We were a group of 6 – Germans and South Africans – making our way from Cape Town to Johannesburg where our adventure was about to begin. We had decided to go on a Nomad Kruger Trip together between Christmas and New Years, escaping the hustle and bustle of the city to go into the bush.
One of my German friends had never been to Africa before, the other one had only been to Cape Town twice before and two of my South African friends had never been to Kruger before. Therefore there were a lot of “first times” to be had and new experiences on the way. Everyone was pretty excited to hop on the Nomad truck and go off into the bush.
At Cape Town Airport we had to take the first couple of group pictures. To make the excitement more visible “Gimme some Jazzhands” was introduced (Jazzhands = spread your ten fingers (both hands), keep your underarms at an angle of about 45 degrees to your body and make small shaky movements with your hands. To go with it, have a crazy broad smile on your face and lunatic sparkle in your eye. Voila – Jazzhands).
At Garden Court OR Tambo in Johannesburg, the starting point of our tour, we met the rest of our group, two Swedish ladies, conveniently both called Anna (or Anna A. and Anna B. as we learned later that day) and Apolonia from Spain, who spent 2 months in Cape Town to learn English. We also met our fantastic tour guides – Johannes and Rimson and of course “Frankie” our truck, who is the third crew member, as Johannes explained to us a little later. After some paperwork and a detailed introduction by Johannes we left the city of Johannesburg behind us and hit the road.
Since we were only 9 people on board of our 24-seater truck, we had more than enough space to spread out, have a window seat and enjoy the ride. The first 300 kms were not extremely exciting in terms of the landscape although Johannes would give us information on the areas we passed, which kept the experience interesting.
One of our biggest concerns at that stage was the “Shop Stop” where we would buy our alcohol, cool drinks and snacks for the next couple of days, which was important since we would also spent New Years Eve in Kruger Park. Our shop stop took place in Belfast which had a well stocked supermarket which was all we needed.
We continued making our way to Kwa Madwala, a private game reserve just 20 minutes outside Kruger’s Malelane Gate in the Southern part of the park. It was to be a long driving day so Rimson, our cook, had prepared lunch packages for us – two huge sandwiches, some fresh fruit and juice which we munched on enroute. The food was absolutely delicious and we could already see that this trip would not be one to lose weight on.
The landscape started to change and become more mountainous and green the further we headed South. Everything looked more lush, wild and tropical than the first couple of 100 kms through the well groomed fields and mining areas of the Mpumalanga province. Signposts told us that it was only 30 kms to the border to Mozambique. Cameras were clicking already and the excitement started to rise.
We arrived at Kwa Madwala in the early afternoon and even before entering the gates of the private game reserve we had our first wildlife encounter with some impalas (who we would learn later from our guide Tommy were also called “Again-tilopes” as you see them again and again and again – true words spoken!), warthogs and monkeys. The guides from the reserve guided the truck to our accommodation for the night, which consisted of beautifully thatched huts and a communal kitchen/lounge area where you could sit on your couch and overlook the dam. From our group, 7 of us had booked the camping tour, so we shared two “huts” with 4 beds each, which were very simply decorated and very comfortable.
The Annas from Sweden had booked the accommodated tour, which meant that they stayed in an en-suite double room just across the dam. On arrival we had a short introduction from our Kwa Madwala guides and as it turned out, we had arrived in the wilderness! We were told to stay close to our accommodation at all times and not wander around on our own as there were no fences and the game reserve did have the Big 5, which could cross our path at any time. We were left with this advice, which lead to a lot of speculation as to who would be eaten first and by what.
After everyone had settled into their respective rooms, we sat on the couches, relaxed and overlooked the dam and the surrounding bush. An absolutely stunning view and it was only then that it really sunk in that we had arrived. Chilling out in our open air lounge we started to get to know each other a little better and already before Rimson’s fantastic dinner, we knew we would all have a great time together. As the sun began to set we had our first exciting sighting from the cushiness of our lounge – three giraffes came to drink from the dam. What a first day already and it was just about to get better.
After our dinner we got picked up by aforementioned guide, Tommy. We hopped into his open 4×4 safari vehicle and headed off into the dark bush for our night game drive. In the spotlight we saw impala, Duikers, nearly a Bushbaby (we only saw the reflecting eyes in the distance) and some Waterbuck. We knew that there must have been elephants along our path quite recently as you could see the torn tree branches and dung along the roads. But nowhere did we actually see the elephants.
