Kruger National Park (Part One)
Day Two - South Africa & Swaziland - 2017
A full day exploring Kruger National Park.
Map Credit: OpenStreetMap
1. Giraffe #1
Giraffes’ necks are too short to reach the ground.
We awoke extremely early and headed to the Phabeni Gate on the west edge of Kruger National Park. We departed very early to ensure we were there before the gates opened for the morning. Our tour group was divided into two safari trucks, and I rode in a truck with a kind, extremely enthusiastic driver / guide named Christopher. We entered the park, and quickly came upon this giraffe taking its first meal of the day.
Photographer’s Comment: Our truck was pretty much full, so I hedged my bets and chose the center seat of the front row. This had a couple of advantages: 1) The rows of the truck are tiered front-to-back, meaning the front row has the most room between the seat and the canopy, 2) You are close to the driver, and there is little confusion where an animal is spotted, 3) The center seat means you have equal access to either side of the truck (it was surprisingly easy to shoot over the shoulder of your row-mates, as long as they are willing to accommodate), and, 4) The passenger seat in the front of the truck is often empty, and if you’re like me and have lots of equipment, this is a great place to store your bag so you can leave your footwell uncluttered.
2. Giraffe #2
Giraffe’s tongues are black to prevent sunburn.
I started to give the animals nicknames, and I dubbed this one “Gene Simmons.”
3. Spotted Hyena #1
Spotted hyenas, also called laughing hyenas, are common in Africa, but are thought to have originated in Asia, and perhaps once lived in Europe.
I was ultimately surprised how difficult hyenas were to spot during the safari, and only recall seeing a handful during our two days in Kruger despite them being widespread.
4. Impalas
Impalas are gifted jumpers, capable of leaping 3 meters (10 feet).
Impalas are easily the most-commonly sighted animals in Kruger National Park, so much so that by the end of our second day, we would jokingly yell, “Oh! Look! An impala!” if we saw one during a quiet moment on the trek - even Christopher was getting in on the fun, catching a couple folks in our truck off-guard.
5. Rhinoceros #1
There are five species of rhinoceros, two of which (white, and black) are native to Africa; white rhinoceros such as these are identifiable by their wide, flat mouths.
What an amazing thing it is to see a rhinoceros up-close. Nothing truly prepares you for the size and obvious power of these animals, even if you have seen them in a zoo. Our first of the “Big Five” animals of the day.
6. Rhinoceros #2
Rhinoceros can easily weight more than 1000 kilograms (2200 pounds).
We most commonly see rhinoceros in profile, but when you view them head-on, you can’t help but be a bit surprised about how close together their feet are relative to their gigantic frames.
7. Rhinoceros #3
White rhinoceros is, obviously, a misnomer as they are grey and not white. How they got their name is somewhat of a mystery, but one theory postulates that "white" is a bastardization of "wijd", the Afrikaans word for "wide", referring to the white rhino's wide mouth.
The rhinoceros turned and passed very nearby our truck. You always have to be cautious with these animals, as they are unpredictable and easily startled. Not a sound was uttered as it lumbered by.
8. Rhinoceros #4
Rhinoceros are generally about 2 meters (6.5 feet) tall at the shoulders.
This one briefly turned towards us…we awaited its next move….
9. Rhinoceros #5
Rhinoceros rub their horns against trees to rid themselves of parasites, often marking their favorite trees to ward off other interested parties.
This rhino decided to continue on its way, and in doing so gave us a view of its worn-smooth front horn.
10. Impala #2
Impala’s horns are commonly described as being “lyre-shaped.”
Up close, it is easy to see where the Chevrolet Impala got its awesome, distinctive model logo.
11. Cape Starling
The cape starling will often imitate calls it hears in its environment.
While most people go on safari to see the large animals -especially “The Big Five”- I was also quite happy seeing varieties of bird I had never seen before.
12. Blue Wildebeest #1
There are two varieties of wildebeest, also known as gnus - blue and black.
It was rare to see animals moving in packs with other species, but we did occasionally see some herbivores moving together.
13. African Fish Eagle #1
African fish eagles often build two or more nests which they will reuse.
14. African Fish Eagle #2
Like many birds of prey, the female african fish eagle is larger than its male counterpart.
15. Elephant #1
Elephants are the largest land animals.
The first elephants of our safari! This par was a good 200 meters away, but were still easy to spot due to their obviously large size. Our second of the “Big Five” animals of the day.
16. Magpie shrike
The magpie shrike will commonly flick its long tail during mating rituals.
17. Impala #3
“Impala” comes from the Zulu word for “gazelle”.
18. Greater Kudu #1
Greater kudus are not fast enough over open land to evade their common predators, so they will often dive into thick bushes to evade them.
19. Dwarf Mongoose
The dwarf mongoose is Africa’s smallest carnivore.
20. Zebra #1
Newborn zebras can run within hours of being born.
We finally spotted a zebra, an underrated African animal in my book.
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21. Greater Kudu #2
The greater kudu’s horns have 2.5 twists and are 120 cm (4 feet) long if straightened.
22. Common Warthog
The common warthog has two sets of tusks; a smaller set sits on the lower jaw and becomes razor sharp over time by rubbing against the top set.
Warthogs were less commonly spotted than I anticipated, despite a healthy population inside Kruger National Park.
23. African Buffalo #1
The african buffalo is among the most dangerous African animals given its uneven temperament and large size.
Our third of the “Big Five” animals of the day, we didn’t stay around to watch it for very long given this animal’s unpredictable nature.
