Game Drives (Self-Driving), Kruger National Park

Now, to spot that tiny Mongoose while driving 40 km/h you really need Hawkeye’s, I guess I have one, the right eye it is ;-) I don’t know how I spot it but I saw it for a brief of a second, I stopped, reverse a bit and manage to pick the camera and take this photo before it disappears back into the bush.

The lion is the king and here is a young prince. The Park is a great place to watch Lions. They are not so easy to spot as they camouflage extremely well and you might just pass by and not know they are there. In another day we took a guide/tracker that could track the lions and take you straight to their homes ;-)

There are thousands of Elephants in the park, when the eco system disturbed, too many Elephants are not good either and now the authorities in South Africa are abolishing the hunting prohibition on Elephants. Anyhow, there are many of those and you will see them everywhere while driving around the park.

The Baboons are common all over southern Africa, not only in the parks, they are usually in groups, from small family to big groups of even 50. They are basically vegetarians but can eat insects and meat as well. The Baboons consider danger animal, do not get too close to them.

The Impala is by far my favourite antelope, so beautiful and elegant, they are very common here in the park and you will see lots of them. They are at their best when on the run with the long and high jumps, it is just amazing to watch them, I could do it the whole day long.

Self driving in the park is one of the main issues that gives you the great joy here, the roads are excellent, road signs and maps available and all what you need is good eyes and some patient and you will see all the great animals around here.

In Kruger this is a normal and enjoyable practise. Stick to the rules, do not get out of your car and be sensible, tap in emergency no.s to your mobile and enjoy driving around the park slowly, with a book to help you identify the animals and birds you spot.
Take lunch too, there are spots to get out of your car to stretch you legs and enjoy the magnificent views.
Allow long enough to cover a small area rather than trying to travel large distances, it takes time to spot movement in the bush and then to sit and enjoy it.

The best way to do it. You stop when you want to and when you finished looking at whatever it was that you were admiring be it a bird or an elephant you can carry on. I bought a book on the park at the gate and was able to pinpoint most animals and tell my sister what bird,buck or rhino it was that we were just privaledged to see.