Luxury 5-Star Pilanesberg Safari | Wildlife Adventures

Elephant crossing the road spotted on a Shepherds Tree game drive

Price From : ZAR ZAR 25268.00 (Per Person Sharing) Currency Converter

Overview

For your 3-Day exclusive Big 5 safari to Pilanesberg’s top destination, Shepherd’s Tree Lodge, let our top professional tourist guide transfer you privately and unintrusively there. As the route to the Pilanesberg game reserve is full of landscapes and locations of historic and scenic and current interest, you will find this most informative and enjoyable. You have the option too of stopping at some of the major attractions en route.

The lodge is in its own private area of the reserve, and secluded, with 60 guests max in exquisite surroundings. Game drives are conducted by top rangers in 10-seated vehicles only, for your comfort and exclusivity. Also available are executive suites and a private villa (please request an upgrade). Transfers are private with our top professional guide from Pretoria and Johannesburg. The lodge is beautifully appointed in the pristine bush in its own private area of the reserve with wildlife able to approach within a few metres of your private verandah, and easily observable from your accommodation!

Walking Safari option.

This can be arranged at an extra charge of ZAR1180.00 per person. The walking safari experience gives a quite different set of perspectives to a driving safari, and we can book this for you as part of your visit but only recommend if staying two nights. This price is for a minimum of 4 participants but two can book and when others join the price will go down according to the total number. Moving quietly is essential on a bushwalk and the fewer participants the better. Your guide is both qualified as a wildlife guide and in handling firearms and is always equipped with a heavy bore rifle that can stop even an elephant or rhino.

Cuisine.

The cuisine at Shepherd Tree is probably the best in the reserve and dining areas inside and out are situated in a stunning location overlooking the rolling hills of the reserve. Meals consist of a wide range of freshly prepared dishes to meet all tastes and dietary requirements.

Private door-to-door service.

We also include pick up and drop off in Johannesburg.

Use the opportunity to explore the region’s best attractions!

Stops can be made at some of the many attractions such as the Cable Car to the top of the Magaliesberg mountains, the Cheetah Centre, the Elephant Sanctuary (Hartbeespoort), or Sun City (entrance fees and an extra time charge may apply). Then it is also free of charge to visit the Chameleon Village African Market on the way there or way back.

Sun City

Shepherd Tree Game Lodge is also close to Sun City so visits there during the day can be arranged.

Other Mmilo Tours trips.

For more information on the venues mentioned above and other Day Trips, please consult our Day Trips pages.

Prices:

1 October 2025 – 30 April 2026: ZAR25 268.00 per person sharing and ZAR40 180.00 for a solo traveler.

1 May 2026 – 30 September 2026: ZAR24 328.00 per person sharing and ZAR39 015.00 for a solo traveler

1 October 2026 – 30 April 2027: ZAR26 807.00 per person sharing and ZAR42 686.00 for a solo traveler

For a family room option please fill out the enquiry form with the children’s ages. (No children under the age of 6 years old are permitted on the open vehicle game drives)

Itinerary for This Tour

Day 1

Scenic Route to Pilanesberg with Guide

We can collect you anywhere in the Johannesburg and Pretoria cities’ limits, including meet and greet at the airport. The journey to Pilanesberg is through some of the most interesting landscapes in South Africa. This is from many perspectives, scenic, historical, geological, economic and physical beauty. We pass through the world’s second-oldest mountain range, past where mankind’s earliest traces can be found and its richest Platinum bearing region and our destination lies in the remains of an ancient volcano, the only one of its kind in Africa. Your elite guide will answer your questions and inform you as you travel. The climate changes from cool “highveld” to warm dry “bushveld” and even in winter when the nights are chill the days are warm dry and sunny here.

We can depart as early as 8:00am and this will enable you to stop on the way at places like the Elephant Sanctuary, Van Dyk Cheetah Centre, Cradle of Humankind, (extra time charge and entrance fee may apply).

Arrive Shepherd Tree Lodge for lunch and check-in. Gather for afternoon tea and depart around16:00 for your sunset safari.

Accommodation at Shepherds Tree Game Lodge, Lunch, Dinner, Bed and Breakfast

Day 2

Pursue “Big 5” in the Billion Year Old Volcano Landscape

The architecture and design of the lodge is superb and after a night in the clear clean air of the African bush rise refreshed and ready to go with fellow guests and experienced game ranger into the Pilanesberg in pursuit of exciting encounters with wildlife.

