SANParks.org Forums

After a very tough year I can find seven days to visit SA from the UK. I’ve visited every year since 2006 and love all the people and everything about SA but particularly Kruger. This is a quick and cheap trip. I’ll land at JNB at 11am on Day 1, jump in a hire car and head East.

Bearing in mind I’ll be on my own, that in itself isn’t a problem as I’m happy in my own company, but I do need to find time to relax from the sadness and stresses of the last 12 months. (Isn’t spending time watching a herd of elephants at a water hole just the best way to forget all your worries?). I also want to pack as much in as possible.

My current thoughts are to camp in the park (Berg-en-Dal? – I’ve never spent time in the South West of the park) though I’m not sure of the practicality of bringing all I need from the UK (plus cameras, binoculars, books etc.). I think driving round the park alone maybe means I’m sure to miss lots of sightings – I’m used to my wife beside me and she is just an expert spotter. Also I don’t want to waste time setting/breaking camp, cooking etc. So I thought about Bushman’s and Wolhuter trails – I do like to get up close and have previously spent time walking in both Kalserie and Timbavati. There is full availability on these trails on some of the dates I could travel in November and December – would they run the trails just for a single visitor?

So the question I’d like to pose is what would you do?

Thanks in anticipation,
Adrian

Sorry to hear you have had such a bad year but kruger will help ease all the stress and pain as you say
On trails they usually won't go unless there are about 4 people but look around at the other trails and maybe there is just one space left ..
These are really a must do and I think they would be ideal .. Been on the Bushmans trail and highly recommend it
Berg and Dal is a great camp
Spend one night in a chalet and then go on a trail and then spend another one on return .
then you dont have to worry about camping gear.

.............very good ideas from Hugh, also you could maybe stay in one of the basic huts in Pretoriuskop.

Hi Adrian,
so sorry to see that you have had a sad and stressful time just recently!
coming to Kruger is a very good idea in order to help with the healing process, best place in the world for that.

Many folk travel alone and still manage to have some wonderful sightings and experiences, just drive slowly and stop often.
I think doing one of the trails is a very good idea.

Sure you will get lots more great advice along the way.

Adrian, I am really sorry that you have had such a tough time Kruger truly heals.

I do think that the trails is a good idea, any trail will do. Check the availability on all the trails.

Val's suggestion of the P'kop huts is a good one. If they have huts available at Lower Sabie, I would rather take one there. They have single huts that are amazingly spacious and very reasonably priced. I often stay there on my own.

Lower Sabie is ellie paradise, it also has some wonderful drives.

When I travel on my own, I make a lot of use of other cars on the road. If a car has topped, I just wait until they drive off and go to have a peek at what they might ave seen.

Fly your yellow ribbon and let one of the mods know your itinerary. They will put it on the appropriate thread and people will be aware to look out for you.

Sorry to hear about your difficult year AdrianFW!

As has been said already, Kruger is just the place to find healing.

The experts have already given you the best advice! Enjoy your trip!

Hi Adrian
Interesting topic you have here. I might be in the same boat as you, for I have booked everyting for December but there is a small chance that my wife wont be able to make the trip due to doctors orders. You might think that Kruger would be the best remedy for any sickness or what not.

However my concern of traveling alone is the spotting.
Can one drive and look both sides with sucess?
I also thought of using other cars to spot on the lefthand side.
Yes, flying the yellow ribbon would help, for fellow forumites could inform you of sightings.
Driving slowly and looking left and right would probably be what I will do.
But the best will surely be for my Kruger mate (wife) to be alongside me.

Hi AdrianFW,

I'm sorry to hear that you have had a rough time but your action plan to destress and relax in KNP is a great one. I just got back from KNP on Tuesday 16 October. We started up north and travel down to lower sabie over 9 days. We had some fantastic sightings and both felt very relaxed and happy when we got home. If I may suggest that you look at staying at Lower Sabie rather than Berg en Dal. Berg en Dal is a lovely camp however the game veiwing in the area wasn't great because the bush is very thick after all the rain. This could make it very difficult to find game when you are traveling on your own. Maybe try Lower Sabie and if possible 1 or 2 nights at Orpen, Tamboti or somewhere in the central region. Nothing like animals to heal the soul. All the best.

Dablims, if I had to even think about going in without the SO, I would not be long for this world

That said, I have had the opportunity to go in alone over the years for a brief couple of hours at a time when I've been close to the Park on business or whatever. As long as you drive slowly, scanning both sides of the vehicle works fine but it's obviously better with another pair of eyes. I've had wonderful sightings while alone.

AdrianFW, my sincerest best wishes for your trip. There is no place on earth quite like our beloved Kruger to soothe away the things that trouble you.

