Sunset Lodge & Safaris Blog

Sunday June 30, 2024

On Sunday June 30th, I had the distinct pleasure of co-guiding our Australian guests to the Kruger National Park on a Full Day Safari from Sunset Lodge & Safaris which was a wonderful experience. As I am nearing the end of my Nature Guiding Studies, I am doing as many of these drives as possible because, from every guide that you go with you learn an immense amount about nature, the eco system, the animals and how they all co-exist.

So, our incredible Kruger Day started with a single Black Backed Jackal on the trot, but we got some lovely pictures of it. Sam, our guide, knew of a Hyena den and we were in luck as three of the youngsters were outside the den. We managed to spend a bit of time with them and watch them interact.

When we say IMMERSIVE Kruger Safari, we refer to the fact that we cover all or anything that we are provided with by nature while on Safari and which we use to enlighten our guests. Often enough other Kruger Visitors will stop next to vehicle at a sighting and ask us what we are looking at, the moment you say Saddlebill Stork or any other bird for that matter they want to know if we know where the lions are….. The fact is that the Kruger is simply enormous, so sadly, if you only came to the Kruger to see Lions you are going to be disappointed, however our luck was in and next we came across a Big Male Lion. At first, he did what lions normally do…nothing!! Then as all the other vehicles left, he got up and moved to the shade, allowing us ample opportunity to have a good look at him.

The benefit of going to the Kruger with an experienced guide was very evident at the Buffalo sighting crossing the remnants of what is left of the Timbavati River. At this time of year water is scarce so the waterholes are often teeming with wildlife. I spotted a number of Pied Kingfishers that were hovering above the Buffaloes every time they started to cross the water. Sam indicated that it is because of the Symbiotic relationship between Kingfishers and Buffaloes. When the Buffaloes start to cross the river they disturb the fish that might be hiding, that then gives the Kingfishers the opportunity to literrally dive in! When you study Nature Guiding Symbiotic Relationships are discussed all the time and this was an example of Commensalism that I have never see in real live. Nature is just fascinating!

Throughout the day there were incredible sightings of Crocodiles, Waterbuck, Giraffe and much, much more. Far too much to discuss here today. The pictures are just a taster as it is not possible to load all the pictures, a total of 362 were taken on this one Safari.

The highlight of the day came a short while after turning onto the S100. As we passed a big Jackalberry Sam spotted the ELUSIVE ONE! A gorgeous Female Leopard. He managed to stop literally next to the tree she was sitting in, fortunately on the opposite side of the road as it allowed for beautiful photos and also for us just to sit there and look at this amazingly beautiful cat. We sat with her for quite a while before the next vehicle arrived. As they did not have our superior vantage point, we indicated to them to park next to us as we were in the higher vehicle and we could look over them. They were very appreciative of this once they were able to see our view. This made it a very special day for myself and the guests, as I have not had a Leopard Sighting in quite a while and it was their first time ever!.

Although it is now winter, we still managed to see some amazing birds. Quite a number of our migrant birds will only be back in the Spring but we were treated to some wonderful Kruger Bird Sightings. The photos tell the story better than I can, like the two Woolly Necked Storks in our Blog Photo flashing at Nsimane Dam and the Saddle Billed Stork doing Pilates plus the ever present and stunning Lilac Breasted Rollers.

Elephant sightings are a given in the Kruger these days. Our guests were thrilled to see how close we managed to get to these incredibly interesting Animals and how large they really are. On our return to Orpen Gate we saw a Matriarch leading her small group to the water and amongst them two of the smallest Elephants I have ever seen. Man, and did they enjoy the water and mud! The videos of these little Ellies playing will be uploaded to our YouTube Channel soon. Make sure to check it out!

The day drew to a Spectacular End as we were graced with the most beautiful Sunset on our way back to the lodge.

If you wish to join us on one of these Kruger Drives you can do so by contacting us at the lodge. We do run specials from time to time, be sure not to miss out! Till next time, keep well!

Note: All images used in this blog post are courtesy of Sunset Lodge & Safaris.