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Kruger National Park Safaris – With a Twist

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Kruger National Park Safaris – With a Twist
Image: anankkml
Kruger National Park Safaris
Image: anankkml

Are you looking for Kruger National Park safaris with a creepy twist? Then we will give you your fix. The Kruger National Park is known for its majestic beauty, abundance of wildlife and the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for visitors. There is another side to this massive stretch of wild land though – a dark, creepy side that sends chills up the spine. That’s right folks, today we are looking at the ghostly tales of the Kruger Park.

  • Animal witches:

In the village of Majembeni, near Hazyview, a baboon was beaten to death before being burned in March 1996 after a woman cried out that the animal was in fact – a witch! The baboon was burnt and the local civic association secretary reportedly said that the creature had magically appeared out of nowhere and had no owner. The woman who spotted the baboon claimed that it took a long time to set the creature on fire and it had dramatically shrunk in size, proving that witchcraft was involved.

  • Honeymoon tragedy:

South of Machadodorp is a farm called Uitkomst which features a picturesque waterfall. In the 1960’s a couple on their honeymoon was visiting this site and the bride took position on the edge for a photograph. Unfortunately, the slippery rocks resulted in her falling to her death. The distraught husband could no go on without his wife and returned a year later to take his on life. Legend has it that on moonlit nights, the couple can be seen at the top of the waterfall.

  • The haunted hill:

Near Punda Maria you will find a hill called Gumbandevu, which is taboo to the local people. Why? Well, in times past a goat would be sacrificed at the base of the hill and its bleats would supposedly attract powerful spirits. This ritual, performed in the hopes of receiving rain, was not only limited to goats though. Kruger Park legend Harry Wolhuter said in his book, Memories of a Game Ranger, that he had met a rainmaker named Mpunzane Mhowelela who confirmed that in droughts, rainmakers were driven to make human sacrifices. Legend has it that ghostly singing and drumming can be heard coming from Gumbandevu at night.

  • The lost man:

On the haunted Voortrekker road that runs southeast of Pretoriuskop, William Scully, the author of Reminiscences of a South African Pioneer, talked about a strange event. He and his companions were camped on the road when they suddenly heard a man calling for help nearby. They built up the fire, waved torches and even fired shots, but the man’s voice did not change and it slowly grew fainter until disappearing.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVXctoIVRoU[/youtube]

 

Jacky Letard is a professional travel writer and writes on various other topics too. One of the topics she has a keen interest in is African Safaris and, in particular, Kruger National Park Tours in South Africa.

 

1 COMMENT

  1. I love Kruger National Park! Sure the Masai Mara in Kenya has more wildlife but in Kruger you can just venture on your own with your car and that’s the best part!

    I remember having my breakfast in the car at sunrise watching the lions.

    Lots of elephants in the northern part. Most people don’t bother going because it’s too far north but at least you get the park for yourself.

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