Ruighoek Dam Small hide, south-east facing, year-round water Batlhoko Hide Small hide under renovation (Nov2019 completion), north-east facing, year round water Makorwane Hide Medium hide, year-round water, north facing Ratlogo Hide
Medium sized, poor water, south-west facing Mankwe Hide Under construction
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Mankwe Dam
The main hide at Mankwe burnt down in 2017 as the result of a runaway fire that engorged the park. Thankfully it is currently being rebuilt and on our most recent stay towards the end of 2019, staff were occupied with the beginnings of this rebuild. I hope that it is not too drastic a change from the original hide, as this was a space in which I could spend hours very happily. The hide consisted of a long walkway lined with wooden poles, spaced openly enough that one could peek through the gaps towards a rivulet that led to the main dam. The actual hide rested on pillars that were sunk into the water, the view of the lake stretching out from there. There were two dead leadwood trees near the viewing deck and I would watch kingfishers and cormorants in their daily routines. Often vast herds of elephants would find their way to the shores and wallow in the shallows. Mankwe is the epicenter of the volcanic crater that is Pilanesberg and the dam forms the mouth of that volcano. The lake is huge and attracts a plethora of wildlife including resident leopards, lions and plains animals. It is the source of some fantastic sightings and I always gravitate to Mankwe on trips to the park. Kwa Maritane Hide Towards the southern border of the park lies the Kwa Maritane resort. I have sometimes flown there for the day and spent my time at the hide. This is a unique space as a long corridor runs underground, reminiscent of a war bunker, complete with flickering lights and concrete ceilings. The passageway runs for at least 100m and ends with a hide that is sunk to eye level with a waterhole. Looking up to the animals offers a unique perspective. The birdlife is prolific with a resident hammerkop pair that makes their home at the edge of the water. I was lucky enough to watch an elephant bull wallow in the waterhole, so close that mud was flicked into the hide while he bathed. I also watched a terrapin try to regain its balance on a hippo that was submerged in the centre of the waterhole. An incredible place... The koppie just after Kubu Picnic Sight The main Kubu Drive leads from Bakubung to Mankwe and after the Kubu Picnic Sight there is the most beautiful koppie. I love this space with its boulderous rocky kloofs dotted with rock figs. There is clearly water close by as vegetation flourishes all around this outcrop. Leopard have been sighted in the area frequently, and I have often seen white rhino or elephant eating at the floor of the koppie. I think that this is a place of such beauty that I can imagine sitting on the highest point and surveying the undulating bushveld beyond it. There is no access to the koppie by road, and I am not sure that it even has a name, but it typifies the beauty of this environment. Makorwane Hide and the drive to Sable Pan Another beautiful expanse of water. The road leading to the lake is accessed by the largest buffalo herd in the park and it meanders through the hills before reaching the dam wall. We have often seen fish eagles resting in the area and often come across breeding herds of elephants as well. On the western edge of the dam lives a leopard which has been seen hunting leguaans from the water. The hide itself is a smaller, more intimate space with a tree at its focus which is the home for a number of waxbills and firefinches. If one continues along the road from Makorwane, eventually one would get to Sable Pan. This is a very muddy space thanks to the elephants, and with these giant creatures moulding this marshy space into an environment favourable for many other species. Malatse Hide Malatse hide is up north near Manyane gate. It is always quiet because of its partial inaccessibility. We do not go there often, but have always been rewarded by fantastic sightings when we have gone to Malatse. The hide is right on the water and on one occasion we were lucky enough to spend a good hour watching a herd of 30 elephants wallowing in the water a few meters from us. Being amongst the youngsters and watching their playfulness in the water was really something special. Fish Eagle Picnic Spot Fish Eagle overlooks Mankwe Dam from the hillside. The view is breath-taking and one can often hear the picnic spot’s namesake calling from the valley below. My favourite spot is slightly removed from the rest of the site. A bench is nestled between the rocks on the edge of the hillside and is concealed by velvet bushwillows. The francolin and robin-chat hang around the area and we often take a break from the gamedrives here to have a cup of Amarula Coffee and soak up the secluded surroundings. Tilodi Dam near Manyane Resort Just before entering Manyane Resort, Tilodi Dam can be accessed to the south. There is a one-way road that runs along the dam wall that eventually opens up onto the main waterway. We have seen brown hyena drinking from the shore next to the road and marvelled at the still reflections of rhinos that have also come to drink. Tilodi seems to be the destination of a variety of game paths as there is always one species or other that have come to the dam. We always drive home through the park and Tilodi is where we say our goodbyes before leaving Pilanesberg. Loop from Ntshwe to Kukama and Ruighoek Hide to Tlou and Makorwane Hide and Tshukudu eNtshoand back to Kubu This is a favourite drive. We often get to the reserve gates as soon as they open in the morning and then make our way along this route. Even if there is little to see (which seldom happens), the scenery is breath-taking. The road meanders along undulating hills and rocky outcrops as well as rolling grasslands. I saw my first serval along this road