Pilanesburg National Park

The Pilanesberg National Park is the closest of the major South African game parks to Johannesburg with one border adjacent to Sun City, it is almost half way to Madikwe Game Reserve. Because of its convenient location it is ideal for a short safari from these major centres or as part of a two centre safari with Madikwe.

The park is 55.000 hectares in extent, small by the standard of African game parks but has a well maintained network of non tarred roads and is scenic with good big five game viewing, the park can be visited in a normal saloon car making it ideal for self drivers.

Pilanesberg National Park is almost perfectly circular because it comprises the area of a 1200 million years old volcano crater with a small lake in the centre. This very scenic terrain lies in the transition zone between Kalahari and Lowveld, and both types of vegetation are found here enabling Pilanesberg to support a wide range of wildlife.

In the Pilanesberg National Park today live virtually all the animal species of southern Africa, including, lions, elephants, white and black rhinos, buffaloes, leopards, zebras, hyenas, giraffes, hippos and crocodiles. Over 300 bird species have been counted.

The park offers a number of wonderful picnic spots, numerous hides for game watching, huge walk-in aviaries, safe hiking trails, safari drives at night and flights over the park in a hot-air balloon.