Full Day Pilanesberg Experience: Explore Nature's Reserve in Open Safari Drive

Embark on a full day open safari drive in the Pilanesberg Nature Reserve and get up close and personal with the big 5. Expert guides, small vehicles, and amazing sightings await!

Duration: 11 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Pilanesberg National Park - After collecting you form your hotel or residence in Johannesburg between 06:00
  • 06:30, we travel to the Pilanesberg Nature reserve.
    On arrival your guide will take you on an exciting morning open 4×4 safari vehicle safari drive in search of the Animals that inhabit the National Park. Our guides are knowledgeable and…
What's Included
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Onboard Uncapped WIFI
  • Driver/guide
  • Lunch
  • Morning open vehicle safari drive (+- 3 Hours Long)
  • Afternoon closed vehicle safari drive (+- 2 Hours Long)
What's Not Included
  • Drinks
  • Gratuities
  • Conservation Fee
Additional Information

Discover the marvels of the Pilanesberg Nature Reserve with a full-day open safari drive. Enjoy the chance to see the Big Five (lion, elephant, rhino, buffalo, and leopard) up close.
Guests are picked up from their hotels in Pretoria or Johannesburg between 5:30 and 6:00 am before embarking on the safari adventure.
There is a brief stop halfway to…

Location
Pilanesberg National Park
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.8
(470 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Annadd526uw
Aug 27, 2026
Leopard spotted and many more thanks to Petrus - If you scroll only a little down then you will see that we have already reviewed this tour once, but since we were able to do this wonderful full-day-Safari twice, we just had to do it again! Together with our wonderful tour guide Petrus who has accompanied us for three previous Safaris as well was simply AMAZING! This experience was simply the best and I will never be able to forget it. Not only did Petrus take us to new areas of the park which we had never seen before, but he made sure that we saw animals we had never seen before, and to not keep you on your toes for too long, yes, we mean a Leopard! Thanks to Petrus insight and fast response as well as his patience we were able to see the rarest animal of the Big Five so close by! Thanks to his calm, while other guides were already rushing off we were able to watch the Leopard stalk up to its prey while seeing her in her full beauty! But while that was certainly the most impactful sighting which painted a smile on our faces for the whole day because it was so surreal, we saw so much more… From baby giraffes and giraffes right next to our vehicle over elephants, rhinos with their babies, warthogs with their babies, baboons with their babies and zebras with their babies, feeding on the milk. It was simply incredible, and Petrus had so much knowledge about each animals, even the tiniest birds. We furthermore spent a lovely and delicious lunch at the Fish Eagle where chef Isaai cooked us a splendid meal which we enjoyed while looking over the beautiful landscapes of Pilanesberg while we spent some time talking to Petrus and Tmen. Both of them were lovely to chat to and we had a great time! Thank you so much to Petrus as well as to MoAfrika Tours, it has been a pleasure and we will be back for more, hopefully sooner than later!! We will miss you, Petrus and Tmen! Anna & Sophie 🫶
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Angelos2499
Aug 25, 2026
Great Experience - Amazing tour. Our tour guide really made this experience even more special. He knew to anticipate the movement of the lions, hippo and elephants. They have the experience to spot even animals in the far distance. Would recommend this tour to those really wanting to see the animals in their natural habitat.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Maureen_t
May 1, 2026
It was great, i wished i... - It was great, i wished i brought binoculars with me to be able to see the animals spotted far far away
Review provided by Viator
Walter_w
May 1, 2026
One day Pilanesberg Safari - This was the safari we ever took and we couldn’t be more pleased. Alex was our driver to and from the park. He was extra accommodating. He even let us off at the mall on our way back and waited to take us to the hotel. Martin was our safari guide and he was extremely knowledgeable. We saw lions, giraffes, zebras, rhinos, elephants, a rare cheetah and many more in just one day. He knew where to go to find the animals. I highly recommend this tour. You won’t be disappointed.
Review provided by Viator
Amelia_c
Apr 13, 2026
My first time at a safari... - My first time at a safari and it was a thrilling experience spotting all the different animals in their natural habitat. We saw 3 out of the big 5 - elephant, lion and rhino - and a bunch of others. I'm writing this review after also visiting Chobe National Park and I found that the animals in Pilanesburg tended to be further away in the distance and required some sharp eyes to spot. Appreciated my sharp-eyed guides and fellow travellers who made this a fun experience.
Review provided by Viator
Paulo_m
Mar 26, 2026
Excellent - Very good service, Excellent Paseo, we got almost all Big Five, missed only the Lions, the Lunch was very good.
Review provided by Viator
Stacey_t
Mar 17, 2026
Amazing Pilanesberg Day Trip - We just came from Chobe NP so we were on the fence about booking this, but we are SO glad we did because our tour guide did the mosttttt to make sure we saw that leopard on our ride!!! We had an amazing time, we saw 4 out of the big 5 (no lion 🥲) on a day trip! Highly recommend to all
Review provided by Viator
Sasiporn
Feb 23, 2026
Full day tour - Wonderful trip with new experiences in Safari. Everything is perfect!!! I love it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
463emak
Feb 16, 2026
Amazing experience in Pilanesberg - Amazing experience with guide Vincent. Vincent was fun and knowledgeable and great at spotting animals and birds. I would recommend going with a guide rather than self driving as you benefit from their wealth of knowledge and their being in connection with the other guides to know what animals are where in the park. An truly wonderful experience in a beautiful landscape. It was a once in a lifetime experience when we saw a lioness moving her one month old cub walking right behind our vehicle. Highly recommended.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kirsten_w
Sep 1, 2026
🦁 Full-Day Pilanesberg Experience - This tour started with a very early morning pickup right from our location, which was extremely convenient. The drive to Pilanesberg is a long one — about three hours each way, with a stop along the way — but the transportation was comfortable and having door-to-door pickup and drop-off was a big plus. Our safari guide, Lizzie, was good, and the morning game drive was definitely the highlight of the day. We saw quite a variety of animals and had some great sightings. We didn’t see the big 5 but we did see; Hippos, lions, kudu, giraffes, elephants with their babies, wilder beasts, monkeys, impala, zebra, crocodile, fishing eagle and pumba. Lunch was served in the park at picnic tables rather than at a lodge. There was a choice of steak, chicken, salad, and bread, along with a selection of beverages. It was casual but enjoyable and gave us a nice break between drives. The afternoon game drive, however, was disappointing and felt like a waste of time. It was warm, and there was very little animal activity. If I did this tour again, I would definitely skip the afternoon drive and opt for either a morning game drive or a late afternoon/evening drive when the animals are more active. If you’ve been on safari before, especially in a more remote or traditional safari destination, Pilanesberg may feel fairly mellow by comparison (there is no off roading to get closer). But if you’ve never experienced a safari, I think this would be a great introduction and an easy way to get a taste of the experience. Overall, it was a pretty good day out. The convenient pickup and drop-off from our location was a real advantage, and the morning safari made the long journey worthwhile. 🐘🦏🦒
Review provided by Viator
From $172
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).