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Predators

If you want to see predators, I suggest getting up early and driving a loop consisting of the H4-2 tar road and the S28, S137 and S130 gravel roads. The H4-2 is great for lions, especially early in the morning. Also keep an eye open for leopards in the thickets next to the road. The S28 is open country and one of the best roads in the south of the Kruger National Park for cheetahs. The S137 road past Duke Waterhole is a very good area for spotted hyaena. Although the S130 is best for white rhinos and elephants, you might find spotted hyaenas along here as well. If you don't see any predators on this loop on an early-morning game drive, you can consider yourself very unlucky!

Elephants and rhinos

White rhinos are plentiful on all the roads around Crocodile Bridge, but the S130 is a good option. You will see the white rhino dung middens all along the roads in the area. Elephants are also regularly seen on the S130 as well as on the S28 and H4-2 near the Gomondwane Waterhole.

Giraffes and zebras

The S28 gravel road is probably the best in the area for giraffe and the open vegetation is also well suited to zebra and blue wildebeest. The S25 Crocodile River road may also produce giraffe sightings, but is not necessarily suitable for zebra.

Hippos

Hippo Pool, just west of Crocodile Bridge camp on the S27, offers a fantastic chance of seeing hippos in the Crocodile River. Early-morning drives along the S25 may produce the odd hippo crossing the road on its way back to the water after a night's grazing. Hippos may also be seen at Ntandanyathi Hide and Gezantfomi Dam.

Scenery

Personally, I think the south-eastern section of the S26 Bume Road is one of the most scenic in the whole area! The road is narrow and winds along the lush Bume riverine vegetation. The section of the H5 between the S108 and H4-2 is also very beautiful. Both the S28 and S130 are beautiful in their own, very different ways: the former is very open and the latter very dense in places.

Birds

The whole Crocodile Bridge area is great for birding, especially in summer. The natural pans of water that form on the roadsides after the rains attract a great variety of birds and offer great opportunities for bird photography. Birdlife in camp is also fantastic. The large trees on the H5 make it a great area for raptors and ground hornbills. Rhino dung middens at the side of the road attract francolins and spurfowl. The open areas near camp are great for white storks in summer.