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Hi Bushmad, the family cottage is near the back gate. Nr. 29 is our favourite home with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, kitchen.Nr 29 is redone. Great place to stay.

Take a look here

Thanks bushmad
1.Yes, the fence is just behind the cottage but you can see often animals like hyena and ellie's.
2. It is an absolutely quiet part of the camp and you have a lot of space for yourselves.
3. I thought it was renovated but Yvonne told me that it wasn't but the cottage is in a good condition.

I am sure that you will have a great time on that great place in Shingwedzi.

Hy Bushmad,

We visited Shingwedzi last April and I think there are about eight or nine bungalows renovated. Numbers 32 till 39 and I believe they where busy with number 79. From the outside they looked very well with a new terrace, and a nice braai. Slide doors to a nice inside kitchen/sleep/living (I believe) and a brand new bathroom.
This where ideed the bungalows and not the cottage's

Thanks again for the answers !

No 29 looks like the perfect place, it is so typical of that rustic Kruger 'feel', the slight imperfections exude such charm, thats one of the things I love about the old camps.

I was balancing the following thoughts: "Newness v Space & Position"...the latter prevailed.

Thanks again.

Between Shingwedzi camp and the highwater bridge.

Greetings

Although this is my first posting as a forumite, I've been a keen follower of all postings related to Kruger over the past few years.

I'm an absolute Krugerholic and will heading up north to Shingwedzi at the end of the month with some friends from the states.

Unfortunately this trip will be a little different to my normal as time is limited so I'll be looking to cram in as much as possible over a short period of a 3 nite stay (Shingwedzi, Shingwedzi, Sable Hide including a morning walk and nite drive from Shingwedzi). We do however have one full day from Shingwedzi for exploration and for this I'm looking for a little advice from those that have been up that way recently:

I'd love to show my friends Crooks Corner and I know it's a long slog for the day but to me that must be one of the most special places in the park with the Levuvhu River, Pafuri Picnic Site, fever tree forest and plenty of Baobabs along the way.

Therefore:

1. Although I have done it once before from Shingwedzi i can't remember how long it took so realistically can anyone tell me how long it should take to get there and back?
2. What is the vegetation like heading north? I understand that it is still quite thick around Shingwedzi? What is the Pafuri region like?
3. Apart from the places mentioned earlier, are there any other attractions / highlights on route. We willl prob stop at Babalala sometime as well.

Looking forward to hearing more from everyone.

Thanks...

Nico and I go to Shingwedzi twice a year for at least five days, and to us it is our second home.
It is the old atmosphere of the Kruger.
The camp has always been tidy and staff is very friendly.
Accommodation is good.
You better take in enough fresh stuff, because the shop is often very poor stocked.
The drive to Pafuri area will be a long one, but very rewarding mostly.
It will take you (if you don't drive 50 km all the time) at least 3 hours.
Also because you have a very good chance on lion, cheetah, leopard, buffalo, ellies and a lot of birds.
Pafuri area is MAGIC, don't forget to do the Nyala Drive, very often there is a lot of Nyala.
Another great drive is going to Babalala over the main road (last part is famous for cheetah) and drive back over the Mphongolo Loop.
Beautiful trees, great scenery and game is there either a lot, or not at all.
Just try again.
We are always very lucky on Red Rocks loop (first entry).
There is quite some leopard over there, and we had caracal a few times.
Also a lot of buffalo and ellies.
I am making the trip report of our last trip (july/august 2007) and the first part is about the far north (Nico and yvonne's Leopard trip) about Mopani/Bateleur/Punda Maria and Pafuri/Shingwedzi, and if you have a map you can see where about we had all the sightings.

I am sure you will have a great trip.
The mopani bushes are very thick, so is the grass, but not very high.
You will learn to spot animals after a little while. It is just another way of spotting.

Going to Shingwedzi in a couple of days, looking forward !
Was there two years ago and saw the biggest tusker of my life !
Not a big bull, but the tusks were touching the ground.
His companion was a massive bull, but with "normal" tusks.
He seemed quite old back then, so I am wondering if he is still around.
They had a name for him at the elephant hall in Letaba, but I forgot !
Anybody know if he is still around ?
Would love to show him to the youngsters.

Hi walt and welcome
I think you are referring to Mashagadzi (sp), he was seen in August this year when they did the count.
I asked about him at Shingwedzi last month and they said they hadn't seen him for a while, lets hope you can report back that he is still around after your trip.
Have a great one!

Though we did not actually spot many animals in june I would bet that the Red Rocks loop (R52) is a prime place to see animals.
We spotted lions, Giant Eagle Owl, general game and tons of skinks and squirrels. But even without that, just sitting on the rocks or the bench at Tshanga lookout for an hour or so is like being in heaven.

The S 50 down to Kanniedood dam provides many a good ele sighting. It is also prime leopard habitat. Seen lion in the confluence loop, in the river bed just North of Shing, at Mashagadzi waterhole, on the tar road that link Shing with the main road etc.

The link road just before camps close usualy provides a lot. Must be one of the best areas to spot baboon behaviour.

Hey Seapit1,

Leopard that will definetly have to be the S50/Kanniedood area, Wild Dog & Cheetah are really rare here, so their best spot near Shingwedzi would have to be the Babalala Picnic Spot loop, or go further north on the S99 or Klopperfontein.