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by lowveldboy » Wed May 23, 2012 2:04 pm
My favourite camp!!!!!!!
You only need to know driving up to Crooks corner via klopperfontein and Mahonie loop. That will keep you busy for weeks IMNSHO.
Driving up to crooks corner is through thick mopane veld, but once you are next to the Levhuvhu river, all changes, There are so many places where you can just stop and enjoy a cup of coffee with rusk, Pafuri picnic spot is not the only one, but a very worthwhile spot.
The mahonie loop is only 32km from start to finish, but what a awesome 32km. It does on average take me about 4 hours to drive this loop. I have only once driven this route without spotting Sharpe's Grysbok, and usually spot about 3-5 on a drive. Birders - THIS IS A MUST DO ROAD!!!!!!
The camp itself has a very small store and restaurant, all in one. The shop stocks only the very basics, and I mean very. The restaurant and reception's service is quick efficient and friendly.
Tent no4 is the best of the lot, and keep a look-out at night for the genets running all over the area.
The camping area is big and do offer enough shade.There is one problem though - The campsite is run through with a lot of ridges, and if you choose the wrong spot in rainy weather you will be swimming as your site will be on the run-off for the water coming from the top of the site. Honeybadgers, Ciwets, Genets, Hares and Thick tailed bushbabies are all very regularly spotted at night next to the fence as well as buffalo and elephant coming to the waterhole to drink.
The campsite does have a hide overlooking a drinking hole. During the day elephants, buffalo, impala and zebra frequent this spot. Birds also come down and with the right light, the possibility of amazing pictures of Bateleur bathing and Gymnogenes is possible.
I have sat there once in the afternoon just to look up and see an elephant cow not 5m from me enjoying a drink of water, not bothered in the least by my presence. Experiences like that makes a person realise we are only a very small cog in this wheel.
Do a nightdrive from here, what an experience. I did that once and had lion, plenty of plains game , sharpe's grysbok, nightjars to many to count, 3x ciwet, genets and an aardwolf.
There is no better camp and/or road(mahonie) in the park for me, and can easily make that my home!!
Last edited by Bushcraft on Wed May 23, 2012 2:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
My dad always calls it Punda Miliya because that's what it was in the'old days'! 
