Arnie’s birthday gift

What a great day.

Breakfast at the lodge before we headed up to the Pilanesberg for a day of beastie watching.

To begin with it felt like we were in Addo as so many Ellie families were on our route. Some lovely youngsters amongst them. The extras include a little one who took umbrage at the truck, and two teenagers having a push me pull you type tussle. We watched them for ages.

There were also an abundance of butterflies that congregated on damp soil, looking like wee tents.

We stopped at the side of a dam and an elderly couple stopped to let us know about the leopard who had crossed the road in front of them and settled in a tree. Just a few kms in the other direction, and we found him, still surveying his surroundings.

The only downside of the day was the state of the roads in the park. They have been badly neglected for years and were a challenge even for the truck at times.

But we still made it to the high lookout point which never disappoints.