Pilanesberg National Park is situated in the North West province of South Africa. It is close to the internationally acclaimed resorts of Sun City, Lost City and the Valley of the Waves. Over and above these resorts there are lodges,
caravan and camping sites at Manyane and Bakgatla.
There are also lodges at Ivory Tree, Kwa Maritane, Tshukudu and Bakubung.
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Welcome to the Bakgatla Gate at Pilanesberg. If you stay at one of the resorts such as Bakgatla, you only have to pay a once off entrance fee to the park. They will provide you with a permit for the duration of your stay so that you are free to come and go as you please.
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We camped at Bakgatla under some shady trees. We particularly liked the Bushveld atmosphere at this campsite. Manyane is also nice but with more of a holiday resort type feeling.
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Here are some Blue Wildebeest that we encountered while driving through the park.
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Can you spot the crocodile?.
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This is part of a large herd of elephants that we encountered late one afternoon.
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These two youngsters were having some fun trying to decide who is King of the Road!
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“Hello down there!”.
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We saw a number of Giraffes during this visit to Pilanesberg. Giraffes are certainly one of our favorite African Safari Animals.
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It is not just about the Big Five and other large mammals either. Here is a picture of Guinea Fowl alongside the road. If you enjoy birding this is an ideal destination as the park exists in the transition zone between Bushveld and the drier Kalahari type vegatation. This means that species common to both type of habitats occur here. So, bring your Roberts or Sasol Bird guide and binoculars and enjoy the stay...
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A Heron patiently looking for lunch in this puddle left by the recent rain...
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...and what do you know! This Lioness also looking for lunch at the Malatse Dam. This Lioness patiently stalked and eventually caught a young Waterbuck. Unfortunately this was beyond the range of the camera we had with us but at least we could witness the kill through our binoculars.
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This picture was taken from the hide at Mankwe Dam.
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A picture of a Pied Kingfisher, also taken from the hide at Mankwe Dam.
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Late afternoon at the Ratlhogo waterhole with some Impala having come to slack their thirst.
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I am a sucker for pictures of reflections on water.
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Oops! You may have the right of way, sir! We were lucky enough to see both Black and white Rhino during our visit, the White Rhinos being more prevalent.
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A Rhino rubbing post. Rhinos enjoy rubbing themselves against a post like this to rid them from parasites. As you can see this post is worn smooth from all the use through the years.
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This picture of Makorwane and Mankwe dams in the distance was taken from the Lenong viewpoint.
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This picture of Makorwane dam was also taken from the Lenong viewpoint.
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There are a number of viewpoints where you can while the afternoon away...
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...while admiring views such as these. Don’t forget your binoculars!
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Blue skies, blue water, just another beautiful day in South Africa.
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Zebras...
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