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Full Day Exquisite Pilanesberg Safari from Johannesburg

Name: Full Day Exquisite Pilanesberg Safari from Johannesburg
Brand: Deeprift Ventours
SKU: 13066P1
Price: 185.77 USD
Rating: 5.0 (66 reviews)

Badge of ExcellenceJohannesburg, South Africa

From $185.77

Price varies by group size

Select Date and Travelers

up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

12 hours 30 minutes
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Experience the breathtaking beauty and wildlife of Pilanesberg Nature Reserve on a day safari from Johannesburg, Pretoria, or Sandton. Set out on a safari through this popular game reserve, keeping an eye out for the park's 'Big Five' as well as impalas, cheetahs, hippos, crocodiles, and its diverse bird life. You can book and depart on short notice, ideal for busy travelers, and a 24-hour cancellation policy makes for a stress-free experience.

Only open air between you and the animals for an unforgettable experience
Enjoy a delicious lunch while viewing animals at a water hole
All guides are registered and vehicles have the required permits
Effortless pick up from your hotel and round trip transportation from Johannesburg.

What's Included

Bottled water
Lunch
Registered Driver/Guide
Transport by air-conditioned minivan with all needed permits and passenger liability
Morning Open Vehicle Safari (+/- 3 Hours Long )
Afternoon Open Vehicle Safari (+/- 2 Hours Long )
Door to Door Hotel Pick up and Drop off

Gratuities
Alcoholic drinks and drinks during lunch (available to purchase)

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Start time

05:30 AM

Pickup details

All hotels and accommodation. We pick up anywhere from your hotel or guest house in Sandton, Rosebank, Johannesburg and Pretoria. Please specify your pickup location. We also pick up from air b&b as well as private locations.

What To Expect

Hartbeespoortdam

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Pilanesberg National Park

6 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Johannesburg (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation

Not recommended for pregnant travelers
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 13 travelers

Operated by Deeprift Ventours

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Jonathan_S

Had an excellent experience with this tour. Pilanesburg National Park is really beautiful. Tranport from the hotel and back was smooth and Jason was a very safe driver. Lizzie was a great guide and driver during our tour, and she had a really sharp eye spotting and letting us know where the wildlife was at. We were fortunate and got to see four of the big five. Overall exceedingly pleased with the tour.

Reviews

5.0

66 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 66 reviews

Viewings of Many Animals

ChuanHao_M, Mar 2024

Jason picked us on time and the 3 hr trip to the park was informative with nuggets of info about the scenes that we passed on the way. The safari with the game warden was just as it should be. Lots of viewings and close ups of many different types of animals. Without the keen eye of the game warden, and the extra height afforded by the open air truck, half of those animals would not have been spotted. Great experience.

Response from Host, Mar 2024

Dear Chuan Hao, Thank you for taking the time to share your positive feedback. I am pleased to hear that you had a great experience with us. It’s always our aim to enhance the journey, not just the destination. We're glad you enjoyed the safari with the guide and got to see a variety of animals up close. Their keen eyes and the advantage of the open-air truck definitely do make a difference in spotting the wildlife! Thank you for highlighting these aspects of your trip. We hope to welcome you back on another adventure soon. Best Regards, Jason

Smooth and Enjoyable Experience

Jonathan_S, Mar 2024

Response from Host, Mar 2024

Dear Jonathan, I am absolutely delighted to hear about your excellent experience with our tour! Pilanesburg National Park truly is a gem, and I am glad you could appreciate its beauty. It's wonderful to know you appreciated Jason's safe driving and the smooth transportation to and from the hotel. We also thank you for your kind words about Lizzie. Her sharp eye and knowledge truly enhance the experience for our guests. Seeing four of the big five is indeed a unique experience and we're overjoyed that you were able to witness this. It's comments like yours that motivate us to continue delivering top-notch service to our guests. Thank you once again for your feedback and for choosing our tour. We hope to have the pleasure of serving you again in the future. Best Regards, Jason

Great South Africa adventure

James_R, Dec 2023

We made the right choice. Jason was most kind, safe, on time and very knowledgeable during drive from Sandton to Pilanesberg reserve park and back to hotel. Very comfortable ride. Highly recommend

Response from Host, Dec 2023

Dear James, it was a pleasure meeting you. Thank you for your kind review of the Safari to Pilanesberg. Kind Regards Jason

Must do attraction

Eric_M, Aug 2023

Feeding the giraffe and getting do close to the lions to take pictures. Will definitely come again when in Johannesburg.

