Kruger Best Game Viewing Routes - ebook Preview

Crocodile Bridge

The Crocodile Bridge area is probably one of the most underrated in the entire Park. I have had consistently good sightings here. However, it was only when I started to assess the routes in the region for this guide that I realized that almost every road warranted either a good or excellent rating! As well as having a high density of general game, there is an excellent chance of seeing all of the Big Five in this area.

The camp itself is a delightful spot, green and well shaded. Crocodile Bridge is a fairly small camp, and as such does not have its own restaurant, but the shop at camp reception is well stocked. The camp also serves as an entrance gate, so there is a considerable amount of through traffic during school holidays.

Only a few kilometres north of Crocodile Bridge on the H4-2, the Gesanftombi Dam attracts large numbers of game. By mid-morning there are usually herds of zebra, wildebeest and impala milling around, along with plenty of giraffe. Many rate the H4-2 tar road through to Lower Sabie as one of the most productive in the entire Park.

Elephant, white rhino and lion are frequently seen, and wild dog sightings are reported regularly. The H4-2 is a busy route for through traffic traveling north, so it is a good idea to travel along this road in the early hours of the day, and to traverse one of the gravel roads on your return trip to camp. The S28 Nhlowa road is a good choice, as there is a fair chance of seeing cheetah and white rhino along this road, as well as plenty of other game.

The S25 Crocodile River road is another prime route. Leopard are likely to be seen along this road in the early morning and late afternoon, and lions are very plentiful along the entire route. A few kilometres from the camp along the S25, a short track (S27) branches to the left, leading to a Hippo Pool. Here a field ranger is on duty daily to escort visitors on the short walk to view the hippos close-up. If you are traversing the S25 in the mid-afternoon, a short detour to Gayisenga water hole on the S26 is likely to yield elephant. This water hole attracts plenty of game and is, in fact, a pool on the Mpondo Spruit, which is generally dry throughout much of its course.

Although the immediate area around Crocodile Bridge often teems with game, the camp makes a good base from which to make longer trips to other excellent areas.

The route through and beyond Lower Sabie is very productive, as is the Mpondo Dam area on the S102.

Biyamiti Bushveld Camp is situated about 25 kilometres west of Crocodile Bridge. In recent years, Biyamiti has become very popular with visitors, and rightly so as the area offers outstanding game-viewing. The 22-kilometre S139 is accessible only to visitors staying at Biyamiti. This is one of the most productive roads in the Park for leopard, and there is a very good chance of seeing the rest of the Big Five as well. Even in the wet summer months, when viewing is patchy in many areas, the S139 remains consistently productive. Word seems to have spread regarding the excellent game-viewing at Biyamiti, and it is advisable to book several months in advance to ensure accommodation here.

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Text and images © Nigel J Dennis