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Jonathan Gill
Visited:
September 2014
Reviewed: Jun 26, 2015
Pilanesberg
From a wildlife perspective, we were fortunate to see a number of animals including rhino. The dam had a number of animals and provided for some good photo oppurtunities. We saw several animals over a period of a few hours, and had plenty of photo opportunities. The range of animals is pretty diverse. The park has reasonable flora. Good views over the lands from some of the
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higher elevations of the park.The reserve became pretty full during the mid-morning and their were a significant number of vehicles in the park. The roads are mostly good.
The park is conveniently located being an hour and a halfs drive from Pretoria and Johannesburg. The park is close to Sun City and Rustenburg.
My view is that for a short visit of two days the park is certainly worth visiting, if you are in that part of the work.
quineh
ZA
Visited:
April 2015
Reviewed: Jul 6, 2015
Email quineh | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
It is well situated not far from Johannesburg with very high standard accommodation all round the park. It is also situated not far from the Sun City complex which in its self is nice too visit for a stop over.
awatkinson69
GB
Visited:
February 2014
Reviewed: Jul 12, 2015
Email awatkinson69 | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
A little too commercial for my liking. But the surroundings are great.
Gary Longshaw
ZA
Visited:
October 2015
Reviewed: Nov 26, 2015
Email Gary Longshaw | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
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.
Tobie Schalkwyk
ZA
Visited:
November 2015
Reviewed: Jan 9, 2016
Email Tobie Schalkwyk | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
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.
Coco
FR
Visited:
November 2015
Reviewed: Jan 11, 2016
Email Coco | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
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.
Rajiv
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.
Great safari for starters
Pilanesberg is a great game reserve option if you are in Johannesburg and a limited time for a safari (1-3 days), with rich variety of wildlife. In a 5-6h tour, we spotted giraffes, elephants, wildebeests, antelopes, zebras, boars, ostriches and jackals.
Although relatively small, Pilanesberg is in a transition area, so the landscape, vegetation and wildlife quickly changes from one part to another of the park.
I only visited the park, in a 1-day trip from Johannesburg, arriving early morning and leaving by late afternoon, it was a still an enjoyable experience, though a weekend would be certainly better. It is possible to visit the park with a private car and a guide, roads were excellent.
The tour with the park truck is probably a better option to view the wildlife - just be aware that there are limited rides (especially during the low season).
Harold Klein
US
Visited:
January 2023
Reviewed: Feb 6, 2023
Email Harold Klein | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Smaller park with easy access from Jo'burg airport hotels...a real satisfying suprise. Definately worth the day trip!!
Tracey Skagias
GR
Visited:
May 2023
Reviewed: Jun 8, 2023
Email Tracey Skagias | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
I have been around many game parks in my life - I was born and raised in Kenya. I know you have to be lucky to see certain animals. I did find the tarmac road through the park rather unusual, and although I understand the why, I found rhinos without horns a bit sad. The grass was very long so visibility was a bit difficult for things like warthogs, lions etc. It was very pleasant and my colleague had never been to Africa before so she found it wonderful.