The Pilanesberg National Park is located north of Rustenburg in the North West Province of South Africa. The park owes its existence to a rehabilitation project which started in 1979, and the subsequent Operation Genesis, which introduced game animals of various species. It constitutes the fourth biggest game reserve in South Africa, and has become a popular wildlife destination due to its relative proximity to Gauteng. The park is administered by the North West Parks and Tourism Board, while concessionaires operate its rest camps, bush lodges and lodges. In the south it borders on the Sun City entertainment complex. The park encompasses the root zone of an ancient (some 1.25 billion year old) extinct volcano, which is now defined by alternating ridges and valleys forming concentric rings. The geological formation rises abruptly in the form of hills 300–600 metres (980–1,970 ft) above the surrounding bushveld plains. Scattered throughout the park are various sites that are assigned to the Iron and Stone Ages and illustrate the presence of man during those early periods.
The park
The park was established in 1979 as a conservation project with socio-economic objectives. The construction of the 110 km (68 miles) long game fence, spanning rugged terrain, commenced in the same year. Operation Genesis involved a rehabilitation plan for the farming region and the stocking of some 6,000 game animals of 22 species. The park has an area of 572 square kilometres (221 sq mi), and visitors can travel through in a standard road vehicle. Most of the 188 km (117 mi) of track is not surfaced or maintained in good condition. The three main tarred drives are Kubu (hippo) in the south, Kgabo (monkey) in the north and Tshwene (baboon) in the east, with Tau (lion) linking the latter two. There are several camps, including Bakgatla and Manyane, serving the park. For day visitors, there is a restaurant and gift shop at the old Pilanesberg Magistrates Court. Near the centre of the park, there is an artificially constructed lake, the Mankwe Dam. There is one perennial river and a number of freshwater and saline springs that form smaller dams with animal hides nearby.
Geography The 'Pilanesberg Alkaline Ring Complex' is the park's primary geological feature. This vast circular feature is geologically ancient, being the ring dikes that fed a completely eroded caldera created by volcanic eruptions some 1.2 BYA. It is one of the largest volcanic complexes of its type in the world, the rare rock types and formations make it a unique geological feature, and a number of rare minerals occur in the park. The northern section has the highest hills, with Matlhorwe's peaks reaching 1,687 and 1,670 m (5,535 and 5,479 ft) respectively. Somewhat southward are Marutlhare, Ratshwane and Lenong (eagle hill), the latter offering views of the surrounding land from four different lookout points. Bakenkop (1,455 m (4,774 ft)), Thabayadiotso, the "proud mountain", Thaba ya Ditshwene, the "mountain of baboons", Dithabaneng (1,416 m (4,646 ft)) and Nkakane (1,382 m (4,534 ft)) are nestled in the eastern section. The southern hills are Madapya (1,455 m (4,774 ft)), Magare (1,455 m (4,774 ft)), Masebudule (1,455 m (4,774 ft)), Maritane and Bopitikwe.
Black Rhino Game Reserve The Black Rhino Game Reserve is a private reserve found in the north-west section of the Pilanesberg National Park. Wildlife is free to roam between both sections.
Wildlife
Flora The scenic terrain lies in the transition zone between Kalahari and bushveld, and both types of vegetation are found here. As a result of the park being in a transition zone, there are overlaps in mammals, birds, and vegetation. Distinct vegetation communities can be found in the Pilanesberg. The broad vegetation communities present in the Park have been described as follows:
North-facing hill savanna – these slopes receive more sunlight and are therefore drier than the south-facing slopes. The dominant tree is the red bushwillow. South-facing hill savanna – this area is characterized by hook thorn, wild pear and buffalo thorn. The absence of elephants from the system for over 140 years allowed the mountain cabbage tree to spread through the Pilanesberg. These trees and aloes are sought after by elephants and are now restricted to the highest hills. Pediment savanna – the pediments contain a subterranean layer of ferricrete, an accumulation of hard sheets of iron oxides. This prevents tree growth and maintains open grasslands. Valley savanna – this savanna is dominated by sweet thorn, umbrella thorn, karree, leadwood, tamboti and buffalo-thorn trees. Valley thicket – thickets of sweet thorn and black thorn occur on brack soils in the valleys. Rock outcrop thicket – outcrops of red syenite have weathered into a jumble of red-brown boulders that support a thicket dominated by lavender fever-berry, large-leaved fig, and red balloon tree.
Mammals
Today, Pilanesberg National Park accommodates almost every large mammal of southern Africa, and its rich array of southern African wildlife includes the Big Five, the five most dangerous game animals in Africa. Though the Pilanesberg is not in a location which the Big Five animals would naturally inhabit in any numbers, they have been introduced to the 550 square kilometres of African bushland. Resident large mammal species include lions, elephants, black rhinos, white rhinos, Cape buffaloes, leopards, cheetahs, plains zebras, giraffes and hippos. The Cape wild dog (Lycaon pictus pictus) was extirpated from the park by poachers, but subsequent reintroduction efforts were successful. The reserve is also home to brown hyenas. As of December 2010 the total count of large mammals was approximately 10,000. These included:
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