The evening before we left Shingwedzi, and after I sent out the last blog, we enjoyed the sight of elephants taking a mudbath at the confluence of the Shingwedzi and Maphongola Rivers.
And then finally a troop of baboons enjoying the warmth from the last rays of the setting sun in the riverbed below Shingwedzi Camp.
Thursday, 6th August We take off with the caravan early and head southward to Satara. Along the way we pause for a few stops.
We settle into the packed Satara Camping site. That afternoon we move out westward along the H7 to Nsemane Dam. The grasslands on both sides of the road have recently been burnt making it rather desert-like. However, a little group of warthog liven things up.
The next day Friday, 7th we take our favourite Sweni Road S126
The Sweni S126 road is so badly corrugated that we turn back. My Quantum is tightly sprung and one feels every bump making these roads almost impassable.
That afternoon we go down the H6 Nwanetsi tarred road.
Saturday, 8th
Today we are doing the S39 Timbavati river road. The trick is to get on this road first before the traffic arrives. So we are at the gate at 5.20am and then move quickly up the main H1-4 for 16km before turning left along the S127. And here the problems begin. The corrugations are so bad and unavoidable that we arrive at the Timbavati a bit shell-shocked. So, although we are all by ourselves along this beautiful road, the morning is spoilt by the state of the road. My attention is fully spent on dodging corrugations and potholes and I give little thought to game spotting. My thoughts go back to last year when I remember SanParks with great fanfare announcing the appointment of their new director of roads in Kruger – a young woman. Oh dear!! As they say “Go woke, go broke”.
This afternoon we head out along the S90 northeast of Satara to the Mavumbye stream. All the streams and rivers around Satara are still filled with water.
Satara is well known for its beautiful sunsets. Tonight though is special as whilst the sun sinks in the west so the full moon slips over the eastern horizon.
Sunday, 10th Today we are going to face the traffic and tackle that gem of Kruger – the S100 Nwanetsi gravel river road. We are at the gate 10 minutes before opening time and already there are over 30 cars lined up. The real pros seem to choose Satara because at all the other camps there are seldom more than five cars at the gate. Now our tactic is to allow the long convoy to surge down the S100, wait for the dust to settle and then dawdle along in their wake. And it seems to work as we come across this splendid lion with very few cars in attendance.
The S100 is about the only gravel road where one can at least avoid the corrugations. Down at Gudzani Dam and Nwanetsi, despite this being the dry season, all is brimming with water
With most of the gravel roads in such a sorry state, we decide to move on earlier than planned to Skukuza. In fact we have a number of pressing issues to be seen to down in the Cape before we fly off to UK at the end of the month. So this evening we begin packing away our caravan gear in preparation for a early start for Skukuza tomorrow.
