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I just wanted to hear your experiences on the first sighting you had as you just enter a gate , most times its impalas , or zebras , wildebeest etc but has anyone seen something spectacular

I seen a lion like 50m going in from Orpen gate and once 2 massive elephants just as you enter Crocodile Bridge Gate on the road

Waiting to hear your experiences

Hi Ziyaad

Saw Lions about a km from entering Phalaborwa Gate that had just killed a Giraffe right next to the road and also saw a Leopard in a tree just after entering Malelane Gate towards Berg en Dal.

Regards

Hy Ziyaad

My first ever trip to Kruger - way back in the dark ages - my first animals were wild dog. Since then we have had buffalo, elephant and rhino as our first sightings.

Howzit Ziyaad

Welcome to the forum!

Last year June when i was standing in the queue @ the Malelane gate i saw a Leopard crossing the road about 10 meters from the boom gate! It happened so quickly and i regret not having my camera with me!

I remember that day so clearly, everyone ran into the office!

Malelane gate is good for sightings! I have had an elephant right at reception trying to board the truck with guests. Also 5 lionesses in the car park when guests got off at the end of the trip (they got back on very quickly!!!), hippo next to a car there, and leopards on several occasions. Also a black rhino just up the road..... and buffalo herds are common too.

Several years ago there was a pack of wild dog just inside (i.e. Park side) the Crocodile Bridge gate. They were right on the road and we followed them for about 45 minutes. They were just playing and fooling around and were lovely to watch.

A couple of years ago there was an elephant in the flower bed just inside the Paul Kruger gate - at first I thought it was a new statue and then it moved!

Loooong time ago, an Ellie tried to be helpfull by assisting the guard at Pafuri to close the gate..

In December last year we left Pretorioskop early in the morning and had as our first sightings: Lion, White Rhino, Elephant and then a cheetah! We spotted our first impala almost an hour and a half after leaving camp!!!

Two Sundays ago, while SO was booking us in I was watching the doggies play in the road at Phalaborwa gate.

Hi Guys,

Some really great sightings as first sightings here

I've had the fortune of seeing buffalos as a first sighting as I entered Malelane gate over the bridge.

Same scene repeated itself at Paul Kruger gate entrance over the bridge buffs feeding in the reeds and some just resting on the islands between.

Also inside the park proper at the Malelane entrance i happened upon an elephant as my first sighting just feeding off the road on another occasion.

This April i entered via Phabeni gate and just as you exit the booms into the park proper on your right hand side there seems to be a sort of dry river bed. Lucky to see a herd of elephants feeding here as my 1st
sighting

But my most memorable first sighting will have to be April 2008. Travelling alone from Joburg I was pushed for time just to make it to the park before gate closing time. I was booked in at Pretoriuskop and headed for Numbi gate. Made it I think literally under 10 mins before gate closing time.

Being winter it gets dark fairly quickly. By the time I had finished up all the paperwork at the gate and a stop to the loo etc it was really dark - nightfall.
So approached reception and asked that am i going to be escorted to camp and to my surprise i was told no its fine you can go by yourself. Always thought that once its dark you need to be escorted. Maybe they were shortstaffed I dont knw

Nonetheless I was thrilled to be going alone as I know from previous experience when you escorted you can't really stop for a sighting. So i kept by fingers crossed and headed into the park.

I must admit it is eerie and disorienting driving around alone in complete darkness with not a single vehicle to be seen. By now all day visitors were out of the park.

I excitedly continued hoping that maybe I will get to see at least something.
A few hundred metres before the S10 junction I had seen eyeshine ahead having had my brights on. Not expecting much more than an impala I approached slowly and switched off my brights.

There it lay sleeping in the road. I could not believe my eyes. Relaxed without a care in the world. A young female LEOPARD !!!
She just sat there looking at me. I scrambled around for the camera but realised it was in the boot andjust sat back and enjoyed the sighting.

I watched her for about 3 minutes after which i decided to angle the car so as to have more light on her. This was her cue to move off. She got up and melted into the long grass.

But left me with a memory that will stay with me for along time

Usually Impala or Zebra but its just great to get into Kruger!

a) 15 years ago we stayed at Maduma Boma near Klaserie and first thing on the way to Orpen Gate was a mangey Cheetah on the public road outside the park..then another 3 as we entered atthe Orpen camp water-hole and another 2 lions 3 km further down the road. I think we saw 23 lions that day.

b) 2 weeks ago: arrived from JHB just in time for Pretoriuskop gate closing....First thing next morning was 1 black rhino, then 3 white rhino, then an ellie and then 3 wild dogs by 7am.....8 am: first 2 lions,.... 9am: 5 hyena and a side-striped jackal, 10am: 2 huge herds of buffalo, half a dozen more rhino, heaps of ellies and a cheetah by 12am and 2 more lions on the road by 2pm...........the luck continued all weekend incl leopards.

October 2009 within minutes of entering Crocodile Bridge gate we saw two cheetahs and funnily enough the last thing we saw on our way out on the same day at almost the same spot where the cheetahs were, was a hyena sleeping on the road. A couple of years ago saw several rhino shortly after entering Malelane...good topic! Will be there on Friday ....can't wait - will let you know what the first animal we spotted was when we are back!

Always get your camera ready before you enter the gate for this very reason. You never know when you will see something. A few years ago, friends saw wild dogs between Orpen gate & reception, a few hundred metres then.

August 2010-First sighting after coming in at Malelane Gate was a Saddle-Billed Stork