Mpumalanga’s 10 unique wildlife areas Posted on 16 July 2019 Tags:Blyde River Canyon, game reserve, Jane Goodall, Kruger National Park, Mpumalanga, Secunda Mpumalanga is perhaps best known as the home of the Kruger National Park, but here is the Sunrise Province’s list of its top ten unexpected discoveries. Image: Teagan Cunniffe 1. Jane Goodall Chimp Eden Sanctuary Visit this famous and encouragingly-responsible sanctuary to watch the healthy, happy rescue chimps roam, swing, scavenge, squabble and scrap in their spacious, forested enclosures. View this post on Instagram A post shared by julian c (@iboludo) on Apr 29, 2017 at 5:28am PDT View this post on Instagram A post shared by SA Travel Blog Farirai Sanyika (@gophari) on Apr 8, 2017 at 11:00pm PDT 2. Wakkerstroom Wakkerstroom and nearby Chrissiesmeer offer the largest populations of endangered bird species in the country. In addition to many water birds – yes, including startlingly pink flamingos – the keen twitcher might be able to tick some tricky boxes, such as Rudd’s Lark, Botha’s Lark and the Blue Korhaan. View this post on Instagram Driebandstrandkiewiet(Three banded Plover)# wildlifephotography #southafri canbirds#wakkerstroom A post shared by Gwen Bester (@gwen_nature_photography) on Jul 2, 2019 at 1:31am PDT View this post on Instagram A post shared by Justus van der Hoven (@justus_vanderhoven) on May 21, 2019 at 12:03pm PDT 3. Secunda More than 100 servals roam free in the vicinity of the vast Sasol fuel plant, making this the highest-density serval population in the world. These glorious creatures feed on the prolific local rodent population and are surprisingly habituated, although far from tame. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bernadine Everett (@warriorbern7) on Jul 8, 2019 at 6:10am PDT 4. Blyde River Canyon Cruise the Blyderivierspoort dam from Swadini and check out the tufa (calcium carbonate) falls. You might even get to see rare samango monkeys, but hippos and crocs abound. Birdlife includes the African Crowned and African Fish Eagle, African Finfoot and White-backed Night Heron. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Skirtgirl Hiker (@leera_1) on Jun 8, 2019 at 3:00pm PDT View this post on Instagram We definitely found paradise today 😍 we hiked like four hours and than this view surprises us the most 🙌🏻 #tufafall #southafrica #hiking #travel #travelblog #travelblogger #bloggers #travelinfluencer #influencers #travelinspo #travelinspiration #globetrotter #nomad #wanderlust #tripfervor #girlslovetravel #girlsmeetglobe #citytravel #femmetravel #lifestyle #style #bucketlist #travelsforu #girlsborntotravel #vacations #wonderfulplaces #beautifuldestinations #travelamazing #travelgirlsnl A post shared by Travel Girls 🌴 (@travelgirls.nl) on Oct 31, 2017 at 11:31am PDT 5. White River Nature Reserve Aloe simii is endemic to this 21-hectare haven, where marsh mongoose, porcupine and spotted genet also live in peaceful coexistence, right next to this attractive little country town. View this post on Instagram A post shared by White River Nature Reserve (@wr_nature_reserve) on May 9, 2019 at 11:28am PDT 6. Manyeleti Game Reserve Affordable, unexpected exclusivity! Over 23,000 hectares unfenced from the Greater Kruger area with all the same Big Five wildlife, but the freedom to do your own thing, or join a guide and camp, caravan or even self-cater. Manyeleti means ‘place of stars’. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Katja Voth (@vothkatja) on Jun 20, 2019 at 8:44pm PDT View this post on Instagram A post shared by Fellipe Pellegrini Scripilliti (@fellipescripilliti) on Jun 30, 2019 at 12:51am PDT 7. Peddlars Bush and Saddleback Pass Again, for the birders, Peddlars Bush offers uncommon species such as Knysna Turaco, Narina Trogon and Bush Blackcap. En route lies Saddleback Pass, a tiny patch of indigenous forest wedged between vast timber plantations, where amongst the rock-strewn, protea-rich hillsides, specials such as Cape Rock Thrush and Jackal Buzzard may be seen. View this post on Instagram Treetop pondering #peddlarsbush A post shared by mykail gorgens (@mykail91) on May 18, 2014 at 7:03am PDT 8. Loskop Dam The extensive Loskop Dam is a massive 30 km long and boasts a wide range of fish species including carp, bream, yellowfish and catfish, as well as some rare mammals for the province including eland, blesbok and white rhino as well as wildebeest, zebra and giraffe. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Paul Kollar (@pali_k) on May 10, 2019 at 8:48am PDT View this post on Instagram A post shared by Chris Pienaar (@chris.pienaar3) on May 20, 2019 at 2:01am PDT 9. Kaapschehoop Wild horses should drag you here, and so should the lovely nature walks, wild mushrooms in the pine forests. In winter, the rocky escarpment brightens up with thousands of flowering aloes attracting the endemic Gurney’s Sugarbird and Malachite Sunbird. Sadly, the Blue Swallow, for which the area was renowned, no longer nests there, but birdwatchers will find numerous other unusual species. View this post on Instagram Roaming free🍃🌾🍁 ° ° ° #kaapschehoop #wildhorses #roaming #Southafrica A post shared by Kim Wessels (@kim_wessels) on Apr 27, 2019 at 7:08am PDT View this post on Instagram A post shared by Gerrit Pool (@jacobus_pool) on May 20, 2019 at 11:29am PDT 10. Kruger National Park To leave this one out would be quite unusual. The expansive and dynamic Kruger habitat is home, among other thrills, to over 1,000 leopards, 1,500 lions, 17,000 elephants and 170,000 impala among the 148 mammal species to be seen in the park’s two million hectares. Not to mention 505 bird species, 25 amphibians and 118 different types of reptile… It is, of course, one of the world’s finest and best-managed conservation areas. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kyle Kardolus (@kyleklk87) on Jul 14, 2019 at 9:20pm PDT View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ed Morris (@_edmorris) on Jul 13, 2019 at 1:20pm PDT Featured image: Teagan Cunniffe Related Posts 12 sensational Western Cape campsites 30 May 2023 Love camping? So do we. These are some of our favourite Western Cape campsites, our... read more Rewilding Mozambique: Sábiè Game Park 25 May 2023 We went on a recce to Sábiè Game Park, which is setting the pace for... read more Rewilding Mozambique: Zinave National Park 25 May 2023 We went on a recce to Zinave National Park, Inhambane Province, which is setting the... read more PREV ARTICLE NEXT ARTICLE
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