I used to go with my dad. Our combined age on the last trip was 146.

Our eyesight was mediocre at best, and he would often nod off after 9h00.

But he would say "I don't care if it is 200 metres off the road flicking an ear under a bush. I want it on the road"

And we got it. Lots.

If you can't see it clearly, is it worth it?

Just check out the pics in the Travel Tales thread to see how often it happens.

If it bothers you, follow someone else. Let them spot for you.

Adrien

I have often travelled alone in Kruger, and besides going a bit loopy and chatting to oneself, there is no reason you cant see good stuff. I often used to travel from south to north in my little Mazda 323 on my way back to my army base.

If you can get on a walk, that is great, and there are other people to interact with! Even if you take a morning walk from one of the camps.

You can scan most of the close roadside on both sides, but as mentioned before, anashamedly use eyes in other cars! I have to do this regularly as my wife tends to sleep/read alot in the car, rendering me essentialy alone!

I recon the best value you can get is the huts and tents without abloutions. just slightly more expensive than camping without the hastle. Most of them even have a fridge for your beer!

Have a great time and hope you recouperate.

BG

Thanks for all your best wishes and support – it is a great comfort.

In January last year, exactly seven years after my mother had gone into hospital shortly before she died, I found my father unconscious on his kitchen floor. Despite his profound grief after my mother died he had reinvented himself from being her devoted husband and carer to a loving grandfather and my friend - my dear, dear friend. He was far more than just a father to me. After a short spell in hospital he returned home but his confidence and health was damaged. He was fragile and needed much more care and help than before but, as he wanted, he carried on living independently not wishing to be a burden to anyone. My caring responsibilities increased and I loved and supported him as best I could.

Towards the end of last year I needed a rest and after arranging the best support I could and with his blessing my wife and I headed south. A quick trip to SA and Kruger and what a wonderful time we had – thanks to many here who gave advice for that trip. Kruger gave me the break I needed and how I enjoyed telling Dad about it all when we returned. It was a joy to sit by the kitchen table, tea in hand, and just chat. Christmas and New Year came and went and while he was tired he enjoyed having his family around him.

We have had some hard winters in the UK in recent years and he was not looking forward to cold January and February. In the end I think he found living just a little too much. I found him dead at home on 6th January. While not unexpected it was still a shock and a surprise. In the immediate moments after I found him I grabbed a Bible and a book of poetry. I sat on the floor next to him and read Psalm 23 and Abou Ben Adhem by James Leigh Hunt. I judged right because in the funeral service he prepared that was found in his papers was the reading of Abou Ben Adhem. It was my pleasure to read it at his funeral in a small Welsh chapel in suburban Manchester.

I am still deep in the grieving process – normality has to some extent been suspended and there is still so much to do. Not least the sale of his house, a family home full of 41 years of memories and stuff. I see this trip as one step on the path that will lead me out of the current trough of grief I am in. Yes it has been a long time since he died but at the same time it seems like only yesterday.

The books on my bedside table have all been swopped for my well-worn Roberts, a map of Kruger and others. It will be fun to plan and prepare. Thanks again for advice and guidance. I’ll let you know my plans.

Best Wishes,
Adrian

Hi Adrian, really sorry for what you have gone through. The loss of loved ones is the loss which can never be compensated but I am sure this trip will definately help you healing.

In March 2011 my husband, son, and I took what I know now to be our last trip together to the Kruger Park together. He was very ill but despite all of our protests he insisted that we take this trip.we had for years said that we would love to travel from the bottom to the top of the Park. And so we went, oxygen bottles and all, from Crocodile bridge to Punda. My poor Son had blisters on his shoulders from all the equipment he had to carry.But what a trip!
My husband died on the 29th of April. We had already booked a trip for January 2012 previously and I was left with the choice to either cancel altogether or go on my own. None of my children were able to accompany me.
So, and I must admit, with great trepidation I did go on my own.
It was the most healing experience of my life. Every road,camp, bungalow brought back wonderful memories of the last 30 odd years.
As soon as I got back I booked another trip for January 2013.
Travelling on your own is a strange yet very comforting experience. Seeing all the animals, the bush, the solitude,is a peace that only the Kruger can provide.

Granny, thank you, that was very moving.

Adrian, your dad left you something very special.

BB, we all know your dad was a legend.

I love to travel alone. The nature of my work means that it is vital that I find time "to return to myself".

I find nature a place of spirit, a place where the soul can be renewed.

As far as sightings go, I often just stop and listen. The bush has its own music, nothing more is needed. Learning to do this has deepened my love for the bush in a very profound way.