Submitted by SafariADV on Sun, 2018-10-28
This morning we wake up early, but not before dawn, we have breakfast and then we leave, today we begin our journey to discover the Kruger National Park in South Africa, we will remain within the park for 12 days and we will travel it all, from North to South; Punda Maria and yesterday were our first stop, today we begin our descent to the South.
Tonight we will sleep in Shingwenzi, that is not far from Punda Maria if you take the main road, but we want to explore the various tracks in search for animals.
We leave the camping of Punda Maria and, first, we go on the S 60 that makes a loop around the hill behind the camping, in the green season this road is spectacular because there are several species of plants and, in that season, they are blooming; now it is not that season, but the road is still panoramic and we see several giraffes and kudus.
The S 60 takes us back to the access road to the campsite and, from here, we reach the H 1-8.
We cross a stretch to the South and sight a lonely elephant and a herd of impalas that crosses the road, then we also see several giraffes and kudus; on the other hand, this is a wooded area, where mopane predominates, so it is very likely to find these species of herbivores.
To continue our descent to the South we decide to take a secondary track, the S 63; this is a dirt road that runs along the river; it's very scenic!
Although the river is dry, except for some puddles, we spot different animals, such as nyalas, warthogs, impalas, vervet monkeys and, of course, the elephants; we also see several birds including bee-eaters, bulbul, kingfishers and white-bellied go-away bird.
It's a really scenic road, we make all the loops and detours that bring us closer to the river; the vegetation is lush, we often stop, turn off the engine of the car and remain in contemplation ... the sense of peace that you feel in this place is indescribable.
We stop for lunch in the picnic area and enjoy the scenery; there are not many people and the place is quiet, what a relax!
There is a beautiful bee-eater on the branches of the nyala tree; how beautiful!
We follow another stretch of the H 1-8, this road does not reserve great sightings, but it offers a spectacular landscape, especially at this time of the year when the leaves of the mopane trees are tinged with autumn colors, expanses of vegetation with colors from yellow to red to rust ... wow!
Before arriving at the Shigwenzi Rest Camp we cross the bridge over the Shigwenzi river; there is no water, it is completely dry, it must be an imposing river during the rainy season, perhaps even too much because, in particularly rainy years, it is overflowed more than once and has flooded the whole field.
Even today it was a beautiful day of safari, the scenic road along the river has entered our heart.
Tomorrow we expect more miles and other sightings, but now we have dinner and relax a bit ... Good night!