Your ranger will stop for coffee and juices at a safe spot perhaps a waterhole with crocodiles, hippos and other animals coming to drink.

The open safari vehicles used are perfectly safe to view animals from. Animals see the vehicle only, and not the passengers at all. The 10 seater luxury open safari vehicles move smoothly and easily over the rough roads of the reserve. Hopefully, there will be a lion sighting or maybe another of the cats such as leopard, cheetah, caracal or serval. You are sure to see one of the widest range of creatures in any reserve. Here are elephants in abundance, zebra, giraffe, multitudes of different antelope and it is one of the best reserves for seeing both black rhino and white rhino.

Pilanesberg is in the transition zone between the wetter and more arid regions of South Africa. Species from both zones are found; springbok, brown hyena here are not found in the wetter Kruger National Park. Similarly sable and impala here are not found in the Kalahari.

Return to lodge for breakfast. Then laze around the swimming pool in the hot part of the day, then a leisurely lunch.
Gather for high-tea at 16:00 and then go for another adventurous sunset game drive returning for dinner under the African stars.

Accommodation at Shepherds Tree Game Lodge, Lunch, Dinner, Bed and Breakfast

Day 3

Sunrise Safari and return via another scenic route with your private guide

As before, rise with the dawn and depart on an early morning safari unless you want to do something different like a safari walk with armed ranger. This has to be booked with reception and needs a group minimum of four. You also have to be moderately fit. It will give you an entirely different perspective on the wild. There is an extra charge should you book this payable to the reception.

In either case, walk or drive, return to the lodge for breakfast and later after check out, your private guide will take you on another scenic and interesting route back to Johannesburg.

As above on Day 1. arrangements can be made to stop at interesting places that lie between Pilanesberg and Johannesburg/Pretoria. Sun City is nearby for lunch!

Alternatively, we can extend your safari by staying in the reserve until the afternoon or even sunset (extra time charge will apply). It all depends on when you have to be back at your hotel or airport.

Whatever you decide our guides will help make your day more memorable.

End of Tour

Tour Notes

Inclusions:

Private transfer to/ from the lodge from a Johannesburg Hotel or Airport
2 nights accommodation at Shepherds Tree Game Lodge in a Standard Suite
All meals as in the itinerary
Two game drives per night of stay

Exclusions

Meals not specified
Drinks, gratuities, telephone calls & other items of a personal nature
International & domestic flights,
Optional activities

Accommodation Note: When the category of room at the hotel at which this tour is priced is no longer available for your dates of travel Mmilo Tours will offer you the next best option available at that hotel. If no suitable rooms are available at the advertised hotel we will endeavour to offer options at another hotel as similar as possible.

Important: Please read the itinerary carefully, noting any optional activities you or some members in your group may want to take part in. You do not have to take part in any of the optional activities if you do not wish to. It helps us in our planning to know if you are interested and the number of participants. These additional optional activities are not costed into this scheduled tour, and if you choose them, you pay the extra amount involved either directly to Mmilo Tours in advance, or on arrival at the venue. You will be informed accordingly by Mmilo Tours, and they are extra to the basic cost of the tour.

All our tours and packages are subject to availability at the time of booking and payment and accommodation is in a standard double room at Shepherds Tree Game Lodge.

For a family room option please fill out the enquiry form and fill out the children’s ages.

Children:
Children between the ages of 6 and 12 are permitted on safari at the sole discretion of the manager or guide.
Children under the age of 6 are not permitted on game drives.
Baby-sitting facilities available upon request (maximum 2 children) at an additional cost
Sole use vehicle is available to facilitate families at an additional cost

Accommodation for this Tour

An Outdoor Shepherds Tree Dining Boma area with a central fire pit and warm ambient lighting under the evening sky.

aha Shepherds Tree Game Lodge

aha Shepherd’s Tree Game Lodge is a magnificent lodge concession awarded by the North West Parks and Tourism Board within the existing Pilanesberg Game Reserve. It lies in an exclusive-use zone in the south-western portion of the 57,250ha Big 5 and mala

3-Day Luxury 5-Star Big 5 Pilanesberg Safari