Kruger National Park & Blyde River Canyon

“A taste of South African Splendour” – Kruger National Park & Blyde River Canyon It is time to experience one of the largest National Parks in the world and the majesty of the Blyde River Canyon Sunday 25th to the Thursday the 29th of August 2019 The Kruger National Park is the largest game reserve in South Africa. It is larger than Israel. Nearly 2 million hectares of land that stretch for 352 kilometres (20 000 square kilometres) from north to south along the Mozambique border, is given over to an almost indescribable wildlife experience. Certainly, it ranks with the best in Africa and is the flagship of the country’s national parks - rated as the ultimate safari experience. The Kruger park itself was established in 1898, following a twelve-year crusade to conserve the Lowveld wildlife by Paul Kruger, from whom the park takes its name. Lying in the heart of the Lowveld is a wildlife sanctuary like no other, its atmosphere so unique that it allows those who enter its vastness to immerse themselves in the unpredictability and endless wilderness that is the true quality of Africa. The Kruger National Park lies across the provinces of Mpumalanga and Limpopo in the north of South Africa, just south of Zimbabwe and west of Mozambique. It now forms part of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park - a peace park that links Kruger National Park with game parks in Zimbabwe and Mozambique, and fences are already coming down to allow game to freely roam in much the way it would have in the time before man’s intervention. When complete, the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Park will extend across 35 000 square kilometres, 58% of it South African, 24% Mozambican and 18% Zimbabwean territory. This is the land of baobabs, fever trees, knob thorns, marula and mopane trees underneath which lurk the Big Five, the Little Five (buffalo weaver, elephant shrew, leopard tortoise, ant lion and rhino beetle), the birding Big Six (ground hornbill, kori bustard, lappet-faced vulture, martial eagle, pel’s fishing owl and saddle-bill stork) and more species of mammals than any other African Game Reserve. The Kruger Park is a self-drive destination, although there are guided tour operators, with an excellent infrastructure that includes picnic sites, rest camps, waterholes and hides. The Kruger Park is a remarkable reserve offering an incredible experience of Africa at its most wild. Very broadly speaking, the Kruger National Park is flat with a few gentle hills, and people tend to classify the bushveld of the Kruger as unvaried and dry, which is rather like saying South Africa is sunny - it conceals an amazingly rich diversity. The Kruger National Park is divided into no fewer than six ecosystems - baobab sandveld, Lebombo knobthorn-marula bushveld, mixed acacia thicket, combretun-silver clusterleaf, woodland on granite, and riverine forest. THE SOUTHERN KRUGER PARK REGION – where we will be visiting… Bounded by the Crocodile River in the south and the Sabie River in the north, the southern region is also host to the jagged ridge of the Lebombo Mountains along the border with Mozambique, and the highest point in the park, Khandzalive, in the southwestern corner - almost in counterpoint to Pretoriuskop that lies in the west of the southern region of the Kruger National Park. The valleys are home to trees rarely found in other parts of the Kruger park, such as the Cape chestnut, coral tree and lavender fever-berry; and granite lies beneath most of the region, producing distinctive smoothed koppies at irregular intervals, which are typically surrounded by rock figs and form ideal locations for rock dassies or hyrax, baboon and klipspringer, not to mention the odd leopard. This is the region where you’re almost sure of seeing a white rhino as most of them occur here, particularly around Pretoriuskop, Mbyamiti River and south of lower Sabie. On the whole, there is more game purported to exist in the southern part of the park, so if you don’t make it to the northern reaches of the Kruger National Park, you won’t miss out. This part of the Kruger park is to some extent shrouded in history. Around Pretoriuskop, known for its profusion of trees, is Ship Mountain, its hull-shape the site of an old wagon trail that crosses a stream marking the birthplace of Jock of the Bushveld. The combretum woodlands, also part of this region, attract reasonable herds of kudu, impala, giraffe, buffalo, zebra, white rhino and elephant, and the scarcity of lion in this part of the park, makes way for the cheetah and wild dog. Where we will be staying in the Kruger National Park (Subject to change depending on availability) Berg-en-Dal Rest Camp The buildings in Berg en Dal Rest Camp, Kruger National Park are set within natural