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Next is our South Africa Adventure – Kruger National Park in the Skukuza area. Up to this point, we’d traveled from Florida to Germany to Cape Town, and now, finally – we were heading into Kruger National Park for the rest of this epic adventure. Our first night in Kruger National Park was spent at the Skukuza Camp in the Riverside Bungalows.
Leaving Cape Town to Skukuza
We boarded our in-country flight with AirLink, and the thing that stood out to me the most was that we could travel with our wine in our carry-ons. Heck, one guy ONLY had large bottles of wine as his carry-on – so next time, I won’t hesitate to purchase even more from the local wineries. The plane was also tiny, so the leg of the trip was essential to have a small carry-on bag that would fit in a minimal overhead on a plane that only seats three people in total. It was a short and sweet flight with the most incredible landing…
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Landing in Kruger National Park
Landing in Skukuza was WILD. I am notorious for taking time-lapse or slow-mo videos while landing in airplanes, and naturally, I was filming a time-lapse as we started to get closer and closer to the runway.
As I’m watching closely out the window and merely holding my phone in that direction, suddenly, everyone on our side of the plane erupts with excitement and cheers – right before our eyes… GIRAFFES blending in with some of the tallest trees. We got to see our first wild animal sighting as we were landing. Also, this is now one of my favorite airports in the world – Skukuza Airport in Kruger National Park – just beautiful!
Skukuza Rest Camp
After gathering our luggage and rental cars, we headed to our first of several camps. The first stop was the Skukuza Rest Camp, where we booked the Luxury Riverside Bungalows.
This was one of my favorite camps. Skukuza Rest Camp in Kruger National Park features a variety of accommodation options, such as campsites, furnished safari tents, luxury bungalows, cottages, and four guesthouses, along with two restaurants – the Cattle Baron Skukuza and the Kruger Station. Plus they have a Camp Store with everything you need, an ATM, two swimming pools, internet, library, fuel station and much more!
Minutes after we checked into our rooms, we were frantically called outside to see a mom, dad, and baby elephant forging in the tall grass right out of the fence along the Sabie River.
It was a glorious sight that would kick off Kruger’s most incredible 24 hours. We saw the BIG FIVE within the first 24 hours of our stay here. This makes perfect sense because Skukuza Rest Camp in Kruger National Park is in the heart of the Big Five territory.
Our first safari in Kruger National Park
We had arrived mid-day and were running on a good night’s sleep from Cape Town, so we decided to head out on our little safari to use our time wisely before dinner and our first Night Tour.
The moment you leave the front gate, you see animals everywhere – Impala, Baboons, Elephants, Zebra, and more Giraffe – only way closer than we did on the plane. But obviously, our group was there to spot the cats… and spot the cats we did!
Our first drive around the area led to one of my proudest moments – I WAS THE FIRST PERSON TO SPOT A LION. We were driving along and saw some elephants near a watering area, down in a valley, and pulled over to watch. I happened to be on the right side of the car at the right time because this gorgeous man had just walked right into view before I knew it, and I screamed LION!
He was there watching and stalking some of the baby elephants until mom decided enough was enough and charged at him until he sulked into the trees just as dusk approached.
Photos below taken with my Canon 80D and 60D.
Night Safari in Kruger National Park – Skukuza
We drove back to camp and enjoyed one of the best meals of the trip at the Cattle Baron Skukuza, then proceeded to our Night Drive Tour. Tourists are prohibited from outside the camp gates before sunrise or after sunset, so the only way to see the animals at night is to book safari tours with authorized camps or companies.
I quickly learned that my camera equipment wasn’t cut out for nighttime photography on a moving truck, so I gave up and just used my iPhone. I mostly took videos and tried to enjoy every second of the excitement.
What an experience – The moment we left the front gate, we were instantly following hyenas who ultimately led us to male and female lions on the hunt. This is also where we saw our first pair of African buffalo, or Cape buffalo (part of the Big 5).
So, up until this point, we had already seen elephants, buffalo, and lions and were on the lookout for rhinos and leopards…. It started to get very cold and very late, and the jet lag was kicking in on this late-night drive.
Just as I thought, I could hardly stay awake any longer – but then BOOM, we spot two momma rhinos with two babies. They spooked quickly and ran almost immediately, but I got a blurry photo that I love and a short video clip – my heart melted, but sadly, this was our only sighting of them for the trip. They are critically endangered, and it was highly eye-opening that we only saw them this one time in our ten days in The Kruger National Park.
After all the excitement, it was hard to sleep that night, but we knew we had a long day of moving camps and searching for Big Five number 5… and it didn’t disappoint! I’ll save that for our next post!
Wild Card for Kruger National Park
WILD CARD – I highly recommend purchasing your Wild Card before going to South Africa. What is a Wild Card? Your Wild Card is the best way to explore South Africa’s wild spaces, as you’ll get 365 days of unlimited access to the parks and reserves in the cluster of your choice. As a member, you don’t pay daily conservation fees; you pay an annual fee. Upon arrival, they asked to see it at the airport, and we took many tours at each camp.
*** All photos taken on iPhone 12 Pro Max, Canon 80D, 60D or Insta360***
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What an amazing experience. Thank you so much for sharing it and the photos are beautiful.
So lucky! What an adventure❤️
I am in awe!
Must have been like heaven