SANParks.org Forums

I have vivid childhood memories of certain on-the-road Kruger traditions, which sadly seem to have diminished over the years, namely:
- a friendly wave to passing cars
- putting your hand out of the window to slow down the first oncoming vehicle after you have recently left a good animal sighting to tell them where to look out
- larger vehicles allowing smaller cars to park in front of them at a sighting, as long as their view is not obstructed

These days it seems to be more about competition than camarederie when it comes to visitors' attitudes. Judging by the joy of shared experiences on these forums, I'm guessing most of you would welcome a return to these traditions. So let's take the lead and hopefully others will follow.

I wholehearted agree with you. My husband still greets everybody even though they don't greet him back. He stops people to tell them about a special sighting, or should I say he tries to stop people, but more often than not they don't stop. Maybe if we as regular Kruger visitors just carry on doing this, it will eventually rub off. I hope so

I'm with you all the way. I'm one of the wavers and one day I had overseas visitors with me when I waved to a passerby. They asked me if I knew the person I had waved to. I had to reply 'no, it's just something we regular parkers do, we are all friends'

I agree, espeicially about sticking the arm out of the window to let people know about a good sighting. I even find that when I'm with friends they can get embarressed when I do this - until they see how happy it makes the people in the other car.

Perhaps this is another protocol for Goggo to mention in her planned book

I'm adding my voice to this, for sure. I must say though that it still happens. As I said before my kids went with for the first time now, and they thought it very funny us waving to others and waving them down to tell them about something. They quickly got into it though. I actually had to reprimand my daughter because she started leaning halfway out of her window to try and stop others!
I guess it's up to us adults to set an example to our kids, isn't it?

I thought it very funny that while in the park everyone waves and is generally very friendly but as you leave the park even right outside the gate it all stops and nobody gives you a passing glance.

I agree all the old traditions seem to have disappeared. We returned from 2 weeks in Kruger only yesterday and driving home were lamenting their death. What a wonderful sense of anticipation when somebody flashed their lights to tell you of a sighting down a road that you might have ignored. Unfortunately like so much in these modern times we live in greed dictates and instead of folks at a sighting having a ten minute look and then giving someone else the chance the attitude now is to hog the best view for as long as one can. The outside vehicles who rush around on the roads in radio contact with each other, (we call them jeep jockeys!) do not help the situation. The other thing we would love to see reinstated is the sightings book which we feel should be alongside the boards with the pins. A coloured pin for a lion sighting is so uninformative as one does not know whether it is a kill or whether the lions are static. If a leopard is treed and it is noted down as such it affords many more people the chance to see it. We all know that from time to time ignorant people will abuse these books but they do a lot more for sightings than the pins stuck into disintegrating maps do!

Santie, how old are your kids, and at what age could you take up camping again? My husband and I love camping, and I'm currently pregnant with our first (due in May). One thing we were wondering is when we can introduce the little one to our camping adventures?

Thanks for any info!

We only took up camping 7 years ago. By then the kids were already at school and they preferred going to the seaside during school holidays. I still worked full-time and could only get my leave outside school holidays, so their grandparents looked after them. Now I joined my husband in our own business, so we decided it was time to take them. They are 12 (a boy) and 14 (a girl). I've seen people camping with babies still in diapers, so it's up to you. Believe me these two of mine enjoyed themselves thoroughly.

I was impressed, while driving with Freda (above - hi gurl!) through Kruger, at the number of people who did slow down to let us know about a sighting or simply waved hello. Freda herself stopped a young couple to let them know that we were on our way to join a friend who was on a Wild Dogs and pups sighting, and then stopped again to let them know that the wild dogs had moved off after a spotted hyaena appeared, to save them a wasted journey.
Mobile phones may be a nuisance at times, especially in the bush, but they do have their uses now and again?

Hi Santie,

Thanks (and for the pm ), I guess I'll have to research this further a little later on! I believe it's not a good idea to take babies into the park because of malaria, at least in the summer. I wonder what age this changes at... something to ask our family doc in Nelspruit when we get home again I guess!

As a foreigner and a first time visitor can I say thanks to all thse who have stopped to point animals out to us. A woman who pointed out a martial eagle around the Olifants rest camps then struggled to find the translation for us in her bird guide. The couple who pointed out the lions in the grass, the man who told us what the roar we were hearing was (leopard). And all the people on the night drives who take the time to point out animals to the guide/driver. And everyone who waves. Its fantastic!

We tried to recriprocate in our own small way - I'll never forget the excitement on the faces of the young couple we waved down to point out the pride of lions right beside the road near Satara. It was an absolute picture that will stay with me a long time.

acekam, I could not agree with you more.

I still make sure that I wave to everyone I pass on the road. This infact is a game my wife and I play, just to see how many people still have the decency to greet.

Unfortunatly, not many do. However, it sometimes happen that you get those that wave back ... sooner or later you run into them again on the road and then you get this "road friendship", where they will tell you what they have seen and where.

We met this couple once (a few years older than myself), but they visit the park quite frequently. They use to drive out far out of our site and next moment we will see them again, waiting for us to show lions, antelope, interesting things.

As for stopping and telling. I tried but gave that up... People are just too much in a rush...You wave them down and they just look at you while driving past.

It also depends on the animal situation. I'll give an example. The cheetah that was hunting had 3 cubs with her, she already had an unsuccessful attempt to catch an Impala, and this already had drained her energy. The went into the veld. To me it just did not seem right to tell anybody, as she had to focus on the hunt to feed her cubs. Vehicle reversing and driving next to her on the road would just complicate the hunt and most probably make it unsuccessful..

However, if we see them under a tree just laying there, I would not have any problems telling them.

I also still wave even If I get very little response. Keep the traditions going. The world outside the park is already a dog eats dog world.

I am a young 44 and have values from the old school. That is from my first visits to the KNP the wave and pointing to animals and the general courtesy to others is what it is all about. Sitting at a water hole and talking in whispers to the car next to you. The chit chats at the communal kitchen when washing dishes after the braai. I can go on and on. For all that still visit the park do not give up maybe we can get it started again.