Top 10 Luxury Pilanesberg Game Reserve Lodges & Camps

By Anthony Ham

Pilanesberg Game Reserve is one of South Africa’s finest reserves. It’s so easy to see wildlife here that it puts many other wildlife parks at a disadvantage. Yes, it can get crowded, but it’s also popular with day-trippers, which means that those who stay overnight get to see Pilanesberg at its best.

There is an excellent selection of Pilanesberg Game Reserve lodges both within and just outside the reserve. Starting your day wrapped in the luxury confines of a safari lodge or tented camp deep within the Pilanesberg ecosystem ranks among the best safari experiences you can have in South Africa.

The accommodations below are not ranked in a specific quality order.

119 Pilanesberg Safaris

1. aha Ivory Tree Game Lodge

aha Ivory Tree Game Lodge This lodge is a luxury place with excellence on show in its rooms, facilities and service

Luxurious and stylish, the Ivory Tree Game Lodge has rooms with soaring thatched ceilings, light wooden floors and subtle safari prints. They’re the kind of room you’ll look forward to seeing at the end of a long day out on safari. The location is outstanding, ideally placed for feeling like you’re looking for wildlife almost from the minute you get into your safari vehicle to leave the lodge and go out on a game drive.

Facilities are first-rate as you’d expect from a five-star lodge, and include a fine restaurant, bar and swimming pool. And the people who’ll look after you here are always professional, from the lodge staff to the expert guides who’ll take you out into the wilds.

16 Ivory Tree Tours

2. Bakubung Bush Lodge

Bakubung Bush Lodge gets all of the important things right, including location, luxury and service

Close to the main entrance to Pilanesberg, Bakubung Bush Lodge is one of the reserve’s most popular choices. The rooms come in a range of sizes and styles, but recurring themes include leopard-print carpets, local artifacts on the walls, earth colors and an abundance of trees and other greenery right outside the window. The more expensive rooms have fabulous views. Staff know equally well how to make your stay a pleasure, and to get you out onto the safari trails with a minimum of fuss. The bar, restaurant and swimming pool are superb, and wildlife often wanders through the grounds.

13 Bakubung Tours

3. Black Rhino Game Lodge

Black Rhino Game Lodge This lodge with top-notch amenities offers exclusive wildlife viewing from a fabulous location

Imagine the best of Pilanesberg’s wildlife offerings but without the crowds. That’s what Black Rhino Game Lodge provides from its position within a private section of the reserve, including the chance to see the Big Five (lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant and rhino). The rooms effortlessly span different styles, from safari thatched roofs to sophisticated minimalist decor that keeps things cool and lingers in the memory. The meals on offer range from tasty snacks to fine-dining excellence. Everything here feels classy, including the service, bar and swimming pool.
Other highlights include terrific spa treatments, as well as a well-placed on-site hide for premium wildlife viewing. And the location is every bit as impressive as the lodge – you’re staying deep in the heart of one of South Africa’s best wildlife areas.

12 Black Rhino Tours

4. Sundown Country Estate

Sundown Country Estate lies south of Pilanesberg and offers good rooms, restaurants and relaxation

A short distance south of Pilanesberg and just as convenient for Sun City as it is for the reserve, Sundown Country Estate puts you within easy reach of some fabulous experiences. It offers a mix of supremely comfortable rooms and self-catering chalets arrayed around an internal courtyard filled with palms and a swimming pool.

Restaurants, a day spa and bars (including one in the swimming pool) round out an excellent package. Being within easy reach of Pilanesberg but not inside its boundaries has its advantages, such as being able to come and go from the park and leave crowds behind when you choose.

Sundown Tours

5. Lush Private Lodge

Lush Private Lodge This charming, intimate lodge has glorious rooms, brilliant wildlife and warm service

Family-owned and run, Lush Private Lodge is a boutique experience tucked away in the hills of Pilanesberg. Rooms are stunning – many bathtubs have views, all-natural materials bring warmth and fresh air, and each room has ample space. The only potential problem is that you may never want to leave your room. The highest standards of personal service, matched with inventive, high-class dining and superb public areas all add up to create one of the loveliest places to stay in this entire part of the country. The whole place feels like your own private corner of Africa and the wildlife possibilities nearby are exceptional.

