Back from Kruger & Moz
 

Hey all,

I'm back from a trip to Kruger area (Klaserie/Timbavati/Manyeleti/Sabi Sands) & Moz (Vilanculos).

Highlights / most fun;
- A lot of lions sightings (devouring & defending their kills)
- A lot of rhino (10 in total, incl 2 babies)
- Honey badgers raiding camp
- Incredible leopard sightings (incl one that - for a moment - contemplated jumping from the tree onto the hood of our Landy)
- Being mock charged by an elephant while on foot (big bull, about 45-50 years old)
- Too cute hyena pups
- Four cheetahs together
- encounter with six wild dogs, which lasted more than an hour and ended with them passing us at less than 5 meters distance ...while we were sitting on a dam, away from the vehicles.

For a detailed report (incl pics) you'll have to be a bit patient. I first have some other things to attend to. Like work (yuck!) and helping with setup of www.rockternat.be (yay!)

Ciao,

J.

Sounds a fantastic trip, Pixel ..... shall await patiently for your pics.

Regards
Hari

Sounds incredibly good like a marvelous safari!

Welcome back!

((@))

Welcome back! Sounds like quite an adventure. I have only glimpsed wild dogs, so your time with them sounds wonderful. (is there an emoticon for "green with envy"?)

Before you get to the trip report, can you you give a quick rundown of the camps? DH and I are having a bit of a fit choosing between a few in Klaserie and Timbavati. Maybe you can break the tie.

Can't wait for your trip report and pics.

Hey Christabir,

My choices were:

Klaserie: Africa On Foot
Timbavati: Shindzela
Manyeleti: Pungwe
Sabi Sands: Elephant Plains

As my report will show, all of them are excellent choices, and all have their individual strengths. And the memorable events mentioned above are spread almost evenly over the 4 of them.

Ciao,

J.

Thanks J! Leaning hard toward Shindzela.

Yes, would like to hear lots more.
Especially about Shindzela. How many nights were you there Shindzela? How were the game drives? How many guests in the vehicle? How was your guide? Did he carry a camera? And more :)

regards - tom

Well, to give you a scoop on Shindzela;

- they had the best accomodation (personal opinion, but I like tents on an elevated wooden platform and with an outdoor shower the most)
- they had the best cook (just wait until you see the video)
- the concession is a fantastic spot, right up to the border with Kruger
- the guiding is excellent; the owner, Dave, is one of the "old generation" (in this case a good friend of Bruce Lawson), and his partner-in-crime at the moment (Mark) is a guy with about 20 years of guiding experience throughout Africa (from Sudan/Ethiopia, over Kenia/Tanzania to Southern Africa). So both are a "barrel of knowledge" you can drink from all day long.

Shindzela is a no-brainer. Book now. You CANNOT regret this.

J.

And, how many nights were you at Shindzela? And how many guests were in your game drive vehicle? Price is right there but only if game drives are right.

regards - tom

Just the info I needed. I will book soon (when my credit card statement closes this month). I'm guessing Gertie is still the cook - every review (not many) raves about her.

Thanks so much.

I was there for 3 nights. Ppl in the vehicle were different every day, depending on guests. We were always between 5 and 7, so the jeep was never full (as there are 10 seats).

Gertie is indeed the cook. If every family had a Gertie, there'd be no more war on this planet, lol.

J.

Thanks J.
So jeep was driver and passenger, then 3 rows? Typical Ranger Rover used.
If so I consider 7 guests to be full, 1 plus 2 plus 2 plus 2. I could not handle my camera with 10 guests. And I have seen that from some camps.

regards - tom

Yup, typical 3x3 + 1 in front.

But if you insist on "7 = max" or better put; "2 max per row" then I must warn you; unless you foresee a private vehicle, then being with max 2 on a row of seats is not a given ...anywhere!

None of the places I went to had this "2 max per row" policy. Not at Africa On Foot, not at Shindzela, not at Pungwe, and not at Elephant Plains. Altough in practice; we have NEVER been with three people per row, not even at Elephant Plains!

Judging from the vehicles I saw, none of the other lodges in Sabi Sands have this policy either. Altough again; lots of jeeps had only 2 ppl per row or even less. But the guide of EP told me that other lodges run at 40 to 60% occupance, while at EP it is around 90%.

B.regs,

J.

J - My actual safari experience seems to be like yours regarding number of guests in a vehicle.
Since 2005 I've been to 10 different safari camps (most in South Africa, some more than once), for around 80 nights total. So on 160 game drives I've never had a vehicle full with 9-10 guests. Seven guests, yes, maybe 25% of the time. BUT I have seen other vehicles full with 8-9-10 guests. And I always wonder why? Maybe that is what the camp does to save vehicle and guide costs? Maybe it is a group of 8-9-10 that wants to be together?

And FWIW when I do find myself in a group of 7 guests I prefer the seat next to the guide. Its lower perspective can be very good for some photographs. I do not like photos looking down on animals, eye level is much better don't you think?

regards - tom

Hey Tom,

Yes, it seems I have the same experience then you then re number of ppl in a vehicle.

I also wondered where those full vehicles come from. But now I think I know; from successful lodges :-D

EP is one of those (ic it runs on 90% occupancy), but in practice it means this: max 26 guests, but most of the time a bit less (I think the super-expensive honeymoon suite is not booked that often, and some ppl do not come on every game drive as they need to pack or they just arrived, etc), so let's say 21 guest. Divide that by 3 jeeps... is still only 7 ppl per jeep.
If the number goes above 21 then yes, you might have the odd gamedrive where 3 ppl need to share a row. But it still does not mean there's gonna be a fight for seats; lots of EP visitors are noobs (ic they will not mind sitting on that full row, as they're not into photography like us.

The other lodges I went to have only one jeep, I think AOF had two. They COULD be full, provided that all rooms would be fully booked, but they're not that popular/known yet.

...until after my report, lol.

B.regs,

J.