Pilanesberg Game Reserve 6 Hour Sunrise Safari from Johannesburg or Pretoria
Description
Private Safari! See the Big 5 and be back at your hotel in Johannesburg/Pretoria the same day! Yes, lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and buffalo, roaming wild. Trip is private in one of our game viewing suvs with big opening windows & sunroof. No need to share the big 25 seaters open truck or be forced to take pictures through a closed minibus window. We go further, stay longer, see more! Our guides are Pilanesberg experts. Spend several hours on a safari, reaching distant parts of the reserve. Lunch at the lodge on a viewing deck overlooking the reserve. There is an option of changing to an open safari vehicle (OSV) for part of you safari. The OSV drives are 3 hours long.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Few major cities in the world can boast a Big 5 malaria free game reserve on their doorsteps, as Johannesburg can. Explore Big 5 wildlife in Pilanesberg National Park at sunrise, the best time of the day for a safari. Pickup and drop back to hotel or to airport or vice versa with our expert professional tour guides, make for a super convenient tour with a riveting wildlife experience.Besides it’s magnificent Big 5 and all the other iconic African mega fauna , the Pilanesberg National Park's position inside the eroded caldera of a 1,200-million-year-old volcano makes for interesting and impressive landscapes and vistas. Mmilo Tours will take you there on safari every day of the week. We will personalise your private safari. Over the past 10 years, we have conducted innumerable private and small group safari tours for overseas business visitors, families, small groups and single individuals.Timing is crucial. Sunrise (ranges from 5.00am in Summer to 6.30am in Winter) is the best time to see the “Big Cats" and other predators as dawn and dusk are their major hunting times. Drop back to your hotel or airport is 11 hours after pick up. It’s a longish day but being there at dawn makes it worth it!
The views of the reserve and the waterhole where the animals drink from the dining terrace is wonderful and so is the food!
We will pass through this area which is the most scenic of the region. The Magaliesberg is 3 billion years old the world's second-oldest mountain range. Created at the same time as the world's richest platinum metal deposits now mined closeby.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Please wait for the guide at the hotel reception or foyer on the ground floor or just inside the gate of the residence. He will have a name badge identifying himself. If you are staying at a guest house or private residence please make sure the gate bell works and if possible, wait just on the inside of the gate. Also, if possible, let us have your mobile number so we can WhatsApp or text you.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- A minimum of 2 adults per booking is required
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Infant meals not included
- Comfortable walking shoes are recommended
Reviews(33)
We reached out to Mmilo with a pretty difficult request - a last minute day tour to Pilanesberg National Park which would give us plenty of time in the park while getting us back to Johannesburg in time for our flight that same evening. The team at Mmilo responded quickly, were able to organise a tour for us and were incredibly friendly, accomodating and patient. Already a great start. That same evening, we were contacted by our guide, Willem who introduced himself to us and let us know what time he'd be picking us up from our hotel. The next morning, we arrived at the lobby of our hotel 10 minutes early to find he was already there waiting for us. He greeted us in person and off we went. The almost-four hour car ride there was full of conversation with Willem teaching us so much about South Africa (it was our first time here) - from the parks, animals, culture, history and so much more. When we got to the park, it was game on! We were already excited to be on the look out for animals and it was even more fun to see that Willem (despite having years and years of experience) was just as excited as us. It really felt like we were all seeing these animals for the first time together, getting pictures of the animals in the wild. The energy was infectious. After a few hours of driving, we stopped at a cafe for a break, where he took us through a detailed map of the park and pointed out where we had driven through and what was next. We continued our journey, continuing to learn about the animals, the park and the environment. We then stopped for lunch at this lovely lodge and continued to chat before making our way back to Johannesburg right in time for our flight. This last minute trip with Mmilo was one of the best decisions we made this trip! Huge thanks to the team - Willem, Patrick and Norman! You guys are awesome.
