Pilanesberg National Park

Pilanesberg National Park

Pilanesberg National Park
4.5
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Duration: More than 3 hours
Meets animal welfare guidelines
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  • Erno1968
    Bogota, Colombia8 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Excellent experience at Pilanesberg National Park
    Excellent experience! Planned a day trip with @MoAfrika Tours. Booked it two days prior. The whole experience was great. They picked me up at 6 am from my hotel in Johannesburg. Drove two hours. Alex our driver was fun. Stopped to refresh. Arrived at the park. Tien, our guide was expecting us. Great guide. Very knowledgeable, fun. I was able to see 4 of the big five. In the morning 3 hours driving around the park. Had lunch and then another two hours after lunch. I highly recommend MoAfrika tours, Alex and specially Tien who as I said is an amazing tour guide.
    Visited July 2024
    Travelled solo
    Written 12 July 2024
  • Mendigo
    Taubate, SP535 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Very special place!
    Although significantly smaller than the Kruger, the adventure/fun is as good as it is. Our Guide made the Reservation directly with the Park reception for a safari from 9:00 to 15:00, with snack included. My wife and I were lucky and only we two and the Guide/Driver were in the car. It was a private safari. And how fantastic it is to see the animals in their habitat. It's a unique feeling no matter what the park is. There is parking, bathrooms and, in the middle of the Reservation, dining room and souvenir shops. All very organized. From Johannesburg, in 2h30 by car you are in the Park. And it is possible to do the safari with your own car. But I do not recommend, as the information and knowledge of the Guide make all the difference. It's worth it.
    Visited July 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 18 July 2024
  • Departure04764230913
    18 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Perfect viewing in the Pilansberg
    Wonderful game viewing including white rhino. A big herd of elephants from the Pilansberg Centre restaurant right over the rail. Also zebra and buck. Lots of kudu. Splendid birds and much else too. A delightful place indeed.
    Visited August 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 11 August 2024
  • R W
    Dubai, United Arab Emirates446 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great Game drive at Sun City
    The visit to Pilanesberg National Park was a side trip during our stay in Sun City. My mother and aunt (both above 85years) were with us. Was our lucky day as we got to see Lions, Giraffes, Elephants and domesticated other wild life. Well organised tour through the Palace Hotel Conceirge
    Visited July 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 30 August 2024
  • Love to travel, eat and relax
    Pretoria, South Africa217 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    A must visit
    Although the park is very dry at the moment and some roads are in desperate need of repair, the game viewing is excellent. Some of the hides are closed and some dams have no water. No braaing was allowed at any of the open picknick spots. The park is easy to reach and permits to entre is not expensive and can be bought at the gates.
    Visited October 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 7 November 2024
  • Josi W
    Hamburg, Germany47 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great safari!
    What a wonderful experience to see the Big 5 up close! The safari was super interesting. The guides were super friendly and knowledgeable. The animals are free and we try to find them but always respecting their space. The adventure was safe and really enjoyable. Truly an experience of a lifetime!
    Visited October 2024
    Travelled solo
    Written 12 January 2025
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

