Pilansberg National Park - 3 Day

Your personal fully qualified professional guide and winner of the Guide of the Year 2004, Daryl Smith is a third generation African with an intimate knowledge of the natural environment of Southern Africa. With his passion for the bush and African culture, Daryl will endeavor to show you the real Africa during your time with him.

This trip can be booked as a pre or post tour option with a choice of camping or fixed accommodation at Bakgatla Resort which is situated within the Pilansberg National Park, a big 5 malaria free area, 127kms from Rhino Lodge.

The crater of a long extinct 1200 million year old volcano is the setting of the Pilansberg National Park and is one of the largest complexes of its kind in the world. An abundance of wild life proliferates in the 55 000 hectares of diverse and arresting bushveld terrain and the bird watching is excellent with over 300 species recorded. Unlike any other large park, unique overlaps of mammals, birds and vegetation occur because the park exists within the transition zone between the dry Kalahari and wetter Lowveld vegetation.

Day 1 (BD)
After breakfast at Rhino Lodge we depart towards Sun City. We stop en route at Chameleon Village at Hartbeespoort Dam, a local craft market featuring Malawi, Zimbabwe, Zambian and East African curios for your shopping pleasure. Our lunch venue is the Silver Orange Bistro, a top local restaurant offering contemporary South African cuisine at its best including a variety of game meat and fish menu choices, nestled amidst a citrus farm. (Own cost). Mid-afternoon we arrive at Bakgatla Resort within the Pilansberg National Park to set up camp or book into lodges. A South African braai dinner will be cooked by your guide under the star studded skies.

Day 2 (BRUNCH & D)
We awake to the sounds of Africa with coffee and rusks and depart for an early morning game drive where we hope to encounter some, if not all, of the big five as well as discovering the many types of indigenous fauna and flora that are prolific in this area. Packed picnic Brunches will be eaten under a thatched lapa overlooking the central lake, Mankwe Dam, where you can enjoy the sights and sounds of the plentiful wildlife and spectacular views overlooking the Pilansberg mountain range. We continue our game drive back to camp, and share a peaceful afternoon around the pool. As sunset approaches, a sundowner game drive and drinks will be enjoyed, followed by a traditional potjiekos dinner, cooked in a 3 legged pot over an open fire. Thereafter take part in a drum circle and learn one of the oldest forms of communication known to man - the interactive rhythms of Africa.