Response from Host, Aug 2023

Thank you for your kind review. Your review of the Cradle of Humankind tour with a Lion Safari is very much appreciated. Next time on your visit the Pilanesberg Safari will also be a very enjoyable Safari. Kind regards Jason

Happy on Safari

Kevin_H, Jun 2023

THIS WAS A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE! I recommend highly. The drive from Johannesburg is long but we slept most of the way with it started so early in the morning (5:30a). But, we saw lions, giraffes, elephants, zebras, and so much more. One of my favorite experiences.

Response from Host, Jun 2023

Hi Kevin, thank you for your review. It was a wonderful day and a pleasure meeting you. Kind Regards Jason

An amazing day in Pilanesberg

Klaas_K, Feb 2023

We had an amazing day in Pilanesberg. Jason knows a lot about the animals and their tracks. We saw a lot of animals. And he is a carefull and responsible driver

Response from Host, Feb 2023

Hi Klaas and family, thank you for writing a review. It was a pleasure meeting you and spending the day with you and your family. It was a great day, through rain thunder and sunshine. Beautiful sighting of the animals as well. Hope to hear from you again. Kind regards Jason

I recommend to everybody!

Ramin_H, Dec 2022

Fantastic trip. Jason was the most knowledgeable tour guide. I learned a lot and enjoyed his company. Our park guide SiSi was amazing person. She managed to spot and show us what could have been seen. Thank you Jason, thank you SiSi!

Response from Host, Dec 2022

Hi Ramin, thank you for the kind review. It was a fantastic day and a real pleasure to show our beautiful country. Kind regards Jason

We went for a day safari...

Alia_B, Nov 2022

We went for a day safari and it was really amazing. Everything went perfectly and we saw so many animals from groups of elephants with babies to giraffes and hippos. It was really i credible

Response from Host, Nov 2022

Hi Alia, what a wonderful day it was! Also it was a pleasure meeting you. Thank you for your review. Kind Regards Jason

My First Time Safari - Awesome!

Varaporn_N, Jun 2022

I had a wonderful day for my first time Safari in Pilanesburg. Seeing big three out of five was an awesome experience! A little unfortunate that due to cold weather I couldn’t see as many animals as I expected, but that’s fine, it was a good reason for going back 😉. Thanks to our Safari guide (sorry for not remembering his name) for the open tour, and Jason, for the closed tour including taking us there and back to Johannesburg. It was very informative and fun! Really appreciated.

Response from Host, Jun 2022

Dear Varaporn, thank you very much for your review. I am glad you had an awesome experience. Myself and the open safari guide Nico tried our best. As mentioned to you, it is not always guaranteed to see the big five as it is a very large area where animals roam freely. Definitely not a zoo. But we still did very good with the sightings! Was a pleasure meeting you. Take care. Kind Regards Jason

This was a very enjoyable...

Rickey_E, Jun 2022

This was a very enjoyable and memorable experience. We were able to get close to the animals and learn a great deal from the guides. It was a long ride from Johannesburg but the driver was very pleasant and accommodating… definitely recommend this experience

Response from Host, Jun 2022

Dear Rickey, thank you very much for your kind review. I am glad you had a wonderful time on safari. It was a pleasure meeting you. Kind regards Jason

Safari

Philip_C, Mar 2022

Getting close to the animals . The safari transport was great so was the guide Bernie he was also the manager of the company.

Response from Host, Mar 2022

Dear Philip and Kathleen, thank you for your review. It was a pleasure to show you what our beautiful country has to offer on safari. I am very glad that you had a wonderful time. Take care. Jason

Fsntastic and intersting

Edna_G, Feb 2022

Every thing in this trip was just on time and our day was full of lot of information about SA by our driver/guide and sbout the differant animmsls

Response from Host, Feb 2022

Dear Edna and Samuel, I am very happy that you had a wonderful time on safari. It was a real pleasure to have met both of you and to show you our beautiful country. Kind Regards Jason Pollard

Good access to animals on a daytrip- very safe and comfortable transfers.

JohnBird, Feb 2022

If you don't have much time but want to see animals in a natural environment this tour is the way to go. Jason collected us from J'burg for the trip there and back- he was able to collect us from where we were staying, drove very safely in a very nice vehicle and was kind and informative. I can thoroughly recommend travelling there with him

Response from Host, Feb 2022

Dear John, thank you for your kind review. It was a pleasure meeting you all and I am grateful that you enjoyed the tour. Safety of my clients is always very important to me. Kind Regards Jason

Don’t delay, Book with Jason Today!

Brenda_F, Jan 2022

Jason was absolutely amazing! From the time of the hotel pick up until the end of the day ride home, he was friendly, informative and very knowledgeable. The Safari trip could not have been better with an wonderful tour driver. Thanks Jason! Can’t wait to do this again.

