Pilanesberg Game Reserve

An Unforgettable Experience!

Pilanesberg Game Reserve is a must visit when in South Africa. Even though it is much smaller than Kruger Park, do not be put off by this. We were put in perspective that if you think about it, in a smaller park (but when I say small, I don't mean the size of a national zoo as it is still 572 km²), you have a higher chance of spotting an animal which I highly agree with at the end of my trip.

We began our trip with a couple of days in the nearby SunCity then moved to the beautiful Ivory Tree Game Lodge within the game reserve. We were first greeted upon arrival by some friendly faces who would eventually be the rangers who took us around the reserve and cared for us.

My family was attended to by a ranger called PJ whom we could tell from day one, was an exceptionally knowledgeable and passionate man towards what he does (We highly recommend PJ if you do stay at the Ivory Tree). We were then lead to our lunch buffet which had a large array of food cooked to an exceptional quality as if it were a Michelin restaurant (buffet style) and each meal after that did not disappoint. All I can say about the food is I probably gained about 10KG's from all the food I ate in three days. There will definitely be something for everyone.

You could opt for when you wanted to go on the safari but my family and I decided to see as much as we could therefore we went on the morning (from 5am to 8am) and the evening from (4pm to 7pm) tours. PJ was sharp as a hawk and during the 3 days we manage to see so many different animals! We manage to spot 4 out of 5 of the Big Five which was absolutely amazing! We witnessed a pride of lions hunting for their food and eventually watched them feed on their catch all within a stones throw away (Don't worry as it is absolutely safe within the confines of the truck you sit in). We also manage to catch a parade of elephants a few times during the three days. The list of animals go on, one experience that cannot be described that much but more to be experienced if possible.

The scenery within the reserve is mind blowing, not one that I have ever seen before nor experienced and I live in Scotland which is known for its panoramic scenes. It is just something else as I literally did not sleep for 3 days straight because if I was not out in the safari, I would be sitting outside my lodge with my camera shooting the night skies. The stars are absolutely amazing on this side of the world therefore I urge you to put your electronic devices down and look up in the sky at night when visiting there. During the safari, we also made stops at look out points for birding and these places have been strategically selected for its breath taking scenes.

We visited the place during the winter month and it got pretty cold especially in the mornings (weather reports say it's 0 degrees but be prepared to feel like its -15 degrees) so warm clothes must be packed before you visit. Bring a hat, a glove, scarves and extremely thick jackets or windbreakers. Your guide should also provide you with thick blankets during the safari just in case and will bring warm beverages and snacks for you too.

After the safari trip, my family and I also decided to go on a hot air balloon ride around the game reserve as we were encouraged to experience it because it will give a whole different perspective of the reserve. I would say it was truly quite an experience to be in a hot air balloon and although I must admit, you will not see as much animals as you would on the ground, being lifted up into the skies to experience the sun rising over the game reserve is a truly unforgettable experience on its own.

All in all, I could probably write a book on my mere three days of being there which was definitely not enough for me but Pilanesberg Game Reserve is one that I will be recommending to my friends and anyone who asks me about a safari experience on a first time trip to South Africa. I can definitely guarantee my return there some day to complete my check list of seeing all the Big Five and also to return with a better photography kit to re-capture everything as I lost all my photos in a house fire immediately after the trip. But this just gives me greater motivation to go back there as a photographer and I remain optimistic that my second time will be 10 times better than my first.

I highly highly recommend visiting Pilanesberg National Park if you can. It will truly be an unforgettable experience be it you go alone, with loved ones, or family members.

Incredible; accommodations fantastic and diverse, beautiful, and healthy wildlife on every drive.

Pilanesberg in situated in an ancient volcanic caldera and is surrounded by beautiful hills covered in mixed grassland and woodland. The game drives never disappointed; we saw a diverse range of animals including rhinos, elephants, hyena, ostrich, lions, zebras, kudu, hippo and wildebeest, with many animals being seen multiple times. Food was great, as were the accommodations. Great range of birds too - although our game drives were pretty focused on large mammal viewing, perhaps if your group specifies an interest in birds the guides can accommodate your preferences (I did not try this). Otherwise, there is an underground viewing platform at a water source that was never crowded, and I birded alot using this site. We also were lucky enough to see a secretary bird out on a game drive, that was a treat!

Surrounded by landscapes as far as you can see, majestic elephants roam on your path.

We stayed at Kwa Maritane, one of the lodges in the park, the rooms are well appointed and the food was terrific. At the patio by the restaurant, many an elephant comes to browse and birds peck at the bread on your plate. Surrounded by the "wild" in the lap of luxury. Pilanesberg is generally very hot and dry, a high factor sunscreen and hats are a must! The guides on the game drives are very knowledgeable about the area and know how to track the game in the park. One of the few national parks where you can see the "Big Five". Herds of buck and elephant abound and we were lucky to spot cheetahs and lion. The scenery alone is worthwhile, as the park is situated in the cradle of an extinct volcano. Lakes and acacia strewn mountains make it any nature lover's "must-go-to-destination". In short, a terrific experience. For the wild at heart, Sun City is only a mere 10 minutes away too.

Great Park with lots of game to see.

A visit to the Pilanesberg Game National park.

The park is in a huge extinct volcanic crater and is about 50 000 Hectares big, about 1.5 hours drive from Johannesburg South Africa.

We decided to go on a camping trip for about 10 nights from 24th January to 3rd February 2011. This was our second trip to the park and, as before, we really enjoyed our stay.

