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Pilanesberg & Sun City: a Big Five safari and a resort, two hours from Johannesburg.
Pilanesberg National Park and Sun City Resort sit side by side in North West Province, about 187 km from Johannesburg. They are two different trips: a malaria-free Big Five safari in the national park, and a resort built around the Valley of Waves, golf and entertainment. We arrange both as day trips from Johannesburg, or as an overnight stay at a safari lodge or a resort hotel.
Pilanesberg: a malaria-free Big Five safari
Pilanesberg National Park lies within an ancient volcanic crater and covers more than 50,000 hectares of hills, open grassland and rocky outcrops. It is home to the Big Five and is malaria-free, which makes it a practical safari close to Johannesburg. Game drives explore the park’s wildlife areas, with Mankwe Dam at its heart.
Sun City: a resort, not a safari lodge
Sun City Resort is built around the Valley of Waves water park, the Bridge of Time and two Gary Player championship golf courses: the Gary Player Country Club, home of the Nedbank Golf Challenge, and the Lost City Golf Course. Sun City hotel guests receive resort access that includes the Valley of Waves, and a Pilanesberg game drive can be added to a resort stay.
DAY TRIPS FROM JOHANNESBURG
Pilanesberg and Sun City in a day
Both day trips collect guests in Johannesburg and run for about eleven hours, with prices confirmed on request.
- Sun City & Pilanesberg Day TourA closed-vehicle game drive in Pilanesberg National Park, then an orientation of Sun City Resort
- Sun City Day TourA day at Sun City Resort: the Valley of Waves, the Bridge of Time and the golf courses
STAY OVERNIGHT
Safari lodge or resort hotel
Choose a lodge inside Pilanesberg National Park for game drives, or a Sun City Resort hotel for the resort itself. They are different stays.
SAFARI LODGES IN PILANESBERG NATIONAL PARK
- Black Rhino Game LodgeTwenty-three suites on the western side of the Pilanesberg wilderness
- Shepherd’s Tree Game LodgeRooms, Executive Suites with heated private pools and two-bedroom Private Villas
- Kwa Maritane Bush LodgeA bush lodge at the Kwa Maritane Gate, with a restaurant terrace over a waterhole
- Bakubung Bush LodgeA lodge at the Bakubung Gate with family rooms, king suites and ten villas
RESORT HOTELS AT SUN CITY
- The Palace of the Lost CitySun City Resort’s 326-room flagship hotel, with the Royal Spa
- CascadesA 241-room hotel among the resort gardens, with 78 Family Rooms
- Cabanas at Sun CityTwin, lake-facing, family and accessible rooms beside Waterworld Lake
Golf at Sun City
Our Golf Odyssey Inland Tour spends two nights at Sun City Resort, at Cascades or similar, with rounds at the Gary Player Country Club and the Lost City Golf Course before continuing to Mpumalanga and the Kruger.
Getting there from Johannesburg
Pilanesberg and Sun City are about 187 km from Johannesburg, roughly two hours each way by road. Our day trips collect guests from Johannesburg hotels and addresses. For overnight stays we arrange the private road transfer from Johannesburg or O.R. Tambo and can link it to the next stop in your itinerary.
Planning Pilanesberg or Sun City?
Tell us who is travelling and whether you want a day trip, a safari lodge or a resort stay, and we will suggest how it fits the rest of your trip.