CA
50-65 years of age
Review about Masai Mara National Reserve by Yukon Travellor
What can I say. We've been through the Mara on three different occasions at three different times of the year at three different lodges. Spectacular animal viewing, excellent lodges or camps to stay at. A MUST SEE !!
CA
50-65 years of age
Review about Aberdare National Park by Yukon Travellor
We visited there on our first safari to Kenya. Very different vegetation though equally beautiful place to stay for several nights. You got to see a couple of the big 5.
CA
50-65 years of age
Back for a Second Visit
We found Shaba and its sister reserves in the area much drier parks than the others we have visited further south, though no less plentiful places for animals. On both occasions in 2007 and again this year we stayed at the Sarova Shaba Lodge. This was well worth the tourist dollars though there are several lodges of equal calibre throughout the general area in and out of the three parks we visited in that region.
50-65 years of age
Great Park with lots of game to see.
A visit to the Pilanesberg Game National park.
The park is in a huge extinct volcanic crater and is about 50 000 Hectares big, about 1.5 hours drive from Johannesburg South Africa.
We decided to go on a camping trip for about 10 nights from 24th January to 3rd February 2011. This was our second trip to the park and, as before, we really enjoyed our stay.
One of the reasons we like the park is that there is always plenty to see. The Pilanesberg has a large variety of animals including the big five (Elephant, Rhinoceros, Buffalo, Leopard and Lions). There are more than 50 mammals, 66 reptiles and 300 bird species. Most of the species are quite abundant as well, so one never has to go far to see something.
We camped the first half of our stay at the Manyane camp site. The camp site is very nice and has all amenities one would expect. There is a large walk-in aviary with many of the bird species that can be seen in the park as well as some self-guide walking trails, safe from Lions and other dangerous animals. However there are some smaller animals, like the Impala (a small antelope), Zebra and some monkeys that visit the camp-site. One evening after dark we wondered what the unusual noise was and I found at least a hundred of the Impala grazing around our tents! They were not afraid of us and we could walk right up to them. Took out my camera, tried to take some photo's, but it was too dark. I decided to try using the flash to take at least one shot, expecting them to take off the moment they see the flash. To my surprise they were not bothered at all and just continued grazing. Got some amazing photos!
There is an information centre, known as the Pilanesberg Centre that's also a restaurant and curio shop almost in the centre of the park that I found well worth visiting. It's behind fences so you can safely get out of your vehicle. They have a viewing deck where one can enjoy a lunch or a cup of coffee. This deck looks over a plane with a water hole close by. Every time we visited the centre there was something worthwhile going on. They often put out pieces of mineral salt that attracts all kinds of animals. It was great seeing some Kudu (a large antelope) and Giraffe making use of this treat. A whole heard of about ten Giraffes came along for a lick of salt and a drink of water. There is also a resident group of Warthog and we even saw some babies suckling from their mother. Another time there was a female white rhino grazing just a few meters away from us! And yet another time some Zebra fowls playing and chasing some Blue Wildebeest around the water hole.
The Friday evening we treated ourselves to a night time game drive, run by a game ranger of the park. This was an unforgettable experience. We left the camp-site just before dusk with the ranger who was called Nelson. He had great knowledge of the park and some wonderful things to tell us about even the smallest and least significant animals. We saw some Rhino and Impala and then as dusk was settling in we managed to see a small pride of Lions! They were rather docile and uninterested in us though. From there on it went completely dark as the night settled in, but we managed to see a number of Owls and other night birds. One thing that was unforgettable was the herbal scent from the bush around us - the night really enhanced it. Then a Hyena appeared in the bush, an animal almost never seen in daytime! The greatest surprise was a herd of Elephant that appeared right in front of us, there were even some new babies between them. Needless to say we kept a respectful distance between us and the herd. Elephant, especially with young babies, can be aggressive. An interesting thing about the Elephant is how quiet they walk. One would think that such a huge animal would make some noise, but you cannot hear their feet on the road as they walked. One of the big bulls was making a mess (defecating) on the road as he was walking. The ranger then told us that if an Elephant gets a stomach upset, the only thing for him to do is to eat the faeces of another Elephant, to revive the necessary bacteria in his digestive tract!
From here on we moved to another camp-site called Bakgatla. This was the lesser of the two camp-sites, but because it was on the other side of the park we were able to explore different places again. There was a nearby dam and hide called Ratlhogo Hide that we visited a few times especially early morning and late afternoon. Took some great pictures of a Hippopotamus having a huge yawn! Here we also saw a herd of Rhinoceros and Zebra coming for a drink.
On another drive through the park we saw an Elephant having a back scratch against a tree and a few moments later another one having a dust bath. He was using his trunk to throw a lot of dirt and dust onto his back. It apparently helps to keep parasites and excessive sunlight away of his skin. At yet another hide (Batlhako Hide) I managed to get a photo of a Fish Eagle taking a dive in an attempt to catch a fish, but unfortunately he came up out of the water empty handed (clawed?).
January was an interesting time to go to the park as most animals just had their young and there are babies and fowls everywhere. We got many photos of babies suckling from their mothers!
Further we saw some rabbits, a Fox and a Jackal as well as many species of birds throughout the entire park also many big herds of Blue Wildebeest, Zebra and Impala.
Really a park well worth visiting and one will not be disappointed as there is always something new to see around the next corner.
Jan Smit
Johannesburg
South Africa
CA
50-65 years of age
Review about Kenya by Yukon Travellor
We have been to Kenya three times on safari and will probably return again. Each time we find something new to visit and the parks, animals, and people are well worth the effort and cost of getting there.
50-65 years of age
Review about South Africa by Jan Smit
There is a wide variety of game, birds and flora to see. The climate is great, lots of sunshine.
US
35-50 years of age
Review about Masai Mara National Reserve by Wanderlust
For me this is the best wildlife park in the world. We were here for three weeks during the migration and saw something new and amazing each day. The Masai people at Riverside Camp were very hospitable and kind. Loved every moment.
US
35-50 years of age
Review about Lake Nakuru National Park by Wanderlust
Love this place. It is one of the most beautiful in the world. The scenery is stunning and wildlife really amazing. Great vibe. Very conveniently located off main road and large town.
US
35-50 years of age
Review about Saiwa Swamp National Park by Wanderlust
Not much here. A little disappointed. We did see many monkeys and birds were poor. It could have been a bad year or wrong time of year.
US
35-50 years of age
Review about Kakamega Forest National Reserve by Wanderlust
Nice park with loads of monkeys. It is a very unique setting in rain forest which Kenya has little of.