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A decade of memories

Our September-holiday destination for the past ten years has been the Kruger National Park. This time of year is perfect for us as a family, as both my parents are teachers and are properly worn out and overworked by that time of the year. The park is truly a breathtaking experience this time of year, as lots of the field is destroyed by fire during August and by September when we arrive, the first rains has fallen and the green grass brings an astonishing contrast to the black burnt background.

It all started in 1996 when I had to compete in cross-country championships held in Witrivier and my dad decided to include a trip to the Kruger as part of the outing. Off course the Kruger promised to be much more exciting than running over rocks and little humps, and this proved to be correct as we saw an impala only about 5 kilometers after entering the Kruger-gate. I remember crying when my dad wouldn’t stop at this amazing animal and later I regretted wasting 13 of my 24 Kodak-film photos on an animal that would be spotted much more times than what I can remember.

Our favorite camp in the Kruger Park is definitely Pretoriuskop. We enjoy the peace and calmness of the camp and all its inhabitants. We enjoy going to sleep at night with the “bicycle-pump” sound of the fruit-bat and waking up the next morning to the sounds of guinea-fowl. I remember walking through the camp at night to go and see what animal movie would show and how we had to reassure my little sister that the gates were closed and that she didn’t have to worry about predators.

Every afternoon we would go and inspect the sightings board very thoroughly and we made sure that we left the gates the next morning as early as possible, because if there was a lion or cheetah in the area, we had to see them. We would plan our route up to the finest detail the previous night and when the guard opened the gates at 6am we would barge through them and like a child in a toy store we couldn’t get to all the promised places fast enough..

Our favorite thing about Pretoriuskop-camp must be the swimming pool. After returning from our day drive, there is no better place to relax and escape from the heat than the swimming pool. Everyone that has been to Pretoruiskop’s swimming pool will know that this is no ordinary pool. It is probably the closest that most humans will come to swimming in a natural waterhole, except for the crystal clear water off course. There is a big rock that leads one into the water, giving you the feeling of a submerging hippo as you walk down the rock into the water. I still remember the excitement it caused when a frog was spotted in the water and how much fun it was to sit under the little waterfall in the baby pool.

During our first visit to the Kruger National Park, we spotted a pack of female lions that were busy hunting at the opposite side of the Transport Dam-which is situated about halfway between Pretoruiskop and Skukuza- and on that day our love affair with the Transport Dam was born. A Kruger holiday would just not be the same if we didn’t pay a proper visit to the dam. Its funny how you remember the exact places where you saw lions in the park and when you return the next year you inspect those places extra carefully, just incase they are still there. Since then we have never spotted a predator there again, but luckily as the years passed, we learnt to appreciate other animals too and soon we just as much enjoyed the sighting of a waterbuck, giraffe or blue wildebeest. It is also at the Transport Dam that we became bird-watchers and we always find pleasure in the sighting of a fish-eagle or Egyptian-goose.

Our Kruger Park visits would also not be the same without our regular brunches at Tshokwane, Nkulu or Afsaal. Just as it starts to get hot and you start to get really hungry, (because you only had coffee and rusks half past five in the morning), a wonderful oasis of big trees, picnic spots and restrooms makes an appearance. If you want to photograph a sparrow, yellow-hornbill or vervet-monkey – this is your place. We always find foreigners at these places very amusing, as they are trying to capture their African experience on film.

In the years to follow, we discovered other rest camps and we will probably never visit the Kruger Park again without a few nights’ stay at Lower-Sabie. This is also a very peaceful camp with lots of trees and a big deck overlooking the Sabie-river. If you haven’t seen elephant or hippo yet, do not fear, because you will at Lower-Sabie. There also is no better place to truly experience an African sunset, than the Sunset-dam. Situated only about a kilometer from the camp’s gate, it provides an ideal place to soak up the last rays of the sun and still allows you to be in camp on time. Lower-Sabie also allows you to walk down the fence at night with a flashlight with the hope of spotting an animal.

If I had to pick one reason why we keep coming back to the Kruger Park, I would probably not be able to do it. Maybe it’s the suspense of knowing that there could be something interesting around every corner or maybe it’s the way you search for a hint in the eyes of the passengers in every passing car. Maybe it’s how you forget about everything at home while your eyes run through the bushes and you let your thoughts go. To me it’s probably how I find peace, how I truly appreciate the fact that I can still enjoy the true beauty of nature. When you visit the Kruger National Park, you lose a piece of yourself and you can only feel whole again, once you return.