Northern Kruger Safari

by Richard Merritt
(USA)

The highlight of our trip was Neil and his unbelievable knowledge of animal behaviour, biology, and African history. He was an amazing guide and one of the most knowledgeable individuals I have met regarding African wildlife.

Richard's Safari Details: Rating: 10/10, outstanding! Safari company used: Bearded Heron Safaris (make a direct enquiry) Parks visited: Kruger National Park in South Africa Date of safari: July 2008 for 5 days More reviews for Bearded Heron Safaris » Free Safari Photography e-Book Get your copy of the "Better Safari Photography" e-book at no charge, which pinpoints exactly what you need to know and do before, during and after your safari trip to improve your safari photography results whether you are a novice, intermediate or advanced photographer.

Safari Operator Performance

We used Bearded Heron Safaris, heard about it from colleague who took the same safari with Neil.

They were excellent - Tina and Neil set up the entire trip for us and responded in a timely matter when we had questions.

They also have kept in touch.

Also, the knowledge of animal behaviour and biology by Neil was amazing! He is truly a great field biologist.

Accommodation

We stayed at Punda Maria Rest Camp in the northern Kruger in bungalows.

It was very comfortable and met our standards for what we thought we were getting.

Food

Typical breakfast was continental style because we wanted to get out and see the animals.

Lunch was usually packed for us and dinner was back at the Rest Camp.

Dinner often was a barbeque or restaurant on the grounds.

Wildlife

We saw a lot of animals, especially animals that many groups don't normally see.

We saw some unusual birds, owls, snakes, and ungulates, but we did not see all of the Big Five.

One of the highlights was the mating ritual of the Nyalas that we saw and the hyena troop that we saw the last day. We were very close to them.

We saw many elephants on this trip.

Typical Day

Woke up, grabbed some coffee and a breakfast roll, and then got in the jeep and off to see the animals.

This usually lasted until noon, when we either came back for lunch or ate on the road.

Sometimes we would be back in the afternoon, but if we wanted to go out, Neil would take us out again.

He went out of the way to make sure we saw everything we could. In the late afternoon, we would go out again until dark and look for more animals.

Occasionally, there would be a night sighting trip.

When we got back to camp at night we often had a campfire or talked over the day's happenings or BS'ed about everyday life in general.

Some great stories by Neil which kept us going. Being the fact that I am an entomologist, we traded knowledge of different animals.

Neil was very engaging with a good sense of humor.

We also visited a burial site where there were some interesting relics and history was presented.

Disappointments / Regrets

We did not see lions or hippos on the trip, we just missed them by minutes.

The food at the camp was not something to write home about, because there were some initial problems with getting the food into the camp I believe, but it was not an issue.

Tips and Advice

It was a little cool when we went out for morning trips and in the evening, so bring some warm clothes for those times.

Remember your camera!

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