The National Geographic channel‘s nature programs masterly show the wildlife diversity one can find in some protected African savannas and forests. Documentaries give spectators, comfortably seated on their sofas, the idea of the staggering biodiversity still available in our planet, the roughness of bush life and the adventure a few undergo to be close to fierce animals.
What the well-dramatized programs might not convey is the thrilling experience of being right there, sightseeing and trying to spot what the thick bush often conceals. Like hunters, tourists strive for a glimpse of a rare animal or unusual situation and/or the opportunity to make a photo of the three preferred animal activities – feeding, fighting and mating.
TV programs hardly convey, for instance, the fear one might experience, while crossing a park, of encountering a lonely old and rejected elephant in the middle of the road stubbornly refusing to give way or even threatening to attack the vehicle. Because we were not expecting it or imagined it to be so big or perceived it could be so threatening at a close range! But such situations are sporadic and, when they happen, one should not panic: cold blood helps to defuse fright.
A GOOD SLICE OF WILD
Truly the flagship of the South African national parks, Kruger is home to an impressive number of species: 336 trees, 49 fish, 34 amphibians, 114 reptiles, 507 birds and 147 mammals. The density of the permanent game is unrivalled. Nature lovers have plenty of flora and fauna to satisfy their curiosity and inebriate their senses. Only the Big Five (see box) population is estimated to be of 1,500 lions, 12,000 elephants, 2,500 buffalos, 1,000 leopards and 5,000 rhinos (black and white).
Because of their number and size, these mammals are the most likely to be seen. The best game viewing in such subtropical climate is in the winter months – April to September – as the vegetation becomes sparse and water is restricted to rivers and water holes. Between October and March, the summer rains transform the arid park into a lush flowering paradise, and the thick foliage does make animals harder to see. Even in an unlucky day, it will be difficult to miss the hordes of bushbucks, monkeys and baboons.
This enormous and magnificent park with a surface area of 7,580 miles2 (19,633 km2) bordering Mozambique is a premier game-watching destination and one of the most popular public-entry game parks in the world. No wonder because it has plenty of facilities to accommodate visitors and meet almost all their needs – from food to petrol.
The park has 12 main rest camps, 5 bushveld camps, 2 bush lodges and 4 satellite camps. Visitors can go in for day-safaris, but they can as well pitch their tents or rent huts to stay overnight. At the main camps, there are restaurants and convenience stores where to buy snacks and drinks. Or, tourists can (for a nominal fee) hire gas skottels (outdoor elevated frying pans) to cook their meals on at the many picnic spots throughout the park or next to their hut. These pans are cleaned by the attending staff, thus meaning people don’t have to worry about carrying cumbersome and greasy pans in their vehicles.
Tourists can trust the park’s security which is not left to private luck. It is enough to avoid hazardous situations, to be cautious and follow the rules, like not leaving the vehicle outside the appropriate locals. Sightseeing should be done from inside the vehicles. But visitors are compelled to be also cautious about the game’s safety and well-being – not feeding them to avoid making them lazy and dependent on food supplies or drive carefully, never over 50 km/hour. Speeders can easily get caught in the speed traps set along the tarmac roads.
CULTURAL SITES
Kruger National Park is best known for its big game sightings and large expanses of wilderness; however, it has a unique cultural and historical landscape and diversity, with well over 255 recorded archaeological sites ranging from early Stone Age (roughly 1 million years ago) to various Iron Age settlements and recent historical buildings and sites. Many of these sites hold cultural and spiritual importance, while others reveal an exciting and romantic history of the area.
Conservation of these sites is imperative due to their cultural and spiritual value and the historical importance. These treasures represent the cultures, persons and events that played a role in the history of the Kruger National Park and are conserved along with the park’s natural assets.
Established in 1898 to protect the wildlife of the South African Lowveld, this national park of nearly 2 million hectares of unrivalled diversity of life and a world leader in advanced environmental management techniques and policies, offers an experience that ranks with the best in Africa.
With greater ecological cooperation across African borders, several countries bordering South Africa have agreed to take down some fences, and those between Kruger and Mozambique’s Limpopo National Park and Zimbabwe’s Gonarezhou, have been demolished to create the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Park. This unique political innovation is creating a colossal wilderness area.
The data used is based on the information provided in: www.sanparks.org/parks/kruger
