Top Ten Things to Do in the Pilanesberg Game Reserve
A Big Five African safari is a dream vacation for many people and the bottom line is that whether you are a tourist from another continent or a local visiting the Pilanesberg Game Reserve in South Africa, you will want to come home after enjoying of the safari experience. .
Think of this article as your unofficial advisor, providing tips to make your trip more exciting and memorable!
Here are our top ten things to do when visiting Pilanesberg:
1. guided safari – All Pilanesberg lodges and resorts offer guided game drives in the morning and in the afternoon. In the morning the guide brings coffee and rusks and in the afternoon there are soft drinks and beer/wine for sunbathing depending on which hostel you are staying at.
2. self drive safari – We prefer to drive alone, since you can decide when you go, which route you take and how long you stay at a sighting.
3. Guided Bush Walk – most lodges offer guided walks through the bush. These are really exciting as they give you a whole new perspective on nature. You might come face to face with a rhino or buffalo, but these rides are more about the smaller things you’d miss driving through the park.
4. Self Guided Camp Hike – Manyane Lodge has a large enclosed area where zebra, tsessebe, ostriches, wildebeest, impala and wild boar roam free. No reservation is necessary and maps are available at the information center. We love this tour as you experience the closeness with the animals. In summer you should bring a hat, comfortable walking boots, a bottle of water and a camera of course!
5. picnic in the hills – There are five picnic spots located throughout the park. Three of them are great as you are high up in the hills and have great views of the plains or lake below. One is the Fish Eagle Picnic Spot overlooking Mankwe Dam and the other two are located on Baile Drive. All picnic spots have braai (barbecue) facilities, water, shade, toilets and are fenced off.
6. Skins to sit on the bird – There are seven hides scattered around the park. For us, the Pilanesberg is all about sitting in these bird hides instead of driving through the park for hours. You can get great photos if you visit these hides at the right time of day: the west facing hides have good photo lighting in the mornings (Rathlogo and Mankwe) and the east facing hides are great in the afternoons (Mankwe, Ruighoek and Malatse). All hides are securely fenced and have toilets.
7. elephant safari – This is an exciting adventure! You can choose between a morning or sunset safari that lasts three hours: one hour riding on the back of an elephant and the rest of the time is spent meeting the elephants and having a light breakfast with champagne or sunbathing with snacks . Imagine a photography game from the back of an elephant!
8. hot air balloon – This is another great adventure! The balloon takes off from the Mankwe Dam before the sun rises and then you spend an hour floating above the Pilanesberg. This is a great opportunity to photograph Africa’s ‘super seven’ (big 5 plus cheetah and wild dogs) from the air, and when you land, the table is set for a delicious champagne breakfast on the veld!
9. Sun City – this famous resort is part of the Pilanesberg crater complex and has it all in terms of entertainment, from restaurants, the valley of waves water park, a cinema, spa, golf course, live shows, casino, various sports, from tennis to quads. -cycling and of course daily guided safaris in the Pilanesberg game reserve.
10 walk-in avian – there is one in the Manyane complex and another in Sun City. This is a great opportunity to photograph bird species, such as kingfishers, without the need for a long lens.