Rocks and rabbits
Coffee at
daybreak, watching the sun come up over the bush, has to be as close to heaven
as I will ever get, then an early start to our first stop. Gaelyn had not been
to Pilansberg Game Reserve before and it did not disappoint. Within the first hour
there, we saw almost everything the park has to offer except lions and this was
a magnificent start to our tour. The weather was hot and sunny with just a few
clouds in sight.
We headed
for Manyane Camp and set up tents in a quiet spot (or so we thought). It was
right next to the fence and had a procession of Scrub Hares and Impala passing
through and grazing the whole night. On the other side, the Kudu wandered and
at one time, we caught a glimpse of a Wildcat.
Due to the heat,
we did not go out for a drive until 4pm and saw the plains filled with large
herds of Impala, Zebra, Blue Wildebeest, Elephant, Giraffe and more. What a
magnificent sight it all was. There has not been much rain in the area so the
dams are not very full.
Pilansberg
has in its centre a volcanic pan which is always filled with water and one can
spend the whole day sitting in the hide build to one side. Passing a huge
outcrop of rocks, the white markings left from the holes in it tell me that
this is the home of many Rock Hyrax’s (Dassie) who are best seen in the early
morning when they come out to sun themselves in the early morning rays.
A quick
stop at a small pool to see the Hippo’s and time to head back for camp. The
first time I visited this pool there was only one Hippo in it and people
stopping there had to be careful as it did not like visitors and would
frequently charge at the cars parked on the bank.
The night
was quiet and a million stars were in the skies. Another great day had passed and
the Impala and Hare were back to their nightly feeding close at hand.
Birds of Pilansberg - Part 1
Pilansberg wild flowers - Part 1
1 comment:
Except for the bloody baboons this was an awesome place.
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