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Thanks for all the kind words

Some other sightings, other than leopard, on the H4-2

Some exercises for the young one's


Is this a "leopard monitor"?


A very inquisitive elephant

We were greeted by these 9 beauties one morning leaving Crocodile Bridge









Those eyes sees food... in the camp

You could actually see the people walking around if you looked back...

After the lions we were greeted by a road full of Bee-eaters


Later we spotted these 2 Nyala bulls next to Impala... Out of 15 cars that passed us only 2 stopped to look at them!


After blocking the road for a long time this was the good side of the elephant!

I am a terrible picture taker, but have a sighting on the H4-2 to relate.
2009 during the Easter weekend we were day visitors for the first time that I could remember. We had two groups of first timers with us and my SO do not take kindly to "I think I saw..." except if it is his sighting of a log!
One of the women thought she saw a kudu (a big buck with horns). In a huff he turned round and lo and behold, no kudu. He went back for about a kilometre and turned back again.
Suddenly there was a collective shout of "LION" as the most magnificent
male lion and his female friend came ambling out of the bush. We stood watching all alone for quite some time before we were joined by some other cars. Almost unbelieveable during that weekend.
Strangely enough, he is now a bit more tolerant of other people's "almost" sightings!

In November 2009 whilst on our Angels trip, we saw Lions and cubs at a Buffulo kill about 6 km out of Croc Bridge as well as the cheetah family at an Impala kill just before the turnof to the S28. You can see the photos from page 11 of the trip report

Good road, the H4-2. Many great sightings including this one

As usual I am late but during our February 2008 trip one sighting I want to share with you on that tar road.

Once a upon a time between after the S108 turn off on the tar road from Croc Bridge to Lower Sabie a loving couple decided it was time to increase the lion population in that area...











The mission was obviously successful as Spotted Cat spotted nearly one year later the pride again with the meanwhile nearly grown offspring…..

My best sighting on that road was this amazing cat, feeding on a bird.





Thanks to all mites for posting your fantastic pics and impressions

Thanks from the heart to BORNFREE, HAPOOR, BUSHBABY30, BUSHMOM, SHARIFA AND DUKE, PUMBAA, and TOKO for some outstanding photographs of special memories on the H4-2! Your contributions keep this thread pumping!

Also, thank you to Elsa, Michel367, Terryc, A-J, Normana53, and Mauxie for your commentary support!


Magnifique! Let's move onto Chapter Seven of our combined trip report:

We have reached Lower Sabie Camp, one of my all-time favourite camps! The relatively newly-renovated and upgraded viewing deck, restaurant area, shop, and reception areas is excellent, and I have spent many a wonderful moment on the deck, gazing out over the Sabie River and surrounding bush, for an unparallelled view of the scenery and animals of the area, while sipping cappuccino, eating a bush breakfast, or munching on a pie with gravy and chips!

I love the older part of the camp and, when I stay in one of the waterfront bungalows, I love to sit on the benches and soak in the tranquility and atmosphere of this wonderful camp. On a sordid day, it's off to the pool for a dunking. Night time invariably lands up with me in front of a braai, gazing at the stars and absorbing the night sounds that make the African bush unique. One of my favourite camps, too, for a morning or evening game drive.

As we have reached a camp (Lower Sabie), we now take a week's breather. This will allow all mites wishing to post on any road or area they missed from a previous episode to please go ahead!

Therefore, if you have any wonderful memories or sightings from any of the following roads we have covered so far on this combined trip-report, please take this opportunity now! I will leave this open until next Sunday evening.

The ROADS we have covered so far are:

S110 (tar road from Malelane Gate to Berg-en-Dal camp)
S110 (sand/dirt road from Berg-en-Dal past Matjulu waterhole; the "Matjulu Loop")
S120 (near Berg-en-Dal)
S121 (the "Timfeneni Loop", near Berg-en-Dal)
S25 ("Crocodile River Road", which runs all along the southern boundary of Kruger)
S27 (the short sand road from the S25 to Hippo Pools)
S28 ("Nhlowa Road",which curves towards the Lebombo mountains from CrocBridge)
S107 (short dirt road from the S28 leading to Nhlanganzwani Dam)
S137 (dirt road that passes Duke's Waterhole)
S130 ("Gomondwane Loop", off the H4-2)
H4-2 (tarred "Gomondwane Road" between Crocodile Bridge and Lower Sabie camps)


PLACES AND CAMPS we have passed en-route so far:

Malelane Gate
Malelane Camp
Berg-en-Dal Camp
Hippo Pools lookout point
Crocodile Bridge Camp
Nhlanganzwani Dam
Ntandanyathi Hide
Lower Sabie Camp

Any sightings of note at any of the above places, or on any of the above roads, please hesitate not and get posting ...

