Browns in Kruger September 2021

[Bushcraft]

Lovely shots Albert

Great to see the Leopard magnet is still working

Albert was stoked with that series of pics She saved me from a meltdown also

Lucky with leopard

[Bushcraft]

26th Lower Sabie continued

We left the club around 11am, headed straight back towards Lower Sabie down the H4-1 and stopped again for pics just past Nkuhlu as a scallywag came charging out an animal path with what looked like a piece of giraffe leg. She wasn’t stopping for anything, and the intensity of her mission gave us all a laugh.

13.jpg (184.26 KiB) Viewed 345 times

13A.jpg (179.73 KiB) Viewed 345 times

Our timing was right again a few km later as 6 lionesses came down the road towards us.

14.jpg (142.51 KiB) Viewed 345 times

15.jpg (158.8 KiB) Viewed 345 times

[Bushcraft]

16.jpg (183.28 KiB) Viewed 345 times

These lionesses were on a mission, so I reversed for around 100m as they approached, but vehicles arrived from behind, so we stopped and let the lions go past us on both sides.

We sat for a while watching them through the back of the bakkie while they continued on. They then turned towards the riverbed and the vehicle crowd was growing quickly so we decided to continue on towards Lower Sabie.

Around the Lubyelubye area we recognised a car stopped ahead, they were with us at the “Sausage” sighting 2 days earlier, so I stopped next to them to say “howsit” and they pointed out a leopard in a tree through some thick bush. The leopard was on the roadside of the riverbed, so relatively close, but we couldn’t get a good view, so we snapped some “proof pics” and headed for camp.

17.jpg (132.53 KiB) Viewed 345 times

We relaxed around camp for the next few hours, and I decided to make an afternoon braai to entertain myself, but soon regretted it because it was boiling hot.

A new car, an old defender, arrived at the EH2 opposite us and 2 younger guys jumped out. They were “Rasta” dudes complete with dreads and the lingo, so I was mildly entertained by their “relaxed attitude” while braaiing and enjoyed “people watching”.

It had cooled a little after 4pm, so we headed down to the H10 bridge to check for locals, however found some distance lions on the bank above the river and some ellies were terrorising them.

18.jpg (219.53 KiB) Viewed 345 times

The lions eventually moved off, so we plotted our next option and after some discussion, Flutts leopard spot and the hyena den, 7.5km up from Lower Sabie, won.

Mother hyena was around, but no juniors or leopard appeared and just outside Lower Sabie the Cow spotted a lion sleeping in the riverbed.

19.jpg (103.54 KiB) Viewed 345 times

[Bushcraft]

20.jpg (140.77 KiB) Viewed 345 times

Our braai still had some hot coals, so I just stirred it up, added so more wood and we all relaxed in camping chairs outside.

The “Rasta dudes” also had a fire going, but it didn’t disguise a familiar smell and their conversion about Kruger had me grinning quietly in the dark.

A few minutes later Albert did a rugby style sidestep while walking to get something from the hut and an animal skurried off on the ground.

Albert charged off for the camera and I ran for the torch.

After some stalking, we got a pic of the culprit, a rock monitor.

21.jpg (131 KiB) Viewed 345 times

Much later that evening I had to escort the clan to the public ablutions and on our return to the EH2 huts something “barked” loudly from the bushes next to the huts and then the bushes suddenly exploded.

The Cow instantly started making soft squealing noises and then pushed me from behind towards the approaching animal.

It was a bushbuck in charge mode, but it hit a last minute 2 step and roared past the relaxed Rasta dudes who were parking off in the dark next to their fire and the wheel spinning started while still in their chairs

“HEY, HEY, HEY, HEY!”

I had tears running from laughing so much, but later I realised that if it was something dangerous, the Cow was sacrificing me to it with a push from behind.

To be continued

[Pumbaa]

WoW Bushcraft,

and the catlike is continuing - In February all areas where you saw leopards are deserted they must be simply somewhere else then

Amazing luck again also with the lions and hyenas

[Richprins]

At the rasta dudes, one can really do some people-watching in Kruger!

Nice sightings again, BC, and the hyena sure has a big bone!

LS is probably the best camp for Kruger, I think, provided you are ok with accommodation.

[Bushcraft]

WoW Bushcraft,

and the catlike is continuing - In February all areas where you saw leopards are deserted they must be simply somewhere else then

Amazing luck again also with the lions and hyenas

Thanks Pumbaa, those leopard are still around I find that the H4-1 & the section of the H1-2 between the H12 and Skukuza are "quiet" in the summer months, however assume it's due to the dense bush and no vis. A Lower Sabie guide once told me that they rarely drive the H4-1 in the summer months with guests due to this. In winter/early spring the Sabie & Sand rivers are the action spots in the south.

[Bushcraft]

At the rasta dudes, one can really do some people-watching in Kruger!

Nice sightings again, BC, and the hyena sure has a big bone!

LS is probably the best camp for Kruger, I think, provided you are ok with accommodation.

Those dudes were stoned

The female hyena was carrying a big bone, but wasn't born with it

LS for sightings is a hot spot, but those EH2's are dodgy and in need of some new paint/AHU's/etc. I can't blame the cleaners as lipstick on a pig doesn't help that fact that it's still a pig.

[Bushcraft]

27th Lower Sabie to Talamati

We were moving to Talamati for the night, which can be hit and miss sighting wise, but we definitely relax more in the bush camps, it’s just a pity they are so expensive.

The Rasta dudes had seen a leopard south of Lower Sabie the previous evening, so we turned left out of camp and down the H4-2 to see if it was maybe still in the area.

The cars ahead of us from the camp gate turned onto the H10 and we decided to carry on straight with 1 other car and 200m later it turned out to be the good decision as Mom and junior popped out onto the road ahead of us.

1.jpg (88.54 KiB) Viewed 320 times

[Bushcraft]

Junior moved in behind mom, we moved in behind them and followed for a few hundred meters down the road.

Junior then got tired and walked off the road, so we snuck a little closer for pics, then mom started calling and junior took off after her again.

2.jpg (88.43 KiB) Viewed 320 times