Safari Day 2 - Evening Ride

 

Giraffe on Afternoon Ride
Pilanesberg National Park, ZA 
February 25, 2025

The second evening safari ride was equally as exciting as the first, perhaps even more so because we knew what to expect. Our driver/ranger was very knowledgeable of animals and animal activity. 

White Rhino
Pilanesberg National Park, ZA
February 25, 2025

At 4:30 PM we headed out into the park to find animals. We did not get very far before sighting giraffes a short 7 minutes into the ride. MY iPhone telephoto lens continues not to work and so I ditched my camera and started using Chris', which worked great. These giraffes were close to the lodge and we followed them for a bit before running into white rhinos.

It is truly amazing that the animals just appear without warning because of the tall brush and grass. We could be coming around a corner and find almost anything in the road. 

White Rhino
Pilanesberg National Park, ZA
February 25, 2025

The rhinos were very photogenic and even posed for a nice picture. 

From there the ranger received word of a leopard on the move near our lodging and we headed back to try sighting it. This was the first of two failed attempts to find a leopard. We spent a while driving and stopping to listen for the leopard, but we were thwarted.

Zebra Road
Pilanesberg National Park, ZA
February 25, 2025

As we headed deeper into the park we again found a journey of giraffes. We stopped for a while to enjoy them and we subsequently continued on eventually coming across a herd of zebras making use of the road.

And then, it happened. We spotted a lone bull elephant and thus began an afternoon of elephant sightings and watching. We were all excited because to date the only evidence we had seen to confirm that there were elephants in the area was the dung on the road. And there was a lot of elephant dung on the roadways. 

We passed the elephant and drove to spot a Cape Buffalo with the intent of returning for the elephant later. After driving over the incredibly rough roads, we arrived at the location where the Cape Buffalo was spotted, but it had already moved a long way up a hill. We were able to see the buffalo with binoculars, and let me tell you it was huge! But, there was no picture to be taken. 

Bull Elephant
Pilanesberg National Park, ZA
February 25, 2025

Returning to the bull elephant, we found him and after watching him trudge for a while, the ranger knew where he was going to cross the road and so we drove away and staked out our spot. It was a thing of beauty. He was on a trail and we were positioned so as not to block the trail and yesterday be close to the elephant as he passed. 

Sunset over the Park
Pilanesberg National Park, ZA
February 25, 2025

After our elephant encounter we drove off for happy hour and sighting hippos at dusk. We saw quite a few hippos out of the water, but they were a great distance away and the images were not great. Darkness fell while we enjoyed gin and tonics and then we began the nighttime portion of our safari.

Nighttime Bull Elephant
Pilanesberg National Park, ZA
February 25, 2025

Our nighttime safari was equally as exciting as the night before. We spied white rhinos, a small chameleon, and a different bull elephant. We watched the elephant for a while before heading back to the lodge for dinner.

Wow! What a day!

We have one more ride to go. A morning ride on our day of departure. 

-- Bob Doan, Hartsfield-International Airport, Georgia