Saturday, 9th March After my good day at Timbavati yesterday, I decide to repeat it. So at 5.30am I am up the main H1-4 northwards. I find yesterday’s lions in the road at exactly the same spot. I push on…
Friday, 8th March Early at the gate at 5am, just in time to hear the impala outside camp snorting with alarm. Again, the sky is cloudy but clear on the eastern horizon. I am the only one heading north today…
Wednesday, 6th March Renette is packed and ready and we are at the gate in time for opening at 5.30am. We have got five hours in which to reach the airport at Skukuza so there is no hurry. At the…
Monday, 4th March Monday, 4th March The Satara faithful are very keen. We arrive at the gate at 5.05am and are still back in the queue. We are certainly not Big 5 people, appreciating everything that comes our way. But…
Sunday, 3rd March We enjoyed yesterday’s drive so much that today we are doing the same route but in reverse. The sky is clear as we head north along the main (H1-4) tarred road and then after 7Km’s turn right…
Friday, 1st March The humidity is oppressive as we leave camp at 5.30am and we note huge clouds to the south. It therefore comes as no surprise when we run into a torrential downpour about 4Km’s south of the camp.…
Wednesday, 27th February This morning we head down the S100 Nwanetsi River road. The wind is again from the south and we are the only car headed that way. We stop to admire the sunrise at 5.50am and whilst having…
Tuesday, 26th February I must change tactics with my blog. Up until now, I download the day’s photos every evening and then write the blog. Last night was a case in point where, after wine with the Germans, I am…
Monday, 25th February We pack up camp and leave Letaba at 6.30am. It seems almost sacrilege to criticise such a beautiful place but we are not sorry to leave. Letaba just does not have the beautiful roads of the other…
Sunday, 24th February Lightning and thunder waken us in the early hours of the morning but little rain falls. When we leave camp at 5.30am huge thunder clouds hang in the morning sky with the odd roll of thunder. We…
We went out yesterday evening for an hour before sunset and after I had sent out yesterday’s blog. We crept along the river road upstream from the camp taking all the little loop roads. It was a balmy, golden evening.…
Thursday, 21st February We are keen to see the Balule Campsite on the banks of the Olifants River so leaving Letaba at 5.30am, we take the river road (S46) south. We have not seen many sunrises of late because of…
Tuesday, 19th February Every camp in Kruger has its own peculiar appeal. Satara’s is the big game feel of the savanna, Punda’s is the historic remoteness and the Luvuvhu whilst Shingwedzi’s are the magnificent river roads and the camp setting.…
Sunday, 17th February I am afraid that Vodacom is out of action for the weekend, delaying my blog – but we have a plan. Despite the early morning drizzle we are going to go through to Luvuvhu and Punda Maria…
Saturday, 16th February Vodacom went on the blink yesterday evening and I was not able to complete my diary. We went down the very damp Kanniedood road and in a thicket we heard a most familiar song. A little investigation…
Thursday, 14th February As forecasted, the rain begins in the early hours. Quite gently at first but at 8am is pelts down leaving the campsite awash. It is pointless going out in this weather so we shelter until about 10am…
Tuesday, 12th February At the gate at 5-30am reminds of staying at Shingwedzi some twenty years ago. We returned home and a week or two later I read that the gate guard at Shingwedzi had left his window open during…
Monday, 11th February At 5am we begin our very slick packing and at 6am we leave behind our ellie lined waterhole. Punda has been terrific and we are determined to return as soon as possible. Bright, crisp and sunny we…
Punda Maria – A Brief History In 1903 the area between the Luvuvhu and Letaba River was proclaimed as a wildlife sanctuary – The Shingwidzi Reserve. In 1926 this was consolidated with the Sabie Reserve in the south creating the…
Saturday, 9th February It is a clear morning as I leave the gates at 5.30am with no other car in sight. The sky is clear and the forecast is for a dry, hot day. The sunrises at 5.41am and by…