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Johannesburg National parks

Our most recommended Johannesburg National parks

From Johannesburg: Pilanesberg Nature Reserve Game Safari

1. From Johannesburg: Pilanesberg Nature Reserve Game Safari

Visit Pilanesberg Game Reserve on a full-day safari from Johannesburg, where over 7000 animals roam freely. Have the chance to see big 5 game animals (elephants, rhinos, leopards, buffalos, and lions). Enjoy 2 extensive game drives in a jeep with a guide and a delicious lunch. Be picked up from your hotel in Johannesburg in the early morning and relax on the 2.5-hour drive to the Pilanesberg Game Reserve. Follow your guide on a drive to encounter animals like zebras, giraffes, cheetahs, hyenas, hippos, crocodiles, jackals, antelopes, and over 300 species of birds. A total of 4.5 to 5 hours are spent on Game Drives. During the heat of the day, sit down for an hour-long delectable lunch at one of the many rest camps in the Game Reserve. After lunch, depart on an afternoon safari drive in an open vehicle. Ask your guide any questions you might have about the animals and the natural environment. Leave Pilanesberg in the late afternoon to get back to your hotel in Johannesburg before sunset.

Johannesburg: 2-Day 4-Star Pilanesberg Safari

2. Johannesburg: 2-Day 4-Star Pilanesberg Safari

This national park covers an area of 55,000 hectares. More than 7,000 animals live here in a free and unhindered environment, and Pilanesberg is home to all of the "Big 5" (elephants, rhinos, leopards, buffalo, and lions). Other animals that you may encounter are zebra, giraffe, cheetahs, hyenas, hippos, crocodiles, jackals, wild cats, various antelope, and over 300 bird species. Pilanesberg offers over 200 kilometers of roads for guided or self-drive game viewing. Day 1: After being picked up in Johannesburg, you will depart to Pilanesberg. You will enter the park for a morning game drive in a closed, air-conditioned vehicle, before arriving to the lodge at around midday. You will then eat lunch, before enjoying an open 4x4 vehicle safari drive in the afternoon. You will then return for dinner. Day 2: Wake up early for hot beverages and then depart for a sunrise game drive in the Pilanesberg Game Reserve. Return for a hearty breakfast, then pack up before being collected for a game drive in the reserve in a minivan. Depart mid-afternoon for the return journey to Johannesburg.

From Johannesburg: Kruger National Park 3-Day Safari

3. From Johannesburg: Kruger National Park 3-Day Safari

Get back to nature in Kruger National Park and look for wild animals by open safari vehicle by day and at night. Day 1: Depart Johannesburg and drive by air-conditioned microbus through the Elands Valley to Nelspruit. Marvel at the citrus farms along the way. Then, enter Kruger National Park in time for lunch. Spend the afternoon on a game drive looking for elephants, giraffes, and antelopes in their natural environment. Rest at camp and relax in your en-suite chalet. Enjoy drinks before dinner in the private restaurant. Day 2: Wake at dawn to listen to the birds before going in search of the Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, rhino, and buffalo). Enjoy a hearty breakfast, then continue to a waterhole to see hippos, crocodiles, and birds before returning to your camp for a nap or afternoon swim. Later, leave the lodge to look for wildlife until late in the afternoon. Stop at one of the restaurants inside the park to have some lunch, then continue tracking wildlife. In the evening, head back to the lodge to relax and start looking at the photos you've taken so far on the trip. Day 3: Depart on an early morning game drive looking for elusive species lurking in the bush. Get some time to shop before your homeward journey. Enjoy amazing views of the farmlands of Schoemans Kloof and stop for lunch in Highveld. Arrive back at the airport for your onward flight or continue to your hotel.