bush and the gardens planted with flowering shrubs and aloes, leaving much of the natural habitat unchanged within the camp. Berg en Dal is one of the newest camps in the Kruger National Park and offers visitors outstanding accommodation and lodging facilities. Berg en Dal was opened in 1984, meaning 'mountain and dale' aptly named for its superb location. Great care has been taken to preserve the natural vegetation in the camp area, which comprises Malelane Mountain Bushveld (woodland), attracting a variety of grazers. The area hosts White Rhino, Kudu, Impala, Giraffe, some Elephant, Reedbuck, Klipspringer, Grey Rhebok and warthog. Leopard and Wild Dog are regularly seen in the region. Lion are usually found in the lower plains on the roads to Skukuza and Crocodile Bridge. Bird watchers will find the appeal of Berg en Dal Rest Camp irresistible as a wide variety of birds species can be seen here. San (Bushman) paintings, the only remnants of the traditional San (Bushmen) people who once lived and hunted in this area, can be viewed in the surrounding hill shelters along the Bushman trail. The camp comprises of bungalows, safari tents and camping sites. Amenities include a laundromat, grocery shop and liquor store. Olifants Rest Camp Guests to Olifants Rest Camp will be exposed to an unforgettable window of Africa at their Kruger Park accommodation and lodging. The Olifants Camp is situated on top of a hill towering several hundred feet over the river of the same name. Sightseeing views from the lookout platforms allow a person to observe the river below. The camp is warm and welcoming and will win many staunch supporters for Kruger Park accommodation. The 2, 3 and 4 single-roomed thatched bungalows fitted with en-suite facilities and kitchenettes afford panoramic views across the surrounding bushveld. Because Olifants Camp is situated in a transitional zone, 2 distinct types of vegetation can be found, offering a wide range of game. In the north, the low-lying Mopane trees provide cover for Zebra, Impala, Kudu and Elephant. To the south, rolling plains are dotted with Buffalo, Giraffe and Kudu. While along the Olifants River, wildlife such as Lion, Crocodiles and Hippopotamus can be viewed on game viewing and sightseeing excursions in Kruger Park, as well as an abundance of birdlife such as Owls, Storks and Eagles. Game viewing is possible from Olifants Rest Camp where a shaded lookout platform is positioned. Here you are sure to spot Hippopotamus, Crocodiles in the Olifants River. Around the Olifants River, guided game walks are the perfect way to learn more about the bush from close up. 'Olifants' is the Afrikaans word for Elephants, which are commonly found in the area. Skukuza Rest Camp Skukuza Rest Camp is a popular rest camp situated in the heart of Big Five territory and is easily accessed by road and by air. The myriad of birds and wild game in the area is easily spotted by going on bush walks and game drives. Wildlife documentaries are shown in an outdoor amphitheater. The camp was originally known as Sabie Bridge or simply Reserve, the name was changed in 1936. Skukuza Rest Camp is named after the Tsonga name for James Stevenson-Hamilton, the first warden of the park. Literally translated it means 'he who sweeps clean', a reference to his removal of all the local people to make way for the establishment of the Park. The Stevenson-Hamilton Memorial Museum houses many interesting artifacts - very well-known is the knife ranger Harry Wolhuter used to single-handedly slay a Lion and save his own life. Skukuza is the Kruger National Park's largest rest camp and administrative headquarters. It is situated on the southern banks of the Sabie River and is home to some interesting birds and amazing plant life. Activities, attractions and facilities are diverse, as are the animals and plants found both within Skukuza Rest Camp and the surrounding area. Skukuza Camp is an excellent rest camp from which to pursue the Big Five and birds in the vicinity. Lion are frequently spotted along this route. At night, look for the Fruit Bat that hangs under the eaves of the shop, and the Thick-tailed Bush Baby climbing the trees in search of gum. THE BLYDE RIVER CANYON The Blyde River Canyon Reserve extends along the Blyde River Canyon's winding path, which at every turn offers more and more impressive views over sheer edges dropping 800m into the riverbed. The Blyde River Canyon (now officially known as the Motlatse Canyon) is considered one of the largest canyons on Earth and may be the largest ‘green canyon’ - it has a particularly lush subtropical covering. The fresh mountain scenery and panoramic views over the Klein Drakensberg escarpment are quite spectacular and give the area its name of 'Panorama Route'.

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