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I just again wondered about this issue. Traffic jams at a sighting.

What is the logic behind you, mister to hog the prime viewing spot at a sighting of sleeping lions for only you know how long? I mean I have seen people sitting in their cars, looking around at other people trying to maneuver their cars to get s sighting with those doff smiles on their faces as if to say, hey I have the best spot to see them sleep.

And how many photos can you take of a sleeping lion before you get fed up with it and move on? Seriously?! Maybe digital cameras are to blame here. I honestly dunno.

I for one, drive up to a roadblock and if I do get a spot to look at something, look at it, snap it and move on, making way for some other visitor to have a crack at it. So what is the logic behind you sitting there all day long hogging the best spot?

Please tell me what kick do you get out of that? In my mind you just cause a helluva inconvenience with your selfishness.

And this brings me to another topic, pretending not to see something when another car drives up. I see there is already a topic for that, so on I will move there to express my feelings about that.

Totally agree WTM, But, when I have guests, I try and get a prime spot, and move on. When I am alone, I get a prime spot to...... Watch the guests, that is sometimes better than a lion on a Buff. Hilarious, to see the old lady, that usually knits in the evening getting so irate, she tells Rambo to F-off.

I think a lion or leopard sighting makes animals of all.

Traffic jams really grind me!!

I mean we all go to KNP to get away from the hustle and the bustle of the city and instead you end up in the same situation where the glutonous, selfish, impatiennt and self rightenous instinct of human nature kicks in.

I once witnessed a traffic jam just north from LS over the Sabie river cause way where at least 30 cars harrased a cheetah who just caught an impala. People were pouring out of their windows and standing on their roofs with cam corders and cameras, someone even alighted from their vehicle and everyone just cramped the poor animal to such an extent that it just sat there panting - too distraught to eat its hard earned meal. Not one of these damn fools even spared a thought at the poor cheetah who had a limited time to consume its meal in fear of bigger predators getting wind of the kill and chasing it off its kill. I will try to post pics of said incident later.

What I usually now do at traffic jams is just drive past (if its possible) just out of respect for the animal that is being harrassed by the "big 5 hunters"

If you want to avoid traffic jams rather drive on the dirt roads (with the possible exception of the S100), where you will experience quality sightings with far less vehicles.

'Wildtuinman, jy slaan die spyker op die kop' (You have got it spot on) I have experienced the 'dof' people at lion sightings. They sit there with a grin on their faces and look at the other people arriving. They have lost all interest in the lions, but refuse to move an inch. In any case, what is so interesting about sleeping lions? With all due respect to the contributors to the travel tale section, watching a sleeping lion is just as interesting as watching paint get dry on a wall.

Fortunately I am am a bird watcher and must say that even during the heat of the day, there is always action at a waterhole. It is much more rewarding to sit at a dam and watch all the waxbills flying to and fro than sit and stare at a sleeping lion.

Hey ! When I am the first to spot an animal scene likely to develop into further action [ Like a cheetah catching an impala ] I stay put until the cheetah is well into feeding. The reason ? A lion or hyena could arrive challenging the cheetah for it catch - and that will make for good video or photo material. [ Not to mention the experience of seeing such an event ! ]

When I then get harassed by crowds spoiling the scene I get peed-off because they are upsetting the normal rythm of nature which I went to experience in the first place. In example - we had occasions where we spotted a leopard whilst driving all on our own just to have the leopard dash off into the bush with the sound of a far-off diesel vehicle approaching. When such a vehicle arrives they have no idea why we were stopped as the leopard is already far into the bush.

And please, oh please - don't wheel spin down the road after YOU stopped to inquire why we are pointing cameras to the left or right - we don't just charge up and down the roads to look for lions and elephant, the beautiful texture of a tree trunk's bark or the glimmering winter grass in the late afternoon sun is genuinely enjoyed by us.

I think most of us can say..........been there done that.!!!!

On our last trip we stopped at a sleeping leopard ( quite far of in the grass). We were the first car there, so we decided to wait a bit and see if MIGHT move closer. Not long after that we were parked in, could not move an inch!!! So we were "hogging" the sighting. When we did ask if one of the cars would move so we could move (and they could then get our prime parking space!!!) we were told that they would then loose their space!!! So it is not always selfishness that causes a roadblock.................

Then I won't go into the dirty looks you get when you do a drive by shooting at sleeping lions..........and yes I'm lion crazy, but not sleeping lions with only an ear sticking out and a tail from time to time. But we have been with sleeping lions and no other cars in sight and after a while they got up and we had some stunning photos.