Pilanesberg Wildlife Safari from Johannesburg

4. Pilanesberg Wildlife Safari from Johannesburg

Discover the “Big Five” of South Africa on a full-day safari tour of Pilanesberg National Park. Embark on an open jeep vehicle safari and see the beauty of Pilanesberg Nature Reserve. Your ranger will show you what Pilanesberg has to offer. From Elephants walking in the road past your vehicle, to various antelopes and not to mention the Magnificent king of the beasts, the Lion. You can also choose an option to view the reserve and animals in a closed minibus vehicle. You will be picked up from your hotel in Johannesburg or Pretoria and transported safely to Pilanesberg. Drive past the scenic Hartebeestpoortdam and the Magaliesberg Mountains. Upon arrival at Pilanesberg you will switch vehicles to an open safari vehicle. Your guide of the open vehicle will drive you through the Nature Reserve and guide you on the animals that crosses your path. You will have lunch and then continue with your open safari adventure. Enjoy excellent game viewing opportunities in a malaria-free climate. When your safari is finished you will switch back to your closed vehicle and you will be transported back to your hotel safely.

From Johannesburg: Pilanesberg National Park Safari

5. From Johannesburg: Pilanesberg National Park Safari

Enjoy a convenient pickup from your Johannesburg accommodation or directly from O.R. Tambo International Airport and make your way to the North West Province. Travel in the comfort of an air-conditioned vehicle and learn interesting facts from your knowledgeable guide on your drive.  Once you arrive at the Pilanesberg National Park, keep a lookout for Africa's Big Five along with the abundance of wildlife that calls this park home. Spot giraffes, wildebeest, elephants, impala, and many other animals. Learn about the fauna and flora from your guide and enjoy the breathtaking scenery of the African bush.  Your wildlife safari concludes after around four or five hours in the park, after which you'll travel back to Johannesburg and end your day back at your accommodation or O.R. Tambo International Airport. 

From Johannesburg: 2-Day Safari into Kruger National Park

6. From Johannesburg: 2-Day Safari into Kruger National Park

Look for the legendary wildlife of South Africa on a thrilling 2-day safari in Kruger National Park. Day 1: Benefit from pickup at O. R. Tambo International Airport or your hotel in Johannesburg, and then travel via a panoramic route to Kruger National Park. Head to your accommodation which is based in Hazyview outside the Kruger National Park to freshen up before your 2 hour evening game drive. Look for majestic lions, leopards, and other big cats out for the hunt. Return to camp to enjoy dinner around the camp fire. Day 2: Wake early for a morning game drive when the animals are at their most active. Search for big cats heading home from their nighttime hunts, and hyenas scavenging for remains. Return to camp for breakfast and a last chance to encounter animals in the wild before the drive back to Johannesburg.

From Pretoria: E-Bike in the wild with game near Jo'burg

7. From Pretoria: E-Bike in the wild with game near Jo'burg

The ride begins at Groenkloof Nature Reserve (30 to 40 minutes drive from Sandton) with setting up the bike for the height of the person and explaining how the gears work and how they can increase the power to the pedal assist if needed. E-bikers then practice before moving out. e-Bikes effectively make the world flat and are exhilarating to drive uphill. -e-Bikes can accelerate quickly so it is important for safety that participants keep behind the tour guide who will set the pace of 10 to 20kph. E-Biking is dangerous, so this rule must be obeyed. The e-bikes will not go on the tricky mountain bike trails. They will stay on the road used by cars. These vary in quality, but with their wide tyres, the e-bikes are geared to handle broken and sand roads. Participants can expect to see some of the dozen varieties of animal species including giraffe, ostriches, zebra and several varieties of buck. Groenkloof Nature Reserve is a time capsule that was proclaimed some 125 years ago. The guide will also tell you interesting things about the birds, the history (including the iron age caves) and the warring tribes and settlers who made this paradise, with its abundant water from underground springs, their home. After the ride while you freshen up a light tea will be served where locally home-made traditional South African treats like melktert, koeksusters and vetkoek are served with a beverage.

