September 2014 trip to the Kruger – Sirheni Bushveld Camp. My experience and observations. After spending a few days at Punda Maria, we packed and left for Sirheni (about 52 km). For the most part at Punda, we were “far from the madding crowd”, with quiet roads and with great sightings of trees, birds and mammals without tens of vehicles crowding you. Travelling down from Punda Maria I took the H13-1 and then cut the corner with a shortcut taking the S58 (a lovely little road) joining the H1-7 south. On the H1-7 South we had good sightings of Leopard, Elephant, Buffalo, Nyala, Zebra, Giraffe, Sharpe’s Grysbok and many more as well as a good few bird species. There were also veld fires and burns so soon the grass will be green which will attract the grazers. We passed Babalala as we saw many buses parked there and travelled to Boyela on the H1-7 where we saw a few Elephant drinking at the cement dam (they are there almost every day). We then drove to Sirheni taking the gravel road near Boyela for 5 km and then crossing the Shisha River or stream took the private access road of about 6 km (only for overnight visitors) to the camp. After being welcomed with smiles and friendliness, we moved to our unit no 1. Sirheni is one of 5 Bushveld Camps in the Kruger and has only 15 units. The camp runs on solar power with a generator to assist. The generator only runs at certain times. There is a fridge compartment near reception where each unit has an allotted compartment. There is extremely limited mobile phone reception at Sirheni. In all the years and numerous times (during all 4 seasons) I visited Sirheni, I have stayed at every single unit. A few of them more than twice. To me they are all nice as they are spacious and are spread out facing the Mphongolo River. Obviously there are other factors if you really want to get down to the nitty gritty to choose a specific unit. Amongst others it depends on the time of year, the growth of the vegetation and the sun’s position especially when setting, also on the seasons. The units as displayed on SANParks website are: Cottages 5 x 4-bed units, (2 single beds) equipped with separate shower, WC and basin, lounge with two bench beds, a fully equipped kitchen and an outside roofed veranda. Guest Cottages 9 x 6 sleeper units. These units consist of 2 bedrooms (one bedroom with a double bed and en-suite bathroom, and one bedroom with 2 single beds) and 2 sleeper couches in the lounge. There is a separate bathroom with shower. Units have a fully equipped kitchen and have ceiling fans. 1 x 6 sleeper unit that consists of 4 single beds and 2 sleeper couches. This unit has 2 bedrooms and a (limited channel) DSTV system, separate bathroom with shower, fully equipped kitchen and ceiling fans. Sirheni has no shops or restaurants and the nearest is at Punda (52 km) and Shingwedzi (32 km). They are supposed to have ice and firewood but it is not available at all times with ice running out often and firewood at times. Bad planning on management part I guess. Sirheni’s largest draw-card, the dam, unfortunately washed away in the last great floods (2012) and apparently there are no plans on the cards to rebuild it. The dam had been there for more than 24 years. A massive ecosystem change is thus on the way with new species arriving and finding a home and many species that preferred the dam have left – it would make quite a fascinating study. However the river still flows when the rains come and mostly throughout the year there are pools left. The nights were a stunning orchestra of sounds and we heard lions every night as well as Hyaenas. One late afternoon we were treated to two male lions and a female right in front of us – one male was mating. This went on throughout the night with roars aplenty in front of our cottage. Magic! We didn’t even drive that much, as from our stoep we watched Elephant, Buffalo, Kudu, Impala, Waterbuck, Vervet Monkey, Sharpe’s Grysbok and more animals coming down to drink. Birds were numerous. Really nice also were the resident Hooded Vultures that live in the large Jackalberries and other trees across the river. There must have been about 7 or 8 of them. The resident Leopard was shy when we were there but he is around and you might be lucky in hearing him rasping away at dusk or dawn and also at times in the night. He is often seen coming for a drink or just patrolling the banks of the river. Sirheni is unique. You can watch the wildlife and birdlife from your stoep. Also take a stroll through the camp, walk up and down the fence or sit quietly in one of the two bird-hides. Regarding birdlife, in the years of visiting Sirheni, I got quite a few lifers there including Bat Hawks. Birding in the camp and throughout the area is very good and obviously the best is during summer. For me Sirheni’s birdlife is possibly second only to Punda Maria and Pafuri (however Pafuri is a picnic spot). There are a number of drives from Sirheni. The Mphongolo