Your Favourite Waterhole/Waterpoint

[Richprins]

[Flutterby]

I have added the links to the relevant posts.

[Richprins]

Renosterpan - H3

A- Shade (3/5)
B- Closeness to the water (3/5)
C- Rare mammal species (3/5) (All predators, white rhino, reedbuck)
D- Proximity to a camp/gate (ease of access) (3/5) (Malelane, B&Dal, H-3)
E- Remoteness (off the main roads) (2/5)

= 14/25

Best sightings: Cheetah, Reedbuck with W rhino.

I have seen the big 5 plus cheetah here or on the access road. The dam in the foreground has water for much of the year, and then sightings are very close. There is a crazy system of parking these days, with a row of bushes in your way, and a road beyond that.

First comers get shade under a big apple leaf tree for the whole morning. Also, there are little mud wallows and pans all around, so plenty to see.

Travel tale links:

viewtopic.php?f=46&t=1126&start=740


viewtopic.php?f=46&t=1126&start=840


Link to Flavour: viewtopic.php?f=263&t=6563

[Dzombo]

Nsemani Dam, H7

A- Shade 2/5 - There is some shade on a little slip road behind the dam but limited visibility from there
B- Closeness to the water 5/5 - Right next to the road
C- Rare mammal species 4/5 - Seen lion, leopard, and wild dogs hunting here
D- Proximity to a camp/gate (ease of access) 3/5 - About 10kms from Satara and 30kms from Orpen
E- Remoteness (off the main roads) 1/5 - It's on the main road but plenty of space for lots of cars to park
= 15/25

This dam has gone down a bit in my ratings over the last few visits.
Used to see all sorts of interesting animals in the past. But recently, only the resident Hippos, a few Impala and some Egyptian Geese.
In November 2016 it was bone dry
I do like the proximity to Satara though.

[Dzombo]

Renosterpan - H3

A- Shade (3/5)
B- Closeness to the water (3/5)
C- Rare mammal species (3/5) (All predators, white rhino, reedbuck)
D- Proximity to a camp/gate (ease of access) (3/5)
E- Remoteness (off the main roads) (2/5)

= 14/25

I haven't seen much here.
A good WR sighting once. But that's about it.
But it's on the H3, and I traditionally enter at Melalane, so always stop here anyhows.

[Dzombo]

Kumana Dam, H1-3

A- Shade 1/5 - There is some shade from some large trees but a bit far from the actual dam
B- Closeness to the water 5/5 - Right next to the road
C- Rare mammal species 4/5 - Seen leopard, cheetah and lions on a kill here
D- Proximity to a camp/gate (ease of access) 2/5 - About 30kms south of Satara
E- Remoteness (off the main roads) 1/5 - It's on the main road but plenty of space for lots of cars to park

= 13/25

Once saw a huge herd of Buffalo
Always lots of Waterbuck in the area
And this dam is always good for water birds.

[Richprins]

Maritubi (S-99)



Pic courtesy of nan.


A- Shade (3/5)
B- Closeness to the water (4/5)
C- Rare mammal species (2/5) (Lion, leopard, nyala, Sharpe's Grysbok)
D- Proximity to a camp/gate (ease of access) (4/5) (Punda Maria)
E- Remoteness (off the main roads) (2/5)

=15/25

This fountain with a little dam wall is near Punda Maria, about 2km anticlockwise on the Mahonie Loop. It has very pleasant scenery and good visibility all round, with hordes of birds. Off-season it can be nice and quiet tourist-wise, and makes for a quick break from camp life. Not indicated on many maps.

[Flutterby]

Never heard of it!

[Richprins]

Bangu Windmill - S-90






(Picture: Peter Betts)


Flavour Link: https://www.africawild-forum.com/viewto ... =263&t=580


This is a fairly remote yet well-known windmill a few km south of Balule on the Satara Dirt road (Old Main Road). It can be extremely busy indeed in the dry season, and the first thing that springs to mind when I think about it is ATMOSPHERE! I think the trees at the "parking" are dead now, but not sure if others have grown a bit? The place crawls with elephant, and there is a stream nearby that often holds water well into the dry season, which detracts from the animals concentrating at the trough. Lovely backdrop of Lebombo Mountains, and a feeling of "anything can happen". The skeletons that often lie around attest to this! Although the trough is a distance away, one can see animals coming for miles.




A- Shade (2/5)
B- Closeness to the water (3/5)
C- Rare mammal species (3/5) (All predators)
D- Proximity to a camp/gate (ease of access) (1/5) (Balule)
E- Remoteness (off the main roads) (5/5)

=14/25

Best sighting: Cheetah chased by zebra.


It appears defunct at the moment, not sure, but a must if it is open?

ba.jpg (46.57 KiB) Viewed 458 times

[Richprins]

Some waterholes listed as defunct may have been resurrected...a whole sorry saga:


viewtopic.php?f=316&t=3645&start=50

List of waterholes to be upgraded:

CROCODILE BRIDGE/LOWER SABIE
Gomondwane

HOUTBOSCHRAND
Bangu

KINGFISHERSPRUIT
Talamati

LETABA
Malopenyana

MAHLANGENI
Tsale

MALELANE
Renoster Pan

MOOIPLAAS
Bowker’s Kop
Eendrag
Frazer’s Rus
Grysbok
Nshawu No. 2

N’WANETSI
Kumana (Kumana-West?)

PAFURI
Nkovakulu

PHALABORWA
Ngwenyeni (Phalaborwa No. 1)
N’wanetsi
Masorini

PUNDA MARIA
Klopper Fontein
Magamba
Punda Maria

SATARA
Girivana
Mhisana Mond
Satara
Shibotwana
Welverdiend

SHANGONI
Dili

SHINGWEDZI
Shingwedzi

SKUKUZA
De Laporte
Kwaggas Pan

STOLS NEK
Komapiti

TSHOKWANE
Manzimhlope

VLAKTE PLAAS
Babalala
N’warihlangari South

WOODLANDS
Bateleur
N’wambu

Source: https://www.facebook.com/groups/kruger.sanparks/#

The red ones were definitely dead in 2015, the blue ones working in 2015.