It has been some twenty years since I visited the Kruger with my parents, and this last April, I decided to introduce my own young family to the magic of the park. We stayed at Tamboti Tented Camp, and our experiences over the few days that followed had me questioning why it had taken me so long to return. Every day was filled with a myriad of memories, and there was lots of nostalgia that brought me back to my own childhood. We used to spend most of our time in the Southern end of the park at Bergendal and Lower Sabie, sometimes heading to Satara. I remember having a picnic lunch at Orpen Dam when a boomslang fell from the rafters onto our table cloth causing a mass-evacuation from all of us. This was at the same time that a super pride of lions were resident near Satara and we were fortunate enough to see them feeding off three buffalo that they had killed. The chorus of other animals that were trying to steal off the various carcasses was incredible, and I remember clearly the snarling of lions as hyena tried to pilfer a morsel, as well as the multitude of vultures and bateleurs that waited in the trees close by. In the evenings we had a tradition of playing Uno while waiting for the fire to be ready for a braai; I recall fondly the laughter and stories we would share around the as night fell. As a family, we were always fascinated as much by the little things as we were with the bigger game. Catching insects to throw into an orb web spider’s nest, teasing antlions from their holes and spotting birds among the canopy were always fun ways to spend time around camp. I hope to instill these same values in my children: the understanding that it is not about seeing a leopard at all costs, it is about appreciating every element of the ecology. So, it was a real privilege to share some of these stories with my son and daughter as we explored the park. They had such wonder throughout the trip and it shows just what a resonating impact the Kruger has on everyone of all ages. It went as far as my daughter wanting to write something for the Kruger Magazine, as she hoped to share her experiences. She is nine, and I promised to pass on her unedited (she was very specific about that) diary for our few days at Tamboti: My first stay at the Kruger National Park This was my first time at the Kruger a National Park and we were staying at Tamboti which is a tented camp near Orpen Gate. These are my highlights. On the first night we heard some tip of crashing noise my dad woke me up because there were two honey badgers at the dustbin who had got hold of my three year old brother’s nappy! From our porch we saw an elephant eating grass in the river bed and we also saw two buffalo. It was night time while we were eating dinner we saw a baby python underneath the table. There were lots of cool night time sounds like the hyenas calling and the scops owls too. On one early evening we saw a hyena walking at the side of the dried up river as well. We also saw a huge elephant right next to the fence with big tusks. We had some amazing game drives these are some of them. We went to a dam and some giraffe walked slowly to the water. Two of them started drinking it was amazing to watch. Then we saw a troop of baboons playing in the trees next to a dried up river. There were two babies and one was older than the other one. The older one kept on biting all of the other baboons and the other little one stayed in its mother’s arms. On another day we were watching herd of Buffalo, there were probably 20 of them and they were wallowing in a big muddy dam. A few minutes later we saw a herd of elephants. There were probably 60 of them and they drank in a reservoir. Then they were probably going to go for a swim but no they started chasing the Buffalo. It was amazing! Then we drove to Sunset Dam and it was fantastic to see a heron surfing on a hippo. Slowly the hippo started to go beneath the water and then the heron started pecking the hippo until he flew away. We were going on a drive and we were heading towards a big fire. Hornbills and Rollers were swooping all over because the bugs were hopping out of the fire. It was brilliant! We were going to our next camp at Lower Sabie and ahead of us there was a crowd of cars so we went there. We asked a man in a white car what he had seen and he said that there was a leopard in a huge tree. I was so excited because this was my first time seeing a leopard in the wild and it was sleeping. It was amazing to spend some time with my brother and my dad in such a beautiful place. I can’t wait to go there again. Bella Watson Age 9 I think she puts it very well, and we will definitely be returning to the park again soon. As for me, I will cherish lots of ice-creams in the car, watching the shy bushbuck from our tent and seeing the honey badger pair waddle around the camp at night. There is the excitement of following a hyena meandering along the fence line or listening to the scops owls calling at night. There was the small python disrupting our supper by