Loop must be the favourite of all. A narrow gravel road winding all along the Mphongolo River which is later joined by the Phugwane River until it joins the Shingwedzi on a loop near the end of the H1-7. There are unbelievable Nyala trees to be seen and at places you can still see grass, branches and other vegetation in the trees that indicate the height of where the last floods had risen to. The marks in some places are the height of two double-decker buses parked on top of each other. Incredible what power and force water has. There are many animals and birds to be seen on this road as along this river there are many pools. Some of the larger pools hosting hippos and crocs. Also keep your eyes peeled for animals to be seen in the riverbeds especially, lions and leopard. I would suggest take a day or two and leave the camp early in the morning take the tarred road to Shingwedzi and return with the river road when the day heats up. On another morning do it the other way round or travel the route halfway (there is a road that joins the H1-7 from the Mphongolo route about halfway. If you travel the total route from Sirheni via the Mphongolo loop and back to Sirheni it is almost 45 km (little bit more if you take the tarred road H1-7 back and then again the gravel road to the camp). The road to Babalala (S56) is a nice drive for the afternoon. Take that road and then return via the tarred road H1-7 and then again the gravel road to the private access road to Sirheni. The total route from Sirheni back to Sirheni is between 24 and 30 km depending if you travel the same route twice or take the tarred H1-7 there or back. It is a lovely route and might give you an opportunity of seeing beautiful sunsets at times. It is also a nice drive in the mornings. Take care when travelling the roads around Sirheni as there are plenty Elephants - mostly larger breeding herds – and at times they are not fond of vehicles. On the tarred road the H1-7 between Babalala and Boyela you will find really large Bulls, singly or in small bachelor groups. Also keep a lookout for Lions and Cheetah between Boyela and Babalala on the H1-7. The area around Sirheni is predominantly Mopanie-veld with at places really large Mopanie trees. However taking the Mphongolo Loop there are many large trees like Jackalberry, Apple Leaf, Nyala trees and Weeping boer-bean amongst others. While traveling the above roads, I was lucky and had very good sightings. There is a variety of animals to be seen but not as many in numbers as down south in the park. The birding however is really good. I love Sirheni for its tranquillity and remoteness – you really get away from it all - it is a real bush camp. As always I had an absolute fantastic time, with great accommodation, friendly and helpful staff and excellent sightings. It was an all-round near perfect experience. Camp Manager Miyelani Kubayi was not there when I visited but Shitshembiso Venus Maphophe was. She also kindly allocated my unit number when I booked. I saw a new face and met Paul (used to be at Bateleur) who was on duty the day of my departure and he seems like a very friendly fellow. Armando the handy man must be mentioned. Originally he hails from Mozambique and can speak a little bit of English and Afrikaans. He is a fixture at Sirheni and I know him for many years. Every time there is a sighting up and down the river he is at my cottage to inform me. Thanks to Armando who also came to check the gas and plumbing at my cottage every day. Then a real special thanks to Given, who started to work at Sirheni not so long ago, as a cleaner for now. I really hope that his pride in his work, dedication and thoroughness will bring him far at SANParks. The only drawback I found at Sirheni, was that they run out of ice for a few days at a time and I would also recommend taking a bag or two of wood with as at times their firewood quality is really poor. It also happened in the past that the firewood supply in the camp has run out. Presumably bad planning. Luckily I always see to it that I have enough firewood with me and I always travel with an extra cooler box filled with ice (this time brought with from Punda) – I had learnt my lesson in the park many years ago. Just a note: Regarding mosquitos and malaria. Not to scare you, but please make sure that you are very well prepared and has taken all precautions necessary and more. Sirheni has always been and still is my most favourite camp in the Kruger (partly due to memories as well) however by a very short margin. It still tops my list as number one on my Top 5 accommodation list of the Kruger. And yes for the most part we were still far from the madding crowd, with quiet roads, lonely sightings and quiet, friendly neighbours. Apologies for the photos – It does not do justice to Sirheni. I did not take many photos depicting the camp this time.
Posted on: Sun, 28 Sep 2014 18:49:13 +0000
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