On the morning of October 7th, 2024, at 10 am., we stood at the Malalane entrance gate to the Kruger National Park. It is 380 km long and around 60 km wide. We had planned four days to traverse the park from south to north. Shortly after the entrance we turned to Berg en Dal Camp, where we got a map of the park.

What followed were four unforgettable days. We visited the park in the dry season so we didn’t have to worry about mosquito infestations. The disadvantage was that the most rivers in the park, apart from the bigger like Sabie, Olifants and Letaba  were also dry. And the mopane trees, which are usually bright green, were brown like the surrounding landscape. Only along the rivers were green trees and bushes. And giraffes, kudus and other antelope feasted on their leaves. Huge herds of buffalos pushed their way across the dry savannah. Families of elephants stood in the shade under trees, quenched their thirst in the few remaining pools of water or dug for groundwater in the dry riverbeds.

The best, however, came for last when we did a very early morning game drive. We got up at 5.15 am., at Camp Shingwedzi. As we drove along the riverbed, looking for an owl, Brigitta spotted a beautiful leopard sitting in a large tree. What a sight. We watched him for the next half hour before he jumped from the tree, crossed the riverbed and disappeared into the bushes on the other side. We couldn’t have wished for a better end to our stay in Kruger!

PS: If you want to know more about Kruger NP, read here.