One of the reasons we like the park is that there is always plenty to see. The Pilanesberg has a large variety of animals including the big five (Elephant, Rhinoceros, Buffalo, Leopard and Lions). There are more than 50 mammals, 66 reptiles and 300 bird species. Most of the species are quite abundant as well, so one never has to go far to see something.

We camped the first half of our stay at the Manyane camp site. The camp site is very nice and has all amenities one would expect. There is a large walk-in aviary with many of the bird species that can be seen in the park as well as some self-guide walking trails, safe from Lions and other dangerous animals. However there are some smaller animals, like the Impala (a small antelope), Zebra and some monkeys that visit the camp-site. One evening after dark we wondered what the unusual noise was and I found at least a hundred of the Impala grazing around our tents! They were not afraid of us and we could walk right up to them. Took out my camera, tried to take some photo's, but it was too dark. I decided to try using the flash to take at least one shot, expecting them to take off the moment they see the flash. To my surprise they were not bothered at all and just continued grazing. Got some amazing photos!

There is an information centre, known as the Pilanesberg Centre that's also a restaurant and curio shop almost in the centre of the park that I found well worth visiting. It's behind fences so you can safely get out of your vehicle. They have a viewing deck where one can enjoy a lunch or a cup of coffee. This deck looks over a plane with a water hole close by. Every time we visited the centre there was something worthwhile going on. They often put out pieces of mineral salt that attracts all kinds of animals. It was great seeing some Kudu (a large antelope) and Giraffe making use of this treat. A whole heard of about ten Giraffes came along for a lick of salt and a drink of water. There is also a resident group of Warthog and we even saw some babies suckling from their mother. Another time there was a female white rhino grazing just a few meters away from us! And yet another time some Zebra fowls playing and chasing some Blue Wildebeest around the water hole.

The Friday evening we treated ourselves to a night time game drive, run by a game ranger of the park. This was an unforgettable experience. We left the camp-site just before dusk with the ranger who was called Nelson. He had great knowledge of the park and some wonderful things to tell us about even the smallest and least significant animals. We saw some Rhino and Impala and then as dusk was settling in we managed to see a small pride of Lions! They were rather docile and uninterested in us though. From there on it went completely dark as the night settled in, but we managed to see a number of Owls and other night birds. One thing that was unforgettable was the herbal scent from the bush around us - the night really enhanced it. Then a Hyena appeared in the bush, an animal almost never seen in daytime! The greatest surprise was a herd of Elephant that appeared right in front of us, there were even some new babies between them. Needless to say we kept a respectful distance between us and the herd. Elephant, especially with young babies, can be aggressive. An interesting thing about the Elephant is how quiet they walk. One would think that such a huge animal would make some noise, but you cannot hear their feet on the road as they walked. One of the big bulls was making a mess (defecating) on the road as he was walking. The ranger then told us that if an Elephant gets a stomach upset, the only thing for him to do is to eat the faeces of another Elephant, to revive the necessary bacteria in his digestive tract!

From here on we moved to another camp-site called Bakgatla. This was the lesser of the two camp-sites, but because it was on the other side of the park we were able to explore different places again. There was a nearby dam and hide called Ratlhogo Hide that we visited a few times especially early morning and late afternoon. Took some great pictures of a Hippopotamus having a huge yawn! Here we also saw a herd of Rhinoceros and Zebra coming for a drink.

On another drive through the park we saw an Elephant having a back scratch against a tree and a few moments later another one having a dust bath. He was using his trunk to throw a lot of dirt and dust onto his back. It apparently helps to keep parasites and excessive sunlight away of his skin. At yet another hide (Batlhako Hide) I managed to get a photo of a Fish Eagle taking a dive in an attempt to catch a fish, but unfortunately he came up out of the water empty handed (clawed?).

January was an interesting time to go to the park as most animals just had their young and there are babies and fowls everywhere. We got many photos of babies suckling from their mothers!

Further we saw some rabbits, a Fox and a Jackal as well as many species of birds throughout the entire park also many big herds of Blue Wildebeest, Zebra and Impala.

Really a park well worth visiting and one will not be disappointed as there is always something new to see around the next corner.

Jan Smit

Johannesburg
South Africa

The tour guide was very professional and knowledgeable of the wild life.

The wildlife is abundant

The roads are in horrific condition and beyond repair. I would not recommend traveling with a standard sedan. Pilanesberg Center is a must see. Road from Bakgatla needs a complete redo. Wildlife is abundant. Pilanesberg WAS the crown jewel of the North West province. I assume mismanagement and incompetence being the reason for the decline of this once wonderful park. At least the Wildlife is still there.

Amazing Days and Nights

Since we were staying in and flying out of Johannesburg, we chose the closer Pilanesberg over Kruger NP so we would have more time viewing animals and less time driving in the two days we had for the safari. It did not disappoint us at all. We travelled extensively through the park and especially enjoyed when our guide Shade took us to the less explored areas where there were fewer people, beautiful views, and interesting animals. In our two days which included evening and early morning exploration, we checked off all the Big 5 and so much more! We watched a pride of lions hunt and succeed in securing a meal, watched the elusive cheetah have a morning drink at the waterhole, and adorable baby elephants. I'm sure some of the larger parks may have a more wild feel and vibe, but we were very happy with our experience in Pilanesberg!

Breathtaking, absolutely love it there, it's so peaceful and calm, so much to see.

I absolutely loved this place, great get away with my family, amazing wildlife, I'm not a early morning person but getting up for the the game drives was worth it........ we had the best time!!! Would def do it again

My experience

I love this place and I'll be back. The air was fresh and I saw all the big 5.

Nature at its finest.

The accommodation is very clean, and facilities are stunning. Everything about the place is great. Had a wonderful wildlife experience. I will surely come back again!!