Kruger Park - Skukuza

With a few more separate impala sightings on the road, the remainder of my journey into Skukuza remained uneventful. Skukuza is the administrative headquarters and the largest rest camp of the park. In the early 20th century, it was also the overnight stop for tourists who travelled on the Selati Railway from Crocodile Bridge.

The construction of the Selati Railway was a highly controversial affair. When gold was discovered in the late 1800s in the nearby region, the government decided to build a railway track for transportation. They awarded the contract to two brothers who turned out to be corrupt, embezzling funds, falsifying accounts and bribing. Embroiled in a public scandal, the government immediately ceased all construction, abandoning partially completed works for the next decade. When work finally resumed in the early 1900s it took another decade to complete the job.

By 1923 it was taken over by the South Africa Railway and rolled out a nine-day train tour through the lowveld. The tour proved very popular. Each week a total of 250 trains travelled through the park until 1963, when plans for expansion were considered in conjunction with the high number of wildlife accidents. To keep them safe it was decided to relocate and expand the railway around the park. The last train to run through the park was in 1973.

Selati Bridge in Skukuza is where the tour train used to stop overnight. Today it is home to a fully refurbished train that recently opened as luxury accommodation. Adjacent to the train is a walkway with stunning views of Sabie River and the bushveld. A great place to watch wildlife drinking or frolicking in the river.

This seemed like an ideal location to wrap up my journey and reflect on the wonderful animals I encountered along the way. Although I only visited a small portion of the entire park, the wildlife is in abundance as was evident by my sightings of zebras, giraffes, elephants, buffaloes and antelopes.

Farewell for now.

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