Shingwedze, Punda Maria & Mapungube

We were woken at 5.45am by the earth moving, literally. Our beds vibrated and the pots and pans started rattling furiously outside. It lasted less than 30 seconds but it was enough for us to realise we had just   experienced our first Earthquake.

We went to the restaurant expecting it to be the talk of the camp but no one mentioned a thing so we began to wonder had we imagined the whole thing? In the end we asked and it transpired an Earthquake had occurred in Mozambique which was thought to be around six on the Richter scale! We were told it had caused some major damage and possible fatalities but we never verified this, still it was a very strange experience.

Fresh from that we went out on a game drive at 6.25 thinking that was the excitement for the day over. Five minutes after leaving  camp we came across two Elephants by the side of the road quietly browsing in the trees. We moved on around the corner only to pull up sharply, a big Bull Elephant was barring the way.

We stopped waiting for him to move off into the bush but to our mild surprise he continued walking straight towards us. The track was narrow, barely two cars wide with thick Mopane bush on each side, someone had to give way and I started to realise it wasn't going to be him!

Slowly we reversed allowing him the chance to step off into the bush but instead he just quickened his pace and came right on. Now being chased by an Ele on the flat is one thing but we were reversing downhill on a narrow winding track so we couldn't go too fast. Suddenly he quickened his pace and started to close the gap, after the Earthquake this was getting to be an interesting morning and it wasn't even 6.45am yet.

Realising we couldn't outpace him for ever I gunned the engine and slowly started back towards him, if he broke into a full charge then we were in trouble but I was gambling that he would decide enough was enough and would  move off the road now as the bush was less thick. At first he just slowed but kept coming then he stopped, shook his head violently a few times as if about to charge then as if suddenly getting tired of the game he pulled over into the bush, not much but enough for us to get past without him giving us a second glance - thanks for the wake up call mate!

Thankfully the rest of the day was fairly uneventful with the usual sightings of Elephant, Hippo, Buffalo, Croc and Impala. So far we have talked mainly about the animals especially the big five but it cannot be overemphasised how rich in birdlife, insects and reptiles Africa is. We enjoy looking at the birds just as much as the animals and find you get a lot more out of the bush experience if you take time to study the smaller things and not race around trying to tick off the big five.

However, sometimes this can backfire as the next day we came across a Chameleon about to cross the road. Stopping to make sure he reached safety on the other side he suddenly made a dash under one of Rupert's rear wheels and before we could do anything he had crawled up and disappeared inside the drum.

At first we thought it funny then the realisation dawned that we couldn't drive on as we would probably kill him but apart from a slight glimpse of his body we couldn't get to him. We tried banging on the wheel but he just curled up tighter so there was nothing for it but to sit it out and hope he eventually crawled out on his own.

Ten minutes later we were no better off then I suddenly noticed that he had shifted and the end of his tail was just poking out of the inside of the wheel. Before he could move again I quickly grabbed his tail and held on for dear life, the Chameleon wasn't very big but boy he had some strength and it was all I could do to hold onto the tail. Eventually he tired and I managed to haul him out hissing and bitching all the way.

Quickly carrying him into the bush I put him down seemingly non the worse for the experience. He slowly moved off into the bush, the amazing thing was he was bright green when we first saw him then whilst in the wheel casing he changed to grey to match the metal now he had changed again to a mottled colour to blend in with the bush.

We thought it would be nice to get a photo but he was pretty well obscured by the grass so thinking to practice my lizard grappling skills again I grasped his tail at which point he promptly twisted round and bit me, now there's gratitude for you!

That night we heard Lion for the last time in the Kruger and the next day we left for Punda Maria the most Northern camp in the park. Following a short stay here we would exit the park for good at the nearby Pafuri gate. We felt sad because we had been in the Kruger for four weeks and had enjoyed it a lot more than we thought we would. Apart from the camps in the south, which get very busy, it had been surprisingly quiet. If they just allowed more bush camping then it would be perfect.

On the way to Punda we saw some cars pulled over looking at something down on the river bank below. We pulled in but  couldn't make out what they were looking at then the driver in front motioned us to come alongside and he told us there was a big male Lion lying on the opposite bank and nearby in the bushes was a Lioness with a young cub.

At first we couldn't see a thing then we saw the male and no doubting it he was a handsome boy. He had a magnificent black mane, more like the Lions found in the Kalahari than the ones we had seen so far in the Kruger.  He started to move to the bushes making a strange snarling face but suddenly as quick as a flash the Lioness shot out hissing and snarling, clearly she wanted nothing to do with him.  He nonchalantly backed off and lay down again still believing his chance would come.

He was probably not the cubs father so the Lioness knew he was a threat as often a new male will kill the old males cubs so the Lionesses will go into season again, maybe this guy had just defeated her mate or he was just a nomadic chancer, we will never know as they both disappeared into the bush a short while later and we never did see the cub. 

As we headed North the amount of game had become noticeably scarcer and now we were past Shingwedze it became very thin on the ground. It was ironic therefore that it was here where we had our closest shave with an animal.

We were cruising along chatting away and not really watching the bush when suddenly as we rounded a bend out shot a brown and white apparition which was so close it completely filled the windscreen. For a second we couldn't take in what had happened then we realised it was a huge Giraffe who unbeknownst to us had been drinking from a small pool of water right on the bend next to the track. He must have been so surprised he couldn't get his legs untangled for a second so it was very lucky we were going slowly otherwise we dread to think what could have happened as 1 ton or more of Giraffe will make a serious dent!