slithering beneath our table towards the river and the same big bull elephant foraging in front of our tent at mid-afternoon every day. I enjoyed watching two dagga boy buffalos finding shade in the riverbed and watching two woodland kingfishers call to each other. There are the communal chats with other guests whilst washing up and the leguaan beating a hasty retreat near the communal bathroom block. We also had a wonderful sighting of two tawny eagles feeding in a dead tree next to the road. My daughter saw her first leopard as it slept in the hook of a Marula tree. We watched a korhaan stalking a furry caterpillar and a Lilac-breasted Roller showing why they have their name, tumbling in mid-flight. We saw a pair of Bateleurs spiralling to the ground, talons locked and orb web spiderwebs catching the morning sun. There is something very special about the Kruger Park which many people try to put into words. I have tried penning a poem, which I hope is not too trite, in an attempt to express that deep-seeded feeling that I experienced there. My Wild Kruger Courtney Watson The bushveld celebrates another day With colour and voices and scents. Somehow everything here is vaster: The sky seems more endless, The sun a richer shade of orange, The Marula trees towering pillars. It is a place of no small measures. A tusk worn elephant ambles along the river bed, Foraging between fleshy fronds Of the grass that shares his name. The sun is silver on the fingerprints of his dusty skin, A last light dapples through the trees. I try to name what I hear As the earth moves from red to royal blue: A Scops Owls twirr, The rattling of Francolins, The boisterous banter of baboons And "Good-Lord-deliver-us." Further along the dry river Bee-Eater silhouettes are frantic in their flight, Kites of wings and delicate tail feathers Beat their iridescent bodies to catch The last unseen insects of dusk. The sinews of bark and leaves Become less definitive in the dwindling light As Venus appears to keep me company. And the sky becomes the colour of ink. The moon is a fallen eyelash And the stars hold their own more brightly Among the meandering Milky Way above. I have arrived home.
1 Comment
My first stay at the Kruger National Park
This was my first time at the Kruger a National Park and we were staying at Tamboti which is a tented camp near Orpen Gate. These are my highlights. On the first night we heard some tip of crashing noise my dad woke me up because there were two honey badgers at the dustbin who had got hold of my three year old brother’s nappy! From our porch we saw an elephant eating grass in the river bed and we also saw two buffalo. It was night time while we were eating dinner we saw a baby python underneath the table. There were lots of cool night time sounds like the hyenas calling and the scops owls too. On one early evening we saw a hyena walking at the side of the dried up river as well. We also saw a huge elephant right next to the fence with big tusks. We had some amazing game drives these are some of them. We went to a dam and some giraffe walked slowly to the water. Two of them started drinking it was amazing to watch. Then we saw a troop of baboons playing in the trees next to a dried up river. There were two babies and one was older than the other one. The older one kept on biting all of the other baboons and the other little one stayed in its mother’s arms. On another day we were watching herd of Buffalo, there were probably 20 of them and they were wallowing in a big muddy dam. A few minutes later we saw a herd of elephants. There were probably 60 of them and they drank in a reservoir. Then they were probably going to go for a swim but no they started chasing the Buffalo. It was amazing! Then we drove to Sunset Dam and it was fantastic to see a heron surfing on a hippo. Slowly the hippo started to go beneath the water and then the heron started pecking the hippo until he flew away. We were going on a drive and we were heading towards a big fire. Hornbills and Rollers were swooping all over because the bugs were hopping out of the fire. It was brilliant! We were going to our next camp at Lower Sabie and ahead of us there was a crowd of cars so we went there. We asked a man in a white car what he had seen and he said that there was a leopard in a huge tree. I was so excited because this was my first time seeing a leopard in the wild and it was sleeping. It was amazing to spend some time with my brother and my dad in such a beautiful place. I can’t wait to go there again. Bella Watson Age 9 So it has been some time since I last visited the Kruger, and with the money I received from the Matric Exam Marking, I decided to take the kids for a week. It was the most magical experience, and although I will write a more reflective entry later, here are some photographs which maybe provide some of the highlights to our trip:
|
ContentSome thoughts about things, sometimes philosophical, sometimes just musings. The world through my eyes... Archives
March 2023
Categories
All
|