cheetahs, but these creatures seem to be the most elusive.
Even our night game drive yielded no better results, though we did get to see the remains of Alexander, one of the more famous Kruger elephants that died of a heart attack (tell me again how healthy leaves are).
But as luck would have it, on the very morning we were driving out we decided to do a less-frequented 4x4 loop (the signs warn of routes needing vehicles with more ground clearance), and saw not only a lioness crossing the pathway, but a leopard just chilling out behind some bush - not 20m from our car. Very cool.
Also cool was that our camp was no more than 20km from the actual Tropic of Capricorn. It's clearly marked with a line across the road and a signboard (and marks the most southerly latitude at which the sun can appear directly overhead at noon - you gotta love Wikipedia).
All in all, a big fat tick next to Kruger Park on the to-do list.
- Visit www.sanparks.org for pricing and information on the various camps and entry gates, and to book your stay.