2-Day Pilanesberg Safari at Bakubung Lodge

We booked the 2-day Pilanesberg Safari with MoAfrika through Viator, and it turned out to be one of the absolute highlights of our South Africa trip. If you’re deciding between Kruger and Pilanesberg for a shorter stay, we couldn’t recommend this experience more. From the very beginning, everything was perfectly organized. The early hotel pickup, smooth transfers, great communication, and overall logistics made the trip completely stress-free. What really made this tour exceptional, though, were the guides. Timen and Martin were simply outstanding. Their passion, knowledge, sense of humor, and ability to track wildlife made every game drive exciting. They constantly positioned the vehicle perfectly, explained animal behavior in fascinating detail, and made sure everyone had the best possible experience. You could genuinely tell how much they cared. We deliberately booked this tour because it uses the smaller open safari vehicles, and we’re so glad we did. The experience feels much more personal and immersive compared to the large safari trucks. Across the four game drives, we saw an incredible variety of wildlife: elephants (including adorable babies walking right past our vehicle), rhinos, hippos, zebras, giraffes, hyenas, wildebeest, monkeys, countless antelopes, beautiful birds, and even two leopards—a sighting our guides described as very rare. The biggest highlight came on the second morning when we found a pride of lions with cubs. Watching them move through the grass and witnessing a real hunt unfold just meters away was something we’ll never forget. Seeing wildlife behaving naturally in their own environment was an experience that simply can’t be described in words. The tour also included comfortable accommodation, great food, and even a traditional South African bush lunch. As a pleasant surprise, we even received an additional game drive on the final day, meaning we experienced four different safaris instead of the three we originally expected. If we had to mention one small point for improvement, it would only be that the sunrise drive operated by the lodge wasn’t quite at the same exceptional level as the MoAfrika drives. However, that hardly affected our overall experience, which was outstanding from start to finish. This tour exceeded every expectation we had. Professional, well organized, incredible guides, unforgettable wildlife encounters, and memories that will stay with us forever. Without hesitation: 5/5 stars. We’d book with MoAfrika again in a heartbeat.

We were picked up by MoSafari on time and directly at the hotel. Unfortunately, our hotel was outside the pick-up zone of GetyourGide. Just an email and the problem was already solved. The ride to the first game drive at 09:00 started at 05:00 and was pleasant. This was only occupied by 6 people and therefore had a pleasant family atmosphere. At noon we were taken to our lodge with excellent food. After a short rest by the pool, the evening safari started in which we actually found the lions. Thanks to Martin and Tiamo! The next morning we had a safari with the lodge. This was nowhere near as cool as with MoAfrika. This trip was carried out with about 20 people and a truck. Afterwards we had an excellent breakfast at the lodge. At noon we were picked up again and at the MoAfrika location in Pilanesberg there was a BBQ. Then the last trip in an open vehicle with 9 people. Afterwards, you were taken back to your hotel. The only negative was the trip there. The driver drove like a disabled person in pouring rain, passed several times in oncoming traffic, resulting in very difficult situations. The journey took 2 hours. But we survived it.

It could not be better. Moafrika + Bakubang Lodge = 1000 You guys are very punctual and careful. Keep doing the excellent work you do. Thank you so much and we will certainly be back.

A great park and the staff were friendly and knowledgeable. Overall the communication with me was excellent. A must do when visiting Johannesburg