Lush Tours

6. aha Shepherd’s Tree Game Lodge

aha Shepherd’s Tree Game Lodge This lodge is a special place inside the reserve boundaries and has five-star everything

Shepherd’s Tree Game Lodge sits within the boundaries of Pilanesberg Game Reserve in a location that’s nicely removed from the other accommodations in the park. This means that during the precious first and last hours of daylight each day, you may have safari trails all to yourself. And because you’re part of the reserve itself, you never know when an elephant or a lion might wander past.

The lodge has five stars and deserves every one of them for its luxurious rooms alone – some have views and all have a marvelous sense of light and space. You’ll also dine wonderfully well, and the bar, swimming pool and high standards of personal service will make staying here one of the more memorable experiences of your visit, even before you’ve seen any animals.

Shepherd's Tree Tours

7. Tshukudu Bush Lodge

Tshukudu Bush Lodge This lodge inside Pilanesberg Game Reserve promises great rooms and everything else you could need

When you stay at Tshukudu Bush Lodge, you’re all set for the kind of fantastic safari experience that only Pilanesberg can offer. The lodge is close to the main park entrance but hidden away in its own copse of trees. This location is ideal, whether for its seclusion, its position within the park’s boundaries or for exploring the park’s wildlife. In short, Tshukudu makes a terrific base for exploring Pilanesberg’s amazing wildlife (including the Big Five) in a compact space with plenty of rarely visited corners.

The lodge itself has chalets and suites – expect large and beautiful spaces, thatched roofs and sweeping views, with private plunge pools in some of the suites. There are also intimate dining, drinking and even swimming experiences. It’s a special place.

Tshukudu Tours

8. Tambuti Lodge

Tambuti Lodge has large rooms and excellent facilities in a fine Pilanesberg location

Supremely comfortable rooms serve as the centerpiece of Tambuti Lodge, a gorgeous collection of bright and luxurious bungalows with high ceilings and ornate furnishings. The location is excellent for exploring Pilanesberg, but even within the lodge grounds, the ample greenery adds a real sense of being at one with nature. Many of the rooms even have small private gardens. This place has all the amenities you’d expect from a luxury lodge – restaurant, bar and an exquisite, shaded swimming pool. And it gets consistently glowing reviews from travelers.

Tambuti Tours

9. Sun City Hotel

Sun City Hotel is a giant luxury hotel in the heart of the casino complex, close to Pilanesberg

Few travelers realise just how close Sun City is to Pilanesberg Game Reserve, and it’s an incredible experience sleeping amid the glitz and glamour of Sun City, then spending the day in the wild backcountry of Pilanesberg. Sun City’s main hotel has been undergoing a staged renovation for years, and the rooms that have been upgraded so far are large and luxurious. That said, there are so many different room types that you should take the time to review the options online before booking. Many rooms on the upper floors have fine views.

Restaurants, bars, swimming pools, entertainment – they’re all a part of the Sun City adventure. Combining that with a safari brings two radically different, iconic South African experiences together, making this a unique base for exploring Pilanesberg.

Sun City Tours

10. Morokolo Safari Lodge

Morokolo Safari Lodge This luxury lodge lies within the reserve and provides all the advantages that brings

Morokolo has super-spacious, super-comfortable rooms, each with a real sense of privacy and luxury. A little removed from other Pilanesberg lodges but nicely nested within the reserve’s boundaries, you’re perfectly placed to get a head start on the day-trippers who visit the park in large numbers. Morokolo’s guides are experts in many ways, including in finding little-known corners of the park away from the crowds. And, of course, the lodge has everything you need, including a great restaurant, relaxing bar and an enticing swimming pool.