| I leave Pretoria at
3h30. If there is a Johannesburg pickup I leave my home town at 2h00 and
Jo'burg at 3h00. I must be certifiable right?? Nope; you just have
to understand animals and the Pilanesberg. The best sightings is normally
early in the morning till 9h00 and then again after 16h00. This is normally
the only times you will see lion, brown hyena and black backed jackal.
So when those gates open @ 5h30 we are there! Chances are that within
minutes you might see the animals right next to the road. The juicy grazing
is there. And you get your close up pics. But if it is before 7 am we don't
stop long. We zip to the nearest dam as lions are normally close to water
early. After 7h00 they disappear into the bush and chances are that you
won't see them again. And once the whole Sun City crowd with their Green
Rhino trucks descend on the park the animals move away from the roads -
they don't like the noise. And you don't get the close ups. You'll be lucky
if you even spot some of the game.
And this is where my other talent comes in. I 'm
extremely good at spotting. It comes from my army days when we were fighting
the terr's. When you are scared you are going to get shot you learn to
take everything around you in. It is a talent that stays with you forever.
And it's like magic. My customers are normally amazed when later in the
day a couple of vehicles in front of us pass a spot ahead but we stop only
so I can pull a rhino or something amazing out of a hat. And then in Oct
2003 I finally found a better spotter than me - one with a pleasant personality.
So there will be 2 of us....more eyes! He has out spotted me on both the
last 2 trips & has also awakened my interest in birds.
The gates close at 19h00 and I normally just
make it........ Leaving this late means seeing lots of animals hoofing
it to the nearest watering hole or spot they want to crash at for the night.
With us you get a full day. You might only be in Africa this one time.
Let me help you make the best of it.
My charges for the Pilanesberg are very simple.
I charge R3000pp/p/day from Pretoria or R3000pp/p/day from Jo'burg.
I 'm willing to go for 1 person but I only do one trip/week. If you
want a totally private trip for 1 person we will charge R3 500 from
Pta or R3 500 from Jo'burg. Otherwise just take your chances! As from
15 March 2004 I will be able to go just about any and every day; have
just sold off some of my commitments! My price does include soft drinks,
some bottled water, snacks, sandwiches, fruit salad. We do stop at
a picnic spot or 2 through the day - we provide our own.
I will buy you a lunch at one of the camps though - bring your swimsuit
as well! Families are welcome with kids under 12 @ half price. However
this is normally a private trip.
I am by no means the cheapest, in fact I am about
the 8th most expensive of about 60 operators. As it is I earn about R600/hour
so when I go to Pilanesberg I run at a loss!! We are however the only operator
that offers not only value for money, but also a fantastic and fun day
that you will always treasure. And this is why I do it, every day I have
in the park is special to me. I 'm not stressed if you prefer going with
someone else, I 'll even book it for you! And if you don't have a
sense of humour, please do just that - as I just might offload you in the
middle of the park!
We travel in a aircon VW microbus( for height)
seating 7 pax max; preferably 4. This is absolutely the best vehicle that
you can go in. It sits higher the sedan cars so you can see over the tall
grass. We can also keep the dust out if we have to. Lastly animals see
the vehicle as one animal only. This is unlike the open dusty safari vehicles
where when people stand up, scream & shout animals may scatter. You
are also out of the rain and cold if the weather chooses to be moody.
Realistically you will see Elephant, Rhino, Giraffe,
Zebra, Blue Wildebeest, Impala, Red Hartebeest, Tsesebe, Hippo, Kudu,
Ostrich, Baboon, Waterbuck, Warthog. Bird wise we rarely fail to miss
Hornbills, Guinea Fowl, Natal Francolin,
Grey Loerie, European Bee Eater, Monotonous Lark, Cattle Egrets, Cormorants,
Ring Neck Turtle Dove, Masked Weaver, Plovers, Black Shouldered Kite,
Cape Sparrow, Glossy Starling, Forked Tailed Drone, Bulbul, Sacred Ibis,
Gray Heron, Fiscal Shrike, White Crow, White Faced Duck, Egyptian
Geese. Then there is a more than even chance
to see Lion, Crocodile, Springbok, Vervet Monkey, Eland, Banded Mongoose,
Squirrel, Fish Eagle, Lilac Breasted Roller, Swansons Francolin, some
Kingfishers, Wagtails, Spoonbill, Crested Barbet, Lesser Striped Swallow
in season. Not so easy are Leopard, Buffalo,
Cheetah, Brown Hyena, Silver backed Jackal, Secretary Bird, Klipspringer,
Duiker, Sable, Oryx, Steenbok, Reed buck, Rock Monitor, Blue headed
Agama, Kori Bustard, some Kingfishers, Red Chested Cuckoo though we
always hear it, Black Eagle, Martial Eagle, Hamerkop, Hoopoe Caracal,
Meerkat. And though they are there
I 've never seen: Wild Dog, Serval, Ant-eater.
Most the other Pretoria and Jo'burg operators
only leave at 8h00 or 9h00 so they only get there at 10h00 or 11h00.
And they leave at 16h00. If you rather want to go with one of them please
feel free to do so. I 'll even book them for you if you want - there's
nothing like getting paid a commission for doing very little work! Some
of them will actually be able to tell the difference between a tree
and a lion! But it is my point of view that if you might not even bother
going if you spend so little time there. I would highly recommend
We are willing to run at any time. I will always
go for 1 person but please book a week or so in advance. I prefer going
weekdays - you get about 40 cars at a time in the park in the week; weekends
it is up to 400 cars at a time. I also try to avoid going public and school
holidays but sometimes we have no choice! It stays an awesome experience.
For a 2 day trip
we sleep over in or just outside Pilanesberg. Accommodation is in adequate
chalets normally with a shared bathroom. We skip breakfast though as we
are at the gate when it opens. Alternatively we sleep at a local guesthouse.
The 2nd day is charged at the same price as the 1st but we will
pay for the accommodation, supper at the end of day 1 as well as breakfast
on day 2. Lunch day 2 is also included. We have also stayed over a 2nd
night - in this case price will be a little more expensive. In this case
we leave sometime the next day - great for going to the De Wildt Cheetah
Research Centre on the way back. Sleep over option
for 1 in Pilanesberg more expensive - on request. It's also subject to
accommodation available.
Please note that there is a possibility
that the group might be joined on the second day by someone via a
special transfer or alternatively leaving at the end of day one. We
normally don't go to Sun City that is right next door. If you
want we can drop you there for a couple of hours and pick you up later
- you'll have to pay your own entrance. Sun City is actually quite
nice...the game viewing is nicer though
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