KNP April 2014 - The Smaller Things!

[Kesheshe]

Hello

This will be my first trip report as a AW member.

Our trips visiting KNP seem to get further and further apart and I guess there are many reasons for that but that is for later. This was a 8 night visit and to try and avoid the crowds over the school holidays we spent 4 nights at Shingwedzi and 4 nights at Mopani.

We were planning to depart early on Saturday the 26th but a finished work early so we departed on Friday at 11am after finding somewhere to stay outside the park for the first night.

Penny had done most of the planning and work for this trip and had driven up from Durban on the Monday to finish everything in JHB. We would be travelling fairly light as we would not be camping and we did not have to be self sufficient like 25 days in KTP thank goodness.

I am tempted to rant in this first post about a few things that happened in KNP but will hold my tongue on this post.

[Flutterby]

[Bushcraft]

[Toko]

Welcome back, Penny and Kesheshe

Now I am curious about what happened and about the smaller things

[Amoli]

I'm keeping zipped also Keshehe... some things got to me this time...

Let us hear the nice things first...

[Kesheshe]

The drive was fine and we arrived at 4h30pm for our first night at Muweti Bush Lodge in Balule Nature Reserve.

As this was a one night stop before entering the park we unpacked very little and decided on cold meat and salad sandwiches for dinner. The place was very nice and just what we where looking for and within 30km of the Phalaborwa gate. It has its own game and we could hear buffalo, BBJ's etc. and saw elephant, impala, warthog, waterbuck, birds on the drive in.

looked through my guide to the reptiles of southern Africa and thing the following is a Bradfields Dwarf Gecko can someone help with ID.





no ID on this.



this was our protection.

[Toko]

The little one is a Cape Dwarf Gecko

Nicely arranged fire wood!

[Richprins]

Well-organised TR, as always, Kesh!

The second reptile may be a skink of some sort?


Feel free to rant!


Looks like great spot to have the first night!

Have been to that Balule conservancy, and some farms are totally open and linked to Kruger, the closer you get to Phala.

[Bushveld Jock]

Hi Kesheshe and Penny,

It was great meeting you at Shingwedzi and pity we were only there at the same time for one night. Did not know you stayed right behind us as we settled quite early after the long trip from Skuks to Shingwedzi. The following day we found Aat in you chalet and missed to say good-bye.

Now let us see all those smaller things and don't mind to hear the rest as well.

[Kesheshe]

Thanks for the comments.

Toko thanks for ID.

Richprins more of the old farms have been bought and Balule conservancy is becoming more and more focused on nature not farming. I really want to rant.

Bushveld Jock it was nice meeting you guys and timing was not good. We drove to look for you but think you were out on a drive. Hope you had good sighting's. Small world that Aat was in our unit.