getaway.co.za 7Catherine Hofmeyr, Revel Fox
TheKrugerNationalParkis a partoftheSouth
Africanpsyche.It’sa spacethatdefinesourcountry- a nationaltreasure.Establishedin 1898 toprotect
thewildlifeoftheLowveld,todayKrugeris a world
leaderinadvancedenvironmentalmanagement.
Occupyingtwoclimacticzonesand 16 distinct
eco-zones,theparkis hometoanunrivalled
abundanceoflifeforms: 336 treespecies, 49 fish, 34
amphibians, 114 reptiles, 507 birdsand 147 mammals.
ThesizeofBelgium,it’sa placeinwhichtolose
yourself,drivingfordaysthroughanAfricanEden.
Thisis therealmofbaobabs,leadwoodsandfever
trees;a landpatrolledbytheBigFive,theLittleFive
(buffaloweaver,elephantshrew,leopardtortoise,ant
lionandrhinobeetle)andthebirdingBigSix(ground
hornbill,koribustard,lappet-facedvulture,martial
eagle,Pel’sfishingowlandsaddle-billedstork).The
foundingfathers,OupaKrugerandUncleStevenson-
Hamilton,madea grandinvestmentandwearethe
luckyinheritors.Buttheparkis nota blankslateor
untamedwilderness.It’smanaged,fenced,controlled
andis subjecttofashionsandpolitics.Howcouldit be
otherwiseinthiscrazycountryofours?
The20thcenturysawtheparkpassthroughthree
phases:theunfenced,rule-of-the-wildunderitsfirst
warden,JamesStevenson-Hamilton;theorderand
regimentationoftheNationalistyears;and,post-1994,
a newvisionfora highlydiversifiedpeople’sreserve.
WhenI wasa childmyfatherusedtotakemeto
‘ThePark’.It wasalmosta riteofpassage,a sacrament
withage-oldritualslovinglyadministered.Sunsetat
thebaptismalfont(waterhole),breakingbreadtogether
(thebraai)andmomentsofrevelation(thespottedcat
upclose).Thereweregospelsandteachings.Like
learninghowtosee.Asa boyI wasblind– I’dlook
at a koppie and see only a koppie. Dad taught my eyes
to stroke the hillside for the flick of a tail. Once my
eyes were rewarded, blessed even, they never forgot.
The Kruger is different things to different people.
For some, it’s boisterous kids in the back seat, queues at
the shop, burnt meat – and fingers – and obsessive game
campaigns with a wish list that needs ticking. But the
sooner you get over the cat count, relax into the silence
andfeelthewilderness,thebetteryourexperience.
That’swhenbigmammalsaremerelya bonus.
Inthe‘new’Kruger,therearesomanydiverse
experiencesthatallowyoutogetintouchwithits
nature,historyandculture.Forinstance,4x4routes,golf
at Skukuza,bushbraaisandmuseums.Youcanexplore
a LateIronAgesite,a 19th-centurytradingstoreor
18th-centuryiron-smeltingworks.There’seventhe
opportunitytoheara chamberorchestrainthewild.
The21st-centuryKrugeris allaboutexpansion.On
22 November2018,ActingMinisterofEnvironmental
AffairsDerekHanekomapprovedthe10-yearKruger
NationalParkManagementPlan,a giantstep
forwardintheongoinginitiativetoextendKruger’s
conservationfootprintacrossbordersandto
incorporatea widespectrumoflandownersandland
uses.It kick-startstheemergenceofthe10-million-
hectareGreatLimpopoTransfrontierConservation
Areaasa world-leadingconservationinitiative.No
planis perfect,butintimethelesssavouryitems
(suchastrophyhuntingandelephant-backriding)
willnodoubtberemovedfromtheproposal,thanks
largelytotheworkofdedicatedactivists.
Inthis,ourspecialKrugerissue,ChrisDavies
embarksona family-reunionjourneytothepark’s
northernreaches(page50),CatherineHofmeyr
exploresthepopularsouth(page68),whileHarriet
Nimmopresentsalternativeactivitiesandbehind-
the-scenesaction(page 76 &82),includingthecurrent
poachingstruggles.InthespiritofGreaterKruger,
MichelleHardievisitsnearbySábièGameParkin
MozambiqueandKeriHarveylooksatthelatest
developmentsinZinaveNationalPark(page88).
EnjoyourbumperKrugerissue!FROM THE EDITOR
Justin FoxOUR GOOD-VALUE STAR Each issue of Getaway has several inexpensive accommodation options for under R600 pp (some for
OHVV WKDWZHWKLQNRHUJRRGYDOXH6RORRNRXWIRUWKHVWDU3ULFHVDQGFRQYHUVLRQVFRUUHFWDWWLPHRIJRLQJWRSULQWIt’s a rite of passage
@JustinFoxAfrica