Pilanesberg Full-Day Shared Safari with Sun City Visit

8. Pilanesberg Full-Day Shared Safari with Sun City Visit

Depart at 6:00 AM from Johannesburg for a full-day excursion to explore Pilanesberg National Park and Sun City Resort. Sit back and enjoy the two-hour journey to Pilanesberg, passing by the scenic Magaliesberg Mountains and the picturesque Hartbeespoort Dam. The Pilanesberg National Park lies in a caldera of an extinct 1200 million-year-old volcano and is dramatically beautiful with mountains, plains, wooded valleys, and dams. Over 7,000 animals roam freely across the spectacular volcanic landscape, including the Big Five, predators, and a large variety of antelope. Mankwe Dam, at the center of the reserve, is a large watering hole that draws animals and birds to it on a daily basis. See all this beauty and more on a 3-hour 4x4 morning game drive through the Park. Feel the wind in your hair and the thrill of getting closer to nature in an open-air safari vehicle. Keep your eyes peeled for stealthy predators such as wild dogs, Cape foxes, and spotted hyenas. Then, you will be transferred to Sun City Resort, an oasis of leisure and relaxation that shimmers in the sun, only 1 km away from the National Park. The world’s most unique resort is internationally renowned for its glamorous casinos, gourmet restaurants, extensive sports facilities, and star-studded spectaculars. After an orientation tour, enjoy some free time to have lunch or stroll through the beautiful gardens. As the sun starts to set you will embark on an afternoon game drive in your own vehicle through the park. After your game drive concludes, depart for your return trip to Johannesburg, where you will arrive at your hotel between 8:00 and 9:00 PM depending on the time you left the Park. 

From Cape Town: Cape Peninsula Full-Day Guided Tour

9. From Cape Town: Cape Peninsula Full-Day Guided Tour

Get set for a full-day shared or private guided tour around the Cape Peninsula. Visit must-see spots such as Camps Bay, Hout Bay, Chap Mans Peak, Simon's Town, the Cape of Good Hope, and so much for. The tour starts off with pickup at Cape Town hotels. The first stop of the tour is Camps Bay, known for its fine white sand, natural rock swimming pools, and views of the Twelve Apostles Mountains. Next, move on along the coastline and find yourself at Hout Bay situated in a valley on the Atlantic seaboard of the Cape Peninsula. After, prepare for a beautiful drive in Cape Town similar to a drive along the Amalfi Coast in Italy. Spot scenic ocean views as you travel. Then, visit the Cape of Good Hope, the southernmost point of the African Continent. Take a funicular to the Cape Point Lighthouse and enjoy breathtaking views of the mountain range and the Atlantic Ocean. Later, head to Penguins Colony at Simon’s Town where you can view black-footed penguins (South African penguins) in their natural habitat. A stop at the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens that lies at the eastern foot of Table Mountain may be an option if time allows.

From Johannesburg: Full-Day Kruger National Park Safari

10. From Johannesburg: Full-Day Kruger National Park Safari

Following pick-up from your Johannesburg hotel, stop for breakfast in Middleburg before driving another 2 hours for a coffee stop in Nelspruit. From there, head straight to Kruger National Park to discover the Big 5 and other animal species. Depending on what time you arrive and weather conditions, either eat lunch before the afternoon game drive or take your lunch after. Begin your 3-hour drive around the park as you keep an eye out for the famous Big 5 among other unique animals. Following the safari, begin the drive back to Johannesburg.

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What people are saying about Johannesburg

Overall rating

4.5 / 5

based on 55 reviews

Jason picked me up and chatted with me for the 2 hour drive. He answered my questions and made the trip seem much shorter. I did the open truck ride with nyiko, he was amazing, very knowledgeable about the animals and landscape. The whole group really enjoyed his stories. These guides do this job because they love it. Our guide was very excited to see an elusive leopard. The guides all talk to each other so everyone knows where the animals are. We saw elephants, giraffes, white Rhino, hippo and so much more! Do this tour!!!

Reliable logistics (pick-up and drop-off times). Friendly, sociable and knowledgeable guides. And we spotted all of the different species you would like to see on safari, except for the lions (which is a matter of luck and expectations had been managed accordingly on beforehand).

Safari fantastico. Non siamo riusciti a vedere tutti i big five, ma l'esperienza è stata comunque bella. La nostra guida è stata molto esaustiva nelle spiegazioni delle caratteristiche dei vari animali che abbiamo avvistato nel tour

Very good travel to visit so many wild animals, some of them are very close to our car! The whole trip we were hunting just like hunters to find the animals,the guide helped a lot !

Fantastic experience. Beautiful lodge. Great guide!