Following several reports of Cheetah near Crocodile Bridge and some advice from our driver last night, we decided to drive straight to Crocodile Bridge on the tar, then work our way back, before driving on to Skukuza.
We checked out the tree by our bungalows before heading south, keeping an eye out for anything lurking in the bushes. The advice was to drive slowly, keeping a lookout on the left, just before the S28 for any signs. The report this morning was from along the S28 so we headed along it for a while, in hope of seeing something, before turning round and heading back to Crocodile Bridge.
We bought some Mango juice drinks and something to eat, used the facilities and then started the drive along the H4-2 before taking the S82 gravel road back to Lower Sabie.
We took a left turn just before the bridge to a large look out point but there wasn’t much to see so we returned to the tar road, stopping for a giraffe that was browsing on a tree by the road.
We trvelled along the tar until the S82 where we had a few stops along the way, mainly for more Giraffe, one herd were nervous of crossing so we backed up 100 yds and then they crossed in front of us and carried on into the bush.
Just after Lower Sabie we came to the Sunset Dam, which is a big area of water with muddy margins. There was a Yellow-billed Stork plus Three-banded Plover pottering along the edge, there was a herd of hippopotomus lazing in the water and various birds around the edge. A little way into the water was a dead tree with lots of weaver nests on it, as we watched as an African Harrier-hawk landed on a branch and started kicking the nests around the tree.
We then set off towards Skukuza along a tar road. There were quite a few detours around places where water had washed the road away and we checked out many of the laybyes, but there was little to be seen and the river was very low. We stopped at the Bridge over the Sabie river on the H12, which David had been told was a good place for Finfoot. There were two young Goliath Herons on a rocky island plus a pair of African Fish Eagles. As we scanned round a hippopotomus appeared and walked into a pool just below us. Alan suddenly said he though he had a Finfoot so we backed up to a better position and there was a Finfoot on a rock, preening. We watched it for a while before it decided to slip into the water and swam around, getting into the reeds and being more difficult to see.
We turned around and continued on to Skukuza, stopping at a layby where there were a couple of cars stopped, there were pair of lions in the area below the pullin with a recent Warthog kill. We managed to get reasonable views but no photographs as the lions hefted the warthog up and moved a little further into the bushes.
We drove on to Skukuza where we checked in, sorted out a missing paymeny and settled into our bungalows.
Skukuza is a large camp with several restaurant areas but we walked back up to the nearest, called the Kruger Station, the remnants of the Selati Line and situated on the same spot as the first 'Feast' for visitors when the park first opened. It was hot under the roof but we were offered a table in the carriage which was air conditioned. The staff were very friendly and the food was good. As we walked we met a lady with a torch who showed us a bushbuck which was feeding among the bushes.
We walked back to our bungalow and then did a short walk round but didn't find anything, before turning in.
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