Day 8 ... time to say good bye to Kruger

September 26, 2024

Today was our last day in Kruger NP and time for us to pack up our belongings and head back to Johannesburg.  

We were up early for a morning guided walk with Quentin who is one of the managers at Marc's Camp. We gathered at 5.45, he loaded his gun, and with Andy bringing up the rear we headed into the bush surrounding the property. 

Quentin was a wealth of knowledge, having grown up on a farm. He was able to tell us about specific trees ... why they grew the way they did and what their leaves could be used for (from brushing your teeth, to blocking your bowels  ... I could have used that yesterday!). He pointed put animal tracks and was able to identify the species and in some cases the sex and size of the animal.

Quentin taught us about the termites and how valuable they are, as well as explaining the intricacies of their complex lifestyles from alates to soldiers, workers, kings and queens. 

He showed us one of the Tiny 5 ... an Ant Lion. It lives for 7 years gathering and devouring food. At which point it emerges from beneath the ground when it must mate and then die.

For the curious ... and if you know the Big 5 this is clever ... Elephant Shrew, Buffalo Weaver, Leopard Tortoise and Rhinoceros Beetle make up the Tiny 5. There is also an Ugly 5, animals that (for different reasons) don't often get the love and attention they need. They are ... Warthog, Vulture, Wildebeest, Hyena and Marabou Stork. We have seen all of the Uglies!!

After our walk it was time for breakfast (just a piece of toast for me) ... where we sat beside the pond and watched the ladies feed bread to the fish and a large male Nyala come down to say hello. 

And then it was time to leave. Time to gather our belongings, load the trailer and load ourselves and our travel buddies onto the mini bus. We are a mixed bunch ... Aussies, Americans, Brazilians,  a Belgian and two Germans. At times we have been with them and at other times not. Whilst at the treehouses we have also met Italians, more British and more Germans. Solly II was in charge.

The journey back to Johannesburg took us pretty much the same way back as we had come on the way up with one detour along the way into a section of the Panorama Drive. 

To complete the entire Drive would take a full day (which we don't have) but we were able to visit Blyde Canyon and the Three Rondavels.

Blyde Canyon is the third largest Canyon in the world behind The Grand Canyon (which we have seen) and Fish Creek Canyon (which we will see when we visit Namibia next week). At the bottom of the Canyon is Blyde Dam and River ... popular for fishing and boating.

 

The Three Rondavels are 3 mountain peaks in the Drakensberg Range that resemble the traditional African huts that bear the same name. They are spectacular.

We returned to the bus and drove on the appalling roads ... remember pot holes that could eat children ... stopping for lunch in Dullstroom again, then on the bus with Solly I (after a trailer swap) and on we headed towards the petrol station to see if we could see the Rhinos (too far away), a chance to grab an ice cream then on with the last leg.

At the petrol station  ...

Checked into our hotel around 5pm. Bought a South African travel adaptor (it’s an odd one), got some laundry done, and sampled a free glass of wine (okay … 2), from the foyer. Dinner was once again the buffet, but small serves of select food to suit my recovering stomach. No chakalaka tonight!

And so ends the second part of our four part adventure in Southern Africa. Tomorrow we leave Johannesburg for Pretoria to board one of the most luxurious trains in the world … on to Rovos Rail.