SANParks.org Forums

now my own story
My parents were immigrants and when i was 9 its was our
first time. Second time i was 11 and still remember with my
old Kodak box camera standing in the car, looking throuht the lense. It was a camera you had to look throught from the top. No photo came out right, but

At the age of 11 i was hooked.

Bert

I used to go to KNP as a child, when I still lived in Africa. This was before 1975. I still believe it is the most beautiful place on earth.

Well, just another a hundred and something days, before I return.

I blame Freda for getting me addicted to Kruger !
Thank you Tentie !

I frist visited the KNP many years ago as a young kid - and did not like it at all!!

Years later in 1993 while my husband, sons & myself were on holiday in the 'Eastern Transvaal', we spent a day in Kruger. We entered at Orpen and exited at Paul Kruger. We saw so much game; lions stalking zebra, leopard, ellies, giraffe..the list goes on. And that was it. We all love the Park - but I am the most passionate about it. To me it is more than a 'game reserve' - it is a sacred place!

We try to visit at least once a year.

My first visit was February 1990, and think I had just started High School. Stayed at Malelane lodge overlooking Croc river, and first drive was Croc river rd. entering Malelane leaving Croc bridge. I couldn't sleep night before - walking all over camp at night - saw bushbabies. Didnt see that much - just buffalo and usual else, but thoroughly loved the first experience. Got to know Park well only after school having got licence and all & some independence..both for work& leasure..

w

Great idea GP.

Gee, I have so many memories as I kid, I just can't think which one was the first. As a family we have come alone way since those early days some twenty years ago. (Man I am getting old) Anyways, I do remember baboons climbing onto the bonnet of the car and my mother hiding behind the KNP map. Why I don't know, but she did. We were also moving camp so we had the caravan when we came across a very large elephant bull marching down the road. This time is was not only my mother that was nervous, we all were. It is very hard to reverse fast with a caravan. Thank heavens he turned off after forcing us to reverse about 1km. Then there was the time we heard lions roaring at night. they sounded very close. My grandmother (she slept in the tent with my sister and I), then decided she needed to go to the loo and wanted us to go with her. I was convinced we were going to walk straight into the lions mouth so we refused.

My first vist was with a school tour in standard 4 (grd 6). Saw the usual, but was very disappointed at not seeing the big 5. Slept the night in the dormatory for school groups.
Before dinner one of the boys decided it a good idea to kill the snake we found sailing up a tree. I can't remember what the outcome was, but I remember the teachers and KNP staff having a long discussion.

Next morning as we walked through the camp, we found warthogs, being fed by people from their camper. Though it cool at that stage, today the camper would have me on him like a rash.

Some 20 years back, we manage to land up right in the middle of a very large breeding herd of elephants on the gravel road next to the river between Babalala and Shingwedzi. I am not lying if I say that there were at least a hundred or more of them. We were stuck in the middle of them for more than an hour. Dad would not dare to turn of the engine of the car (Chevrolet station wagon) because this clearly upset most of the elephants. We, my brother, sister, Mom and I were basically in a state of shock and in tears. We managed to get out of there with good luck and were back in camp (Shingwedzi) just before closing time. We saw a kudu on our way back to camp, but Mom just said: " #&@# the kudu, I want to get back to camp NOW!" Needless to say, from that day onwards I have the greatest respect for elephants and I will keep my distance no matter what...

That is one scary story alidanie.

Gwendolen, will you believe me that I still go back to Shingwedzi each time when visiting Kruger? It will always be my favourite place in the world. We renamed that road to "Elephant loop."

From state of shock to favourite place in the world. Very cool.

My earliest memories date back to when I was small kid in the early 70's. At that stage, the communal kitchens still used to boil water in big enamel kettles on a coal stove. I would wake up, in the pitch dark, and hear the attendant shovelling coal into the stove. Then I knew it was getting close to the time that we must get up and get ready to be at the gate at opening. The water from those enamel kettles and on that coal stove had a unique and magic taste - but maybe that is just because I was kid and totally in awe of anything that had anything to do with the Kruger Park.
Also, Kruger was the only place where my Mom would allow us kids to drink coffee with condensed milk. The home made buttermilk rusks that went with it was like heaven, and the excitement and anticipation of a full days game viewing ahead of us was just too much excitement for a small kid like me at that stage. What would we see, would we see a kill, where were the lions this morning etc etc all the questions of a child....

My first time - which was about 35 years ago - we arrived too late at the gate(Kruger). We spend the night right there in the car.

Unfortunately I can not remember the rest of the trip....being only 6 years young at the time.

Oh yes...I can remember throwing my sister with Impala droppings at the camp we stayed in.

My first memory of the park is entering at Phalaborwa Gate (1965) and travelling to Letaba with the old gravel road (nowadays the S131). A big herd of elephant crossed the road in front of our car (1963 Zephyr) after drinking at Ngwenyeni. My father was teasing me and my sister, telling us that he is going to drive "through" the herd. Needless to say, we were nearly histeric. The next moment a ranger came from behind - stopped next to us and said my dad must follow him because some of the herd were still drinking and it would still take a long while for the last ones to cross the road. We were more at ease and followed him. Passing the herd, he stopped and said that we can follow him to the drinking hole as he wants to show us something that we will probably not see again during our visit. It was a few Roan Antelope. And we did not see anymore Roan during that visit and not for many years to follow. I have only seen Roan twice after that (and believe me - many visits). Once on the H9 between Phalaborwa and Letaba (at Erfplaas) and once on the S56 (Mphongolo Loop).

my earliest memory of the park is of my dad, me and my sister going to stay in our caravan at pretorius-kop during school holidays, i was about 5/6 my sister about 12. i had been learning to swim with a costume that had polestyrene tubes all around me, and you had to then take one out at a time, teaching you how to balance etc...and it was this particular holiday at pretorius-kop that i took out my final 3 pieces of the polestyrene tubes...and from then on i could swim all on my own!!