Pilanesberg Safari

Operates: Scheduled: Tue, Thu & Sat /  Private: Daily

Duration: Full Day

Includes: 

Transportation, Sightseeing & Entrance Fees as per itinerary

Scheduled tour: Brunch  /  Private tour: Lunch

Notes: Minimum 2 passengers.

Scheduled tour itinerary:  Depart Johannesburg in the early morning and transfer to the Pilanesberg National Park.  The journey takes approximately 3 hours per way.  Upon arrival, enjoy brunch at a restaurant inside the park before departing on a 2,5 hour open vehicle game drive with a qualified ranger.  Afterward, meet up with your touring vehicle and continue with a drive through the park for the remainder of the day. Majestic hills encircle the park and a large central watering hole is ideal for game viewing. The park is found in the transition zone of the Kalahari and the Lowveld, and therefore both types of vegetation are found. Pilanesberg National Park is home to the Big Five and other large game including giraffe, hippo, zebra and crocodile, as well as an extreme diversity of birdlife (over 300 species have been recorded). A visit to the park is always rewarding!  There are hides and picnic spots to where you may stop and stretch your legs. Around 15h00, depart Pilanesberg National Park and head back to Johannesburg where the tour ends with drop-off at your hotel around 18h00.

Private tour itinerary:  The Pilanesberg National Park lies 160 km (100 miles) from Johannesburg in the Bojanala Region of North West - the "Platinum province" - and is the fourth largest National Park in South Africa, covering an area of some 57 000 hectares. The crater of a long extinct volcano is the setting of Pilanesberg National Park - a fascinating alkaline complex produced by volcanic eruptions some 1300 million years ago. Pilanesberg is one of the largest volcanic complexes of its kind in the world and has survived ages of erosion and stands high above the surrounding bushveld plains. The early presence of man can be seen in the numerous Stone and Iron Age sites that are scattered throughout the park. Its rare rock types and structure make it a unique geological feature and the topography makes the area a feast for the eye. Here are syenite koppies, thickly forested ravines, typical bushveld and also rolling grasslands and lightly wooded areas. Off the centre of the park is Thabayadiotso, "the Proud Mountain". The beauty of Pilanesberg is reflected in a large central lake, the Mankwe Dam.

The Park was established in 1979 and game was reintroduced thanks to Operation Genesis, which at the time was the largest game translocation ever undertaken anywhere. The Park offers the visitor a wide diversity of 35 animal species, including the "Big Five", 350 bird species and 65 reptile species - all in a malaria free area. Enter the Park at Manyane Gate in the east and make our way westwards, eventually reaching our lunch stop at Bakubung - 'people of the hippo'. The afternoon is spent in search of more game as we make our way back to Manyane Gate, stopping off at one of the game viewing hides en route. Return to Johanneburg in the late afternoon.