Response from Host, Jan 2022

Dear Brenda, thank you so much for your wonderful review. It was a real pleasure to be able to provide the Pilanesberg safari to you and I am delighted that you both had an excellent time. Take care!

Great experience

Vishwas_G, Dec 2020

Despite making the booking at 11:30pm, Jason was there at 6am next morning to pick us up at the hotel. Spotted a lot of animals including lion, leopard, elephant, hippo, zebra, giraffes, wildebeest, antelopes and rhinos. Jason was very friendly and was a great guide throughout the day.

Response from Host, Dec 2020

Dear Vishwas, thank you very much for your kind review. I am pleased that you enjoyed the Pilanesberg safari and also grateful that you got to see so many beautiful animals. Always a pleasure to be able to help even when it is a short notice booking. Take care and all the best. Kind Regards Jason

Great tour guides and wonderful experience

Rodney_B, Mar 2020

We had a great experience in the open air safari. The guides were amazing and very knowledgeable. They provided for a great day on safari. The lunch was also excellent. I would highly recommend this tour.

Response from Host, Mar 2020

Thank you so much for your kind review. We aim to provide the best level of service with the best guides out there and I am glad your expectations were met. Thank you also for recommending this tour. Kind Regards Jason Pollard

Great trip to Pilanesberg

Rebecca_C, Feb 2020

Wonderful day trip from Johannesburg! Jason was a wonderful guide to/from the park, and probably the safest driver I've ever been in the car with. Learned a lot about the area going to/from Joburg and the park, and appreciated the pit stop on the way into Pilanesberg that gave us an opportunity to grab breakfast, given the early start. The game drivers were also fantastic. We had had an opportunity to do game drives in Etosha National Park in Namibia a few days earlier, and those guides paled in comparison. We lucked out with great sightings, tons of good information from the guides, and excellent knowledge of the park and how to get better views of the animals we sighted. Not to mention the driver's excellent sighting of a rhino that resulted in one of the closest encounters I've had with a rhino to date--walked right in front of our truck! We had a delightful lunch with Jason at the lodge to round out the day. Highly recommend this day trip!

Response from Host, Mar 2020

Dear Rebecca, thank you very much for your excellent review. So glad that you had a fantastic day! That is what its all about. Kind Regards Jason

Fantastic day with Jason

Ashley F, Dec 2019

Jason is a wonderful guide. He picked me up from my hotel in Pretoria before getting the other passengers in Johannesburg (there were three of us total on the tour). He made occasional comments as we drove towards Pilanesberg then when we got to the park, we transferred to an open top vehicle with a ranger. With her, we spent three amazing hours spotting animals inside the park. We saw so many animals! I didn’t have high hopes because it had just rained and it’s the middle of the summer but we saw three of the big five, and much more. Jason picked us up for lunch which was at a beautiful, high-end bush resort. Incredible food. He then took us on another two hour safari through the park in his van, before we journeyed home. We saw so many fantastic things – I had the best day. What a great time!

Response from Host, Dec 2019

Dear Ashley, thank you very much for your kind review. It makes me happy to hear that you had the best day and excellent time on Safari with me. It means a lot and your satisfaction is what counts! Kind Regards Jason

Best Tour Ever.

OnAir91482, Sep 2018

The booking was fairly simple and efficient.Our driver Jason was perfect. His cultural, environmental and wildlife knowledge was amazing; it made the trip. Very personable and easy to talk with. 11 years experience in escorting tours and it shows. His vehicle was new, clean and a perfect ride for the day. He has a microphone system so we could hear his descriptions clearly. He spotted animals and birds easily.When we come back to Africa we will book more tours with Vuatour and Jason.

Not what I expected. After booking...

Daniel S, Jun 2017

Not what I expected. After booking I asked Jason if we could do an open vehicle instead of the closed vehicle - which I had seen as an option at one point in time. I did not realize that switching to the open vehicle - which we paid more for - meant this would no longer be a private tour, but rather a group tour. The biggest issue with this was it meant once we arrived at Pilanesberg we waited an hour for the group tour to start. It also made Jason essentially a cab driver from Johannesburg to the Safari and then back. After the 4 hour game drive Jason took us to lunch, which was great, but by the time that was over it was time to drive back to Johannesburg. I was under the impression there would be a second opportunity to go into the park and see wildlife, but that was not the case.

Response from Host, Oct 2019

Dear Daniel, I try to provide the best possible experience for my clients. Deciding on doing the open safari while on route to the reserve throws out a lot of planned logistics and as you chose a closed safari and suddenly changing to an open safari had us out on times and therefore you had to wait for the open safari operator to start. I am also not a cab driver as you mentioned, I guided you all the way from Johannesburg explaining various interesting facts along the way which a cab driver would not have known or pointed out. Kind Regards Jason