I spent the last two weeks of 2006 in South Africa and had a great time. Most of the visit was spent on or near a farm outside Waterval Boven, 100 miles east of Joburg, but we also did a 3-day trip through Kruger Park: We had one night in Letaba and one in Satara. Unfortunately, I was with non-birders and so didn’t see as many birds as I might have. Also, as I’d never been to southern Africa before, I initially had problems IDing species.
I birded the farm for several mornings and saw 32 species. Various day trips produced another 31 species. Kruger produced 63 species, split between driving and walks around the two camps. Even as a birder, though, I have to admit that the mammals were more exciting! We saw everything we had imagined in our wildest dreams except cheetah, honey badger and jackal. In two hours, between Skukuza and Letaba, we saw two leopards (one with a kill), 20+ lions, 20+ elephants, 10+ hippos, one hyena and several each of baboons, crocodiles, warthogs, buffaloes, zebras, giraffes and wildebeest. We literally lost count of the number of impalas, nyalas, steenboks, kudus, etc. we saw. All of these appeared at what was supposed to be the "dead" time of day (mid-afternoon) and when the temperature was 39C/102F.
We weren’t looking for the “Big Five” but we saw them anyway: The rhino that we missed that first afternoon turned up the next morning on our way to Satara.
Most of the birds I IDed were pretty common species, although I was lucky enough to see African Finfoot. The biggest thrills for me were seeing Hoopoes, Oxpeckers (red-billed) and a Secretary Bird, all species I’ve wanted to see since I was a child. I also had a hours of fun in several places watching various types of Weaver Birds building their nests.
I would recommend Kruger to anyone who loves wildlife. And I would recommend SA to anyone! It is stunningly beautiful and the people are extremely friendly. There is apparently a lot of crime but we never saw any, even in Joburg.
We hope to go back within a year or two, this time with more of a focus on birds. I reckon that a half-day each in the Joburg and Nelspruit botanical gardens and Marievale, plus another day or two in Kruger would easily add another 100+ birds to my list. And maybe next time I visit Kruger I’ll get to see cheetah, jackal and honey badger. It would also be good to see some snakes - I looked hard but didn't see a single one on our trip!
Jeff
I birded the farm for several mornings and saw 32 species. Various day trips produced another 31 species. Kruger produced 63 species, split between driving and walks around the two camps. Even as a birder, though, I have to admit that the mammals were more exciting! We saw everything we had imagined in our wildest dreams except cheetah, honey badger and jackal. In two hours, between Skukuza and Letaba, we saw two leopards (one with a kill), 20+ lions, 20+ elephants, 10+ hippos, one hyena and several each of baboons, crocodiles, warthogs, buffaloes, zebras, giraffes and wildebeest. We literally lost count of the number of impalas, nyalas, steenboks, kudus, etc. we saw. All of these appeared at what was supposed to be the "dead" time of day (mid-afternoon) and when the temperature was 39C/102F.
We weren’t looking for the “Big Five” but we saw them anyway: The rhino that we missed that first afternoon turned up the next morning on our way to Satara.
Most of the birds I IDed were pretty common species, although I was lucky enough to see African Finfoot. The biggest thrills for me were seeing Hoopoes, Oxpeckers (red-billed) and a Secretary Bird, all species I’ve wanted to see since I was a child. I also had a hours of fun in several places watching various types of Weaver Birds building their nests.
I would recommend Kruger to anyone who loves wildlife. And I would recommend SA to anyone! It is stunningly beautiful and the people are extremely friendly. There is apparently a lot of crime but we never saw any, even in Joburg.
We hope to go back within a year or two, this time with more of a focus on birds. I reckon that a half-day each in the Joburg and Nelspruit botanical gardens and Marievale, plus another day or two in Kruger would easily add another 100+ birds to my list. And maybe next time I visit Kruger I’ll get to see cheetah, jackal and honey badger. It would also be good to see some snakes - I looked hard but didn't see a single one on our trip!
Jeff
