Mbombela - I heard him before I saw him. The big male lion roared, then emerged from the winter mist, walking towards my vehicle along a gravel road near Biyamiti Camp in southern Kruger National Park.
His one eye was blue, blinded perhaps from a brawl with another lion or a wayward kick from a buffalo bull he had hunted down. Then three females emerged alongside him. They all started roaring, looking first at me, then for the rest of their pride.
If he was still alive, Colonel James Stevenson-Hamilton, the cantankerous, determined Scotsman who started Kruger and laid the solid foundations for its future success would have been impressed – and probably relieved – at the sight of the lions surrounding my vehicle.
At one stage, back in the early 1900s, lions – and all other predators, including leopard, cheetah, wild dog and hyena – were shot on sight by the few rangers in what was then Sabi Game Reserve, the precursor of the national park. Conservationists at the time thought predators were reducing antelope populations, which had already been shot to near-extermination by hunters.
With the advent of enlightened conservation thinking, and the flood of tourists who came to admire the lions in particular, the shooting of carnivores stopped, and today Kruger is home to one of Africa’s largest remaining populations of lions.
I’m spending two months in Kruger, and these are my recommendations for travellers who want to reconnect with our finest bushveld wilderness and experience Stevenson-Hamilton’s “perfect state of existence”.
Best restcamps
Both Biyamiti and Talamati are so-called bush camps, which are much smaller than the traditional restcamps of Kruger. With just 15 small cottages, no shop, no campsites and limited facilities, they are quieter and more exclusive. Biyamiti is located on the 18km S139 road, which is off-limits to anyone other than guests staying at the camp. Talamati has an elevated hide and waterhole with spotlight to see animals drinking at night.
Of the larger restcamps, Pretoriuskop, Lower Sabie and Satara are the best. Lower Sabie and Satara are large camps, both famous for predator sightings, especially leopard and lion. Lower Sabie faces the Sabi River, where elephants and hippos can almost always be seen. Cottages 74 to 82 have the best river views.
Satara camp itself is not as scenic, because there is no river nearby, but the surrounding scenery of savanna and leadwood trees makes up for it. The best cottages are in G-row on the fenceline, where patrolling hyenas come at night to covet your braai meat (it’s illegal to feed them, remember).
Pretoriuskop is located in the highest part of Kruger, towards the west where granite koppies make for a welcome change from the endless plains. Cottages 115 to 124, close to the fenceline, are the best.
Best roads for predator sightings
The south of Kruger is famous for its lions, leopards and wild dogs. To give yourself the best chance, make sure you’re up early and out the camp gates at sunrise. Lions are most active at this time; leopards seem to be more active at dusk.
While Skukuza may be the biggest and busiest restcamp, the S65 road southwest of Skukuza is perfect leopard habitat, with numerous dongas where these graceful felines are sometimes spotted. The koppies around Pretoriuskop are also good leopard habitat, so look out for them as they lie basking on the huge granite rocks.
The H4-1 road between Lower Sabie and Nkuhlu picnic site is a good place to spot lions and leopards, especially in the late afternoon as they come down to the nearby river to drink.
Lions are regularly seen south of Lower Sabie on the H4-2 and S130 roads, while wild dogs hang out in the far south of the park, between Malelane Gate and Crocodile Bridge. The H3 north of Malelane, and the S25 and S28 roads are good bets to see these endangered carnivores.
Best viewpoints
While most of Kruger is relatively flat bushveld, there are several elevated viewpoints which give visitors an opportunity to get out of their cars and appreciate the enormous expanse of land that surrounds them.
My favourite is Mlondozi Dam north-east of Lower Sabie, where there is also a picnic site and thatched viewing platform. There are almost always waterbuck, kudu, impala and elephants drinking from the dam below. Also worth visiting is Nkumbe viewpoint about 30km north.
Matjulu Hill is near Berg-en-Dal camp and there’s Shabeni Hill near Pretoriuskop. A loop road around the latter gives fine panoramic views. South of Skukuza, a road runs to the top of Mathekenyane Hill, a broad granite dome that also has excellent panoramic views.
The best waterholes
Lake Panic Hides near Skukuza offers great birding and sightings of hippo and crocodile. Sunset Dam near Lower Sabie is famous for its hippo-riding herons which use the behemoths as mobile perches to hunt fish.
Further north towards Satara are Mazithi, Kumana and Nsemani dams, all of which have superb elevated views, but all are located on main roads, so be prepared for other vehicles to crowd your space.
Mpondo Dam on the S102 road is remote, making it a perfect place to spend the day, although there isn’t much shade. Gezantfombi Dam close to Crocodile Bridge restcamp has elevated views and makes a great sundowner spot.
My favourite, however, is the remote Biyamiti Weir, located on the S114 road east of Afsaal picnic site. Because the road runs below the weir, you are eye-level with pods of hippos and perching kingfishers, making for great photo opportunities.
l Ramsay is a photojournalist focusing on protected areas in southern Africa. Partners include Ford Everest, Goodyear, Cape Union Mart and K-Way. See www.yearinthewild.com for more.
Cape Times