I found the caracal close to LS camp, while everybody else where watching lions about 3 km further south. So it was a very private pleasure.

A GREAT thanks to OWN to allow the "late" entries on the previous roads

On a rainy day in December 2008, we saw these 4 Nomads on the S120. The road was wet and slippery, so we had to drive very careful, thus not giving 100% attention to the veld. I thought I have been dreaming of lions, because it was very quite on the sightings side, when I realised that it were actually lions moving in the wet grass



They moved into the road and looked at us if we were the first humans they had seen - there were only 2 vehicles travelling on the road on the said day:



We made a u-turn and followed them in the road for about a kilometer;



untill they disappeared in the mist:

A smelly S25 during December 2008............



....TBC

Bushbaby30 this was a case of Hippo and "rice" Maybe the same sighting??

WARNING: NOT FOR SENSITIVE VIEWERS

As I said this was on S25 during December 2008. The Hippo died of its injuries with another bull. People at the sighting told me that it happened on Christmas day and we found it on the 29th. So it was really smelly, but still a good sighting. The 8 lions were feeding alternately on it = 1 male, 3 females, 2 cubs and 2 small cubs, while the vultures were waiting in the trees above the lions.





and it taste YUM-YUM:



A young one tried to chew off a piece of skin



but found it to tough.



Filthy faces:



Goiing for a drink of water after feeding.



TBC = the scene the next day.....

First thanks to onewithnature for this very interesting topic

And now after all these beautiful pics and nice story , here are some from our last trip in KNP .

We entered the park on the 13th of last february after a long 24 th hours trip ,three planes connections , a full night in the plane to Johannesburg , so you must think , being only with my two teen-agers and the lone driver, i was a little tired arriving at Malelane gate at around four o'clock .
But just after the entry formalities at Malelane gate , we completely forgot our travel-worn and decided to have just a little 2 hours drive before entering Berg en Dal camp ..
And just before the turn off to the S110 , the welcome board , our first LIT
I must say we didn't have any merit to see that beautiful leopard , there were already 3 or four cars there .






After 14 nights in the park and some more leopards , we check out at Malelane gate ,and just after ....
Just at the first gate , some cars parked ...not at a right place ..
And oh! our " bye bye board , see you again "




For our third Leopard around Berg en Dal , it's a different story , that typical sort of " right place at the right time "though it's nearly always the same with animals sightings .
We were staying at Byiamiti at that time and decided to go to Berg en Dal , after a very very early wake up as every day .
We decided to have a breakfast at BED but first , wanted to drive the S110 ( gravel road ) . But arriving at Matjulu turn off , the boys saw a car far away parked in direction of Berg en Dal and we went to see ..a beautiful eagle was staying in a tree and we stayed a long time there to try to have pics of this eagle in flight .
After it was time to go to Matjulu but driving the litlle road , it appears we will not be alone at all there
There was already 5 or 6 cars , most of them 4X4 wheels driving the same road in front of us ...and more cars already in the front of the waterhole .
So , just before Matjulu waterhole who looked very quiet from the road , the boys said : make your U turn now mum , quick , and we will be in front of the other cars on the road ...quick , quick .
But i did'nt want ,wanted to be just in front of the waterhole and waiting a little in case ..of ..
After all the other cars just desappeared together , we decided though to go , and a few hundred meters later " stop , stop ....a leo...pard "
Where ? just along the car , in the herbs ..
We had the chance to stay a long long time there alone with him , had a thought for all the other cars who missed by few minutes or seconds this beautiful animal ...
Only an other car arrived , but after a long time, and just when the leopard desappeared in the bush .
Here some pics took by my sons :







We didn't had chance at all with the S110 tarred road , but undoubted Berg en dal was a great camp for us for leopards sightings !