Punda Maria is nyala country. You are also likely to see bushbuck, and perhaps a suni antelope.

Near Pafuri, on the S63 gravel road, are some of the prettiest fever trees forests in the Kruger. You might also see some buffalo.

Early morning and late afternoonn
About 28 km, 1½ hours
There aren’t many roads around Punda Maria. Only the S99 (also called the Mahonie Loop) is really worth driving.
But it’s one of the prettiest gravel roads in the Kruger. Here you’ll find a wide variety of tree and bird species. And you can drive it in any direction. I sometimes drive it twice just for good measure, first in one direction and then back again.
Expect to see nyala, kudu and elephant, along with lots of impala, zebras and baboons. This is also a place to look for those birding “specials” like the grey-headed parrot, narina trogon, African crowned eagle or pennant-winged nightjar.
If you have time, visit the Thulamila waterhole about 11 km from the camp on the road to the main entrance gate.
It’s in a lovely hilly environment and you have a good chance of seeing elephant here, and perhaps even a leopard. It’s only about a 20-minute drive.

Out all day
About 140 km, 6½ hours
One of my favourite parts of the park is Pafuri, a solid drive from Punda Maria. Head out early on the H13-2 and H13-1 tar road and turn left onto H1-8. (Avoid the S60 gravel road – it’s badly corrugated.) You’re likely to see lots of elephants and buffalo (54 km, 90 minutes).
Turn left onto the S64 Nyala loop. You’re in thick bush now and you should easily spot nyala and waterbuck and a wealth of bird species. Look for broad-billed rollers in the fever trees.

Follow this loop until it rejoins the H1-8 tar road (about 5 km, 30 minutes). Turn left and drive for less than a kilometre to the bridge over the Luvuvhu River. You are now in one of the best birding spots in the whole park. See if you can spot African fish-eagles, crowned eagles and African finfoot. Also look out for smaller species like the eastern nicator and tropical boubou. If you’re really lucky, you might see a group of mottled or Böhm’s spinetails, or even a Pel’s fishing-owl.

Now turn back onto the H1-8 and take the first gravel road to the left – the S63 Luvuvhu River road. Stop at the Pafuri picnic site and Crooks’ Corner where South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mozambique meet. On the S63 you might spot Sharpe’s grysbok and some very rare suni antelope. (22 km, 2½ hours for the S63 loop).
Drive back to Punda Maria on the tar. Halfway back, quickly turn off to take a look at the Klopperfontein waterhole (on the S61). This is where you might spot some eland and if you’re lucky, sable antelope.

Visit a pretty picnic spot
If you leave camp when the gate opens and drive at the speed limit you can get to the Pafuri picnic spot within 90 minutes, in time to hear the birds’ dawn chorus.
This lovely, shady picnic spot is on the bank of the Luvuvhu River. You can make breakfast or lunch on a skottel braai that you can hire there, buy a cooldrink from the thatched kiosk and look at the river through your binoculars from the comfort of a wooden bench.
If you’re here for the birds, talk to Frank Mabasa, caretaker and knowledgeable birder.
“I’d been at Pafuri for 10 years before I started watching birds seriously,” he told me. “People come from as far away as Argentina to see rare birds like the fishing-owl. I’ve seen 361 species here. From the picnic spot you can see African wood-owl, crowned eagles, Pel’s fishing-owl, tropical boubous, grey tit-flycatchers and black-throated wattle-eye.
“October to April is good for broad-billed rollers. Mottled spinetails are only here from October to December. Its cousin, the Böhm’s spinetail, can be seen all year around.”
If Frank isn’t at the picnic site you can call him on his cell­phone ( 078 126 5876).
Pafuri has toilets, washing-up facilities and an exhibition about the Thulamela archaeological site.

Delve into the past
Lots of people who know the Kruger well may not have been on an archaeological tour of Thulamela, even though it’s one of the best things you can do in this part of the world.
Thulamela is basically a 500-year-old ruin site. The people who once lived here were apparently related to those who built Great Zimbabwe.
But it’s the amazing view from the top of the koppie and the lovely way in which the guides narrate the story of this place that makes this a worthwhile outing. Set a day aside for it.
Leave Punda Maria around 7 am and drive north to Thulamela Hill on the S64 Nyala loop. From there you walk up to the top of the hill accompanied by two guides. It feels like storytime in primary school.

Under the baobab
Under a huge baobab you’ll take your seat at the foot of your guide, in my case Eric Maluleke, who will tell you the story of what life was like here when this was a thriving settlement. There’s no rush, and there’s plenty of time for questions.
Eric says: “Between 1993 and 1996 I helped to restore the stone walls of Thulamela. I think that now it looks as close as possible to the original Thulamela. The baobab has always been important here because it’s as big as the king. It was the practice to gather underneath the tree and to make useful things from its bark – like rope, sleeping mats and whips.”
From Thulamela you can take a break Pafuri picnic spot. Our tour lasted seven hours.
Cost: R220 per person (minimum two, maximum eight). You have to book in advance. (Note: Price accurate in April 2010)

Engage four-wheel drive
You can tackle the 50 km Northern Plains Adventure Trail from Punda Maria or Shingwedzi.
Although it’s for 4x4s only, it’s not too challenging. The good thing is that you’ll be all alone and you’re allowed to alight from your vehicle where it’s safe.
The start of the trail is just south of Shisha-West waterhole on the H1-7 tar road and it ends south of Baobab Hill on the H1-8 tar road. The trail heads southwards through a variety of veld types – including open plains and lush Sandveld. Look out for rare animals like tsessebe and sable antelope, as well as special birds like the racket-tailed roller.
The route follows a jeep track and only after heavy rains will you really need to test your 4x4.
Set aside about five hours to complete the route, and make sure you’ve got enough time to get back to camp comfortably.Only six 4x4s a day are allowed to do this trail and you can only book on the day you want to do it – at reception. It costs R460 per vehicle. The trail is closed (up to three months a year) if it’s too wet.

(Note: Prices accurate in April 2010)

When people talk about Punda Maria they inevitably mention how many species of birds you can see there. Then they add: “Goodness, it’s a long way to drive!”

It’s the northernmost camp in the Kruger, but few people realise that at 502 km, Punda is only 63 km further from Pretoria than Lower Sabie, one of the southernmost camps.
It’s a pretty little camp built on the slopes of a koppie. Once inside the gate, you pass the filling station, a row of original thatched bungalows and then on to the reception office, shop and restaurant.

The lush green garden at the top end of the camp is alive with birdlife: violet-backed starlings, cut-throat finches, orange-breasted bush-shrikes, a variety of flycatchers and many others that forage, nest and twitter in the trees.
The Paradise Flycatcher walk starts close to the safari tents and ends at the filling station. It only takes about 20 minutes to complete the circuit but if you keep your eyes peeled you might just spot a grey-headed bush-shrike (or at least hear its mournful call), a crested guineafowl or two, or the gorgeous bush-shrike.

The camp also has a swimming pool, cafeteria and game hide down at the fence.
The Mahonie Loop is Punda Maria’s best-known game-viewing road. It goes through Sandveld with a wide variety of plant species. This is where you might find nyala, suni antelope and Sharpe’s grysbok.