Pilanesberg Game Reserve

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.

Experience the wildlife of South Africa in relative comfort.

I really enjoyed getting to go on a "Game Drive" through Pilanesberg in 2005. I've seen many of the same animals in zoos, but it's not the same as seeing them in their natural habitat. We saw elephants, white rhinos, a black rhino, crocodiles, hippos, giraffes, zebras, and wild dogs. I was able to get some great video clips and photos, but was wishing my camera had a better optical zoom. The weather was beautiful and clear, with great visibility over distances. Our tour guide was very informative, explaning reasons for grazing habits and behaviors of various animals, and how they related to the natural defense mechanisms of the plantlife. Other than our tour vehicles, I don't recall seeing anyone else around the park when we were there (I was with a fairly large group). Though the environment felt like you were out in the wild, the accomodations were comfortable enough, and the evening "Bush Brie" we ate at was delicious and unique. Everyone was able to sample a variety of meats and specially prepared dishes, and there was plenty to go around. We spent the night in small wooden cabins furnished with cots & lockers, as well as a couple of chairs or stools, and working electricity. Overall it was a great experience, and I'd love to go again some day.

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

Big Five in one day

This was an amazing experience. Large enough to feel like you are really out exploring. Something to see around every corner. From small birds to elephants, the closer the look the more you learn. A real opportunity to get very, very close to nature. Our guide was able to find "the big five" all in one outing. But there is so much more to this reserve than the big five. I will remember the sights and sounds for a long time. While it is clear that you are in a reserve, you still get a sense for the "wilds of Africa".

Fantastic park set in a crater with the big 5 to be seen.

We enjoyed the game reserve so close to the "Little Las Vegas" of South Africa. Friendly staff and great to find such a diversity of big animals.

Around the corner from South Africa's Las Vegas is a tranquil wildlife environment that is still very professionally managed

I was at Pilanesberg in spring and had the experience of a lifetime... Hordes of giraffe prancing in sun-drenched fields; zebra, wildebeest, and springbok all grazing and relaxing together and with their young; a large pride of lions in a collective, placid siesta... Don't miss it. Make sure to put this Park on your itinerary!!!

I have been around many game parks in my life - I was born and raised in Kenya. I know you have to be lucky to see certain animals. I did find the tarmac road through the park rather unusual, and although I understand the why, I found rhinos without horns a bit sad. The grass was very long so visibility was a bit difficult for things like warthogs, lions etc. It was very pleasant and my colleague had never been to Africa before so she found it wonderful.

Smaller park with easy access from Jo'burg airport hotels...a real satisfying suprise. Definately worth the day trip!!