Month: February 2022

After a leisurely lunch at Cattle Baron in Skukuza, we could not turn back without paying a visit to the iconic H1-2 / H12 / H4-1 loop East of the camp. with its two long low bridges and many little loops with views over the Sabie and Sand rivers, it is probably one of the best routes in the park.

It did not disappoint.

Pied wagtail in the Sabie riverbed.

There was a pair of Hammerkop in the Sand riverbed

A colony of cute dwarf mongoose, that made their home in a tree stump.

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And on the way back along the H4-1, in one of the many small loops, a pack of wild dogs!

Yes, I know Lake Panic is close to Skukuza, not Pretoriuskop, but still – we couldn’t resist visiting it whenever we were in the area!

This hide is nothing short of magical. Built right at the water’s edge, it offers close-up views and wonderful photographic angles, making every visit an exciting experience.

The dam attracts a remarkable variety of birdlife. We spent time watching African jacanas delicately stepping across floating vegetation, while herons, darters and cormorants patiently hunted in the shallows. A pair of Pied Wagtails appeared to have been nesting in a hollow in the tree stump in front of the hide.

The Green-backed (Striated) herons where also out in full force, as always!

Our favourite road from Pretoriuskop was the S7 to the S3 – a dirt road running North from Pretoriuskop, up to the Sabie river and then turning and following the Sabie river up to the Kruger gate near Skukuza. We drove this road a few times during the week we were there, and each time we were rewarded with very special sightings.

The first morning, we can across two youngish elephant in a very playful mode. Wresting and playing in and on both sides of the road!

Later, we saw something really interesting: a Giant Plated Lizard – the largest lizard outside of the monitor lizards! This massive, vividly coloured lizard was quietly hanging out on a large boulder next to the S3, allowing us to get quite a few shots in!

We also managed to tick of quite a few bird species on the route.

The grass was tall and the vegetation dense, making game spotting quite challenging. Fortunately, Pretoriuskop lies within easy reach of three beautiful dams, each offering excellent opportunities for wildlife sightings as well as photography. Unsurprisingly, we spent a lot of time moving between these three scenic spots!

Transport dam

Our first visit to Transport Dam was on the drive from the gate to the camp, and we were immediately treated to our first elephant pool party!

This delightful scene was repeated every afternoon we returned to the dam. Since watching elephants splash, play, and socialise is always a joy, we certainly never tired of it.

Shitlhave dam

With the dam positioned west of the viewing point, Shitlhave is best visited in the morning, especially for photography. Even so, it was always worth stopping by, regardless of the time of day.

On the first morning at Shitlhave dam, just as we were about to leave, we were treated to a very special sighting.

 

Nyamondwa dam

Given that Nyamondwa dam is a bit further away from from the camp, we only visited it once. Here, we enjoyed watching the resident pod of hippos.

Having spread out wings to other national parks during 2019, we found ourselves ‘homesick’ for Kruger. But, wanting to keep up the theme of exploring new places, we decided to book at a camp we had never visited before. The choice fell on Pretoriuskop.

Even though I am writing this two years after the fact, I still have a very clear memory of listening to the news on the radio on the way, and hearing that a fourth person in South Africa had been diagnosed with “The Coronavirus”. Nothing could have prepared us for how much the world would change during the week we were in the park, and I will always treasure this trip as a last week of shelter and normality (the only sign of the pandemic were bottles of hand-sanitizer casually placed on the counters in shops) while, unbeknownst to us, the world was all but falling apart back home…

We entered through Malelane gate after 1pm, and just over an hour into the park, we were rewarded with a great opening for our trip – a Leopard in a tree!