After quite a while of driving the hopes of seeing elephants started to dwindle. At least we spotted an owl, which was quite impressive, which was followed by a HUGE beetle, which landed directly on the bonnet of the car. We examined the beetle closer and Tommy explained a few things about the beetle, his life and his fancies. After a good while of spending time with the beetle, Tommy was just about to start the car again and move on when his spotlight caught a quite spectacular and unexpected sight! While we had been marvelling about the beetle on the car bonnet, a group of 6 or 7 elephants passed within two meters of our vehicle. It was amazing that none of us had heard a thing as they were busy passing us. It was a once in a lifetime experience seeing so many elephants so close in the darkness of the bush. They seemed to glide over the ground as you couldn’t hear anything. For some people the encounter was a little too close, but it was an incredible ending to our night game drive and an experience that none of us would ever forget.
The next morning started very early at about 6 am – there was some moaning and sighing about the early hour, but if you’re in the bush you have to go by the rules of the bush and one of them is that the day starts early. Tommy came to pick us up again to explore the bush once more and this time on foot. In a single file we made our way through the high grass and off the beaten track. The wonderful thing about a game walk is that you see a lot of the smaller creatures that you wouldn’t be able to see or experience from a vehicle. We saw some tracks of different animals, which showed that they had been pretty close to our accommodation during the night. Impala a.k.a Again-tilopes crossed our path a couple of times and although sightings started of slowly, in the end we were rewarded by being able to spend some time with a group of giraffes. It is quite something standing on your own two feet in front of a group of giraffes which are a good four times your size! As giraffes have quite an enquisitive nature they even came closer to us, trying to figure out what we were doing in their territory. It was an absolutely beautiful experience.
After our game walk we said goodbye to Tommy rather quickly as our mind was set on the next beautiful sight – our breakfast. While we were busy combing the bush for some wildlife, Rimson had cooked up a storm in our self-catering kitchen. Everyone was running towards the scrambled eggs, bacon, fresh toast and sauteed onions and mushrooms as if we hadn’t had food for the past 2 days. It was delicious!
After breakfast we packed up and left Kwa Madwala behind to finally enter Kruger National Park! After a short stop at Malalane (the town) we reached Malelane Gate, one of the main gates in the Southern section of the Kruger Park.
Before you get to the actual gate the road crosses the Crocodile River. Johannes let us walk the short distance over the bridge to have time to take some pictures and take in the beautiful surroundings. At the end of the bridge we found a sign welcoming us to Malelane Gate – Kruger National Park. Of course this called for a Jazz-hands moment – taking some group pictures with everyone in front of the sign. We took some time getting over the bridge, watching lazy hippos yawning in the stream and diving under the water (of course always when you try and capture them on camera).
Full of excitement we headed off in Frankie for our first real game drive in Kruger on our way to Pretoriuskop, our rest camp for the next two nights. We had to cover a good 80 km from Malelane Gate to Pretoriuskop and thanks to the height of our truck we had a good view over the bush and grassland. Within the first 5 km into the park we encountered 4 rhinos and 3 Elephants. An Elephant mother and her baby even crossed the road right in front of us. The spirits were high and everyone tried to keep quiet, which was difficult seeing as the adrenalin was pumping through all of us.
We stopped at a picnic site for lunch, where Rimson and Johannes dished up a fantastic meal for us at the truck. We took our plates to a shady spot and again ate like we hadn’t ever eaten before! We spent some time looking for souvenirs in the curios shop and then headed off for some more game driving until we got to our camp.
As we arrived in Pretoriuskop we once again dropped off the Annas at their cottage, which they called home for the next two nights. Then we went in the truck to find a campsite close by. Although we had booked a camping trip we hadn’t so much as even seen a tent yet. Now, however, the moment of truth had arrived. Johannes and Rimson got the tents and mattresses out and the task of pitching our tents began. As it turned out the pitching of the tents was quicker and easier that expected. Johannes and Rimson showed everyone what to do, the ins and outs of tent pitching and within 15 minutes we had 4 beautiful canvas tents up, marking our campsite. We got the camping chairs out and while some of our group went to the nearby pool to cool down from the heat, the rest of us had a well deserved beer and relaxed at our new home.
To our surprise the wildlife is not only to be found outside the rest camp, but also inside! Sitting there with a cold beer in hand we heard a weird little roar close to us. As it turned out an Impala family calls Pretoriuskop their home too and suddenly Impala were all over the place hopping, jumping and running through the camp, especially the young ones who had been born only a few weeks ago.
Next to the Impala a rather cheeky family of Vervet Monkeys eyed our camp with a lot of interest. Especially Rimson’s food preparations at the truck, and they started to inch closer to the food. In the end two of us had to help chop and guard the food so that the monkeys wouldn’t steal it. One banana didn’t make it and fell victim to a mother and her baby! Another day in the bush, I guess.
We had another great dinner, family-style around our two huge tables where we sat and ate together.
