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its a well known truth that everything in the kruger national park is about timing. you can drive around the same loop 10 times in a day and if you're not turnung the right corner at the right time you'll miss everything.

We have experienced this on a few occasions when our timing has been perfect and on other occasions when it has been lees than perfect. A morning drive that produced 2 separate honey badger sightings but also had us miss a leopard sightin according to the car behind us. Other occasions that have had cheetah crossing the road at the same time we were going along a same stretch of road, it lasted less than a minute but if we had been at that part of the road a moment earlier or later we would have missed them. Similar circumstances have occured with leopard on a few occasions as well.

I'm sure there are plenty of people that will agree with me.

I have a theory when it comes to what you see in the park. It comes down to what i call your Kruger Karma. In many of our trips to the kruger we have experienced "dry patches" in terms of predators, however this didn’t deter us in terms of enthusiasm towards what might be around the next corner. We continued this dry run for a few years during which I believe we accumulated loads of good kruger karma. As it is with all dry patches, the wet season was on its way.

On a holiday to the kruger we stayed at lower sabie and biyamiti. It was on this trip that the kruger decided it was time for us to cash in our good kruger karma. To our amazement we had some of the most spectacular sightings of leopard, averaging more than a leopard a day, 2 sightings of black rhino, wild dog, honey badgers and loads of lion. It was on this trip that we saw the big5 + wild dog in a space of 45mins along the main road about 5 kilometers past sunset dam towards skukuza.

Coming from a dry patch it was clear we were in a wet patch on that holiday. It was the 2nd time in the park that we have seen wild dog and the 1st time seeing black rhino, never mind having 2 sightings. It was an incredible trip and one that I’m sure all brochure readers dream of. I still think that it all had to do with Kruger karma and since we cashed in our karma chips it looks like we have some saving up to do in terms of earning good karma with the park again.

So the trick to having good sightings is accumulating good kruger karma, something that can only be earned with respect towards the beautiful park.

To all who read this, enjoy earning your good karma and the wonderful sightings that come with it!!

I totally agree with you, I have had a leopard right next to the car on the Doispan rd and wild dogs with cubs nr letaba. I was the only car around. I have also missed sightings by seconds.

Not withstanding beginers luck...I figure it's the law of averages. The more you go the more u see.

You are halfway there Sticks. It is a question of timing and luck and this what makes Kruger such a magic place. You don't know what you will see and where you will see it. There is a group of folks that own a certain brand of mobile phone (I think it is a Strawberry phone) They receive regular updates as to where and when what was spotted, and they also inform other Strawberry phone owners about sightings. But to me this is like being in a zoo. "Turn left, Cheetah on the right. Now, turn left and 2 km further is an elephant to the left"

Hi

ANyone with a whatsapp on their cellphone can receive messages from a great sight called Kruger Park sightings. Its really good they update on a regular basis. THey tell you where what and how good the sighting is.
You don't need fancy phones. If you are on Facebook look up Kruger Park sightings the info is on their page.
Hope this helps

Kruger Karma is also about an attitude.

I find that the greatest gift that Kruger has given me is to be happy with "nothing". To be happy with the breeze, the smells, the peace... if something exciting comes.. it is wonderful.. if something exciting doesn't come... its wonderful.

Hi Rooies

I understand your frustration with technology, jeep jockies, cell phones, radio contact to find where animals are, etc.

But don't call it "utter rubbish" because technology can be your friend!
In December we spent 12 days in Kruger, and were it not for technology, my total of lions would have been 8! Fact is, I was trying to help a friend from Thailand to photograph the things, but they were everywhere except where I went!

If I had bothered to check the wildlife sightings blogspot, I would have been able to help her much sooner!
As it is, I followed sightings of wild dogs at sightings boards and the internet, and managed to spend wonderful time with 30 dogs in 4 different sightings!

When you travel 2000+ km to get to Kruger once a year, you would be dumb not to do a bit of homework to find out the latest animal movements and hotspots... and yes, there IS nothing more exciting and rewarding than finding YOUR OWN special sighting, all alone and without any help!

God bless,

Friedrich von Horsten

@Friedrich. Apologies, I have removed that part of my post but I have become allergic to the use of technology in the bush. We often take friends and clients to a private reserve next to Kruger and are more often than not asked to stop at a certain place where there is phone reception. Then the clients want to phone this business associate, that company in order to strike a deal, while we have to sit and wait for them.

But I guess everyone has the right to enjoy Kruger in his own way (as long as it does not infringe on the rights of others)

.... of dear.. and then there are those moments...

you draw up slowly to a car in the distance. There seems to be an energy radiating... it is palpable... you drive slowly... slowly... slowly .. you do not want to disturb.. frighten.. please stones do not crunch

finaly you get there...

only to be told..

eishhhhh, you just missed a magnificent Leopard

The opposite to technology can also happen (and it does!)
Many moons ago we were travelling on the H6 towards Nwanetsi picnic spot when a lone ranger on his bicycle indicated from a distance for us to slow down. When we reached him, he was extremely excited and pointed towards a marula tree, under the tree were two cheetas! When asked if he was not afraid to ride in the area - which is a lion hotspot - he just laughed and shook his head.
This happend long before cellphones

MM I agree.
We are just happy and relaxed when we cross into Kruger, sightings are a bonus. Though we have been very fortunate on our visits, having multiple Honey Badger sightings and got to see eight Cheetah together, among many other things. Our last holiday we saw 12 blackies and stopped counting White rhino at 60. We consider ourselves very lucky and fortunate to be blessed with sightings and don't care if its Big, little, cute or ugly. Whether it is animal, mineral or vegetable. We love it all!

Wow Stickman360, that is indeed good Karma! Black Rhino and wild dog....wow wow wow !!! That is what we love the most about the KNP, the anticipation that something awesome can happen at any time! And even if the sightings aren’t abundant, there is ALWAYS something to enjoy... and something to look forward to next time...because maybe... juuuust maybe that elusive dream sighting is lurking on the road you find yourself on THAT day !