Sun City Things to Do

We called this little chap 'the suicidal tortoise' :)

He was walking along the roadside as we came driving up, and veered into the road a bit.

The thing is, when they are afraid, they simple stop (no matter where they are!), and curl their head and limbs inside their shell...

...this might help protect it from certain animals who may be eyeing it as a tasty meal, but that wont help them if there is a car coming towards it!

It has beautiful patterns on its shell and is a healthy tortoise.

This was the largest one we saw here, we saw a couple smaller ones... I am not sure if they get any bigger than this here at the park.

So watch out for them... they tend to enjoy walking on the easier-to-walk-on road surface!

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If you at the Valley of the Waves you can take your kids to go do the Bungee. They are tired securely by 2 bungee cords whereby they are lifted into the air and then flung into the air whereby they can swing and twist and turn as they like. It only cost R35 and it last for about 5 mins. The kids seems to love it as it seems to be alot of fun.

You will see plenty of these in the park, in all parks!

They move around in MASSIVE herds, and spread themselves out over the plain.They graze continually on short grasses.

The animals on the outer rim of the herd have the dubious task of watching out for danger, as these are thought of as an easy kill by most of the predators in the park.

They are small, don’t run as fast and are easily caught. A way that they elude capture is by causing confusion amongst themselves. The predators generally go for the young or elderly or sickly first.

Many visitors seem to take these creatures for granted, as they are so numerous, and this is such a pity.

Even though it is really exciting seeing one of the Big Five, there is so much more to enjoy. From the little hardworking dung beetle to the chirping birds in the trees.

Take care to keep to the speed limit as they have a habit of darting across the roads, not watching out for traffic!

Warthogs conjure up funny little animals with their tail straight up, as it runs through the tall grass!

They are quite amazing in their ability to live without water for a few months, the only pig of its kind to do so.

Their hotter-than-average body temperature seems to conserve moisture to see its way through the dry months.

They too have bodies that seem disproportionate.

They have these big heads with a large snout, and a small little body and a sloping back. They have several warts on their face, plus tusks.

Its quite interesting watching a warthog eat. They bend down onto their padded and knobbly knees to eat grass, rather than dipping their head down. It enjoys eatig short grasses, roots, shoots and bulbs.

Along with the hot air balloon ride across the game park early in the morning, another very special and different way of viewing the wildlife is on an elephant’s back.

The elephants they use are tame and gentle, and they venture out into the park at three times during the day. At sunrise, mid morning, and at sunset, missing the hottest part of the day (which would be unbearably hot)

They don’t pick you up at your hotel/lodge as they do for the hot air balloon ride, they pick you up at the Welcome Centre at Sun City, at the Gametrackers Outdoor Adventure desk.

They then take you across to the ‘elephant’s wallow’ through the Letsatsing Game Reserve.

The guide is really good in giving you a pre-talk re what to expect, how to handle the elephants etc. You meet the elephant handlers and the elephants themselves (all of whom have names). They are much loved by their warders and are treated extremely well.

The tour itself is an hour long and you then return to the wallow.

Remember to take along water with you on the trip. They do provide drinks and snacks at the beginning and end of the tour, but best to have some on you for the actual trip itself.

Cost for the Elephant Back Safari is R990.00 per person (this is the 2005 rates)

After approximately an hour on elephant back, guests return to "the Elephant Wallow" where light snacks await them.

Guests are then returned to the Welcome Center at the Sun City Resort.

No-one seems to like this creature very much.

Known for its short back legs and sloping back, they are viewed as pests, ugly, rough and something to stay away from!

Of the three types of Hyaena found in Africa, only the brown hyaena is found in South Africa. It is generally shy in character, far less vicious than the spotted and striped hyaenas.

They survive by scavenging off other animals’ kills, and eat practically anything, except the really hard horns of some animals.

They also enjoy eating fruits, birds eggs and insects. Their scavenging usually takes place at night.

It enjoys lying on rocky outcrops in the bushveld, which is so prevalent in this park.

You are quite likely to come across a few of these on your game drive.

They congregate in large herds (several hundred at a time), roaming the plains, eating short grasses as they move along.

They are never found too far from a water hole, day or night.

They also have the same seemingly-awkward body like the hyena does, in that the front half of their body is a lot more heavy-set than their back half, which is much smaller and quite spindly.

They don’t generally have geographical territory, but when it is mating season, a breeding group is formed within the confines of the larger herd.

Here the bulls tussle for the attentions of the females, forming their own little territories.

Lions are the exception to the cat-family rule, that of living a solitary lifestyle.

They live as families, and everyone has their hierarchy and responsibilities within the family group. Everything is a team effort, even hunting.

They, like the hyaena, scavenge from other animals’ kills, plus hunt for thie own meals, no matter the size.

A pride can consist of between 5 and 25 animals, but are mostly about 15 animals, mostly females with their cubs, and two or three territorial males. This number is determined by the amount of prey (food!) that crosses their path in their territorial area.

We as humans are most certainly on their food chain, as many a poacher has found out!

They mostly live in grasslands and savannah areas, areas where there is some bush and some shade, to move out of the glaring sun. They enjoy sitting under trees and shrubs (as we found out on our last visit to this park!) We just missed a kill by about 5 minutes, as is written in another tip :)

Females retire to a den when in her gestation period. She will find this in a rocky outcrop or in very dens and thick bush.

The male has a thick bushy mane and the female is more slender, with no mane. They also live longer than males.