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4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles1 655 reviews
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trushareddi
Centurion, South Africa39 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2023 • Family
Advise to Sun City in general:
Please remove Hard Rock Cafe and put another restaurant in place, one that actually serves tasty food.
Please check the age restriction for the club as only under age kids were in there. Also please open the pool billiard even when the club is not open as we just want to play.
Vibes is a nice enough place, but there is no dance floor. And the DJ only plays for 2 hours and he is a great DJ, so more hours are suggested.
Written 18 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Dreamer56663657594
5 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2023 • Friends
My first time at Pilanes was last month with the most amazing friends. I have been to many safaris before, but none could compare to this one, but that is only because we had a fantastic guide (Tshepiso) that made sure we saw as many animals as we could, and not only that, but that we could see them with the best view. You know your guide is the best, when all the other guides call on him on the transceiver (walkie-talkie) to ask where all the animals are.
Not forgetting the sunrise and sunsets that rise and set over the hills in the park will you captivated and calling you to stay longer ;)
Written 5 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Chuck S
Winnipeg, Canada130 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2023 • Friends
Our research said we could self drive but the hotel staff said it was no longer allowed. So we booked a three hour bus tour. 1500R for three of us. Not worth it. I guess if you have no Bush experience and have never walked in the bush this might be good. We were disappointed and of course saw lots of private cars! We had been lied to. So the next day we paid 360R for our truck with 3 people for a day pass. In the first hour we saw more animals. We entered the park at 9 and by noon we had a list of So many animals, more than we had thought. Perhaps because we did drive off the paved road and left the tour group roads.Lunch at the center was good and reasonable price. Then we went exploring further. So marvelous. There are rest spots with water washrooms. And you don't need a truck or 4 wheel drive vehicle. Do a self drive.
Written 11 June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Heidi B
2 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2024 • Couples
Deeply saddened & disappointed. We used to be members of FOB (Friends of PILANESBERG) & last stayed in the park in 2017. The state of the roads were so bad with potholes / crevices, you couldn’t concentrate on looking out for wildlife!
Not suitable for cars/ suv or small 4x4’s. The tour operator’s jeeps couldn’t even pass so were skirting off road, thus causing more damage to the surrounding vegetation & disturbing the smaller wildlife.
The main hide at Mankwe Dam was closed due to not being maintained & the other smaller hides.
I’d like to think all revenue is put into anti poaching so nothing is left for the infrastructure.
Until the Park authorities & stakeholders start to invest in the infrastructure of the area, this once beautiful tourist attraction will sadly remain in the hands of poachers & illegal human settlements.
Unfortunately it is an embarrassment & makes it very difficult to recommend to potential overseas tourists.
Written 25 June 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Velka2014
Moscow, Russia74 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2023 • Family
The park did not live up to our expectations. Boring and not interesting. We went on a safari from the hotel where we stayed. Everyone is put on a bus and taken to the park, along the same road, in the hope of seeing someone. In three days we saw a couple of giraffes, elephants and rhinoceroses, and they were hiding somewhere in the bushes. When the leopard was spotted, buses from all over the park came to see it. There was a traffic jam on the road; Lyuli leaned out of the bus like savages and tried to photograph the frightened leopard with flashes. In general, this is not a safari for which it is worth flying from the other end of the earth.
Google
Written 6 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Maps56542738681
2 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2024 • Family
The card machine at the gate near Sun city was ostensibly not working or connecting or so I was told by the lady behind the counter after my card was used to pay for entry to the park.I therefore paid cash and proceeded to enter.An hour later the earlier card transaction came through on my phone and my account was debitted.I therefore paid double entry fee.When enquring about this later, I was told to check my bank app as the card payment would be reversed.Two days later and I am still waiting.Rather pay cash when visiting the park to avoid this rip off.
The 'tarred' roads are a disgrace and and will soon be gravel roads due to disintegration and lack of maintenance.
The shop and restaurant area has been upgraded and is a pleasure to visit.
The park has an abundance of animals which makes the visit worthwhile.
Written 19 August 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

George V
Johannesburg, South Africa2 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2024 • Family
Wasn't worth the money. No water in camp site taps to wash hand or get water,bathroom facilities very poor. Dustbins are few and you have to walk around to find one.Manyane campsite reception and restaurant area has burned down in February 2024 but until know hasn't been repaired or doesn't looked like anyone has worked there since it burned down.When you drive around on the game reserve there are several view points you can't access because it's under construction but no one is even busy with any repairs whatsoever.If there is a sighting in the reserve the game rangers block the entire road with their vehicles as they park how and where they want and cause unnecessary traffic and delays driving past. Everytime we go to pilanesberg it seems to get worse.
Written 27 September 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Daniel
1 contribution
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2023 • Family
It goes without saying the that the PILANESBERG is a beautiful park with amazing views and animals to see. Unfortunately, with most once great things in South Africa, corruption and Mafia activity has decimated the once bustling animal population through illicit trade and poaching. The Pilanesburg used to be full of wildlife with numerous Lion prides, hyenas and rhino all around the park, being left to just a handful, with many species no longer existing at all. The decline is obvious to the game rangers involved in the park and I urge any visitors who disagree with my views to question these professionals on their next visit. If this trend continues under the current management, I fear the park will lose most and animals and in turn most of its visitors.
Written 30 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Ruth W
1 contribution
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2022 • Family
We have just spent 3 nights at Bakubang, and agree with previous reviewers - the roads throughout the park are shockingly bad! You really do risk damaging your vehicle badly! Why are they not fixed? Reading through last reviews it seems it’s been a problem for for while, so don’t know why Management hasn’t done something to fix it.

Pilanesberg Centre is so dated and awful - why did they not use the covid lockdown time to refurbish them nicely? Women’s toilets are disgusting.

Lastly, and possibly most importantly, where are the animals??? Have never seen the park this empty before. Very few herds of impala, zebra, wildebeest etc, and when you do find them there are only 2-3 animals. How is this sustainable?? What are the predators eating?

It’s really frustrating to spend hours driving on awful roads and not seeing any game that would usually have made up for the bad roads.

Honestly don’t waste your time and money! Rather go to Kruger
Written 19 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

catherine j
Edinburgh, UK51 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2023 • Couples
An amazing experience, beautiful park and our guide Desmond was fantastic, very knowledgeable, very witty and very considerate of the wildlife- he went out his way to make sure that the guests have the best experience. We seen 4 out of the big 5 here. The only downside is that there is a lot of vehicles going about and at one point we felt like we where in a traffic jam! Don’t let that put you off though, there is an abundance of wildlife.
Written 28 April 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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PILANESBERG NATIONAL PARK (2025) All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

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