Day 02:
Pafuri to Punda Maria

Date: 2024-08-01

Departure From: Pafuri River Camp

Departure Time: 06h0

Destination Name: Punda Maria Rest Camp

Arrival Time: 10h28

Total Travel time: 04:22 hours

Weather:

The night temperature was comfortable at 15C.

When I woke up, it was 19C and overcast.

The temperature rose to 23C during the day and is was sunny by 09h00.

Odometer Reading (km):

Start: 236 225
End: 236 403
Total Distance: 178
Includes 108km drive and 71 km day drive.

Trip Summary:

After checking in at the Kruger Pafuri entrance gate, it was not long before I saw the first animals. I was surpised at the large variety of game, namely: Elephant, Giraffe, Zebra, Wildebeest, Nyala, Impala, Monkeys, Baboons, Hippo, Crocodile, Waterbuck, Warthog, Buffalo and Jackal. A friend said that Kruger north does not have as much game and variety as the south of the park, so I was surprised.

My first stop was Crooks Corner after which I drove along the S63. I stopped at the Pafuri Picnic Site to look at the awesome huge trees. The Picnic Site Caretaker provided a detailed encounter of a Leopard catching an Impala the previous evening at the camp site.

Pafuri Picnic Site

Crooks Corner

This was "the haven of scoundrels" in the days when this was no man's land on the borders of South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. It was the home of ivory poachers, illegal black labour recruiters, gun runners and other shady characters who chose the free life of outlaws and buccaneers.

Buffalo crossing and blocking the H13-2 road

About 5km before Punda Maria, a herd of buffalo held up traffic for about 7 minutes as they crossed the H13-2 road. There must have been over 100 buffalo. I arrived at Punda Maria nice and early before the campers arrived to take up all the prime spots along the fenceline.

Instead of camping close to an electrical connection, I opted for a camp site along the fenceline and within 100m of the waterhole so I could watch the comings and goings of the animals. It was the last open camp site on the fenceline. I setup my table and chair on my site and enjoyed an early lunch before heading off for a drive to explore the surrounding area. As I ate lunch, the herd of buffalo I saw earlier came to the waterhole to drink and wallow in the muddy water.

Buffalo at the Punda Maria Waterhole

Elephant at the Punda Maria Waterhole

The afternoon drive was 70km long. As it was winter, the waterholes, rivers and dams were mostly dry and the bushveld was bone dry. The few waterholes that had water were like magnets for wildlife. I ended up parking at the Klopperfontein Dam for 2 hours and watched herds of animals come and go. When I arrived at the dam there was a large hippo in the water with 2 turtles and 3 birds perched on his back. At first I thought is was a rock. There was one large bull elephant who occupied a muddy waterhole upstream from the dam. Any animal that came down to drink would be chased away. He even chased other bull elephants away.

I returned to camp and setup my rooftop tent. My closest neighbour, within talking distance, was Pieter from Witrivier and had been at the camp since Monday.

After braaing and washing up, I made some "renoster coffee" and sat in the darkness enjoying the night sounds and seeing the steady flow of animals visiting the waterhole.

Throughout the night I heard elephants trumpeting, jackal & hyena calling and buffalo moo'ing - Far better than the sound of traffic and police/ambulance sirens of the city.

At camp preparing dinner