We have had sort of that experience too. We were just out the gate from LS toward SK and we saw some cars. There were two leopards and an impala in the big tree next to the road. We parked the car in the row and also a hyena joined the show and he was walking through all parked cars (so everyone had the best hyena spot). Sometimes the Leopards showed themselves into the bushes, but we never knew when and where as they moved and slept back again.

I think we stood there for 45 min. as there came an other car with two tourists. And about five minutes after that moment, the Leopards climbed into the tree and everyone could see them in the same way. After some minutes they went back to the ground and there was only one right spot. We were not the lucky car, but some other forumites had that spot. We gave them the time as much as they needed. After 15 min. they gave the spot to us (also yellow ribbon). But 5 min. after we stood there, the car who just arived sounded the horn at us if we would stand there all day or if we could move for them.

You can imagine that we indeed stood there all day if we need to don't give that spot to them. There were some others who also stood there for the full time and we drove out that spot so that they could take the place.

And indeed as already mentioned above, Lions and Leopards makes animals from all.

I have a simple solution for all you complaining mites - you are simply in the wrong park

In the KTP, a gathering of 5 cars would be considered a major traffic jam ...

Traffic jams are not our favorite sightings in Kruger and we have learned to avoid them no matter what is on offer . Luckily they are a bit scarcer in Northern Kruger . Looking at a bird or nice tree is equally good for us.

Billyf................one just for you....................



A little bit more than 5 cars...........just before gate closing and all MM and KTC were following them................I really don't like cars in my photos, just took this one to show that there can actually be a "traffic jam" in Kgalagadi............but this was not nearly a circus as the one we had at Satara just before gate closing and the whole of Satara was following 9 lions...................

Advise for avoiding traffic jams in KNP:

1. Don't visit the park in School holidays and especially avoid public holidays. I have seen traffic jams around elephants in these instances and as you can imagine traffic jams around elephants can be potentially dangerous - especially with breeding herds or bulls in musth.

2. Try to avoid the tar roads where possible. Most sand roads (with the exception of the s100) have far less traffic. One tend to see less on sand roads because of the reduced traffic there are less eyes to spot out the twitching tails but if you have a sighting it is gauranteed to be more special.

3. Be sure to leave the camp as early as possible in the morning when the roads are still quite.

4. Try to stay in camps that are far away from entrance gates as day visitors and outside safari operators greatly increase the traffic in those areas.

5. Smaller camps are better as they produce less traffic.

6. Go to the North of Kruger. (Letaba and higher)

7. Take up birding. I have never seen a traffic jam at a Pell's fishing owl sighting. Mind you, I have never seen a Pell's fishing owl.....

8. Go on one of the 4x4 day trails at Satara and Pretoriuskop.

I am glad that I am not the only one who has noticed this.

@ Billyf. Love the photo lion queen.

100ponder, a cheetah kill is something totally different. Very few people ever get to experience something like that, so you could be forgiven to sit at your sighting cause that is really something special, especially if you came across it as well yourself.

I am sorry if I offend anyone, I don't know maybe I am just impatient, but I cannot see myself sitting at a leopard sighting or at sleeping lions waiting for them to do something for 45 mins.

A friend and I once sat at Mkhombo dam at a spot where a Spotted Crake disappeared into the reeds for an hour and 15 mins. And it drove me insane!!!! But we had to wait for it to show itself again in order to get photo proof of our sighting before informing the birding community of this very rare sighting. Eventually it came out again and we managed to get the photos. And many people managed to add this rare bird to their life lists as a result of it. But again, this is something totally different.

I think some common sense should prevail at traffic jams. If the lions are sleeping or the leopard is a 100m into the veld obscured by bushes and you can only see its ear flick, have a look and move on. Give everyone a chance to peak at it. Especially if there is only one or two spots to see these phenomenal sighting from. And for Pete's sake, don't drive on the wrong side of the road to get to spot whatever the traffic jam is caused by. Cause you just block us other people who are trying to pass from getting through the jam!

Just be considerate, that's all I ask.

My opinion is that a sighting amongst a traffic jam is far less special than the one you see without a traffic jam. I almost get a zoo feeling with all those other cars around me. Best for me to move on and find something else.

Good tips Canus Lupus.

I have been getting that feeling way too often as of late.. In the Kruger, at bird sightings..etc etc

Whenever in a traffic jam to see a lion or leopard is witness and move again.
No fun in it for me.

I couldn't agree more, it is completely beyond comprehension.

You even get people who spend the entire day at such sightings. I once met a couple who did just that on a blistering hot day near Nossob, from morning until evening. All the lions did was move a few feet to stay in the shade. Amazing!

Johan