Lory Park Zoo

A perfect mid-week break away that recharged my batteries and put a smile on my face. And it's only 10 minutes away if you stay in Midrand.

I looked up from my camera and saw the parrot watching me intently from atop the gazebo. A voice behind me said, “If you hold out your arm, she'll climb on. Don't worry, she doesn't bite. Her name is Bella.”

Bella is one of the many parrots at the Lory Park Animal and Owl Sanctuary and are looked after by volunteers Cheryl and Theresa. True to her reputation, Bella didn't bite anybody, even when she became annoyed with me for trying to get her off my arm.

  

You can meet these delightful ladies and their birds when you visit the Tea Garden on the premises. Just prepare yourself for the noise!

In case you were wondering: some of these birds do bite, as my wife Kathy can testify. After extensive pampering we are of the opinion that she'll live. Shame.

 

'...Lory Park has many attractions that will endear it to your heart.'

Apart from the birds, Lory Park has many attractions that will endear it to your heart. It is a perfect outing for parents with small kids. There are play racks to keep them busy while you drink your tea or coffee and many 'wow' factors to keep both them and you entertained for a morning. One of these is the cub petting.

  

Currently, there are two cubs that you can interact with, a lion and a tiger. Yes ladies and gentlemen, there are lions and tigers in Midrand!

'If you have never seen a fully grown Siberian Tiger up close, brace yourself.'

  The zoo also houses 2 fully grown Bengal Tigers, 2 Siberian Tigers and two lions. Definitely a thrill for all ages.

If you have never seen a fully grown Siberian Tiger up close, brace yourself. They are HUGE.

The zoo is open from Tuesday to Sunday, 10am – 4pm. Entrance is R30 for adults and R20 for children.

Although the zoo is small in surface area, this is precisely one of it's strengths. When you have children, you don't necessarily want to spend a whole day walking around. This zoo is a perfect morning getaway with enough thrills to keep your children talking about it for a long time to come.

'...enough thrills to keep your children talking...'

  

Lory Park Zoo also caters for kids parties and corporate functions. For bookings or more information speak to Matty on 082 960 6415.

  

How to get there: From Johannesburg N1 towards Pretoria. Take Allandale offramp at Midrand. Turn right over the highway. Third traffic light (incl. the traffic light on the highway) turn left onto the K101/Old Pretoria Road. Turn right at the fourth traffic light which is Dale Road. Turn right at the third road which is Kruger Road. Go straight down Kruger, pass a stop street and we are about 800m on the right hand side. From Pretoria N1 towards Johannesburg. Take New Road off ramp and turn left. At next traffic light turn right into Old Pretoria Road. Turn left into Dale at third traffic light. At the third road on the right, turn into Kruger Road. Go straight down Kruger, pass a stop street and we are about 800m on the right hand side.

 

For more information visit: http://www.loryparkzoo.co.za or Call: +27 (11) 315-7307

Rietvlei Nature Reserve

If you are looking for a day break-away from the big city, Rietvlei Nature Reserve will leave you feeling refreshed and ready to tackle a new week.

Situated just 18km out of Pretoria Central (Tshwane) and 38km from Oliver Tambo International Airport, the reserve houses three of the Big Five and offers a perfect day out with its clean picnic spots and varied landscapes.

Upon entering the reserve, we were greeted with a panoramic view of the Rietvlei Dam. The reserve forms part of the Rietvlei water catchment area and Rietvlei Dam supplies Tshwane with 15% of its water needs. It's 38 square kilometers is criss-crossed by 60 kilometers of tarred and proper dirt roads. Both these road types are in excellent condition and can be easily navigated with a small sedan. We did it in a Toyota Tazz with a dropped suspension!

After driving for about ten minutes, we saw our first game. An ostrich.

Big deal.

Five minutes later we were surrounded by 5 Rhinos, a herd of Zebra and quite a few Springbok. Two Eland could be spotted in the distance and the Red Hartebeest gave me one of my favourite pictures for the day. This was truly amazing considering the location of the Reserve. I mean we could've been home in the big city within 20 minutes!

"Rietvlei Nature Reserve has the capacity to house between 1500 – 2000 head of game..."

Rietvlei Nature Reserve has the capacity to house between 1500 – 2000 head of game, some of which are dangerous. According to the official literature, Rietvlei houses leopard, cheetah, hyena, aardwolf and african wild cat. Not to mention hippos and the herds of antelope and numerous small animals like monkeys, hares, weasels and mongoose. The only thing we saw that could be classified as dangerous were the Rhinos. For a couple of city slickers, that was pretty exciting though.

 

We decided to take a break from sitting in the car, and head for the Marais dam. The picnic spots here were clean and the atmosphere quiet. Trees on the shore provided plenty of shade and there are toilet and braai facilities for your convenience. Bird hides on the shore offer evidence of the ample bird life that is to be found in the reserve. 272 Confirmed species, according to the brochure.

Since we hadn't brought any food and the hippos weren't being very cooperative, we hit the road again. The 'Vlei Road' took us into a wetland or more specifically a peat wetland. For those of you who don't know what 'peat' is: Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetable matter. Hey, don't look at me like that. I had to Google it to find out.

