If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine, it's lethal - Paulo Coelho

Reading an article on the Komati river and learn it was stocked with tiger fish in the '50's, got me planning a long weekend for hubby's birthday. Most accommodation was booked, Kruger Park is a popular destination and Komatipoort is a hop away from the Crocodile gate. I found space at the Orchard farm cottages which had good reviews. Routing through the back roads from Bethlehem via Warden, Vrede, Standerton, Bethal and Hendrina, we were pleased to find the road surface quality good. Hopping onto the N4 took us past Milly's and we stopped to enjoy the excellent washroom facilities not to mention the amazing trout products on offer. Roadworks on the N4 near Nelspruit delayed us but we arrived with a lot of daylight left. A lovely setting greeted us, comfy cottages with a view of the Komati river and tree-fringed lawns

The downside of the accommodation, being just off the N4 to Mozambique and the railway line from Swaziland across the river. It is not a retreat for those seeking peace and quiet. However if you are planning to be out all day in the Park or fishing the Komati, no problem, and you have an automatic alarm to get you up early to explore the park (train whistle)

Exploring the grounds after being in the car for 9 hours was a pleasure...

A deck on the river, just visible through the trees

I came upon a monitor lizard family of 4. These reptiles are as old as the Dinosaurs dating back from 65 to 112 million years. I didn't know they burrow in trees

What a pretty southern black flycatcher!

A beautiful fig tree makes a lovely still-life photograph

Aloes and bees, 2 of my favourite things

A troupe of monkeys came down to forage and keep us entertained

and a lovely sunset over the river to end the day...

and a train leaves town

Did you know Egyptian geese build nests in the trees? They line their nests with soft feathers and both parents take turns to incubate the eggs. They generally pair for life

LBJ (unidentifiable brown job) possibly a redfaced Cisticola

Plenty of croc's in the river

A Black collared barbet family

And then at last, time to get onto the river for some fishing. We used Taurus Tiger Fishing Charters. We met our guide and followed the vehicle through sugarcane and citrus plantations to get to the river. A thoughtful gesture from the owner was a bottle of champagne for John's birthday

The fishing barge took us about 3km upstream

The Lebombo mountains are a 800km range stretching from Hluhluwe in KZN to Punda Maria in the North

The Komati is 480 km's long, the source being Steenkampsberg near Ermelo and it reaches the Indian Ocean at Maputo Bay. The Portuguese named the lower reaches the 'river of Rice' or river of Kings'

Unfortunately no fish were caught, maybe it was still a bit cool, but a tranquil few hours on the water is better than the best day at work

We ended the day off enjoying scrumptious Portuguese seafood in Komatipoort

Our second day took us into the Kruger Park. We were recommended a route to take which gave us some awesome sightings

The best time to view the lovely Burchells Coucal is early morning as they perch on branches to warm up

Magnificent, regal kudu

Lions are in a class of their own and always a special sighting

Eyeballing a lion gets the blood pumping

A couple of Bateleur eagles enjoying the morning sun

The majestic African fish eagle and its reflection in the waterhole

Long tailed shrikes

The sweetest antelope in the bushveld, Steenbok

I spy...

What a sighting, the usually shy Martial eagle on a kill, wow!

An iconic South African raptor, its wingspan is 2.6 meters and it can spot prey from over 5km away. We wondered what it had caught?

The dam near Lower Sabie always had a host of game, this croc enjoys the oxygenated water

Something about the expression on these hippo's faces speaks of absolute bliss

Watching this buffalo, I felt that it and the oxpecker were having some sort of conversation

From tranquility to explosive energy

Kruger's elephants are accustomed to motorists which makes for relaxed viewing

What an air conditioner!

A lovely mud bath...

and then off for a sand shower

Looking for insects, lizards, scorpions, snails, small birds and rodents, the best vantage point for the lilac breasted roller is at the tops of trees and poles

Just 2km from the crocodile bridge entrance gate is a small water hole with a good elevation to watch the sun rise on our last morning. Being a Saturday, the cars poured through, I think the park would have been extremely busy and will remember this fact when we come again

Zebras are extremely cautious and these guys took ages to move down to drink

3 hyena ran past without stopping to drink

A few daggaboys arrived for a drink

Hammerkop's flying just above the water grab crabs for breakfast

After a few hours enjoying all that came to the waterhole, we drove back to Komatipoort for breakfast

And later enjoyed some quiet time back at the cottage - yellowbellied sunbird with a drop of nectar on the tip of its beak

Cardinal woodpecker hammering away for lunch

A yelloweyed canary caught my eye

Last but not least the blue waxbill

Komatipoort is a bustling border town with lots to offer and it was great visiting the Kruger Park again. We head back to Bethlehem via Barberton and Carolina, through the lovely mountainous terrain

If we were meant to stay in one place, we'd have roots instead of feet

#Photography #wildlife #Fishing