Some tips from top wildlife photographer, Chad Wright:
Making the most of the South of Kruger
January 23, 2014 by Chad Wright
Pretoriouskop rest camp (The golden oldie of the south)
Pretoriouskop is mostly used as a stopover point for people who have travelled from far, and the facilities reflect that. The camp may not have the best accommodation, bathrooms and restaurant, but those who have been visiting for many years will tell you there is more to this time old classic than meets the eye.
The area around Pretoriouskop is a lot less dense than the other sections of Kruger, and boasts some amazing sunrises and sunsets (great for landscape photography enthusiasts). From a photographer’s point of view, this is a huge plus given that there are less woody thickets for your subject to hide away in.
Large grasslands mean that there are a fair amount of herds roaming the area, which in turn means there is a decent concentration of predators as well (mainly leopard, hyena and wild dog).
Keep an eye out for rare antelope like sable, oribi, tsessebe, eland and Lichtenstein’s hartebeest that all enjoy the safety of the open terrain.
Best drives:
The small network of loop roads (Fayi loop & S8) starting just to the left of the camp have been known for wild dog sightings in the past, lookout for their dens in the rocky outcrops next to the road that are normally occupied throughout the year. Leopard and cheetah have also been seen patrolling the sand roads first thing in the morning.
Head along the H2-2 to Afsaal picnic site for lunch, it’s a long drive without any stops in between so plan accordingly. Whilst you stretch your legs, try and find one of the resident scops owls that are regularly seen perched in one of the shady trees scattered around the site. The staff are normally nice enough to locate these tiny guys for you and mark the tree trunk with some sort of tape.
One of my favorite short trips is heading up the S7 and back down the S3, stopping at Mestel dam (great for water birds) for a quick look.
Head on the H1-1 all the way to up to Skukuza for brunch or a late lunch, stopping at Shithave dam and the famous Transport dam (where ‘The battle of Kruger’ took place). Leopard and lion frequent this road in the cooler hours of the day.
If you are driving a 4×4, the rough and rugged Madlabantu Adventure Trail might be up your alley.
Things to look for:
Game
Leopard
Hyena (seen patrolling the fences at night)
Wild dog
Rare antelope (sable, oribi, tsessebe, eland and Lichtenstein’s hartebeest)
Elephant
Dwarf mongoose (look for groups of them darting in and out of the grass on the sides of the sand roads)
Waterbuck
Birds
Sunbirds (can be found inside the camp)
Purple crested turaco (can be found inside the camp)
Brown headed parrot (can be found inside the camp)
Scops owl (can be heard all around the camp at night)
Wide variety of raptors
White-backed vulture
Lappet faced vulture
