Right on the side of the road!
Day Safari Game Drive Tour Packages
I was there on a 36 hour layover and did a day game drive where the driver picked us up from our hotel near the OR Tambo airport, drove us to the park for our safari, and drove us back the same day. It was exhausting, but incredible! Total cost was around $180 US each including tips.Read about our fun day including the animal photos here: A Big 5 (okay 3) Day Trip Safari During our Joburg Layover
MoAfrika Tours is one of the more popular tour groups that runs this tour. I actually booked with them initially, but after negotiating a bit with Kele Tours, a contact I was given by Kgabo Safaris (see below), I ended up with private transportation in a sedan vs. the shared bus/van of MoAfrika for only about $20 more total for two of us. That also meant a set pickup time of 6:15 AM rather than possibly 5:15 AM or other varied time since we'd have to go around picking up everyone else on the bus. Boom, no problem.
Our private sedan to Pilanesberg
Kele Tours
Contact SiphoPhone / WhatsApp +27 73 434 1698
R6000 2 people ($165 US pp)
transportation plus the 6 hour tour that includes lunch
MoAfrika Tours
Ultimate Pilanesberg Open Vehicle Day TourR2800 per person ($153 US pp)
transportation plus the 6 hour tour that includes lunch
Biggestleaf Travel & Tours
This is the Pilanesberg recommended transfer serviceI don't know their pricing
Zebras were everywhere really. So beautiful!
White rhino. They cut their horns off to protect them from poachers. We saw about 7 of them that day.
Overnight In the Park
There are also options to stay inside the park. Some of the hotel options include meals and game drive included in the price. The options are all listed on the park website.If you have your own car, you can drive you own car into the park and self-safari, but I'm not sure how fun that would be trying to spot the animals while you're driving.
Staying in the park, you just need to arrange for your transportation from Joburg. MoAfrika has a daily shuttle for $45-$60 pp each way or $200 private up to 6pp. Maybe also check Biggestleaf above.
Hotel with Food & Game Drive
Here's an example. At the Bakubung Bush Lodge or the Kwa Maritane Bush Lodge, you can stay in the standard room for R 3162 / R 2526 (high / low season) per person ($173 / $139 US). That's not super cheap BUT it includes half board, so that's breakfast and dinner, probably all you need, PLUS one or two game drives every day! The place is nice, too. It has a pool and it includes a shuttle into the main town, Sun City.
Bakubung Bush Lodge
Manyane Resort Safari tent, a little camping in the park?
Glamping
They have more modest accommodation that doesn't include the tours, but you can book that on your own directly with the park (see below). The area has swimming pools, a restaurant, and a mini mart. There are chalets, camping/caravan spots, and my favorite, glamping tents! A double Safari Tent is roughly R1600 / $87 US.Kgabo Safaris Tours & Rates
Kgabo Safaris is Pilanesberg's actual tour company that runs the tours directly in Pilanesberg Park itself.Here's the information they gave me in 2025, which you can also find including more options (including private and sunset / Bush Braai bbq tours) on the Kgabo Safaris website.Scheduled Game Drive
Rate: R750.00 per person (R375.00 kids under 12)Times: 5h00 , 9h00 and 16h00
Duration: 3 hours
Full Day Game Drive
6 hour game drive with lunch at the Pilanesberg CentreRate: R1500.00 per person
Times: 5h00 until 11h00 and 9h00 until 15h00
Duration: 6 hours
The itinerary for the 6 hour tour is such that you take the 3 hour tour, break for lunch, then take another approximately 2.5 hour tour. Quite honestly, we saw so much in the first 3 hours, that we were completely satisfied (and tired!) that a 3 hour tour would have been sufficient. Of course we were all the way in Africa, so we were going to choose the 6 hour over the 3 hour tour. Don't want to miss out!
Kgabo Tours safari jeep. They also have a big 22 person truck.
Quick Cost Comparison
There are a lot of factors to consider here such as itinerary, food, hotel choice, etc. but here's a quick comparison of doing a day trip from Joberg vs. staying in the park in a hotel or glamping for one night in USD for 2 people.Day Trip
Hotel
Glamping
Hotel
$150
$170 x 2
$87
Tour
$160 x 2
$80 x 2
Transportation
$200
$200
Food
$50
Total
$510
$540
$497
What to Wear
Really you can wear almost anything. It's not like you're out walking in the bush. The general rule is not to wear bright blue or black as that attracts tsetse flies. However, I have seen people wearing both and not had an issue. It is dusty and sweaty and hot, but that's about it. We wore neutral colors as advised and of course, wicking clothes for the heat. I wore open sandals and was fine.I tried to look at least a little cuter than my last frumpy safari pics! LOL But please, there's no need to wear an Instagram safari outfit.
Here I am being a total dork trying on outfits before the trip, but this is all part of The Process for Creating Your Perfect Travel Capsule Wardrobe. This photo was never meant for public consumption!
What to Bring
I was happy I brought a bottle of water and my regular camera for some far away zoom shots. It was so dusty, so I kept my camera in a little bag and only took it out when I wanted to take a photo. Same for my phone. The lenses were otherwise covered in dust!When we went, it wasn't cold in the morning, but I did wear my light jacket to keep the sun off my arms. I definitely needed my to keep my hair up off my neck from both the wind while driving and from the sweat/heat. So bring a hat or hair clip. I brought insect repellant in fear of tsetse flies, and did put it on my feet, but not sure it was needed.
Lunch was big and included a basic drink so other than tips, no extra money was needed. Oh, there was opportunity to shop for souvenirs at the park.
