Pilanesberg National Park

Pilanesberg National Park occupies the crater of a 1.2-billion-year-old extinct volcano in South Africa’s North West Province creating a unique and dramatically scenic landscape of concentric rings of hills and valleys. The park covers 55000 hectares and supports all Big Five species making it one of the most accessible Big Five destinations from Johannesburg at just a two-hour drive. Pilanesberg sits in a transition zone between the Kalahari thornveld and the lowveld bushveld resulting in an unusual overlap of species not typically found together. The park is entirely malaria-free making it ideal for families. Self-drive safari is excellent with well-maintained roads and numerous hides overlooking waterholes. The Mankwe Dam area is particularly productive for game viewing. Pilanesberg proves that world-class wildlife encounters don’t require days of travel — this is Big Five country on Gauteng’s doorstep.