I entered Kruger National Park via Orpen Gate which is about half way down. Unless you have visited Kruger, it is hard to explain the size of it. Altogether it covers 19,485km (squared) or 360km north to south and 65km east to west. Even being there I still can’t comprehend the enormity of it. I was staying at Orpen Gate camp, so I didn’t have very far to travel which was lucky as I’d already had a busy day. I was shown to my ‘lodge’ where the kitchen was outside and under lock and key, because apparently Honey Badgers are a problem. If you don’t know about Honey Badgers, please watch this clip….it’s hilarious and informative https://youtu.be/c36UNSoJenI I unfortunately didn’t see one ?
No one is getting in that fridge??? 
My lodge for the night 
Welcoming committee
My main problem staying at Orpen Gate, is that they didn’t have anywhere to eat…which I had failed to be prepared for. The nearest town was miles away, so I tried my luck in the camp shop. Dinner was an egg sandwich that night ? This was made more difficult by the fact that all my neighbours were prepared, and BBQ’s were popping up all around me. I looked at them all longingly but didn’t get an invite!!! ?
As the camp is surrounded by wildlife, we are surrounded by a fence for our safety. There was a watering hole the other side of the fence and this is where I saw some great sights. South Africa is only just starting it’s rainy season, therefore water is in short supply, so the watering holes are great places to see the animals and birds. That night I saw lots of different birds, impala, hyena and giraffes. (Sorry for the poor quality of photos…poor light and I only have my iPhone).
The next morning after my breakfast of another egg sandwich I notice that a large herd of elephants were at the watering hole…just incredible
Not a bad way to start the day ??
I set off on my drive through Kruger to Malelane Gate, not really appreciating the distance I was going to cover. The 1st part of my journey took me from Orpen to Satara = 48km and then from Satara to Skukuza = 93km. On this part of the journey I saw lions, warthog, impala, zebra, giraffe, eagles, elephants, helmeted guineafowl, water buffalo and monkeys.
Just before Skukuza, I stopped at Tshokwane Picnic site, to stretch my legs, and was thrilled to discover I could get a hot meal here. I chose something I couldn’t pronounce, but it turned out to be meatballs in a tomato sauce ? I loved the fact it was served on a tin camping plate.
I maybe should have mentioned before now, that when out in the ‘park’ you are not allowed to leave your vehicle except in the designated areas, such as the picnic area. This is in case you get attacked by the animals. I was also ‘self-driving’ through Kruger, but there was lots of companies doing ‘game drives’. I didn’t do a guided tour, because of the cost, and actually I saw nearly ever thing on the ‘list’. Also talking to people, they didn’t see certain animals either…it’s all about luck on the day. Probably the only thing I missed out on was the guides knowledge of the animals and the information they have.
Fed, watered and wee’d, I was back in the car for my last leg, Skukuza to Malelane Gate, a mere 64km. On this journey, I was thrilled to see a hippo in the river and a rhino, which apparently was very luck ???? and you know you have been spoilt seeing animals when you just drive past the zebra, elephant, wildebeest and giraffe because they’ve become so common!!!
After driving for over 6 hours and OD’ing on wildlife, I left Kruger NP for my accommodation for that night. This turned out to be a Guest House overlooking Crocodile River, where the views were spectacular. From the balcony I could see hippos and elephants just going about their business ?? The guesthouse was very comfortable, and my shower was outside, and hopefully not overlooked or someone got more than they bargained for. Breakfast had an amazing view.
And that was my experience of Kruger National Park. I hadn’t originally planned on going there, because I will be going on game drives later in the month when I join an organised overland tour from Cape Town to Nairobi. I thought Kruger would be packed with tourists and really commercialised because of its worldwide reputation. I was so wrong. It has that reputation for a reason, because its fantastic. I think it is off season a bit, so it probably was quieter than usual. I don’t think you need to spend the extra money to go on organised tours, if you spot a group of cars/trucks stopped, there is usually something worth seeing.
And finally….if you’re visiting Kruger NP you don’t need khaki/beige clothing to be camouflaged. I was sitting in a bright blue car and saw everything on the list except leopards ?? There was a lot of camo-clothing on display.
