South Africa : An adventure with a history lesson: Day 3

Day 3: Phalaborwa gate to Olifants Camp

We woke up early and headed over to Phalaborwa gate - 5 minute drive from the hostel. We got there around 5:30 ish and paid the entrance fees. It was starting to rain. We waited for about 15 minutes for the store to open and purchased Andy and Lorrain Tinker’s Kruger National Park Guide and Map. This was one of the best purchases of our trip. It has maps, suggested drives, what is likely to be spotted on drives in different regions of the park and pictures and names of animals and birds.

We entered Kruger and started driving slowly. A few minutes in, the rain had stopped, it was starting to get brighter and my mind=blown by the view of a herd of elephants crossing the road right in front of us - about 30 feet away. Female and baby elephants. This is the moment I will remember for days to come. I had never expected to see the majestic creatures just amble past us, eat some leaves,  and continue with their journey.

We continued onwards watching out for the animals. We stopped at a hide - these are rest stops in Kruger for watching animals stealthily and they are generally situated around water holes. We had our first meal for the day - bread and jam.

Our next stop was at Masorini (http://www.krugerpark.co.za/masorini-kruger-national-park.html), which is an archaeological site.

Iron smelters lived in these huts

Stone used to grind maize

The people who lived in Masorini also made pots of clay.

A pair of binoculars is a must have on these drives. Sushanth was really good at spotting animals in the bush and as we drove slowly towards Letaba camp, we saw zebras, nyalas, water bucks, impalas.

Around 10:30 we stopped at Letaba. They have day use sites with shaded picnic benches. We had our second breakfast here - Pap which is maize porridge, tomato, omelette and bread, and then we were back on the road.

Kudu

Letaba Camp

We saw hippos neck deep in and some with only their ears sticking of water, crocodiles, more impalas, giraffes. We saw some lone male elephants. The adult male elephants are solitary wanderers whereas the females stay in a group along with the young and juvenile elephants. The group depends on the matriarch to lead them to water holes when there is a dearth of water.

A tusker by the side of the road.

Around 2:30 we made it to Olifants rest camp. The camp is situated on a hill with beautiful views of the Olifant river. A nap and then we started off on the sunset tour.

View from Olifants camp

We saw crocodiles, elephants, giraffes, impalas, hippos. As the sun set and darkness started to creep in, we saw two male lions - brothers, just by the side of the road,  marking their territory. After a while, a hyena also joined us. Our guide told us that hyenas can maintain fast speeds for kilometers. The hyena ran alongside our vehicle for a short distance before disappearing into the bush.

We had a bit of a scare once we got back. We could not find our car keys. While Sushanth was talking to the night safari guide, I googled "rental car lost keys Kruger" and I got no results which meant we were in big trouble. Before my calm was replaced by panic, the night safari guide called our guide. Our guide had found our keys and dropped it off at the front desk. Relieved, we picked up the keys and went to our hut and prepared ourselves dinner - MTR Jeera rice, Rajma and Aloo Methi.

Our hut

Outdoor kitchen and dining area.

It had been a wonderful first day at Kruger and we were looking forward to getting back on the road the next day.