Thursday, September 25, 2025

Kruger - Day #5

This morning we were up at 6 a.m. in search of the elusive cheetah. Before leaving camp, I finally managed to photograph some Blue monkeys (also known as Vervet monkeys). Satara camp has quite a few of them—and interestingly, no baboons.


About five miles from camp, down a dirt road, we came across what at first looked like a “broken” tree blocking the way. In reality, it was the result of elephant damage. Kruger is struggling with an overpopulation of elephants, and many trees are being pushed over or snapped a foot or two above the ground as the elephants reach for the leaves at the top. The government’s studies suggest the park should sustain about 7,000 elephants, yet the current census shows more than 50,000. A heated debate is underway: the government favors culling to bring numbers down, while environmentalists propose sterilizing females—a costly option without funding. For now, no solution is in sight.

We detoured past the dam where we had seen a dead hippo yesterday. Surprisingly, there were still no hyenas or vultures on the carcass. Even more shocking, we found a second dead hippo—again untouched. It seems likely the hippos were somehow toxic.


Not long after, we spotted three juvenile hyenas happily splashing in a mud hole while their mother lounged nearby, completely unamused by their antics. 


A bit further along, a swirl of vultures circling ahead led us to an incredible sight: two African wild dogs feeding on a freshly killed impala. One ate while the other stood guard, keeping dozens of vultures at bay. Douw and his parents (who had slept in that morning) had never seen wild dogs feeding before—an exceptionally rare experience!








The day’s excitement didn’t end there. About an hour later, we came across a male and female lion resting in the shade of a tree. We watched them for nearly an hour and, to our amazement, saw them mate. Debbie laughed that the whole affair took about five seconds! Douw (or his parents) had never witnessed lions mating in the wild, making it yet another special sighting.







Below are some of the other highlights from today:

Juvenile Wart Hogs. I didn’t know they go down on their knees to feed. 

African Fish Eagle

Crested Barbet

Southern Ground Hornbill

Southern Yellow-Billed Hornbill

Hadada Ibis

We returned to camp shortly after noon for lunch and a bit of rest before heading out again in the afternoon. Thankfully, it was about 15 degrees cooler today with a light breeze, which made things much more comfortable. We set out at 3 pm, mindful that we needed to be back before the camp gates closed at 6 pm. If you happen to be late, they will still let you in—but with a hefty $250 fine.

On our drive, we came across a lively family of baboons 
and a massive crocodile slipping into the water. 




Along the way, we also spotted plenty of zebras, elephants, giraffes, blue wildebeest, and waterbucks.

Just before pulling back into camp, I couldn’t resist stopping to capture a few photos of the sunset. One of my favorites has wildebeest silhouetted in the foreground.  And unfortunately, we did not find a cheetah. Maybe tomorrow?  

Back at camp, Douw prepared another delicious braai dinner. We were all exhausted and turned in early, knowing that tomorrow we move on to Lower Sabie camp for our final night in Kruger.

More sightings from today:





Baobab Tree (aka- Upside-down tree), Baobabs are among the oldest and largest trees on Earth, with some living for thousands of years. 

        Landscape





Visit to Stellenbosch Wine Country

We had a great time last night meeting several of Douw’s friends who live in Cape Town. The forecast for today called for a 70% chance of sh...