Skukuza

An open vehicle leaves before sunrise to catch the hours when animals move. It keeps to marked roads and nobody steps out.

Seeing lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard and rhino in one visit is the aim. Leopard is the hardest and is most often found up a tree after dark.

A spotlight sweeps for animals that move after dark. Hyena and bushbaby turn up, which the daylight never shows.

A wall beside a waterhole has a narrow slot to watch through. Sitting still and silent for a long stretch is what it takes.

Two armed rangers lead a three hour walk through the bush. Tracks and dung are read to tell what has passed.

Standing on the camp bridge puts hippo and crocodile in view below. When the water drops, animals gather on the exposed sand.

Sleeping happens inside an electric fence and the gates shut at night. On some nights a lion is heard calling outside it.

The tusks of seven great elephants that were given names are gathered here. Where each lived and when it died is written beside them.

A canyon 800 metres deep is cut into the range west of the park. Round hollows the river ground into the rock are seen on the same route.

More than five hundred bird species are recorded in the park, which makes them a draw of their own. Sitting by water brings several past in a short time.

The tarred road from Skukuza down the Sabie River to Lower Sabie camp. It ranks first in the park for game and so carries the most traffic; wherever lions show up, cars queue. Driving toward Lower Sabie the river is on the right, so sit on that side.

A granite dome south of Skukuza, and a rare spot in the park where getting out of the car is allowed. Up there, the bush plain stretches away endlessly all round. There is no fence, so scan the rocks for animals before stepping out.

A 9-hole course first built for park staff, with no fence, so wildlife wanders across it. Play has been halted more than once by predators on the fairway. Every golfer signs an indemnity form before teeing off.

A rest stop under big trees on the Sabie River, where you may get out, with a shop and a restaurant. Many hire a gas skillet and cook breakfast here. Monkeys snatch food off the tables, so keep watching your plate.

A reservoir just outside Lower Sabie camp gate, with hippos and crocodiles in one view. True to the name, the water turns red as the sun sinks and birds crowd the edge. That hour clashes with gate closing, so every evening the bank is packed with cars.

A private reserve on Kruger's western edge with no fence between them, so animals move freely. Vehicles may leave the tracks, which lets guides follow leopards deep into the bush. Drives are for lodge guests only, so a day visit is hard to arrange.

A village born when alluvial gold turned up in 1873, so intact that the whole place is protected. Old stores and inns under corrugated iron roofs line a single street. It fits into a day on the escarpment roads west of the park.

A lookout at the escarpment's rim, with the lowveld spread far beyond the drop at your feet. Further up the steps a short path winds through a patch of mist-fed rainforest. Cloud can blank it out entirely, so aim to arrive early in the day.

A glass lift drops from the cliff edge straight to the forest on the gorge floor. Below, boardwalks and swing bridges lead to the foot of a waterfall. Look at the falls head-on from the upper viewing deck first, and the route below makes more sense.

Twin streams fall side by side; the story goes that gold diggers blasted a single fall in two. It was named for the crowd of Scottish diggers whose surnames began with Mac. Parking to viewing rail takes only minutes on foot.

A small library and display room honouring Stevenson-Hamilton, the first warden. Skukuza was his nickname, read as he who sweeps clean, for driving out poachers. On show are the knife ranger Wolhuter used on the lion that attacked him, and that lion's skin.