South Africa Days 2 – 4 (February 19 – 21, 2009)

We woke up early to catch our flight to Johannesburg on the 19th. The safari I signed up for was at Pilanesberg Game Reserve which is located in North West Province, South Africa, about two hours outside of Johannesburg. We completed a total of four safaris in the three day period – two being from 4:30 p.m. until 8:00 p.m., and the other two being from 5:30 a.m. until 8:00 a.m. This is my field log for the trip.

Safari #1 – Thursday, February 19 (4:30 – 8:00 p.m.)

Venturing out on our first safari, I was not sure what to expect. Initially, I had no clue how large the park was. We were very fortunate in our first outing, seeing all of the following: Zebra, Blue Wildebeest, White Rhinoceros, Elephant, Kudu, Warthog, Springbok, and one male Lion. The climate for our first outing was sunny and hot to begin with, somewhere around 80 degrees Fahrenheit with not much breeze; this cooled off once the sun went down. We traveled a good amount of the park in the first day. The park consists of very beautiful savanna-like plains -- numerous hills and a vast amount of vegetation, including many species of trees and shrubs. My group and I noticed, specifically, that the blue wildebeest were always hanging around packs of zebra. Our guide informed us that this was because of the wildebeests’ horrible eyesight and hearing; hanging around zebra packs is a form of protection for the Wildebeest.

Safari #2 – Friday, February 20 (5:30 – 8 a.m.)

Our first morning safari, the weather started out somewhat chilly (around 55 degrees Fahrenheit), and getting warmer throughout the day. Overall, our animal sightings were similar this morning as they were yesterday afternoon; our only new sightings were of Ostrich and Hippopotamus. However, we did see two lions mating. Our guide informed us that it was indeed mating season for lions. He stated that a typical mating session will last for thirty seconds, and a single male will mate with numerous females throughout the entirety of the season.

Safari #3 – Friday, February 20 (4:30 – 8 p.m.)

The weather eventually ended up very similar to that of yesterday afternoon; however, there were a few light showers early on in the outing. This could explain the “lack-there-of” of animal sightings for this particular evening. Once the weather cleared we did see a pack of Giraffes, and numerous babies of animals we had seen before in the previous day (zebra, white rhino, etc.) Later on in the voyage, our group noticed a somewhat bloated giraffe off by herself, not with the rest of the pack. Our guide informed us that she was indeed pregnant, and female giraffes, when pregnant, will venture off by themselves to have their child. This allows the baby time to adapt to the environment. A female giraffe can be in labor for up to 19 months! Once the sun went down, we saw numerous night owls – which surprisingly allowed us to get fairly close to them. It was interesting to see them, because despite the park having over 360 species of birdlife, our bird sightings were limited throughout the entire three days.

Safari #4 – Saturday February 21 (5:30 – 8 a.m.)

Our last and final outing -- only new species sighting was of Baboon. The pack, lead by the male, were all sitting on top of one of the park bridges. Apparently, according to our guide, there are often battles between baboon and leopard within the park. Our guide stated that baboons will, more often than not, win that battle.

I was able to observe the actual size, color, and habitat of a number of species for the first time in person. Specifically, I had some interesting findings with the white rhinoceros. Despite being named “white” rhinoceros, they are in fact grey. There is also a chance that you will see a rhino with brown patches on its skin, this is mud. Rhinoceros will take these mud baths, to help cool off during the heat of the day, and also use it as a defense mechanism to fight off ticks. The ticks on the rhinoceros’ skin will dry up in the mud, and then the rhino will scratch its skin against a tree or something of that sort. The dried up mud will release from the rhinoceros’ skin along with the dead ticks. Thanks to the willingness of our guide to share information such as this, I learned a number of new facts about all of the animals we saw during our three-day safari at Pilanesberg Game Reserve.
Overall the entire safari experience was amazing. The resort in Pilanesberg was built right into the park, and our huts and the surrounding resort area were held in the park by short electric fencing. The resort was beautiful, and the food was amazing as well -- we dined and lived like kings for the entire trip. However, the best part about the safari was the safari trips themselves – of course. The park had breath taking scenery and it was absolutely incredible to be that close to wild animals. Going on an African safari had been a dream of mine ever since I was a child; and the trip to Pilanesberg Game Reserve did not disappoint – one of the best experiences I’ve had.