The next day was another early start as we went on a full day game drive in an open 4×4 vehicle. Like a good father, Rimson had gotten up at the wee hours of the morning to prepare our lunch, which was packed for us in a cooler box in the safari vehicle. Johannes advised us to take warm clothes with us as the first couple of hours in the open vehicle would be pretty cold and windy. It was very hard to believe as the previous nights and days had been rather hot and even now sitting at breakfast just before 6 am, shorts and a shirt were more than enough.
Half heartedly most of us packed a jersey and some scarves, not actually convinced that they would be of any use. Oh how right Johannes was and how wrong we were. It is quite a different thing being in an open game vehicle with not much around you to protect you from the wind! We all definitely learned to listen better to our guide. We started our day with a herd of buffalo, who were not quite ready for the day yet. They were lying around lazily slowly getting up and staring at us with blank faces.
The next highlight was a rhino along the road already grazing and not very interested in our presence. We managed to see all of the Big Five (rhino, elephant, buffalo, leopard and lion) before lunch! We were very lucky to see three lions, roaring at each other within 3 meters of our vehicle. The bush romance was disturbed by the fact that there were twenty other cars parked around the lazy lions, but (especially for the first timers in our group) it was a very special moment, which none of us will ever forget.
Heading away from the lions we met two cars on the road and everyone was staring into the bush. A leopard was busy sneaking up behind two warthogs. Our driver reversed until we had the best possible angle to see at least the back end of the leopard, who was busy crouching behind a bush, ready to go in for the kill. Nobody in our vehicle dared to breathe. We saw the leopard jump onto his victim, but the rest was hidden behind the bush. The only proof of what had happened was the other warthog screaming out of the bush, poor thing was very confused. It was heartbreaking to see it walking up and down the dirt track not knowing what had happened and where to go next, still looking for his buddy.
After all this excitement we had lunch at Skukuza Rest Camp where we ate our delicious lunch that Rimson had prepared for us earlier. We lazed around the lookout point over the river and it was so hot that nobody was in the mood to move around much.
After lunch, we didn’t spot much game as it got hotter and hotter and the animals found shade under the bushes, waiting for the day to cool down again. After a while we struck gold and found a lonely female elephant quietly browsing the bushes right next to the road. She was a massive lady and she strolled to within two metres of our vehicle. What happened next was a bit of a blur. The only thing I realized was that my friend who was sitting next to me and was closest to the elephant dived into my lap while strangling my wrist. Apparently the elephant decided to mock charge us, which was way too close for comfort. All heart rates in the vehicle skyrocketed and the adrenalin was pumping! There were some faint squeaks from the vehicle while my friend decided to seek shelter behind my back while still manhandling my wrist for some unknown reason. Needless to say, nothing happened but we all came out with an excellent fireside tale and a memory to last a lifetime!
After a day of excitement and great success we drove back to our camp which was by now surrounded by pitch black clouds. In the distance we saw lightning and you could smell the rain in the air. Warm and wet, late afternoon thunderstorms are very common in these areas in the peak of Summer.
As soon as we arrived at camp the rain started and we made our home at the entrance of the laundry chalet next to our campsite. We set up the chairs under the roof of the entrance, got our beers and relaxed for the rest of the afternoon, watching the rain coming down. Since it was New Years Eve we let a few party scenarios pass though our minds in case it wouldn’t stop raining. As with the entire trip, of course we were lucky again as the rain finally stopped exactly at the time when we started dishing up our spectacular New Years Eve dinner. For the rest of the evening we sat around our table in front of the truck talking about all the highlights of the tour. We played card game, took more jazzhands pictures, welcomed in the New Year and then headed to our cosy tents to get ready for another early morning and a trip to the Blyde River Canyon.
The next morning after breakfast we packed up and left Pretoriuskop and Kruger National Park to head out to the Panorama Route. Our first stop was God’s Window, it was a cloudy morning so the view was hidden from us but normally this is one of the most spectacular views down the Canyon. Burke’s Luck Potholes, Blyde River Canyon and the Three Rondavels made up for it though. All three were sights not to be missed and everyone had the chance to take some amazing pictures.
It was a fabulous trip, which was so much more than I expected. We had fantastic guides, a great group from all walks of life and nationalities, we were so lucky with the weather and we managed to see all Big 5 in the short time we had. A tour that none of us will ever forget with a lot of once in a lifetime experiences. Given the opportunity I would go back and do it all over again!
Thank you Anneliese Korsch and Ruth Cooper for your photographs for this blog!
Join us this Christmas or New Years in Kruger for an amazing experience of your own!
Accommodated Kruger Big Five Safari
Camping Kruger Big Five Safari
Tour Discounts