FIELD NOTES Kruger Back Roads
The prospect of a fresh adventure in the Kruger Park was irresistible. Living in Hoedspruit with Kruger just about on my doorstep, I escape to the bush as often as I can, and I am pretty familiar with the roads from Phalaborwa Gate to Punda Maria.
But this 4×4 route along the western boundary would be completely new territory, and I relished the chance to get my wheels dirty. Add to that the opportunity to camp in remote, unfenced campsites, and I was sold. I was almost trembling with excitement when our convoy of five rolled through Phalaborwa Gate.
Wheels-wise, the company was good: a Ford Ranger, a seriously kitted-out Toyota Hilux, a Land Rover Defender and a classic Discovery named Dora. Dora is extremely well travelled, with 120 000km, seven countries and more than a few breakdowns under her belt. She’s owned by Carla Geyser, founder of the Blue Sky Society Trust and mastermind behind the Rise of the Matriarch Expedition, a 30-day, all-women trip around the country. Sometimes it’s hard to tell who’s driving who, but Dora and Carla make a hell of a team on these ‘journeys with purpose’ around southern Africa.
Carla and her crew had spent the first part of the month in Zululand, visiting conservation teams working with black rhinos and pangolins before heading north to Limpopo.
We spent time in and around Hoedspruit, working with
