Africa Wild

Hi Trail runner,

I see your are celebrating your 50th birthday in the same year than me. I could not be in Kruger on my birthday, but at least arrived a few days later. Wish you the best of times in Kruger. If you want to splash out have you checked Hamilton's, Imbali or Hoya Hoyo for availability. These lodge are all close to Satara and if I am not wrong not too pricy for 2 people.

Olifants has such a great view and definitely a great camp for a birthday celebration.

So you have settled for Letaba instead of Tsendze. To camp for 2 nights you need to pack a lot of extras so that will be a good move so that you don't have to worry about too many things. When you near Olifants go for a drive pass Balule. Its also a rustic camp like Tsendze, but much smaller with a few rondavels. The low water bridge over the Olifants was damaged in Jan 2012 and currently contractors are working on it. Let us know if it is completed. I will then make my bookings at Balule for Dec/Jan.

Post some old pics for us while you count down to KNP.

Richprins wrote:... Most of us are too old or babelaas to walk...

you speak for you

I did an afternoon walk along the river, it think it was from Olifants (can't remember exactly ... will search)
an easy one, we encountered Hippos

and a morning walk at Berg-en-Dale, but here is too much rocky and all in slopes
we encountered Ellies, but far away

Dream, Babelaas, post pics

All sounds a bit dodgy, but I now realise why everyone on here seems a little off
You are either excited about being there, grumpy when leaving or anxious about going and that's the life, love it all those emotions just like the park itself.

Thanks for the advice Bushveld will consider a night at one of the fancier camps, I did look into Sweni on the advice of a mite but closed that page very quickly before the missus saw it. Probably relatively happy to celebrate my Birthday at Olifants which sounds great although never been. Then there is the budget, between my new lens, petrol and accommodation up and down & time in Kruger already starting to look a little scary .

I do have every intention to try to get in two morning walks, and two sunset drives and possibly a bush braai and think it may be practical to spend my cash there, rather than a nice bed, that's another quick R3000 .

Perhaps someone could suggest the best places to do these excursions especially a bush braai which could theoretically be a highlight for my birthday even if not on the actual night .

there is an excellent head guide who works at Olifants, Lourens Botha
you can ask at the counter for a bush braai or something else

Bushveld Jock wrote:Hi Trail runner,

Olifants has such a great view and definitely a great camp for a birthday celebration.

So you have settled for Letaba instead of Tsendze. To camp for 2 nights you need to pack a lot of extras so that will be a good move so that you don't have to worry about too many things. When you near Olifants go for a drive pass Balule. Its also a rustic camp like Tsendze, but much smaller with a few rondavels. The low water bridge over the Olifants was damaged in Jan 2012 and currently contractors are working on it. Let us know if it is completed. I will then make my bookings at Balule for Dec/Jan.

Post some old pics for us while you count down to KNP.

Very happy in retrospect that we aren't camping and I will plan a trip with a few others specifically to camp but just for two nights in the middle of a trip just with my SO makes no real sense. I will check on the bridge close to Balule but I did read on here that recently the bridge was still very much under construction but should certainly be finished by Dec.

Only done Kruger once in 2010 and do have some pics, just don't know how relevant they will be we were in for 4 nights in Satara, let me see what I can come up with - anything that works as a distraction .

nan wrote:there is an excellent head guide who works at Olifants, Lourens Botha
you can ask at the counter for a bush braai or something else

Thank nan, have heard on here of Louren,s I will look him up, apparently quite a legend

Hi trailrunner and a warm welcome to AW

I have not read all the 9 pages, so do not know what others have advised. I only have two things to say. Stay at least for 2 nights better three at any place and skip the sunset drives. The latter because of personal experiences. You don't really see the animals very well, only a lot of red eyes and shapes here and there. The Guide you get is a lottery. You might get a great one or a lousy one, all luck. The morning walk the same thing, but at least you get the feeling of the bush, even if you do not see any animals.

I hope that you will have a great birthday trip

Thanks Lisbeth probably sound advice although on my Satara trip we did do a sunset drive and came upon a lion kill off the s100 on a Waterbuck, made our trip .

All about luck, trailrunner

I'm not mad about Sunset/Night drives, just because we spend almost the whole day out of camp, and at night I like to relax around the fire. However, my son loves them and basically forces me to do at least one every trip. We had very quiet Night drives from Shingwedzi and Lower Sabie, a relatively good Night Drive at Satara, and a better Sunset Drive at Skukuza. It's definitely all about luck!

With regards to posting some pics from your previous trip, they don't have to be relevant to anything...we just like seeing what other member's have seen!!

Another way to pass the time is to read some of our members' Kruger Travel Tales and check out the Flavours of the Month. These might give you some idea of what to expect or look out for on certain roads and in certain areas in the park.