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Hi, I will be visiting KNP from 02-04-08 to 09-04-08 and will be camping at Skukuza! I read many reports on the S114 but mainly from Malelane gate upwards and not travelling from Skukuza downwards . I suppose it is still a great route to drive from the north and where do I go when I exit the S114?

Are there any other routes you could suggest to drive and maybe with some cheetah areas?

Counting the sleeps!!!!!!!

Hi Pikkie

The H1-4 road between Skukuza and Lower Sabie is a very good road, Good chances of seeing Lion, Ellies, wild dogs etc

The Rhenosterkoppies Road is a great road to do in any direction!
In 2004 Madach and I did the road from Skukuza towards Biyamiti Weir. We wanted to photograph the birds there in the early morning golden light, something we in the end did not manage.

Just out of the gate there was the usual trafficjam, something like 6-7 lions just beside the road. So we drove past, waving and smiling at the people pointing out the lions. (We'd seen plenty of lions already. Sorry Bert.)

Onwards! Well, up to the point that a roadblock appeared:

Five rhino, so we shot a roll or two of film, but the sun doesn't halt for that. So we gently removed the rinos from the road and Onwards!

Again the road was blocked:

So again we waited and photographed 'the action' for a while. Of course we were the only car there, so could position the car perfectly. After a while we moved on to the weir, only to find Golden Hour over, and no birds anyway. Back to the mating pair, only to find that other cars had found them, forcing them off the road into the long grass. So a wave and a smile at the people pointing them out again. If only they had known what they had missed...

Yes, that road is good, even if it's only for the weir.

I have travelled this road on many occasions from Skukuza. I normally drive untill the S28 and then follow it back to the H4-1

Have seen leopard, rhino and ele on every occasion on these 2 roads. It is also a less travelled road, so you can spend lots of time with your sighting without a million others around.

Two most memorable moments:

1. Spend about 90min with a leopard trying to catch first a duiker and then impala. We were alone the whole time.

2. Spend about a hour with a male and female lion, doing what lions do best......nothing. We were only 2 cars.

As for cheetah, go to Satara, the H7 and S100 is the only roads I have ever seen them.

You can also continue on the S114 up to the Biyamiti weir, where leopard is also plentyfull.

Enjoy

What a pity, you leave the day I arrive...Pikkie do yourself a favor and read the thread on Pretoriuskop and you will see how many ppl have seen and are seeing the 3 cheetah brothers that roam the area. I have seen them without fail for the last 3 years, either towards Mestel Dam, or Transport Dam or Voortrekker Rd.

Thanks alot guys, I am going to drive those roads for sure, cannot wait!!
Kruger is not a vacation for me but my lifestyle!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes Kruger rocks!

One of my favorite road in the Park.....saw lions here on several occasions, wildebeasts, zebra, ground hornbills (often) buffalo, kudu , giraffe, rhino and elephant, lion with kill, hyena's etc....NEVER give it a miss

Thanks G@mespotter, I will make a point of driving that road quite often.

Tell me though, what is the late afternoon drive like on the S114?

Still counting the sleeps

I prefer this only late afternoon or early morning.....give it a slow go as it tends go become very bushy! Leave it during the heat of the day, rather do the river loop then

The S114 rocks, took this midday
and found it in the same area 6 months later

Excellent, Freda!

Welcome, Pikkie!

This is a very rewarding road!

I have always seen "something", in fact everything' here at some stage, including my first ever Black Rhino in 1985!

Regarding the "late afternoon" question, the Northern portion of the road has provided myself with remarkable "small animal" sightings:

African Wildcat AND Serval on one afternoon, and my first positive Honey Badger.


There is also what I would like to call a "hot spot" about 10 km south of Mbyamiti Weir, where the bush suddenly clears for a km or so. I normally see something there, my favourite having been Ostriches!

Pikkie ,

We just came back from KNP on the 1st of March .
We have'nt been in Skukuza this time but were in Lower Sabie for two nights .
We saw one cheetah around 17h pm at Nhlanganzwani Dam , an other one at 6h10 am on the H4-1 and just after Hyenas and wild dogs ( just before Nkuhlu picnic spot ).
We also saw two prides of lions on the H10 beetween Muntshe and Lower Sabie , one at 16h and the second one just after at 17h20 .

Anne

Sounds like a great road to try out (Did it travelling from B&D to Skuks last year in July and saw nothing).

I had originally planned to do the s3 on our second morning out of Skuks for our upcoming trip, but you all have just changed my mind.

I would like to ask however, if you all rate this as a "better bet" than the S3. I did the s3 once many years ago and it was also pretty barren.

H3 perhaps or the S3 Albasini road, both possible
All depends on where the animals prefer to be, right time, right place, if we knew the answer we would all travel the right road, that is the great thing about Kruger

Freda, original plan was / isto leave Skuks at gate opening time 06h00, Coffee and dunked rusks at Lake Panic before going s3 all the wat around. From there I thought of doing the Nappi road as I have not been there for some time either. Now thinking of rather doing that route in reverse after doing the coffee and rusks at Renosterkoppies dam in the early am.

Since we will be going back to Lower Sabie towards the end of our trip, we will do the LS Skuks Road at around that time and defeintely breakfast at Mlondozi Dam. Love the view from there.