24. Lion #1
While male lions defend a pride’s territory, females do most of the hunting.
A good distance away (300 meters, at least), our driver, Christopher, spotted a lioness in a dry river valley. Our fourth of the “Big Four”, and it was still only morning.
25. Lion #2
Despite lions being known for their speed and power, they can sleep upwards of 20 hours a day.
This particular lion sauntered very slowly across the river bed floor. We probably spent a good 10 minutes tracking its movements, repositioning as other trucks caught on to what we had spotted.
26. Lion #3
Lions’ roars can be heard up to several miles away (good for sharp-eared prey and safari guides alike!)
27. Lion #4
Lions live in groups called “prides” which consist typically of a few female lion relatives, their lion partners, and their offspring.
The female lions were easy to spot, but unbeknownst to us, they had baby lions in tow.
28. Lion #5
Prides are organized by the lionesses, whom become very leery and oftentimes intolerant of lions outside their pride group.
Based on the appearances of these cubs, these small lions were at most a few months old.
29. Lion #6
Lions’ heels don’t touch the ground as they walk.
30. Lion #7
Despite doing almost all the hunting, female lions will eat after their male partners.
After walking along the river bed, the lions disappeared behind some thickets along the roadside, obscuring our view of these already very far away animals (hence the discoloration in the foreground of the photograph). We noticed they had laid down next to this grove, but our view was so obscured, we decided to move on further into the park. It was not until a few weeks later when I was processing pictures from the trip that I noticed they were having a meal!
31. Baboon
Of the five varieties of baboon, only the charm, or cape, baboon is found in Kruger.
32. Saddle-billed stork
The saddle-billed stork often grows to be 150 cm (5 feet) tall.
33. African fish eagle #3
As the name suggests, this bird eats primarily fish; however, it is known to occasionally eat small land mammals, as well.
34. Kruger National Park #1
Kruger National Park is approximately 19,500 square kilometers (7,500 square miles) in area.
You get so obsessed with looking at animals in Kruger you often forget to look around at how beautiful it is. Our driver stopped here, saying this was his favorite view in the entire park. Hard to argue….
35. Nyala
Nyalas are extremely shy animals, preferring the solitude of waterholes over open land.
36. Elephant #2
Elephants have social customs which are taught to young by their mother.
We caught view of some elephants off in the distance behind thick brush - this young, apparently cautious, elephant did their best to hide behind their mother.
37. Vervet
Vervet monkeys are known amongst animal scientists for having characteristics eerily similar to human beings, such as hypertension, and -under the right circumstances- alcohol dependency.
38. Kruger National Park #2
Kruger National Park has nine gates in total and borders Mozambique to the east.
39. Waterbuck
Waterbuck are not drought-tolerant mammals, so they often live in close proximity to watering holes.
40. Elephant #3
Due to their voracious appetites, elephants constitute about 10% of the biomass of Kruger National Park.
41. Kudu #3
Male kudus often fight, particularly over mates - unfortunately, due to the design of their horns, they often get so entangled they cannot be separated, and both parties ultimately perish.
42. Kruger National Park #3
Kruger National Park has approximately 1,800 kilometers (1,100 miles) of paved roads.
43. Kruger Sunset
Kruger National Park was first made accessible to automobiles in 1927.
After we wrapped up an amazing day in Kruger, we headed back to our campsite for dinner and some rest. Those among us who opted for the night game drive left and headed back into the park to link up with the night safari guide. If you have the option of doing a night drive, take it - the encounter rate is much lower, but the experience of seeing the park at night is worth it.
44. African Wild Dog #1
About 400 african wild dogs reside in Kruger National Park.
We hit the proverbial jackpot right around sunset as a pack of African wild dogs strayed into our path. These animals are considered endangered, and due to the fact that each pack has such a wide territory, seeing them in the wild is extremely rare.
45. African Wild Dog #2
About 6500 African wild dogs remain in the wild.
46. African Wild Dog #3
Female African wild dogs leave the pack once mature, unlike most mammals, from which the male commonly separates once he is able to mate.
47. African Wild Dog #4
African wild dog pups are given priority for food over adults.
48. African Wild Dogs #5
An African wild dog pack’s territory is so vast, only two packs could co-exist in a range the size of London.
49. African Wild Dogs #6
Both males and females watch young pups, for whom they will often regurgitate food.
Photographer’s Comment: These photographs were nearly impossible to take; in fact, I was surprised to find out any of them came out at all. The driver of the truck -likely unwilling to scare away such an amazingly rare animal- kept a fair distance, and this photograph, for example, was taken about 100 meters away. The sun had already gone down and -due to the layout of the vehicle and likely ephemeral nature of the encounter- setting up a tri- or mono-pod was likely a fool’s errand. These were shot at 170mm on ISO 3200 at f/5.0 and 1/50th of a second. I well could have underdeveloped the shot at 1/200th but I’d really be pushing the boundaries of what my camera body (my “back-up” t3i/600d) could handle. This is one of the only times I wish I had one of those f/2.8 mid-range telephoto lenses, but I’m perfectly content in knowing that I saw this with my own eyes and sometimes memories are for you and you alone.
50. Kruger Night Drive
Some passengers on the Kruger night drive are given spotlights to aid the driver and spotter in finding animals in the dark.
51. Elephant #4
Elephants can move easily at night due to superior low-light vision as well as tremendous sensory perception which warns them of predators.
This elephant was the only other animal we spotted beside the African wild dogs, but that encounter alone made the whole experience worthwhile. After the drive, we re-retired to our camp sight for drinks and a bonfire. A great day of travel, this.
