Travelogue - Weekend Safari (May 2002)

This past week, I learned that I would have a
last-minute business trip to Johannesburg, South
Africa. Given my interest in, and familiarity with
the country, I gladly looked forward to the trip.

Luckily, the business meetings were on Friday, so a
colleague and I agreed to spend an extra day and enjoy
the local surroundings. We decided to head to the
Pilanesberg National Park – a safari park two hours
northwest of Johannesburg, adjacent to the Las
Vegas-esque Sun City. Given our limited time, we hired
a car and driver for the day. We set out early on
Saturday and headed west. En route, we passed a
beautiful boat-speckled reservoir and some incredible
wide-open vistas. It was reminiscent of parts of W.
Texas / New Mexico / Arizona.

We arrived at the park by 930am and began our
adventure. Pilanesberg is a fenced enclosure of
50,000 hectares (500 square km), and includes a
natural sampling of all of the typical African
wildlife. It’s convenient, because it’s so close to
Jo’burg, coupled with the fact that you can drive your
private car throughout the park on the well-marked
paved and dirt roads. Also of note is that
Pilanesberg lies in a malaria-free area, so it’s a
great introduction to safari life for those who are
squeamish about truly roughing it.

It was a beautiful, sunny, late autumn day. Not a
cloud anywhere to be seen. Even with the shortened
daylight hours, the brilliance of the sunlight on the
landscape was fascinating. We entered the park at the
Kwa Maritane Gate, then proceeded along dusty dirt
roads, passed beautiful outcrops, and through
amber-colored grasslands. Occasional trees and bushes
were enhanced with the beauty of fall foliage – set in
contrast against the stark blue sky. Incredible!

We came across a few antelope, springbok and bushbuck
– all deer-like animals. Our first big find was a
solitary hippo, wallowing in the comforts of a cool,
refreshing pond. Around a few more bends, and past a
few ruddy-looking warthogs, we encountered a group of
five giraffe – gracefully walking through the sparse
shrubbery, pausing occasionally to nibble on some
high-level leaves. They are such amazing creatures –
definitely one of my favorites in the African bush.
Next was the central reservoir of the park, which
included a resident troop of a dozen or so hippos,
along with a number of beautifully-colored wading
birds (herons, hornbills, etc.). Encountered a couple
groups of baboons as well.

After four hours of meandering along the dusty roads,
we stopped by a game lodge within the park for lunch.
We elected to dine on some local delights. I stuck
with a freshly grilled ostrich fillet, while my
colleague Rainer chose a three-skewer platter of
grilled ostrich, crocodile and Kudu (a large deer-like
animal – also the national animal of S. Africa, and
abundant in supply). I sampled the croc and kudu as
well. Not too bad!

We hit the road after lunch and proceeded to the
western part of the park. A lone road to the top of a
high outcrop revealed a breath-taking view of the wide
open valley and rolling hills below. En route, we
spotted a white rhino mother and her baby at a
distance from the road (sorry, too far for a good
pic!). By 430pm, the autumn sun was quickly falling
in the western sky, and we headed south to exit the
park. We saw a group of 4-5 cars on the side of the
road, and were delighted to see a gang of four young
male lions, casually making their way through the
rolling grasslands.

Just past the southern park gate is the resort of Sun
City. It’s a Las Vegas-esque entertainment and casino
complex. Sun City was the focal point of protests by
entertainers from around the world during the former
Apartheid days, who proclaimed ”I’m not gonna play Sun
City” back in the mid-80s. We stopped by for a few
minutes to take a look. It is a lush oasis in
contrast to its arid surroundings. The highlight was
the high-end hotel called The Lost City – truly
beautiful architecture – with immaculately designed
landscapes, waterfalls, lush palm groves, etc.
However, this man-made Disneyland can in no way
compare to the natural beauty of Pilanesberg National
Park – just over the hill behind the resort.

In summary, Pilanesberg is a great daylong getaway
from Johannesburg, especially for those who have never
been on safari before, or just want a taste of
“safari-light”. Our only disappointment was not
seeing any elephants. They exist in the park, but we
didn’t see any. It’s all a matter of luck and timing.
There are no guarantees! Entry fee to the park is a
mere 20 Rand (less than $2 per adult). The South
African economy is not doing well right now, and the
Rand has devalued significantly against other major
currencies, resulting in some amazing bargains for
vacationers from around the world. South Africa is
such a beautiful and blessed country – full of natural
flora and fauna. I can’t wait to go back for a 10-day
holiday in late November!

For more information on Pilanesberg National Park, go
to:

http://www.parks-nw.co.za/pilanesberg/

Enjoy!

Mark