Johannesburg Day 3: Safari at Pilanesberg National Park
An attempt to see the Big 5 in the North West region of South Africa...
Another day, another all-day adventure!
Watch the Pilanesberg National Park companion vlog on TikTok or Instagram.
Read the Johannesburg days 1 and 2 blog here.
Safari at Pilanesberg National Park
Mom’s only wish for this 60th birthday trip was to go on a safari. She and I were trying to do multiple days on somebody’s reserve, but dad was not having it. We settled on a full day at Pilanesberg National Park & Game Reserve.
We booked with MoAfrika Tours, the same company we used for our tours of the Cape Winelands and Soweto.
Pickup from our Rosebank hotel was at 5:45 am. I was only able to grab a croissant and smoothie from the hotel coffee shop.
We easily spent 60-90 minutes picking up 17 other travelers in our group from area hotels before we made the 3.5-hour drive to the Bojanala Platinum Municipality District in the North West region of South Africa near the Botswana border.
Once we got to Pilanesberg, we split into two groups to take two open vehicles onto the reserve for our late morning drive before breaking for lunch at the park’s only restaurant. Lunch was included in the package.
The goal of every safari is to see the Big 5–lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and African buffalo. It’s not guaranteed, but the milder and earlier in the day, the better. Our chances of seeing all five were low for a late morning during peak summer.
An overnight or multiple-day safari betters your chances too, because you can do super early morning drives when it’s cooler. I did a two-night safari at Masai Mara in Kenya back in October 2019 with Black Travel Fest. Much better results.
I was really looking forward to seeing some cats, but the girafes, elephants, zebra, warthogs, wildebeest, antelope and gazelles were lovely!
Also: don’t be me. If you’re going to be passenger princess in an open safari vehicle, please keep reapplying SPF, especially to your lips and scalp. Ask me how I know.
We were the last of the group to be dropped off back in Joburg closet to 8 p.m.
Cost of safari (Round-trip transportation and lunch included): $145.60
When I booked: 1 month, 1 week prior
Dinner at Proud Mary
Pilanesberg drained us, so we grabbed dinner at Proud Mary in our hotel before hitting the bed. It was busy closer to 8 p.m., but we were able to walk in.
We shared multiple plates of calamari and Moules Frites. Apparently, my mother drinks espresso martinis now.
Cost of dinner: Not sure. Mom and dad got the check!