Told you I was a city slicker.

"A short while later, my wife phones and tells me that if I don't come home straight away, I can very well marry the zebras and live in the bird hides..."

Basically, this looks like a swamp, albeit a pretty dry swamp at this time of year. The rest of the reserve looks pretty much like the rest of the highveld: Open grassland and small groups of indigenous trees.

A short while later, my wife phoned and said that if I didn't come home straight away, I could very well marry the zebras and live in the bird hides, so I guess it was time for us to go. On the way out, we ran into a small herd of zebra so close to the road that we could touch them. This definitely called for more photographs. I frantically grabbed for my camera, pointed it at the perfectly posed zebra and...

'Beep – beep - beep'

My camera's self timer goes off. I forgot to take the thing of self timer! The zebras moved away and my dad went into a fit of laughter. I had a totally different sort of fit.

All in all, we didn't really want to leave and felt like a second trip would definitely be worthwhile. Driving home and being stuck in traffic I couldn't help but notice the stark contrast between the peace and quiet of the reserve and the chaotic Friday afternoon traffic.

If you need a break from big city life without having to drive hundreds of kilometers or spending your yearly vacation budget, Rietvlei Nature Reserve is well worth a visit.

How to get there: From the R21 take the IRENE RIETVLEI DAM off-ramp. Drive in an easterly direction, at the first 4-way stop street turn right towards Olifantsfontein and the St Georges Hotel. Drive for 1,5 km, crossing the Sesmylspruit. On the left is a sign indicating RIETVLEI NATURE RESERVE, turn left and follow the road up the hill to the main gate. (Drive past the stone entrance until you get to the offices and entrance gate). To download a map to the reserve: (Right Click and 'Save Target As...') Rietvlei Nature Reserve Map

Tariffs:

Persons 12 years and older: R30
Children 6 - 12 years : R15
Pre-school children 0 - 6 years : free
Persons 60 years and older : R15
Season Tickets are also available.

For more information visit: http://www.tshwane.gov.za/rietvlei_facilities.cfm or Call: +27 12 345 2274 / 5103 / 4

Groenkloof Nature Reserve

For this week's travel, we visited the oldest Nature Reserve on the African Continent. Right in the middle of Pretoria!

Situated just 5 kilometers out of Pretoria City centre, Groenkloof Nature Reserve was the first Game Sanctuary on the African Continent. President Paul Kruger proclaimed the valley as such in 1895 to protect the large herds of animals outside the town from hunters. The sanctuary also served as protection for the Oribi that lived in the area.

We went to this reserve on a Friday morning and the place was very quiet, but over weekends it teems with people temporarily escaping the bustle of city life. Entrance was R15 per person which we thought reasonable. This was later replaced by indignation when we were asked to pay another R15 per person at a secondary gate to enter the nature reserve.

"Seeing the blue wildebeest against the backdrop of Unisa's buildings makes for quite a surreal experience."

Turns out, you pay R15 to enter the Fountains Valley Resort and another R15 to enter the actual reserve.

According to the information leaflet, the reserve houses zebra, jackal, duiker, kudu, impala, blue wildebeest, blesbuck, red hartebeest, ostrich, giraffe and sable.

Personally, I have only seen duiker and a blue wildebeest. Seeing the blue wildebeest against the backdrop of Unisa's buildings makes for quite a surreal experience.

Upon entering the Fountains Valley premises, you immediately run into a playground for kids and a pub for Dad. They have plenty of picnic spots with braai facilities. If you like your privacy, there are enough of these little spots hidden away in their own little groves so that you don't have to mix with other people if you don't want to.

Yes, I know. I am a bit of an antisocial bastard sometimes.

The reserve has various hiking trails, a mountain bike trail, car route and a 4x4 route. A youth camp as well as overnight facilities are also available.

Is it worth it to visit this place?

I think so. Just be aware that it is extremely busy and crowded over weekends and public holidays, so if that is not your thing, rather take a day of work and go on a Friday.

The other little niggle I have is that these crowds tend to imbibe a bit too much and can spoil it for you if you are looking for a quiet getaway.

Other than this, if you can find one of those little hidden picnic spots, this is a very tranquil place to have a braai or simply a picnic under some beautiful trees next to the Apies river.

Here are some more pics from the day:

 

How to get there: The Nature Reserve is reached via the entrance to the Fountains Valley Resort. Follow the R21 to the Fountains Circle; take the Fountains/Centurion turn-off into Christina de Wit Road. Approximately 500 m further, turn left at the entrance to the Fountains Valley Resort. Weekends and public holidays use the alternative entrance gate 800m from the Fountains Valley main entrance gate.

Tariffs:

Persons 19 years and older: R15
Children 7 - 18 years : R10
Pre-school children: R3
Pensioners or disabled persons : R10
Monthly Tickets are also available.

For more information visit: http://www.tshwane.gov.za/groenkloof.cfm or http://www.footprint.co.za/groenkloof.htm or Call: +27 12 345 2274 / 5103 / 4