Pilanesberg Game Reserve

Pilanesberg. A South African gem

Pilanesberg is about a two hour drive from Johannesberg with Sun City on its southern edge. The area its contained within once was a volcano eroded over many centuries to form the present landscape. We stayed at the Ivory Tree Lodge just inside the park & there are many others with a similar high standard, very good food and excelent service. Game drives are arranged early in the morning before sunrise and then again late afternoon until after dark before your brought back for dinner. We stayed for three days and were lucky enough to see the Big Five (Leopard, Lion, Elephant, Buffalo & Rhino) and many other animals. We got to see a Lion kill of a young Giraffe and the Leopard as it stalked off towards prey just before sunset. We observed Elephants playing at a watering hole and many species of birds including Fish Eagles, Kori Bustards, Yellowbilled Hornbill, Red Bishop, Southern Masked Weaver, Pied Kingfisher & Spotted Eagle Owl.
Pilanesberg is a fantastic destination and easier to see the Big Five than Kruger National Park which is also a brilliant game reserve. If your thinking of going, do it you will not be disappointed.

Fantastic way to see the wildlife in its natural habitat

Whilst staying in Johannesburg we decided to visit the game reserve. We wanted to see animals in their natural habitat rather than visit some of the parks around Johannesburg. Arriving at the park in the early morning we had missed the 5:30am game drive so we decided to drive our hire car around the many miles/kilometres of tracks and roads. With just a map as reference we managed to see Rhino, Giraffe, Zebra, Wild Dog, Warthogs, Impala, Springbok, Kudu, Elephant, Hippo, Leopard, Monkey and other smaller animals all the way down to the dung beetle we watched for 10 minutes trying to push its dung across the road. There is so much to see although we couldn't find any Lions, probably as they sleep during the day. We drove for 6 - 7 hours and thoroughly enjoyed the day, stopping at the various hides and places to buy food and drinks. If you are looking for a safari experience Pilanesburg Game Reserve is a great day out and much better than seeing these animals in a fake environment.

This is average to other parks - need to get more predators

Ideal for day visit from Johannesburg or Pretoria.
Good bird hides
Lots of wildlife
Interesting landscape, old vulcano area.

Exceeded my expectations with the variety of wildlife, including jaguar, lions, rhinos, & hippos

I went on two game drives--one in the evening and another early in the morning. If you have a choice I would recommend the morning drive as you are much more likely to see a pride or two. The guides were both humorous and knowledgeable (and well connected with others around the park who had spotted other wildlife) and the transportation comfortable, with a stop for bio-breaks, food, & souvenir shopping midway through the drive. As expected, we encountered many elephants, rhinos, hippos, gazelle, etc. But I was delighted to encounter the lions and to spot two jaguar. An unforgettable and strongly recommended day trip from the strange colony that is Sun City.

The Pilanesberg park is great you you leave in the area but don't have the time to go to the Kruger. It's smaller and closer to Joburg so it's more crowded but it's still a very nice place.

The only reason for not giving 'Wildlife' a 5-star rating is that the lions are in a seperate 'camp' where they can be seen at additional cost. Other than that accommodation is neat and well established with all your self-catering needs catered for. It has a nice restaurant next to a pool. The roads provide something different every day and are always full of surprises. I'd spend a maximum of 3 or 4 days here.

An Unforgettable Experience!

Pilanesberg Game Reserve is a must visit when in South Africa. Even though it is much smaller than Kruger Park, do not be put off by this. We were put in perspective that if you think about it, in a smaller park (but when I say small, I don't mean the size of a national zoo as it is still 572 km²), you have a higher chance of spotting an animal which I highly agree with at the end of my trip.

We began our trip with a couple of days in the nearby SunCity then moved to the beautiful Ivory Tree Game Lodge within the game reserve. We were first greeted upon arrival by some friendly faces who would eventually be the rangers who took us around the reserve and cared for us.

My family was attended to by a ranger called PJ whom we could tell from day one, was an exceptionally knowledgeable and passionate man towards what he does (We highly recommend PJ if you do stay at the Ivory Tree). We were then lead to our lunch buffet which had a large array of food cooked to an exceptional quality as if it were a Michelin restaurant (buffet style) and each meal after that did not disappoint. All I can say about the food is I probably gained about 10KG's from all the food I ate in three days. There will definitely be something for everyone.

You could opt for when you wanted to go on the safari but my family and I decided to see as much as we could therefore we went on the morning (from 5am to 8am) and the evening from (4pm to 7pm) tours. PJ was sharp as a hawk and during the 3 days we manage to see so many different animals! We manage to spot 4 out of 5 of the Big Five which was absolutely amazing! We witnessed a pride of lions hunting for their food and eventually watched them feed on their catch all within a stones throw away (Don't worry as it is absolutely safe within the confines of the truck you sit in). We also manage to catch a parade of elephants a few times during the three days. The list of animals go on, one experience that cannot be described that much but more to be experienced if possible.

The scenery within the reserve is mind blowing, not one that I have ever seen before nor experienced and I live in Scotland which is known for its panoramic scenes. It is just something else as I literally did not sleep for 3 days straight because if I was not out in the safari, I would be sitting outside my lodge with my camera shooting the night skies. The stars are absolutely amazing on this side of the world therefore I urge you to put your electronic devices down and look up in the sky at night when visiting there. During the safari, we also made stops at look out points for birding and these places have been strategically selected for its breath taking scenes.

We visited the place during the winter month and it got pretty cold especially in the mornings (weather reports say it's 0 degrees but be prepared to feel like its -15 degrees) so warm clothes must be packed before you visit. Bring a hat, a glove, scarves and extremely thick jackets or windbreakers. Your guide should also provide you with thick blankets during the safari just in case and will bring warm beverages and snacks for you too.

After the safari trip, my family and I also decided to go on a hot air balloon ride around the game reserve as we were encouraged to experience it because it will give a whole different perspective of the reserve. I would say it was truly quite an experience to be in a hot air balloon and although I must admit, you will not see as much animals as you would on the ground, being lifted up into the skies to experience the sun rising over the game reserve is a truly unforgettable experience on its own.

All in all, I could probably write a book on my mere three days of being there which was definitely not enough for me but Pilanesberg Game Reserve is one that I will be recommending to my friends and anyone who asks me about a safari experience on a first time trip to South Africa. I can definitely guarantee my return there some day to complete my check list of seeing all the Big Five and also to return with a better photography kit to re-capture everything as I lost all my photos in a house fire immediately after the trip. But this just gives me greater motivation to go back there as a photographer and I remain optimistic that my second time will be 10 times better than my first.

I highly highly recommend visiting Pilanesberg National Park if you can. It will truly be an unforgettable experience be it you go alone, with loved ones, or family members.

Game Drive (Twice)

I stayed at the Sun City resort during this, my first trip to South Africa. I got up very early one morning for a game drive. (The jeep left from the hotel.) We spent the morning driving around, and I couldn't believe all the animals I saw -- some up close. Our guide was incredibly knowledgeable. I enjoyed myself so much I went on another game drive the next day, that time selecting the late afternoon one. I saw fewer animals because of the heat. But it was still a wonderful experience and absolutely worth the money.

Nice, albeit fairly small, and quite commercialised. Some good wildlife spotting opportunities and an interesting history, along with first class amenities make it a nice tourist destination for a one or two day visit.