Self-drive Safari

Driving from Swaziland back to South Africa was supposed to be quite a hassle again, but as with our trip into Swaziland everything went really smooth and quick. The entire process with immigration and customs on both sides of the border took us approximately 30 minutes, and afterwards we were off to the Kruger NP!

The Kruger is accessible via gates and we were to enter through Malelane gate which is the southernmost gate of the park. After getting in we are stationed for the night at Skukuza Rest Camp. This is a really big camp which is always busy and bustling with activity.

That day was quite slow in the beginning animalwise but got really good as our afternoon was filled to the brim with Elephants and Giraffes as we encountered big groups of both species. Also, Buffalo and many Antelope species were abundantly available for sightings. But still no good sightings of Lions or the elusive Leopard!

After waking up we had to drive from Skukuza to Satara Rest Camp. This camp is in the middle region of Kruger as opposed to Skukuza which is in the south. The landscape is totally different in both regions which makes for an interesting drive and a lot of possibilities to encounter animals who like to be in either of the regions.

I can tell a long story here, or a short one: but here it is. We saw all the animals of the big 5 in one go.
We decided to take the long way around and were immediately successful. A sleeping Lion and a wee bit further up the road a triplet of Hyena.
And later on a lot of Elephants and a few Rhinos. And, around 2 PM: we finally found our new friend: the leopard. It was lying on a branch on the other side of the river sleeping under the canopy waiting for the day to pass. We had excellent views of it but the downside was that it was at quite a distance. But it was unmistakably a leopard!