SAFARI #2

Mr. O. and I had a weekend in the PILANSBERG NATIONAL PARK. We stayed at a small, but lovely place called "Ivory Tree Resort" which was situated right beside the entrance to the national park. We went on two morning safaris which left at 5:30 and returned us back in time for breakfast at 9am. We also went on two evening safaris from 4:30- 8:30, with dinner served when we returned.

Now which is the best viewing seat in the safari truck?

The beautiful and inquisitive kudos

The wildebeest  or gnu

Sundowners!

Another romantic dinner in Africa

Stay out mossies!

Mummy rhino with her baby. It is so sad and deplorable that poachers kill these  beautiful creatures for their horns!

Where in the world are you, Mrs. O.?

"Right here!"

The Ivory Tree Lodge

Our bungalow

Mummy and baby

Mummy warthog with five babies!

Curious kudos

Guineafowl or "bush chicken"

Beware, giraffes crossing!

A group of giraffes is called a "journey of giraffes".

Now it's a zebra crossing!

A herd of elephants at the waterhole

It's like Noah's ark!

The collective noun for a group of zebras is "a dazzle of zebras". 

On the day safaris, we saw zebras, giraffes, elephants, wildebeests, rhinos, impala, springbok, warthogs and my favourite...the kudos. It was too hot for the lions and leopards to be out. They must have been hiding under some shady trees or at a cave entrance somewhere in the park. We went in search of them at night, but alas, no sightings by us ;0(  Others managed to catch a glimpse! We did hear some male lions calling to each other at night. We weren't far from them as they were in the thicket nearby. Oh well, we will just have to go on another safari to find them! We thoroughly enjoyed observing the amazing creatures that we did  see. Funny thing is that alot of  the "bush" is very much like Australia. There were times when we half expected to see a mob of kangaroos bounding across our path! Instead the giraffes would remind us that we were in Africa as they  gracefully checked for traffic and lopped across the road to the other side.