The next morning we went for a drive on the well known S100 dirt road, from where we saw this beautiful sunrise. Shortly there after we also encountered a big male lion sniffing the ground and probably trying to reconnect with the rest of his pride after a long night. We also got excited when we heard the alarm call of two male Impala (Aepyceros melampus), thinking that we might find the animal that they are so unhappy about, but after searching for about fifteen minutes without any luck we decided to continue. 

On another occasion we decided to explore the Timbavati area and drove the Timbavati road (S39) in search of anything wild. We stretched our legs at the Ratelpan hide overlooking the Piet Grobler dam. Water is of course a very important aspect of survival, especially during the winter months when the rain is still a few months away. The animal and bird life in and around the river were impressive, with water birds hunting and bathing, crocodiles basking in the winter sun and even a hippo sneaking back into the water.

The Kruger National Park is one of the best places for bird watching in South Africa, with more than 500 species recorded, it is not too difficult to identify fifty different species in one morning. We were busy observing a juvenile Martial Eagle (Polomaetus bellicosus) flying overhead and I tried my luck in photopraphing this beautifull bird of prey in flight. Before I knew it, there was a Bateleur Eagle (Terathopius ecaudatus) attacking the Martial Eagle in mid air. It all happened so quickly and was over within fifteen seconds, both eagles disappearing into the distance.

It is always great to travel through one of Africa's oldest and biggest National Parks, each area of the park being different and unique with it's associated "specials" - we will never get tired of visiting the Kruger National Park .

P.S. More images of our trip can be seen in the "Last Added" section in the Image Gallery.

Till next time,
Wim