Dear Jeremy, Thank you so much for your positive review and kind words. We at Mmilo Tours are so happy to hear that you had a great experience on your recent Pilanesberg Sunrise Safari. Our team strives to provide exceptional service, and knowing that we’ve met your expectations truly means a lot to us. We are also pleased that Willem made your experience special, and we will share your kind words and appreciation with him. We thank you for your support and look forward to being of service to you again in the future. If there's anything else we can do for you, don’t hesitate to reach out. Kind regards, Norman and the Mmilo Tours team
We had a great safari and saw many animals from the moment we entered the game reserve. Willem, our guide, was very experienced and had an excellent knowledge about the animals and where to find them in the reserve. He also gave us a lot of interesting information about the areas we passed travelling to and from the reserve. We thoroughly enjoyed our day.
Fabulous experience! I only had one day to get away and try to see some African wildlife. Patrick was great in helping set up my one-day adventure. My guide (Anton) was right on time for the early pick up in Johannesburg and we were at Pilanesburg National Park close to sunrise. We saw Elephants, rhinoceros, hippo, giraffes, and many species of antelope. Anton dropped me off at the airport at the end of the tour. If you only have one day to see wildlife from Johannesburg, this is the trip for you!
I took a sunrise safari tour in August 2025. Everything was amazing. Patrick replied to my email inquiry very quickly, offering me some different options for getting the most out of the one day I had to sightsee. He also suggested we ask our hotel for a to-go breakfast, which I never would have even thought of! Willem was our tour guide. He contacted me via email and WhatsApp the day before the tour. He was so fun to chat with and has decades of knowledge about the animals and Pilanesberg—I learned so much! He picked us up from our hotel right on time. We also switched from Willem’s SUV to an open-air safari vehicle with another guide (he was fantastic as well!!) for a couple of hours, and then met back up with Willem for lunch before heading back to our hotel. We saw so many animals. Elephants walking right across the road in front of us, a male lion walking by during sunrise, giraffe! Willem took way better photos than us and shared them on his FB page after the tour for us. It was an amazing day I will never forget. Thanks so much Willem and Patrick!
Awesome day tour, the early wake up is well worth this epic experience. Saw so many incredible animals up close. Our guide Willem was excellent, accommodating and very knowledgeable
Our driver Willem was awesome - a real pro and clearly deeply passionate about what he does. His expertise allowed us to get the full Pilanesberg experience, and we saw some truly memorable sites, including some very curious and up-close baby elephants! You'll also learn a lot about South Africa and its wildlife more generally, and get to enjoy a great lunch at the lodge! Amazing value for money.
Thank you soo much for your feedback. Great to know you enjoyed the day. Willem as always true and trusted!
We had a wonderful time at the park with our guide Willem, who was so knowledgeable with lots of stories about precious park visits. We were so fortunate to see almost every animal bar the allusive buffalo in their own habitat. My favourite was seeing the leopard up close and hearing her cubs calling. The visit was finished off with a fab lunch at the lodge (portions were huge). I’d definitely recommend this excursion especially with this guide, an absolute pleasure. Don’t hesitate to book. I’d do it all again
Thank you Hilary do come back to get those elusive Pilanesberg Buffalo on to your seen list! Patrick
Amazing experience for those on a tight schedule. Sibu, my guide, was amazing. Safe transport and he was very knowledgeable and trained about the park and the animals. We saw many on the two game drives (split by a stop for a coffee) and ended with a nice lunch at one of the lodges. Excellent option if you are trying to sneak in a safari on a business (or personal) trip!
A great day trip for those on a tight schedule. We had one day to to see some of the exciting outdoors that South Africa has to offer and this trip did not disappoint. Our guide Willem was fantastic, even sharing some of his own photos with us after the trip. In 6 hours we saw 4 of the big 5 including dozens of elephants and over 20 white rhinos across the reserve. Fantastic trip! Highly recommend.
Thank you very much for your kind and interesting review. Its a bit of a secret but Pilanesberg is probably the best reserve in Africa and the world to see Rhino as poaching has decimated them in most larger reserves. But to see 20 in a day that is something of a record! Glad you enjoyed the day!
We had a fantastic day at Pilanesberg Game Reserve, our tour guide was named Anton, an incredibly knowledgeable and experienced tour operator! Even though we had to set off especially early to make it to the park for opening it was definitely worth the early rise as we were lucky enough to see 3/5 of the big 5! I would definitely recommend this to anyone wanting to have an amazing wildlife experience.