Punda Marie is the Kruger's Northernmost outpost and it feels like it, the shop is run down and the staff seem surly and de-motivated. It could be they resent the private company which has taken over the running of this camp and Shingwedze but there is a noticeable difference to the ambience of the place compared to camps in the South.

Punda is an old camp and it shows, it is named after the wife of one of its first rangers, whose first name was of course Maria not Punda! We spent two nights here but cannot say we saw much game, there are a few Elephants, Kudu and Impala but not much else. The area around the Pafuri river, 70 kms away,  where you finally exit the park is much nicer with some lovely forested areas, it's a shame that they didn't site the last camp somewhere around here instead.

Even so it was with fond memories that we finally left the Kruger, maybe we had been at a good time but it had been much better than we thought and we will always treasure our first sighting of Wild Dog here.

Our original plan had been to head over to Mozambique from here but in Swaziland we had been told that we should see a new park called Mapungube in the Northern Province close to the border with Zimbabwe. Also as our knowledge of Mozambique is patchy and no one could give us information on what it was like in the North we decided to change plan and head to Mapungube and then head into Botswana to spend time in the Tuli block.

The drive from the Kruger to Mapungube was straightforward until we reached the town of Messina where we stopped to do some shopping. Messina is surprisingly spread out and sods law it was also the eve of the local elections so rent a mobs where being bussed around with loud hailers telling people to vote for there candidate. We were given rough directions on how to find the road out of Messina to the borders with Botswana and Zimbabwe is not well signposted so we took a wrong turn and ended up on the edge of a rough area with crowds jogging up and down chanting and singing some political songs. It took us a while to extricate ourselves and find the right road so it was getting dark by the time we were heading to Mapungube.

We had been recommended to camp at a place before the park  called Dongola Ranch and had been warned to look out for a sign on the road advertising cold beer which was good enough for me. We had been travelling for about 45 minutes on a road with no signs of life except for the odd sign advertising hunting ranches (their big on canned hunting in this part of SA) when thankfully we saw the sign.

Dongola is quite an attractive camp but also a strange place, apart from the campsite it has chalets and quite a well appointed main lodge. For campers and caravaners there are two options, one you camp and put your vehicle under a huge Lapa, these have their own kitchen and bathroom. The other slightly cheaper option is to camp in the open but also have the use of a small Rondavel with your own bathroom and kitchen area but which doesn't have the Lapa to camp or park under.

We opted for the latter, mainly because the other felt like you were camping in a huge car port. This was our first experience of camping where you had the luxury of a personal bathroom and kitchen with mains power points, a brilliant idea which should be adopted by all sites!

That day and the night had been very hot so it was hardly a surprise when we had yet another major thunderstorm in the early hours. This was a bind because that first night as we were late in we had put the roof tent up so we had to wait for it to dry before heading off to the park. It takes about 20 minutes to reach the park from Dongola and thanks to the good old Wild Card we only had to pay for the vehicle to go in otherwise we would have been charged R120 (£12) each.

From the gate the park splits into two sections, the left part is mostly mountainous and contains some old remains of a stone age settlement it also has a treetop walk and a nice viewpoint across the Limpopo to Zimbabwe. The other section to the right is supposed to be the main game viewing area, the bind is you have to retrace your steps back to the scout camp to do each in turn.

As it was very cloudy we opted to do the left section and leave the game area for another day. The drive was true to its description as apart from four Kudu and a small herd of Impala  we saw no game at all. The treetop walk and the view across the Limpopo to Zim was quite nice but as that's about all there is to see on this side we headed back to the ranch (literally) so we could put up the ground tent and settle in.

The next day the weather was better but we decided to drive back to Messina to do emails and change some money instead of going to Mapungube. Along the way we caught glimpses of Impala and Kudu behind the fences of the game ranches which line the road.  Each ranch advertises hunting, some with bows, and after seeing the Kruger it was quite depressing to see how these animals end up, they cannot escape so how this can be called sport is beyond us.

That evening we had a lovely Sunset so we walked around Dongola with a couple of Sundowners for company. The place is quite big most of which  is off limits to guests unfortunately but they had some nice Baobab trees which were still in leaf which is not how you normally see them.

Next day we went back to Mapungube to see the game section  but within an hour it started to bucket down and didn't stop for two hours. We had hardly come across any game just some antelope all of which were very nervous so in disgust we decided to pack up and move onto Botswana. Mapungube had been a big disappointment not helped we think by the fact that  the surrounding areas are devoted to hunting, it was time to go to Botswana and get into some real Bush.

Our original plan was to cross the border into Botswana at a place called Ponts Drift and then visit the area which borders Zimbabwe along the Limpopo river called the Tuli Block. We had never been here but had always fancied seeing it, not least because it is supposed to be the hiding place for Lord (Lucky) Lucan, maybe we would get lucky ourselves?

That night we had another big storm which went on till about 4am, we were concerned how this might affect the crossing into Botswana as Ponts Drift is supposed to only be crossable when the river is low, however we were assured by the people at the ranch that the border was open so after packing up we headed out of South Africa and onto Botswana, our first love in Africa.