Pilanesberg - Current Conditions

[JoeKing]

i have a love - hate tendancy towards kwa maritane gate, have and many ellie encounters, lions right by the gate, but then the first stretch when you can still see the cars on the road also upsets me. i now a days enter at bakubang and take the first left onto the dirt roads.

love it. also 2/3 last visits there was a lion king on the road up to fish eagle. this year we spotted 2 males the day after the kill and followed them, with some luck and guessing from fish eagle all the wat to pilanesberg centre

[Mel]

It's been so long since we last visited to be honest but we also usually enter through Kwa Maritane because it's the closest gate. We might have used Bakubung but I cannot quite remember. We used to find lions on a regular basis. We once just missed a wild dog kill near Bakgatla gate and that area was also where we had our very best cheetah and leopard sighting ever.

I'm sad that they "cull" the game. I am not happy about any hunting in a reserve. I think animals should feel safe there.

Speaking of Kwa Maritane, that is where I believe they always see the Yellowthroated Sandgrouse? Do you know where one can see them? Someone spoke about seeing them at the dam near the hotel. Do you know the area and when it would be the best time to visit?

Sorry for all the questions but you seem like the expert. :-P

[JoeKing]

I haven't become a stinck yet, i'm waiting to buy a better camera so i have proof. I cant answer your bird question.

You say the dam near the hotel, there is a dam and hide at kwa maritane so could be there.

However, the tar road between pianesberg centre and bakubang, kind of inline with mankwe hide there have been secretary bird nesting a few times now, have also seen them walking there often. Hope you know where i'm talking about.

In my +-30 trips i have yet to see a leopard or wild dogs there.

However did have my best cheetah sighting there and my only brown hyena sightings.

Kruger is far better for leopard and WD, also seen my first and only caracal in PB.

You know i also don't condone the Lion culling.

But to think of it if they shift a Lion to another park, they might make R 20 000 after all transport costs etc. A america will to pay R 250 000 to shoot a lion and that money going for conservation sounds much better to me.

I have also heard rumours that NW parks/tourism is planning on creating a corridore between Pilanesberg and Mabalingwe or Madikwe( not to sure which one is closer)

And if they are investing this R 250 000 into a project like that then i am all for it.

[Bushboy]

The road from Bakabung up to the Mankwe dam is also in a very bad state. Sometimes it is more needed to dodge the potholes, than having time to look around.

I think it is still a good alternative to Kruger, especially for one day trips from Gauteng.

But these days we prefer camping in Marakele.

[iNdlovu]

Joe, the talk about joining Pilanesberg with Madikwe has been going on for ages (15 years). It would certainly be wonderful if this happened, but I don't see it coming about unless a lot of land is donated to NW Parks. They just don't have the money to buy up the land between.

[Mel]

13/09/2011

Bushboy, please tell me more about Marakele?
I believe it's about 80km further from JHB than Pilansberg?

One thing which also puts me off from visiting Pilansberg is the camp. One can hear kids jumping on the trampoline until 2am. It's more like a pleasure resort, no night sounds except blaring music and people talking at the top of their voices. One cannot relax in camp during the day like you can do in Kruger, the noise from the pool area and kids on roller skates and bicycles drive one mad. The camps are really not pleasant at all. :

I believe that most people use, particularly Manyane camp, as cheap accommodation to Sun City and have very little interest in Nature.

[Tshukudu]

I believe that most people use, particularly Manyane camp, as cheap accommodation to Sun City and have very little interest in Nature.

Hi Ann

What you say is very true. Have stayed there many times in the past and will not go back due to unruly and drunken behaviour by many people.

[iNdlovu]

Sadly, this is so. I have often seen people arrive and set up their camp in Pburg and then straight off to Sun City, arriving back at camp in the early hours of the morning.
Marakele is a brilliant spot. It's about 30 k's north east of Thabazimbi. There are 2 camps one at the entrance gate and a tented camp up in the centre of the park. The tents are built on wooden platform with own kitchen area over the dam, en suite showers and toilets. It's a lovely quiet spot. It is well worth a visit. I must admit I haven't been there for quite a few years so the above may be outdated a bit.

[steamtrainfan]

06/10/2011

We are going to Manyane tomorrow for a week. We have done so for the past 6 years and have nothing but praise for the camp, restaurant and game reserve. Every time we have had wonderful sightings. The negative reports above are of concern to us as we have not been there since last October. There have also been negative reports in the Travel section of the Pretoria News for the past few weeks. We sincerely hope that we can come back with some good news.

[JoeKing]

heard this weekend well sunday it was hot, but there was snow in rustenburg, hope the cold front has moved on, STF.

Good luck.

There seem to be some lions hanging around Fish eagle been making kills near the road lately.

Also when we were there in may the 1st dirt road after the mankwe loop towards bakubang had leopard seen every morning for a week.

also the ellies were very scarce our last 2 trips, only found them on the road to noga view point