Cheetah
Impala
Impalas are grazers and browsers and are commonly found throughout Africa usually in short grasslands. [Read More About Impala]
Punda Maria Camp is the best place from which to observe Nyala Antelope on a safari in Kruger National Park. Safari activities include guided morning game drives and exciting sunset game drives. Enjoy excellent bird watching opportunities.
Punda Maria Wildlife
A trip to Pafuri will produce plenty of Nyala and Impala, and possibly some Bushbuck on your suggested itinerary in Kruger National Park. Vervet monkey and baboon will be seen in abundance and plenty of Hippo and Nile Crocodile in the riverbed itself. Early arrivers on safari in Kruger National Park, heading down Nyala Drive, may well be lucky enough to see bush pig.
Please Note: If you must walk at night please do not do so without a torch.
Game can prove sparse but Kudu, Nyala, Buffalo and Sharpe's Grysbok thrive in this habitat. Wild Dog, Elephant and Lion are also frequently recorded. The Mahonie Loop is also the best venue to see the diminutive Suni Antelope.
Birding
At Punda Maria Rest Camp, particularly on the Paradise Flycatcher Trail, yellow-bellied and terrestrial bulbul and bearded robin should be looked for while on safari in Kruger National Park. Birding throughout the camp is excellent. Birds of prey are common overhead. Black eagle is sometimes seen, while in winter the white-necked raven is a regular visitor.
The Mahonie Loop, (the 25 kilometres circular drive around the camp) is undoubtedly one of the most rewarding birding drives. You should give yourself plenty of time to cover the distance and travel with windows down and stop frequently, particularly for calls.
On a good day one could record several of the following 'specials': White-breasted cuckoo shrike, crowned hornbill, chestnut bellied (greyhooded) kingfisher, crested guineafowl, gorgeous bush shrike, cape parrot, African and European golden oriole (both summer), yellow-spotted nicator, sterling's barred warbler and Dickinson's kestrel.
Narina trogon has also been recorded on the loop, but is shy and elusive. On the drive from Punda Maria to Pafuri via the Klopperfontein Dam, racket-tailed roller and mashona hyliota have been recorded.
This is also one of the best areas to search for yellow-billed oxpecker sightings when you are on safari in Kruger National Park. This species was absent in the Kruger National Park for many years but returned in the 1980s and their numbers are still increasing. Buffalo are the preferred hosts.
5 Things to Seek
- Nyala
- Sharpe's Grysbok
- Wild Dog
- Zebra
- Crested Guineafowl
