South Africa
Pilanesberg National Park
Pilanesberg National Park is situated in the ecologically rich transition zone between the Kalahari and the Lowveld grasslands; this vast area promises thrilling big game viewing in a malaria free environment. A wide variety of accommodation is available to suit your needs.
Some of the most beautiful scenery within the entire park can be viewed in the Mankwe Dam region. The dam is the largest body of water in the game reserve. This makes it the perfect place to spot a wide variety of animals. water-buck, wildebeest, zebra and impala are among the animals that make a stopover on the grassland bordering the dam.
For bird lovers, there is a bird blind very close to the water’s edge. Often you will see fish eagles, kingfishers and cormorants circling the dam. Pilanesberg National Park provides fantastic opportunities to photograph the plentiful array of fauna and flora.
Pilanesberg National Park, or Pilanesberg Game Reserve as it is often called, is located relatively close to Johannesburg. With an area of 550km², it is the fourth largest park in South Africa. The volcano crater in which the park is situated erupted 1300 million years ago.
In 1979, Operation Genesis was launched to reinforce the game population in the area. As part of the initiative, 110 kilometers of game fence was put up and 188 kilometers roads were established. Operation Genesis introduced 6000 animals to the area. Operation Genesis has been expanded where today, there are over 7 000 animals, 360 bird species, and more than 200 kilometers of roads.
We spent three days at Pilanesberg National Park with Niel Jacobs of Impisafaris (niel@impisafaris.com) Niel is extremely knowledgeable about animal behavior and was able to show us things that would have been impossible for us, unless we had spent years living and guiding in Africa. Pilanesberg is an ideal safari location - in the day you are living National Geographic and the sleeping accommodations are luxurious. We have recommended Niel and ImpiSafaris and everyone has been 100% satisfied.
GAME DRIVES