Gardenia Hide, Kruger National Park

Afrikaans name: Gardenia Skuiling

Gardenia Hide

Photo © Steven Herbert

Mpumalanga

Gardenia Hide is situated on the S118 road in Kruger National Park. It is not one of the best hides for game viewing but does offer you a chance to get out the car for a while. The hide takes its name from the Gardenia trees in the area. In fact there is one to the left of the hide and another to the right. The leaves and fruit of the Gardenia are eaten by a wide variety of mammals.

The S118 follows the Mlambane River and at times it can offer some interesting sightings, particular for the birders.

The hide itself gives you good visibility over a small pan. The water is not far from the hide which is an advantage, but the disadvantage is that there are other water sources in the area.

Amongst the game that you may see are Elephant, Buffalo, Impala, Bushbuck, Lion, Wild Dog, Giraffe and Kudu. Birders may see Blacksmith Lapwing, Water Thick-knee, White-faced Duck, Egyptian Goose, and Comb Duck near the water. The surrounding bush can offer sightings of Woodland Kingfisher, Redchested Cuckoo, Southern Carmine Bee-eater, Black-bellied Starling, Greater Honeyguide and more.

What have you seen at Gardenia Hide?

References and further reading

A site-by-site guide to trees in the Kruger National Park - Author: Marissa Greeff - Published: 2017 - Page: 40

For more info on Kruger National Park: SanParks

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