Day at Pilanesburg

January 3, 2017

We had a very nice day self-driving through Pilanesburg National Park. We saw more elephants, zebras, impalas, and wildebeest. We spent some time in two different blinds just to see what sort of animals would wander by.

In addition to the animals we saw yesterday, we also saw black rhinos, waterboks, hippos, and a leopard in a tree. Many birds were seen as well, including the yellow weaver bird that builds its nest upside down.

We came to an intersection of two park roads and were about to turn right when we saw an elephant lumbering down the road we were about to turn onto. We backed down the road we were on to give the elephant a wide berth. A park ranger vehicle came and did the same. As the elephant approached and we saw how big the elephant was, we backed up further, behind the ranger vehicle. It seemed a good idea to give the elephant at least as much room as the ranger did  (and to put a ranger between us and the elephant).

There is a very nice ethic in the park. Other drivers will stop and share what they've seen and where. For example, "There is leopard in a tree 1/2 kilometer down on the right," or "There are two lionesses in the grass near Mankwe Dam."

We also finally succeeded in finding sunscreen. When I asked yesterday, a shopkeeper said (with a big grin) that he didn't have it and that I wouldn't need it if I had black skin like his.

I had Kudu Steak for dinner. Kudu is an antelope species common in the Park.