Revelations in northern Kruger

Taking paths less travelled and biding your time reveals hidden wonder in this birding mecca.

- RICHARD FLACK

Northern Kruger National Park is a place I love. It is wild, remote and enchanting. With more than 350 bird species and 80 per cent of the park’s biodiversity, it is prime birding country. Combine that with jaw-dropping scenery and unique wildlife encounters and it makes for a spectacular adventure destination as well as a calming tonic for the soul.

But what should you do when you get there? Head immediately to the Luvuvhu bridge to look for a Böhm’s Spinetail or the well-known Pel’s Fishing Owls, or hurry to the Pafuri picnic site for a breeding pair of Black-throated Wattle-eyes? What about the lala palms at Crook’s Corner to find Lemon- breasted Canaries, keeping an eye open for Southern Ground-Hornbills along the way? Or you could start at the Punda Maria camp and search for Eastern Nicators and Crested Guineafowls. Or drive along the Mahonie Loop to locate Bennett’s Woodpeckers, Dickinson’s Kestrels and Grey-headed Parrots. A night drive from Punda Maria may reveal a Pennant-winged Nightjar or, if  you’re in the Makuleke Concession, a Three-banded Courser. And that’s just scratching the surface.