have in the past enjoyed some spectacular sightings. I came across Rain and her cubs, a cheetah that lives in the area, right next to the road. I spent more than half an hour with the family all to myself before they moved off into the tawny grass. I also came across five lion cubs which I noticed only after being distracted by a bee eater that had flown into the branches above them. Again, I was the only vehicle and was exposed to the rolling, tumbling cubs as they played between the rocks. The fact that the road leads to two of my favourite dams where a hide allows for a reprieve from the vehicle also adds to the route’s allure. As the dawn slowly cuts night away from day, and the various creatures that inhabit these timeframes sleep or wake, the road offers so many opportunities. It is one of the gifts of the Pilanesberg A collection of photographs from a week in the bush. The obvious highlight was seeing three cheetahs together, but we also watched two young male white rhinos 'scrumming' horn to horn. We also witnessed a failed stalk on some wildebeest by three lionesses (the element of surprize ruined by an oblivious young male). The little things stand out just as prominently though: from an oriole calling amidst coral tree flowers, a pied kingfisher perching within arms reach at Mankwe Hide, a tinker barbet calling to its mate outside our chalet, terrapins clustered in the sun and a baby crocodile resting on a rotten log. There was the bee eater that fought strong winds to catch insects on the wing, the brown hyena making short work of some old bones, elephants bathing in water and dust, a dabchick on a single prescious egg and a pack of wild dogs restless on the hunt. The bush is a place of replenishment and I am always sorry to leave...until next time (hopefully soon).
One of my great pleasures is making my way through the gates of a national park just as it opens.
I wake up, careful to make as little sounds as possible in the hopes that my departure does not disturb my still slumbering family. I make myself a cup of coffee, rub the sleep out of my eyes and drive towards the gate. There is a crispness to the air despite the season, but I have to drive with the window open despite the cold, just in case I catch a glimpse of some fleeting animal. Besides, with the window closed, I would be deprived of the sounds and smells of the bushveld waking up. If I am lucky, as I was this particular morning in the Pilanesberg, I am the first car through. The dozy guard manhandles the wrought iron gate and I am through...into the park. I drive slowly, guessing at signs of what might have happened during the night. This is one of my favorite indulgences. As I turn onto Lengau, the dirt road, I notice the tracks from an elephant that visited the camp the previous evening. Its toe-scuffed, circular indentations in the sand show that he made his way down to the river. A few roughly-stripped branches also mark his path, their whittled bark like huge pencil shavings across the road. Later on I come to some more footprints. These follow the course of the road. I guess at them being from the brown hyena that I had seen feeding on an elephant carcass, a lone male that is known to frequent the area. I can't seem to place the smaller hind pawprint, though, and wonder if this could be from his cousin, the spotted hyena. A cautious waterbuck gracefully crosses in front of me, his backward horns curling forwards as he walks. His pelt looks grizzly and cold. A front had been through and with the temperature dropping, I guess the animals tried to stay as warm as possible in the darkness. He disappears through a thicket and is gone, a ghost in the dawn. As I round the next bend, I see the remnants of a steaming rhino midden. Its dark smell feels warm and earthy. My heartbeat quickens when I notice the shadow of another footprint closeby. As I get closer, I see the telltale three lobed pad with four neat clawmarks in front of the toes. Cheetah. I follow them, peering eagerly throw the sawdust coloured veldt in the hopes of tracking the illusive cat. The spoor disappears into the bush, but I continue scanning...full of anticipation. I come round another corner that winds around a small koppie, and there, in a small patch of sun, right next to the road, are three subadult cheetahs. I am on a downhill slope, so I turn the car off and freewheel ever-so-slowly towards them. As I get closer, it is clear that they are three males, probably the the recently independent cubs from Rain, the well-known cheetah female in the area. They each watch me intently, sitting with the tails curled around their muscular hind legs, just like a domestic cat. I eventually stop not more than four feet from them. The cheetahs lose interest in my relatively quickly, and begin to stretch in the sunlight, its warmth massaging some life into their cold limbs. Every so often they look to each other, but otherwise remain still, despite the odd yawn. Waking up seems something of a process for these beautiful animals. I am so close that I could reach out and touch them, but instead, I look at the detail of the tearmarks running from their large golden eyes. Their fur seems rougher than I expected, and their spots seem more oval than round. They move like housecats as well, somehow managing to convey a variety of expressions through their frowning, curling, happy eyes. Sometimes, the cheetch flop down onto the ground, to lie on their side and then stretch their hind and forelegs apart; their heads lolling next to them. Relaxed. I sit with the three cheetah for about an hour until another car comes along. At the sound of the intruder, they stand up, and move off into the bush becoming a blend of spots and fur and grass and leaves. Gone. I leave with a smile and a photograph. Content. |
ContentSome thoughts about things, sometimes philosophical, sometimes just musings. The world through my eyes... Archives
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