Monday, December 13, 2010

Pilanesburg - December 2010

I rate the Pilanebsurg as one of the best holiday destinations in South Africa. The Kruger Park will always be my ideal getaway, and I have yet to find a place that can top it, but the Pilanesburg is not that far behind. It has just as good facilities as Kruger and it has all the big 5 (though buffalo are rarely spotted there), as well a good variety of bird life, so you are bound to see something interesting on every visit. Added to which it is only a 2 hour drive to get there from Johannesburg, and the best option for anyone who wants to get out of the city for a weekends break.

I took these photos on my recent visit to the park on the 11th December. I was originally going to head through there with my good friend Ryan, but he came down ill a few days before and couldn't make it, so I just decided to head through there on my own anyway.


A young zebra foal at the Rathlogo waterhole.



A pair of zebras also at the Rathlogo waterhole. The whole herd of them got spooked by something, and this one was desperately trying to get out of the mud so it could flee with the rest of his mates.



A group of warthogs also making good use of the muddy bank of the waterhole.



There's always something good to take photos of in the park. even if you're not seeing many animals, the hills in the park make for some impressive scenic shots, like this one.



A redbreasted swallow.



A giant kingfisher at Mankwe dam.



The same kingfisher flying off after an unsuccesful attempt at catching a fish. They are not particularly fast flyers, so I was able to get this shot relatively easily.



One of the many dragonflies that fly around the hide at Mankwe dam. I think this one is called a violet dropwing.



A young blue wildebeest calf being watched over carefully by its mother.



A giraffe feeding from the top of some acacia trees.