Pilanesberg National Park, which is the closest game park to Johannesburg, is small compared to other parks in South Africa, but offers unusual ecological diversity. Set within the crater of an ancient volcano, visitors can see the Big Five, wild dogs, antelope, over 360 species of bird, and pretty much every animal native to South Africa.
Pilanesberg also has numerous “hides,” where photographers can stay safely out of sight while capturing the amazing wildlife, as seen in this slideshow.
A malachite Kingfisher (Shutterstock)
A herd of elephants at a river (Shutterstock)
A yawning hippo (Shutterstock)
A trio of zebras (Shutterstock)
A herd of young female impalas (Shutterstock)
A brilliant sunset (Shutterstock)
White-faced ducks (Shutterstock)
Two dung beetles on a dung ball (Shutterstock)
Elephants reflected in a lake (Shutterstock)
A pride of lions (Shutterstock)
Blue wildebeest (Shutterstock)
A flock of flamingos (Shutterstock)
A towering giraffe makes its way through the bush (Shutterstock)
A herd of wildebeest as seen from a hot air balloon (Shutterstock)
A crocodile lurks in an algae-filled lake (Shutterstock)
