One of the most popular things to do when going to Africa is to go on a Safari. Everyone’s seen those movies and televisions shows that take place in Africa with those incredible animals, and naturally, they want to see them live and in person themselves. Being an avid animal lover and enthusiast, when I landed in Johannesburg, I decided I HAVE to experience this myself!
There are two major reserves in South Africa, Kruger and Pilanesburg, both having the “big five,” lions, leopards, elephants, rhino’s and buffalo. Kruger is the larger reserve, located about 5 hours outside of Johanesburg, while Pilanesburg is about 3 hours outside of Johanesburg. We decided to partner with Mo Afrika Tours to see what South Africa had to offer.
MoAfrika Tours
MoAfrika offers anywhere from 1-3 day tours of Pilanesburg and 2-5 day tours of Kruger National Park. They also offer city tours as well, including day tours of Soweto, Johanesburg, Pretoria, Durban, and Cape Town. We went with the day tour of Pilanesburg. The park is located in a malaria free area, but it’s suggested that, at the least, to take precautionary measures such as mosquito repellent.
Setting up the safari was very easy. We simply sent an email to ask@moafrikatours.com and, within a day, Anthony responded asking us what day we’d like to go and our address where we’ll be picked up for the safari. After indicating the day, he sent us a confirmation of the time we’d be picked up and that was it. Easy!
Safari Day
On the day of the safari, our driver Dennis showed up promptly at 6:15am in a large sprinter van. There were about six other safari goers already in the van. We piled in, picked up one more couple, and off we headed to Pilanesburg National Park.
The drive itself is part of the experience as well. As it’s a 3 hour drive from Johannesburg, you get to see the city literally waking up and the people beginning their day. You’ll pass small townships, some, sprawling examples of urbanization, while others are a clear reminder of the wealth gap in the country. One of the men in our group, from the States of course, proceeded to ask Dennis about his experience during apartheid. Quite a heavy conversation at 7am!
We arrived at Pilanesburg at 9am sharp. How it took exactly three hours, I have no clue. Upon our arrival we switched from our sprinter van to an open jeep with a canopy and were greeted by our Ranger, Weyland. A seasoned Ranger, Weyland had worked all over Africa, with his most recent stint being a few years in Pilanesburg.
It’s important to note that Pilanesburg is a national park, so you can drive your own vehicle in the park at your leisure. However, I would strongly recommend an experienced ranger because they’re knowledgeable about every animal you come across, they’re able to track animals easily, they communicate with other rangers in the park as to where animals have been sighted, and, though I can’t prove this, I think they have a sixth sense in spotting things that no normal human could see!
Weyland asked us what we’d like to see, and of course everyone said lions. Apparently they sleep 20 hours a day so Weyland said he’d need our help in spotting one. If we see the flick of a tail, odd coloring, or a bird diving down, let him know!
The park is about 57,000 hectares or 140,850 acres, which is a lot of ground to cover. Despite the park being so massive, as soon as we entered the park we were greeted by a bull elephant who was on his way to one of the watering holes. We were visiting in the middle of the dry season so the water had dwindled to a few specific locations, where all of the game in the park would eventually have to convene to drink.
Pilanesburg is home to 7,000 animals and 300 bird species. During our visit we saw countless buffalo, giraffe, zebra, rhinos, hippos, birds, crocodiles and much more. On our search, Weyland got a call that “something special” may be waiting for us, but it was about a 15-20 minute drive from our current location if we don’t stop to look at other animals. We all agreed that we should head there and see what we find.
When we arrived, we found our surprise. We found a pair of lions sleeping under a tree, not far from the road. And this wasn’t just any pair either, this was a mating pair. Lions generally move in prides, but this particular pair had come together just to mate. Weyland explained that for 5 days, these lions have sex every 30 minutes. That’s a lot of sexin! After the five days are up, they each go there separate way. *Insert witty comment here*
Just our luck, after about 10 minutes, the position of sun changed just enough to shine on the male lions head, causing him to wake up. Seemingly right on cute, just like a man he woke up with the “urge”. He then proceeded to wake up the female and give her the best 30 seconds in the last 30 minutes of her life. After finishing he had a good stretch and looked around, probably thinking about where to brunch, while she rolled over on her back. The joys of nature!
Lunch
This MoAfrika safari also includes lunch. There is a food compound in the middle of the park that really isnt’ separated from any of the wildlife. Though there is a fence on the side where you dine, the side where the cars enter and park is relatively open. In theory, any animal could come in and have a look around!
The menu had a variety of food to choose from. I ultimately went with a chicken sandwich that was delicious. Just beyond the dining patio where we were seated, there was a salt lick, which attracted a variety of animals. This was cool because we got to dine while watching the countless species of animals.
After Lunch…
After eating, we continued our journey, on the hunt for more animals. Up until this point, we’d seen everything except a leopard. Apparently they’re the most elusive animal in the world. Somehow, Weyland spotted the head and spine of an antelope up in a tree. How he saw this, I have no idea. The blood still looked red and fresh, meaning the kill was relatively fresh. Could it be that the leopard had recently killed this antelope and taken it up the tree? And where was the body?
Weyland said it takes a few days for a leopard to eat an entire antelope and, because of that, he thought the body had probably fallen from the tree and was eaten by hyenas. Also, there was a 50/50 chance that the leopard was still close. He said the leopard was probably watching us somewhere in hiding as we searched for it. We drove back and forth for about 15 minutes, scouting the trees and grass for the leopard but couldn’t find him. Looks like the leopard IS the most elusive animal in the world!
We ended the safari at 3pm and Dennis was waiting for us outside the park in the van. We got back to Johanesburg about 6pm after a long, but fun day at Pilanesburg. MoAfrika provided a great overall experience. Booking was easy, transportation to and from the park was seemless, and the safari was awesome.
Instagram: @moafrikatours
Geron is an avid traveler, entreprenuer and mens style aficionado. He love’s mac and cheese, getting discounts, his momma, and a good whiskey, not particularly in that order. It’s alleged he lives in Miami, but no one really knows anymore.
Follow him on instagram at @geronp
