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User Reviews of Pilanesberg Game Reserve (94 Reviews)

Pilanesberg Safaris Pilanesberg Game Reserve
Sort By: Date Most Helpful Rating 71-80 of 94 Reviews

Average User Rating

4.3617 / 5 4.4 /5
4.5000 / 5 4.3956 / 5 4.0575 / 5 4.1714 / 5

Rating Breakdown

5 star 51 / 10 51
4 star 32 / 10 32
3 star 7 / 10 7
2 star 2 / 10 2
1 star 2 / 10 2
Write a User Review
Male avatar icon Stefano Italy flag IT       Visited: November 2014 Reviewed: Apr 16, 2015

50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: over 5 safaris

The review below is the personal opinion of Stefano and not that of SafariBookings.

Easy to reach and to visit, affordable, interesting

3 / 5 3 /5
3 / 5 2 / 5 4 / 5 4 / 5

I did not expect plenty of wildlife, being a small park surrounded by civilization; however the variety and the amount of game viewing surprised me. We just missed big cats, but the kind of vegetation does not help easy spots; we could see several interesting mammals, including black rhinos. Birding is really worthy, as the quantity and variety of birds is impressive. Access is easy, roads are well maintained and such that even if the park is crowded, you seldom have to share space with other visitor's cars if an interesting spot is made

Male avatar icon Mads Fredslund Andersen Denmark flag DK       Visited: August 2013 Reviewed: Nov 18, 2013

20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

4 / 5 4 /5
4 / 5 3 / 5 4 / 5 / 5

We went to Pilanesberg National Park (PNP) before going to Idube and this was perfect. In PNP we saw many wild animals but missed out on lions, leopards and buffalos of the big five. We came close to hippos, giraffes, wildebeests a rhino, zebras, and many kudos, spring bucks and other antelopes.
The combination of going to PNP and drive around by our self and then go to Idube where we were shown the nature by experienced guides was perfect.

Avatar icon Lauren Visited: April 2012 Reviewed: Sep 27, 2012

4 / 5 4 /5
4 / 5 4 / 5 5 / 5 / 5

I thought Pilanesberg was gorgeous, but we saw less animals and the animals we did see were not as close.

Avatar icon Mark Ratcliffe Visited: March 2012 Reviewed: Jul 20, 2012

4 / 5 4 /5
4 / 5 4 / 5 4 / 5 4 / 5

Good location next to Sun-city and located in a huge volcano crater. Stayed offsite at Bakubang which was pleasant but I prefer to be staying in the reserve itself

Male avatar icon Nature lover South Africa flag ZA       Visited: December 2010 Reviewed: Apr 29, 2012

50-65 years of age

4 / 5 4 /5
4 / 5 3 / 5 4 / 5 4 / 5

Nice for a day outing if you want to see some game and don't have much time. Adjacent Sun City resort is great for golfing and just relaxing and of course it is all set in an ancient volcano.

Avatar icon Goodstuff Visited: August 2007 Reviewed: Apr 26, 2012

5 / 5 5 /5
5 / 5 5 / 5 5 / 5 / 5

Best Rhino sightings.

Female avatar icon twosoakers United States flag US       Visited: July 2008 Reviewed: Apr 17, 2012

35-50 years of age

5 / 5 5 /5
5 / 5 5 / 5 4 / 5 2 / 5

Very dynamic, animals crossing roads, great photo ops.

Female avatar icon Ronel van Zyl United Kingdom flag GB       Visited: April 2010 Reviewed: Apr 11, 2012

Email Ronel van Zyl  |  35-50 years of age

5 / 5 5 /5
5 / 5 5 / 5 5 / 5 5 / 5

Excellent and place that have to be discovered. Great lodges! Close to Johannesburg but feels far away in the bush.

Avatar icon amcnear Visited: September 2009 Reviewed: Apr 8, 2012

Incredible; accommodations fantastic and diverse, beautiful, and healthy wildlife on every drive.

5 / 5 5 /5
5 / 5 5 / 5 5 / 5 4 / 5

Pilanesberg in situated in an ancient volcanic caldera and is surrounded by beautiful hills covered in mixed grassland and woodland. The game drives never disappointed; we saw a diverse range of animals including rhinos, elephants, hyena, ostrich, lions, zebras, kudu, hippo and wildebeest, with many animals being seen multiple times. Food was great, as were the accommodations. Great range of birds too - although our game drives were pretty focused on large mammal viewing, perhaps if your group specifies an interest in birds the guides can accommodate your preferences (I did not try this). Otherwise, there is an underground viewing platform at a water source that was never crowded, and I birded alot using this site. We also were lucky enough to see a secretary bird out on a game drive, that was a treat!

Male avatar icon Wim Spronk South Africa flag ZA       Visited: March 2011 Reviewed: Mar 22, 2012

Email Wim Spronk  |  65+ years of age

5 / 5 5 /5
5 / 5 5 / 5 5 / 5 5 / 5

A wonderful place with the "Big Five" only 2 and a half hours from Johannesburg. Malaria free and beautiful camps and bird life.