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| Lioness Pilansberg National Park South Africa |
South Africa is a hugely diverse country and we are blessed with numerous National Parks.
This lioness crossed the road right in front of our car with 3 cubs! We managed to turn around and we tracked her for quite awhile as she navigated the bush on her own mission. The cubs were so fast that it was impossible to get a photo! Eventually, we lost them in the thick bush.
Pilansberg is just one of these amazing national parks where wildlife can be viewed from the safety of your vehicle. This area was originally farming land where citrus, wheat, coffee and tobacco were produced. The communities had to be relocated and all alien vegetation was removed. Roads of around 200 km were constructed and the peripheral game fence was erected.
Many animals enjoy a dust bath and we did catch a zebra doing this at a waterhole - they roll in the dust with such energy that one can actually feel the joy that this brings to the animal.
Warthogs are great fun to watch as they kneel on their front legs and then eat with much grunting to get the juiciest, tender sprouts. Warthogs will also eat elephant dung which gives them a nutrient rich meal as elephants do not digest their food very well.
We were extremely lucky to see a rhino nearly every day on different roads in the park. All rhino have been dehorned due to poaching and the trimming of the horns takes place regularly. This exercise had just been completed before we arrived in the park. Rhino are solitary animals, they are huge and can be very dangerous. As a rhino's eyesight is very poor, they can react to sudden noise and are likely to charge. A mother with a calf is even more dangerous so do not ever get too close. The Black rhino is more unpredictable whilst the white rhino is more likely to retreat. Despite their huge size, rhino's can actually run very fast so you don't want to get in their path if on a guided game walk!
Elephants are always a joy to watch but they can be extremely dangerous. Always give way or reverse if you can. We chanced upon a herd with juniors crossing the road. One elephant advanced, flapping his ears and it was a "please get out of our way immediately" which we did. They then calmly crossed the road to continue their feeding. Male elephants in musth are extremely dangerous - the massive surge in their testosterone levels can drive them to be restless and highly unpredictable. Stay away! A give away is the thick, pungent fluid that leaks from the temporal glands located on the side of the head between the eye and the ear. Female elephants remain with their birth families while males leave the herd at around 12 to 15 years old. Elephants are a joy to watch and the matriarch rules the herd with an iron fist! There is nothing funnier than listening to her call the youngsters to get moving from the water and when they don't listen immediately, a second, very loud call will be heard. Then they scramble to follow.
The Pilansberg Centre is a good place to stop for refreshments and wildlife viewing as animals come by to the water hole and the salt lick. The animals lick these in order to get sodium, calcium, iron, phosphorus, and zinc. Park Rangers place these at this waterhole but these deposits do sometimes occur naturally if weather conditions have exposed salty mineral deposits.
Pilansberg offers a huge variety of birds for those that love this type of photography and have the best lenses! Most of the time, birds are on the move so it is not the easiest capture. 360 bird species have been recoded in the park.
Pilansberg is ideal for those staying at Sun City Resort as they have a gate directly linked to get into the park. Malaria Free so ideal for families with small children. The smaller park is ideal for those on a tighter schedule. The area of Pilansberg that is open to the public is much smaller than Kruger National Park so it is easier to travel most of the roads (shake, rattle and roll!) if you choose Self-Drive rather than organised Game Drives.
Kruger National Park is HUGE so more time is required, there is a malaria risk, more so in summer months. Luxury lodges offer iconic experiences, at a price! Sanparks camps offer good value and are extremely popular. The roads in Kruger are easier to manage.
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Pilansberg Park area is 550sq km with the dry season being winter April to September and wet season in the summer months of October to March. There are numerous lodges inside the park and it is an easy drive from Lanseria Airport - about 2 hours. Use the Waze App for driving directions.
