Day 5– Drifters South Africa 18-day Tour

Kruger National Park to Zululand

3 September 2011

Breakfast was served by 5:45 and by 6:15 we were ready to leave, the park gates opened at 6 and our lazy path the southernmost exit of the park was the first leg of our journey to Zululand.

We would be driving the only gravel road available to bigger trucks on our way out of the park. Like the previous day, game was scarce. Perhaps they were all huddled up trying to keep warm in the early morning chill. After a brief loop to areas normally ripe for animal sightings (there were none), we circled back to take our path out. Our first surprise of the day came with the news that the gravel road had been blocked off and closed – we would have to follow the main road again.

I sure do miss this place 

We quickly reversed ground back on to the main artery and took a long way out of the park. Sticking to the main roads, and accounting for slower speeds, and stopping when we saw animals, we would have around 4 hours before we said goodbye to Kruger National Park.

Watching the sun come up - Africa style 

Our camp the night before was in a more open grassland section of the park, perfect for the few cheetahs in the park and the only member of the Big 5 we hadn’t seen – the rhino. But once we turned on to the main road and headed away, it didn’t take long before we could cross rhinos off our list.

There are 2 types of rhinos in Africa, the black and the white. The white is far more common and easily recognizable by his square jaw. Three whites were grazing some 30 yards from the road so the sighting was quite good and the photos excellent.

Our first rhino

He's a grazer. 

We saw dozens more elephants, and while none of them were as old and mighty as the first one we saw in the park, each family unit was impressive. And to be honest, the little guys are pretty cute as well; especially this one. Milton reckons he was just over a year old as he just managed to reach his mom’s belly.

Taking all he can from mom

More rhinos

More elephants 

More giraffes came and went, as did many more antelopes of various species. We had a pleasant surprise when we passed a herd of blue wildebeest before we stopped at Afsaal Trader's Rest for a toilet break and the chance to buy any last minute Kruger National Park curios. Kirsty bought a necklace with an elephant pendant on it (she likes elephants) and we headed out. The camp is about 5 kilometers from the gate so we weren’t expecting to see much.

We could see the gate ahead of us, maybe 200 meters or so, when we saw a dozen cars stopped on the side of the road. I remember going to the Rocky Mountains as a kid and knowing what to expect – 3 cars meant deer, 5 or 6 meant a moose, and more than that meant a bear. Milton called back that it would probably be a cat. We edged in as close as we could. Milton was the first to see it and as we crept forward I saw it next through the giant front window of the truck. Within moments we could all see it, and through the open windows cameras started buzzing.

A solitary lioness lay on her side beside some bushes mere paces in from the road. The poor girl’s chest was heaving as her breathing was rapid. I thought she was sick but as we inched forward so as not to startle her we saw the fresh carcass of a buffalo. This girl had just had a successful hunt. Even a lion can’t take down a buffalo by itself and Milton reckons there were other cats nearby sleeping in the shrubs. A minute later we were outside of the park knowing a lion was the last animal we saw there. (Editor’s note: On a closer inspection of several photos we “zoomed” in on, it appears the lion may have been wounded while bringing down the buffalo adding to her exhausted appearance).

Tired lioness

The kill

After a brief stop on Crocodile Bridge where we counted no less than 4 of the reptiles lounging in the sun, we headed towards Swaziland where we would be having lunch.

Waterbucks enjoying  the sun despite...

... This guy being around the corner 

We cleared customs without a hitch and headed deep into one of only 3 constitutional monarchies in Africa. We passed farmland and sugar cane fields and pulled over to the side of the road for some tuna sandwiches for lunch.

Kirsty loves her holiday this much

Me doing what I do best 

We made good time through Swaziland and before we knew it we were clearing customs to get back into South Africa. We did stop once in Swaziland for a restroom break and I wanted to buy something cheap so I could get some Swazi currency but the place we stopped must have been awaiting stock as there was nothing around the range I wanted to spend. I didn’t want to break any big bills as Swazi currency is worthless in South Africa and most banks there will give you only a fraction of what it is worth if you exchange tiny amounts.

We would be staying at the Drifters Zululand Lodge near the Hluhluwe National Park. Hluhluwe was the first National Park in South Africa and is renowned for its rhino conservation efforts. The town that practically borders the park was typical Africa – bustling and friendly.

It had started to rain as we re-entered South Africa, our first rain of the trip, but when Milton stopped the truck to open the gate to the private property and we all stared down the roller coaster red gravel road that would take us to our basic, cute, and oddly comfortable (except for the hard and noisy mattresses) accommodation, the rain had eased again.

The deck looking back towards the dining area

The tents 

The next day we would have a morning walk on the False Bay Nature Reserve and an afternoon game drive in Hluhluwe. Milton prepared spaghetti bolognaise for dinner and fruit salad for dessert. We sat at the table on the huge dining patio, finished our drinks and shared stories, and at roughly 10 o’clock we headed for bed wondering what tomorrow would bring our way.