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Pilanesberg National Park Day Tour: Experience the Big Five & Over 365 Bird Species
4.8
12 Ratings
Sun City
If a Kruger Park Tour isn’t on your schedule, here’s a great substitute - just roughly two hours away from Pretoria or Johannesburg. This magnificent National Park houses the Big Five (lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino, and elephant), and it’s a sanctuary for over 365 species of birds!
If a Kruger Park Tour isn’t on your schedule, here’s a great substitute - just roughly two hours away from Pretoria or Johannesburg. This magnificent National Park houses the Big Five (lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino, and elephant), and it’s a sanctuary for over 365 species of birds!
Duration:
10 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Pilanesberg National Park - For those short on time for a Kruger Park Tour, this is an excellent alternative, located just about two hours from Pretoria/Johannesburg. This malaria-free park spans 58,000 hectares, making it the fourth largest in South Africa. It is set on the eroded remains of a 1.2 billion-year-old extinct volcanic crater and…
- Pilanesberg National Park - For those short on time for a Kruger Park Tour, this is an excellent alternative, located just about two hours from Pretoria/Johannesburg. This malaria-free park spans 58,000 hectares, making it the fourth largest in South Africa. It is set on the eroded remains of a 1.2 billion-year-old extinct volcanic crater and hosts the Big Five (lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino, and elephant), along with over 365 bird species. Various overnight packages are available.
DAY TOUR ITINERARY:
06:15 – 06:30 Departure from Johannesburg pick-up points
07:00 – 07:15 Departure from Centurion pick-up points
07:30 – 07:45 Departure from Pretoria pick-up points
09:30 – 10:00 Arrival at the Park
10:00 – 16:00 Game viewing in a closed, air-conditioned Ulysses Tours vehicle
13:00 Light lunch at Pilanesberg Centre/Bakgatla Camp
16:00 Departure from the Park
18:00 – 19:00 Drop-offs
What's Included
- Light refreshments
- Bottled water
- National Park fees
- Lunch
- Hotel pickup and drop-off (Pretoria)
- Light refreshments
- Bottled water
- National Park fees
- Lunch
- Hotel pickup and drop-off (Pretoria)
What's Not Included
- Drinks
- Gratuities
- Food and drinks, unless specified
- Drinks
- Gratuities
- Food and drinks, unless specified
Additional Information
- Child rate applies only when sharing with 2 paying adults
- Please note: an additional fee is levied for departures from Johannesburg / Sandton / Airport
- Child rate applies only when sharing with 2 paying adults
- Please note: an additional fee is levied for departures from Johannesburg / Sandton / Airport
Location
Pilanesberg National Park
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.8
(12 Ratings)
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1 star
Katharine_r
Jan 18, 2026
Informative and satisfying day! - Ask for a jeep not a car . That was my only complaint although I did find the gift shop to be very expensive. Lucky was a fabulous intelligent and well informed guide who made the experience exceptional. Had many animal sightings close up. Really wonderful! Had a Lovely lunch. If you only have one day for a safari I would recommend it
Review provided by Viator
Sanja_b
Aug 30, 2025
Excellence - Aaron was an excellent guide, and all went very well. We had a whole menagerie of animals around us, including giraffes, zebras, elephants, rhinos, and hippos.
Review provided by Viator
Culture41505611687
Aug 5, 2025
Great Experience - What an awesome experience! I was picked up at my hotel by the friendly driver that is also a qualified guide. We headed off to Pilansberg. We saw 4 of the big five that day, just the Buffalows we didn't see. Had a very nice light lunch. After the tour I was safely dropped off at my hotel.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kailiej2019
Jan 5, 2025
Don’t miss out on this awesome tour! - My trip to Pilanesberg National Park was absolutely fantastic! My guide, Cecile, was very welcoming, friendly, and knowledgeable. She did an excellent job of providing historical facts about the area as well as interesting facts about the animals we spotted. The vehicle was clean, comfortable, and durable enough to navigate the rough terrain of the park. We got really lucky and saw four of the Big Five and also saw copious amounts of other wildlife. I’m so glad I booked this excursion and would absolutely book with Ulysses and Cecile again in the future. Highly recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Marina_p
Dec 1, 2024
African safari a short commute from Pretoria - Pilanesberg is an easy drive from Pretoria. The pick up from the hotel was seamless and then we had really interesting information from the beginning from our knowledgeable guide. We were lucky to have an intensive elephant day from the start, but our guide, George James, was eager to show us rhinos and lions, if possible. There was a sighting of two leopards, but a troop of baboons scared them away, so we missed out on cats for our visit, which was really not an issue, since we saw the baboon troop, lots of giraffes, different antelope specifies, and at the end of the day, a group of ten rhinos! It was an exceptional way to use my one free day during a business trip to Pretoria.
Review provided by Viator
Raino_j
Jul 29, 2024
Nice experience - We saw lot of big animals in their natural environment. We were not lucky enough to see big cats. There are few places where you can get out of the car.
Review provided by Viator
Jonathan_e
Feb 18, 2024
Good big Game Park experience - Seeing the lion.
Lunch with 9 giraffes and 3 zebras.
The elephants and the hippopotamus.
The guide was good and personable and persevered to find the animals.
Was a worthwhile trip.
Thank you
Review provided by Viator
Shockingman
Jul 30, 2019
A wonderful day - Just over an hour from Pretoria we visited this little gem. Saw the usual number of animals, and fortunate to see 10 Rhinos, including mum and baby you took their time to watch these curious tourists from Australia.
Hundreds of elephants, including a male, with only one tusk, who made us reverse for quite some distance - which sent our Blood Pressure soaring. In the end we realised that he was just clearing the path on the road so that his herd could go down to the water. Brilliant and exciting. Denise and David Schokman. Perth. Western Australia..
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Deborah_g
Apr 21, 2024
Great day at the National Park - I saw a lot of animals but when we were eating lunch in the cafe (lucky to have a balcony table ) looking out to the small waterhole, a herd of Elephants arrived and then Giraffes & Zebras. Close up aand personal. Wonderful 😁
Review provided by Viator
Paul_j
Mar 24, 2024
Pilanesberg safari - Our guide (Lucky) was well prepared. He was on time. He gave us very good info on all of the wildlife. We didn’t see any big cats but it was a very good experience. I will definitely do the tour again
Review provided by Viator
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