Back to the "Cradle of Humankind"

Friends, in 1996 my wife and I moved to South Africa with our 3 year old and 10 month old. It was the best 6 months of my life. For us, a highlight was a safari at Pilanesberg Park about 1.5 hrs from our home in Johannesburg. One of my pictures from Africa was my first entry to the Indiana State Fair photography competition. I got an honorable mention! During the critique the judges felt my "choice of matte color could have been better but the image was superb." I made great friends and memories while in South Africa.

After 19 years of pining and praying I finally returned to South Africa and Pilanesberg. The country has changed significantly. The infrastructure is more fragile. Jo'burg is swollen with people and now forms the lower part of a megalopolis that engulfs Pretoria to SoWeTo (South West Township). Yet the beauty of South Africa remains.

I rented a car and drove out to Pilanesberg for a few days to visit one of my favorite places in the world. I have culled my 1000 pictures to four sets of slides; one for each trip into the park. I hope you enjoy the ride.

Pilanesberg Safari Day 1

What a fantstic first day back at Pilanesberg. I drove from Roodeport in the morning and arrived around 11am. En route, I picked up peanut butter, honey, and a loaf of bread. At Pilanesberg's Manyane "Resort" I checked into my tent and immediately headed into the park. I started at this watering hole where the herd of elephant went by me. From there it seemed around every corner I found more of God's great creation.