The first day inside the park and the sense of anticipation was palpable. The aim was obviously to see as much as possible but to also complete the 'big six' traditionally made up of elephant, African buffalo, leopard, lion, white rhino and our addition of wild dog.
Entry into the park was relatively straight-forward comprised of form-filling, passport and car checks. The freedom of self-driving is such an exhilarating experience. None more so than having the opportunity to find your own animals.
It was therefore an incredible moment that within a few minutes of entering the park, four wild dog were encountered by the roadside.
Three dogs remained in position to the left of the road while another on the opposite side was far more active.
The Phalaborwa to Letaba road was particularly rewarding with stunning landscapes and plenty of opportunity to stop and view at opportune moments.
Regular wildlife encounters such as those below were typical of our drive through the park although there were also periods where there was very little around.
Creeping slowly along the network of (paved and unpaved) tracks that weave through the park while trying to observe wildlife through the vegetation can be a challenge so picking out mammals such as this caracal felt so rewarding. Usually observed hunting at dusk and through the night, this was probably one of our best sightings as they are not easy to find. This photo demonstrates the brevity of some of these encounters, seen for only a few seconds before melting away once again into the backdrop.
The rest stops around the park provide opportunities to wander around, grab some food and in most cases, enjoy the scenery while sipping on a cold drink. This was the view from the Letaba rest camp overlooking the Letaba River.
The roads meander through the park often crossing rivers at various points.
The next rest stop was at Mopani further to the north with stunning views across the river and beyond. There were plenty of birds in the area. A few crocodile were resting on the river margins along with impala, a common site throughout the park, on the far side of the river.
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| Grey go-away-bird |
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| Smith's bush squirrel |
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| Rainbow rock skink |
On the way out, this impressive bull was drinking from the shallow waters by the roadside.
There was plenty to see while driving around this section of the park such as the Southern ground hornbill styling it out while crossing in front of the car.
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| Southern ground hornbill |
Waterbuck were seen frequently throughout the park as were impala - by far the most common mammal seen within the park.
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Waterbuck
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| Wilderbeest |
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Impala
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Always hilarious to watch baboons go about their business.
There were plenty of young mammals around the park making it a really good time to visit.
Then right at the end of the day, a couple of cars had parked up on the right-side of the road including one of the parks' guided vehicles. We stopped and were informed that a leopard was resting along a small creek. The occupants couldn't see it particularly well but we were low enough to get great views through a gap in the vegetation. It was definitely a male! Lying completely still on its left-side, it slowly awoke from its slumber rolling slowly onto its right. For such an agile and voracious hunter, it couldn't have looked more languid. An absolutely amazing encounter of such a beautiful animal and the only one we had on the trip.
There were plenty of birds seen from the car while driving around the Phalaborwa/Letaba/Mopani area of the park.
Hornbills were seen regularly but were difficult to pin down as they are rather wary birds and generally take flight on approach to them.
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Southern red-billed hornbill
Crested barbet were a relatively common species around the park.
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Certain species provided an element of surprise. This was one of two red-crested korhaan seen on the trip. They announce their presence with a ridiculous clicking sound that felt incongruous emanating from a bird.
Shrike species are a common feature of the park but this was the only Southern white-crowned shrike encountered.
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Spurfowls and frankolins were seen regularly by the roadside particularly red-necked spurfowl that would move around in small groups.
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Damp areas tended to attract several stork species, and the African openbill was among the more occasional sightings.
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| Wattled starling |
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| Red-billed oxpecker |
I was absolutely pumped to see this bird, the majestic Kori bustard, full of grace and style. Really enjoyed its posturing as it moved slowly through the grassland.
Sightings boards are displayed at all the rest camps such as the one shown below. Each of the main target species are presented using colour-coded squares. It just gives visitors an idea of what's around - trying to catch up with them is a different story.
An excellent day ended dining at the
Bushfeld Terrace Hotel Restaurant located just outside of the Phalaborwa Gate.
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