Sunset XXIII - Kruger National Park
Dante’s 8th terrace of purgatory was officially over the moment our feet touched the tiny-pebbled pathway leading into the Hoyo Hoyo Safari Lodge entrance. An entrance that wouldn't be out of place in a Star Wars establishment shot of Tatooine such was its unique appearance. With mud packed walls and peaked thatched cone-on-cylinder roofs the whole place dripped rural Africa with its brochure boasting one of the best levels of service offered anywhere in the park. We found Hoyo Hoyo during our original planning session in Bowral and immediately fell in love with everything about it. Not exactly the cheapest of accommodations, it was all inclusive and the longer we stayed on their website the harder it came for us to look elsewhere. Hoyo is a privately owned lodge catering to only 12 guests at any time located within a private game reserve of Kruger National Park and could have charged us double it was that spectacular.
On arrival we were greeted by all staff members like a royal command performance and rewarded with gin and tonics so big they deserved their own solar system that immediately had us captured in their gravitational pull. On a large sundeck overlooking the dried bed of the Mluwati river, and beyond that, an animal watering hole, our hosts ran us through the daily timetable of Hoyo Hoyo which for us pretty much started with lunch. From a small well equipped kitchen hidden from sight a team of obviously talented chefs prepared gourmet meals befitting the Ritz or Plaza in NYC served on authentic stone plates in our secluded pavilion on the deck. Offering a selection of traditional Tsonga cuisine dishes blended with European flair, the presentation was only usurped by the actual taste. Freshly made bread rolls and garden salad beat the hell out of the airline food, and what ever that thing was we ate at some airport, over the past day and we sank further back into our cushioned chairs figuratively blown away. As if on cue, a giraffe popped its head above the tree line behind the waterhole and soon after some elephants lumbered on further to take a drink. Kruger was ticking boxes immediately.
With barely time to digest our magnificent first lunch, we were escorted to our isolated bungalow where our bags were already laid out waiting our arrival. Set in a semicircle off the main building the accomodation huts were built along the same methods with a massive island bed overlooking a private deck and outdoor shower Fatpap just couldn’t resist trying. It was rustic luxury at it finest and such a welcomed sanctum after so long on the road getting here. But there was to be no rest yet so while still nursing our third G & T - the gravitational pull and everything you see - we showered and suited up in our trendiest safari gear for our first afternoon safari of Kruger National Park.
In the small courtyard within the ring of Hoyo buildings a flashy looking Toyota Landcruiser lay waiting with its sides unfurled and three rows of padded seats and armrests, drink holders and blankets ready for our arrival. Our guide Janine, a young Afrikaans girl possessing a smile broader than a field of blooming sunflowers and accent as thick as FW de Klerk, welcomed us aboard then literally didn’t shut up for the next 3 hrs. She would prove over the coming days to be a font of knowledge regarding all flora and fauna and a pretty good driver to boot who we suspect knew this parcel of land better than many.
It was evident on the drive in, but on safari distinctively notable that Kruger was different to the other landscapes we’d experienced in Africa and evident why Kruger NP is regarded as one of the best in the world and a “must see” when on the continent. With an area covering almost 20,000km2, Kruger was first protected by the government of the South African Republic in 1898 through a series of diligent land owners fencing off farmland to protect the wildlife from hunters, to ultimately become South Africa's first national park in 1926. Proclaimed in 1918 with a commission established to pursue its planning and development, its first warden served for 44 years ensuring continuity and commitment to its original ideal. Named after Paul Kruger, the former president of the South African Republic (Transvaal) to honour his role in early conservation efforts in the region, it has grown in worldwide stature ever since. As South Africa's largest wildlife sanctuary and home to not only the Big Five, but more species of large mammals than any other African game reserve at 147, from the middle row of an elevated Toyota Landcruiser an absolutely amazing place.
Encompassing a network of 1,800 kms of well maintained roads, 21 rest camps and 15 private safari lodges, we would only see a very small portion of this natural wonder, but what we saw that first afternoon was enough to send us home happy. Janine chirped about bushes and grasses, pointed out birds yet unseen, then would drop her head over the door sill to follow animal tracks in the dirt. It was a different type of safari, one almost curated for the rich tourist from across the seven seas that at first lacked the connection Albert delivered in the Serengeti. But to be fair, one never knows their audience until they are tested. Janine and our fellow guests soon warmed up and the afternoon was spent capturing elephant, giraffe, waterbuck, impala and birds of the most vibrant colour or unique shape. The Southern yellow-billed hornbill in particular, made famous by the Lion King character Zazu, is under closer scrutiny quite a beady looking fellow belying the comedic nature portrayed by the Disney animators. He was however still pretty cool warranting a shutter click or twenty and in flight mesmerising and exactly as our cartoon educators depicted.
We drove probably to a set pattern of tracks chasing wildlife based on historical movements and saw plenty on only our first safari. Kruger is a different type of “hunt” with the animals perhaps a little more cagey given the greater tourist numbers which currently sit at 1.8 million annually. Regardless, the warm breeze heated from a rapidly setting sun was African magic in our eyes regardless of Big Five spotting or not. Having said that though, from away in the distance we spotted a lone male cheetah atop a small rise surveying the savannah for a kill perhaps or something else. With the light almost perfect, we captured this magnificent creature in all his glory snapshotting what to us was the quintessential Kruger image.
Finding a small rise of our own to witness our 23rd African sunset, Janine pulled up to her favourite lookout for the cherished tradition of an African Sundowner. At the back of the crusier a custom made cooler suddenly appeared, and from a fold up table mounted to the vehicle bull bar Janine set up a small bar while we were gobsmaked by the vista. The term "sundowner" originated during the colonial era where British settlers would enjoy drinks at sunset after a day's work that over the years has become a beloved safari tradition. It's a moment to relax, reflect on the day's wildlife sightings, and appreciate the natural beauty of the African landscape and one we have now incorporated into our every day life. G & T’s, the traditional sundowner and biltong, a traditional dried meat product similar to jerky in the middle of South Africa could not have been in greater contrast to yesterday, or the day before, or the day before that. Africa we have said time and again delivers every single day, and through a wall of tears we toasted this spectacular journey and of sharing it as best friends.
Heading back to camp Janine pulled yet another arrow from her quiver by driving one handed with a spot light in the other. Scanning the horizon, she effortlessly picked out the shinning eyes of wildlfie with the most alluring being a tower of giraffes “necking” behind a shrub. Not as it sounds, necking is performed by, and against, bull giraffes by repeatedly swinging their long necks delivering powerful headbutts to their rivals' bodies and underbellies to establish dominance.
Through cauldrons of fire we returned to Hoyo to be greeted not only politely with questions of our animal sightings, but handed a glass of South African wine the size of a baby’s head. A centrally pitted fire sent embers skyward without a breeze to interfere, while Baldwin, our waiter for the evening, escorted us to our table only metres away. On ostrich steaks and wild vegetables did we dine, sadly forcing Baldwin to open yet another bottle of that deliciously sublime red to share over a cheesecake dessert. Fatpap asked, and was obliged, another sampling before we adjorned to share a Jameson whiskey by the warmth of the indoor fire with our fellow guests. We were as is custom, escorted to our bungalow late into the evening where we fell backward into bed wondering how to pivot our lives to be park guides, lodge hosts, or permanent residents of Kruger National Park.
