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For my first post on these forums, I just have to say that I genuinely laughed at this post.

Like all the Fat and then......the low fat margarine

Welcome to the forums Jyeatbvg!

Keep on reading and posting, because this is the most enjoyable forum of all!

For the last three trips we have spent the end of each day downloading our photos (usually 250 +) to a laptop and then viewing them as a slide show, enjoying again all that we saw that day, :-) whilst sat on the stoep sipping rooibos.

I would say:

1. Braai, Braai and Braai some more
2. Take yourself to the darkest part of the camp at night and lie on your back and marvel at the wonderful night sky (Take a star chart with you!)
3. Drink pineapple fanta (not available in the uk and very refreshing!)
4. Shun hairdryers and hairstyles for the entire holiday
5. Spend as much time as possible outside
6. Allow your heart to soar everytime you hear the cry of the kingfisher
7. appreciate the novelty of the go away birds and hornbills trying to steal your lunch
8. Go on a night drive
9. Go on a morning walk
10. Marvel at the beeeaters and rollers... stunning birds
11. Make friends with an elephant
12. Stay at Tamboti (in the tents).... stay in tents whenever you can
13. Marvel at the size and variety of the bugs during your stay in bataleur
14. Picnic at Pafuri
15. Ruin the suspension of your (hired) car on the non tarred roads
16. Head out early at gate opening hours
17. Armarula in the light of the camp fire at the end of an amazing day
18. Meet the locals and take heed of their advice
19. slow down
20. Avoid all contact with the 'real world'

Be ready to leave camp as or just after the gates open. Have your coffee or tea in your flask and then drive nice and slow, 30km/h, windows down and just listen to the bush and stop for anything of interest. When in the Skukuza area a must to is to visit the Lake Panic Bird Hide. It is a fantastic place that to enjoy nature.

For us a must do is a midday nap under the thickest tree you can get your car under. We have 2 young kids and we found on our last 2 trips that there is nothing quite like a snooze under a nice dark tree when they kids pass out in the back of the car after a morning of sighting. We carry extra pillows at all times for an impromptu nap and find that nature returns to its normal routine when the car and occupants are still for more than 10min, even with the engine running. I recommend the big trees at the parking lot at the Steve Hamilton memorial and the first lookout point on the S130. Both are lovely and quite.

If you have kids, a bug hunt in and around the bathrooms is a must in the early mornings. The bathroom lights at night attract a Huge number of bugs and going in search of them in the early morning is wonderful. So much fun trying to find the most unusual bug and then identify it.

Waking up early and being first on the road is an absolute must, nothing compares to spotting something different on the road and enjoying the sighting with no one trying to push you out the way to see or rushing you to have their turn.

Breakfast with a herd or on a bridge. When have a family tradition of packing a cereal breakfast and driving to The nearest bridge when close to one and enjoying the going on in the water or driving till we find a herd of animals, does not matter which but on our last trip we found several herds together and spent an hour sitting watching them. Zebra were taking turns 'scrubbing themselves on rocks' impala were rutting, wildebeest were playing catch and asserting themselves, then the several zebra couples were involved in some horse play and we saw a few attempted matings. It was brilliant, everyone is always running around looking for lion and leopard but sometimes the best sightings are the so called 'boring' animals people look at for 2 seconds then drive past.

For me and Skillie.................


Turn off all the i-media (ipods, iphones, ect.)

Take out the biltong and droëwors

Drive super slow

Camp next to the fence

Chat to the neighbours, people at the wash-ups and meeting MITES

Up early, but not chasing the gate....

Avoid the tar roads

Every morning coffee and rusks at the first dam or waterhole

Every day making brunch at a picnic spot

Bird watching from the bird hides

Stop at all the lookout points and get out if it's allowed

Stop on all the big bridges and get out (but staying between the yellow lines)

Afternoon cool drink and cookies under a big tree somewhere

Sunset drive and a Night drive

Braai every night

Amarula after that

Find the Scopsies and other night creatures

And in between all this, taking loads and loads of pictures!

1. Arrive at the gate first for that to happen we don't sleep the night before.
2. Pour my hub a double and place it in his hands as soon as the gate opens ( for those of you wondering im driving and not drinking) lol;)
3. Look avidly for that first sighting even if it is only an impala
4. Go to a breakfast spot and eat bacon and eggs and toast
5. In the car eat snacks chips and my all time favourite bacon kips and creme cheese yummy!
6. Drive as much as what we can to see as much as what we can
7. Braai the most expensive meats
8. Walk next to the fence and around the camps
9. I always have to go to lower sable when Im their because it was my gran's favourite camp and its my way of remembering her
10. Go to skukuza because it was my grandfathers favourite camp and in both camps their ashes were scattered
11. Greet anybody and everybody we can and laugh and smile as much as what we can

that's what makes our kruger experiences perfect!

I would say one thing: Enjoy Yourself.

Everybody goes to Kruger for different reasons: Some chase Lions, others watch birds, some people go to get away from the city.

I would say, that whatever the reason for your being in Kruger. Enjoy, and appreciate every moment.