As we wound up out of Hazyview towards Sabie, with the night folding around us, we went over our Kruger National Park one-day scorecard.
The object of the trip had been to see whether a day visit to the park was a practicable option. It’s one a lot more people are having to consider because the accommodation in the park is booked up as far as a year ahead in some cases.
There are a number of hotels, resorts, guest houses and bed and breakfasts in the towns bordering the Kruger and these are doing a significant trade with those who can’t get into one of the rest camps.
The question I wanted an answer to was: Is a day enough time? And, as a corollary to that, was the inconvenience and hassle factor worth it?
Mainly, though, I wanted to see if I could still get that “bush feeling” from an in-and-out visit.
On the positive side, the game sightings were enough to keep even the most hardened game reserve visitor happy. Four out of the Big Five in one 10-hour day.
There were two leopards, a pair of large white rhino, plenty of elephants, singly and in groups with babies, as well as digging wells in a dry river bed, and a close-up of two old, “Dagga Boy” male buffalo, attended by red-billed oxpeckers.
From a distance we saw a magnificent fish eagle (brilliant through the binoculars, less so with my smallish 300mm camera lens) perched atop a tree overlooking the Sabie River. By the waters at a number of dams, we saw crocs, hippo and a good number of waterbirds, including a close-up posing session by a show-off malachite kingfisher.
The latter sighting was courtesy of a tip from our host at the Wayfarers Guest House in Sabie, Chris Colverd, who said we should try the hide at Lake Panic, which is close to Skukuza. Two leopards and multiple bird sightings later: good call, Chris.
There were vervet monkeys aplenty and, surprisingly, only a handful of baboons - but plenty of impala (one of the park’s most populous species) and other buck, including a regal kudu male and a chilled bushbuck grazing only metres from the car park at one of the hides.
But the Kruger can still surprise and on this day it saved the best for last. As we drove along the tarred road towards the Numbi Gate in the gathering gloom, we were in departure mode - you know the feeling: all the animals are behind you and getting further away and “civilisation”(such as it is) is getting closer on the other side of the gate.
As the boom loomed ahead, we slowed and noticed a commotion at the side of the road, a bare 50m from the Numbi buildings.
The movement soon resolved itself into a pack of at least 10 wild dogs (a number wearing radio tracking collars) that tore past us in exuberant good health. Some people wait years to see these dogs.
The roads were in good condition but, be warned, you do need a map to navigate because most signs off the main tarred roads merely give the alpha-numeric road designations.
The facilities (in most places) were being maintained and staff were pleasant and efficient, particularly those at the Phabeni Gate (on the way in) and at Numbi.
Getting into the park was a reasonably quick process. We had a reservation (R102 from the SA National Parks office in Joburg) because we were worried about having to wait in a long queue. Over the Easter weekend, for example, the queue of cars at Phabeni stretched for more than 1km. In the end, the reservation was glanced at only cursorily by gate staff.
Another positive of the day was the experience at the restaurant at Lower Sabie, now run as a Mugg & Bean. Service was quick and efficient and the food was as good as we’ve had at any Mugg & Bean in Joburg. Also, we managed to get a table at the edge of the deck overlooking the Sabie River and watched a sizeable family of elephants wading across to good grazing on the other side.
There have been a number of complaints that non-customers are no longer allowed access to the deck. So what? That’s my view: I pay money for a sit-down meal, so I should be entitled to all that comes with it. Remember, the outside restaurants have greatly improved the quality of the food experience in most places in the park. There’s a price to pay for everything.
If it had not been for the Mugg & Bean (and then the buffalo and wild dog), though, the day in the park would not have been worth it for me.
And that is simply because of one thing: selfish visitors.
We sat in a traffic jam on the main road between Skukuza and Lower Sabie for a full 30 minutes because the “bugger you, Jack, I’m all right” brigade had blocked both sides of the road as they crowded round for a glimpse of a pride of lions.
No one moved off the road, no one bothered to pull away.
The game drive vehicles were some of the worst offenders, often pulling right across the road to afford their clients the best view.
That, I have learnt from experience, is the default mode of motorists in the Kruger. Pig ignorant, aggressive and don’t give a damn about anyone else.
While we were waiting in a smaller queue a little earlier, we watched a man throw a piece of paper or plastic out of his car. You should have stayed at home, Boet, watching reruns of your favourite Sharks team games. If only there had been SANParks officials to red card this selfish oaf.
The conclusion? If you cannot get accommodation inside the park, or you have decided on a spur-of-the-moment visit, then a day visit can work. We ended up drIving 200km in the park in the 10 hours we were there, which is about the maximum you should undertake on a day visit, according to Colverd. I would suggest a shorter driving distance and spending more quality time at the hides and dams.
A day visit is affordable (R196 for three of us and the car) and restaurant prices are not much higher than those in Gauteng.
What you won’t get - and this is something I love - is the feeling of waking up in the bush and hearing its different sounds as night falls.
That is priceless. Also, with an experience like that in the traffic, your day can be ruined, but it could happen just as easily if you were staying in the park.
The Kruger is a special place.
It is the human animals who ruin the experience, through their sheer numbers and their lawless behaviour.
Ten tips to survive a day in the Kruger
* Don’t go over a long weekend or in the school holidays if you can help it. The crowds will taint the experience.
* Get a reservation from SANParks (www.sanparks.org or [email protected]) before you go to the gate.
* Get to the gate early (they open at 6am), even if you have a reservation.
* Don’t take alcohol in with you (day visitors may not take booze with them and cars are searched).
* Plan your route beforehand, if not in exact detail, then at least enough that you can appreciate the distances. (Speed limits are 40km/h on gravel and 50km/h on tarred roads and you need to give yourself adequate time to leave at the end of the day).
* Take your breakfast with you and then park off, quietly enjoying all the goings-on at a waterhole.
* Treat yourself to lunch at a restaurant in the park.
* Take field guides for birds and mammals, as well as binoculars and a camera.
* Don’t litter!