Pilanesberg Safari: Two Open Vehicle Game Drives

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/26

Duration10h

GroupUp to 10

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Lunch overlooking a waterhole where wildlife gathers in Pilanesberg Park

A full-day safari tour from Johannesburg to Pilanesberg Nature Park includes hotel pickup, two open vehicle game drives with a qualified ranger, lunch at the park's center, and return transport — roughly 10 hours total. The morning drive lasts about 3 hours; the afternoon drive about 2 hours. Children from age 4 are welcome, and vegetarian meals are available on request.

10h

Step-by-step itinerary

Full-day Pilanesberg Safari from Johannesburg

Hotel pickup in Johannesburg early morning
Drive to Pilanesberg Nature Park
Morning open vehicle safari drive
Lunch at Pilanesberg Center overlooking waterhole
Afternoon open vehicle safari drive
Depart Pilanesberg Park late afternoon
Return to Johannesburg by early evening

The Experience

Hotel pickup happens between 06:00 and 06:30 in Johannesburg, then a 45-minute drive takes you to Pilanesberg Nature Park. You'll arrive around 9am and board an open 4x4 vehicle for the first safari drive. A professional guide leads the search for wildlife across the park, offering in-depth information about the animals you spot and working to locate members of the Big 5. This morning drive runs roughly 3 hours.

At midday you stop at the Pilanesberg Center, located in the heart of the park overlooking a waterhole. Lunch is served here — a light meal with a vegetarian option available if you've requested it at booking — and the waterhole itself often brings wildlife close while you eat. After an hour's break, you board the open vehicle again for the afternoon drive, another roughly 2 hours of game viewing before heading back toward Johannesburg. The vehicle departs the park between 15:30 and 16:00, arriving back at your hotel between 17:30 and 18:00.

The open vehicle setup means unobstructed views in all directions and easier photography than a closed safari van. Your guide navigates the park roads in search of game and shares knowledge about behavior, habitat and ecology as you move through the landscape. The full day runs about 10 hours door to door, including the drive from Johannesburg, both safari drives, lunch and the return journey.

What’s included

Door-to-door hotel pickup and drop-off in Johannesburg.
morning open vehicle safari drive lasting roughly 3 hours.
afternoon open vehicle safari drive lasting roughly 2 hours.
professional guide fluent in English.
light lunch at Pilanesberg Center overlooking a waterhole.
air-conditioned transport to and from the park.

Good to know

Easy physical level

Operated by MoAfrika Tours

Is this one for you?Book this tour if you want two separate game drives in one day rather than a single longer outing — the morning and afternoon drives cover different parts of the park and often turn up different wildlife. The open vehicle gives you unobstructed views and better photography angles than a closed van, and the guide's focus on finding the Big 5 shapes where you travel and what you're most likely to encounter.