3-Day 4-Star Pilanesberg Safari

After reading many reviews, I chose MoAfrika to arrange my short safari in Pilanesberg National Park. After some emailing, they set me up with Black Rhino Game Lodge. I had guides from MoAfrika for game drives on the ways to and from Black Rhino and guides from Black Rhino for the rest of the time. It was an excellent experience all round. MoAfrika is well-connected with many safari lodges. They were able to set me up well even though I was late in contacting them.

I had an incredible experience with MoAfrika tours at the Bakubung bush lodge in pilanesberg. All of my drivers, both transporting me from jozi to pilanesberg and doing the game drives, were incredible, including: Clement, Arnold, and Sunny. The game drives, in particular, were incredible, and much better with the MoAfrika team than with the lodge, as the lodge vehicles were substantially larger. Desmond was a fantastic, enthusiastic guide, with so much information about the park and animals; he really went out of his way to stay in touch with other guides to search for the animals we hadn't had a chance to see yet. And just a hilarious, kind guy. On one day, I got lucky, and had Eka as a guide with no one else in the vehicle. Eka and I spent four hours together chasing animals through the park, eventually getting within feet of some lions due to Eka's quick thinking and passion for getting as close to the animals as possible. He is a brilliant, kind, funny guide, who taught me so much about the park and the animals in it. I cannot endorse him enough. All of the MoAfrika guides so clearly loved the work they do, and were a joy to be around. My only criticism with MoAfrika is that communication before the day of departure/arrival could be better. I always got the information I needed (confirming pick up time, who my guides would be, when they would come, etc...), but I had to ask for it. I trust they would have shared this information eventually, but it would have been nice to have it sooner than a few hours before.

I had a long weekend after a week of work and would highly recommend this tour and the agency. The tour included everything you'd need for the 3 days, including transfer from your hotel (or airport), meals, and game drives arranged from the lodge and the tour group itself. Pilanesberg itself was incredible, and we saw 4 out of the big 5 while we were there. found that messaging through WhatsApp was the best way to contact MoAfrika (the number is on their official website). The only thing I would mention is to be proactive about communicating with the staff. On the first day of the tour, I was picked up at my hotel and placed on a bus where I ended up being the only 3-day tour (the others were on the 1 day). As soon as I mentioned it to the tour guide, I was straightened out, but if I hadn't then there might have been some confusion. So, communicate well, communicate often, but expect an amazing time. The Ivory Tree Lodge, where I stayed for 3 days, was an incredible location and well worth the cost. This is reviewed separately.

Booking a 3D2N tour with MoAfrika was a right move! I did my research on a Wednesday, sent some messages to them on WhatsApp and got my queries answered and trip booked subsequently for the Friday-Sunday! Fuss free, easy to do online payment and transfer as well (I literally did it on the Table Mountain itself while hiking..). The trip started with a knowledgable, dedicated driver called Alex from MoAfrika who picked me from the accommodation in Jo’Berg. We drove 2.5h to Pilanesberg with a short rest stop in between and he took me on a very informative closed van drive. Alex always seemed to be able to spot animals even while he was driving, and would explain about them enthusiastically! I then got transferred to Bakubung Lodge and had a great stay with them! Elephants and Warthog (aka Pumbaa!) would even come super close to the lodge for a visit! Imagine having a buffet lunch and watch these animals roam just outside. The stay was comfortable with super clean and huge room! They have top tiered services that had staff coming to clean and set up the room for you TWICE (while you are out for game drives in the morning / afternoon). Food is crazy excellent and I experienced Bakubung’s special Friday “Lamb on a Spit” dinner and “Boma Bush Braai” aka outdoor dinner in the wild on Saturday with Afrikan style performances, romantic dinner under the stars and unlimited laughter and vibes! Note that the bush dinner was offered only on Wed/Sat when I visited. I experienced 6 game drives in total (2 closed van, 2 sunrise and 2 sunset open 4x4) and every experience is different as you see different animals in different amount and distance! Patience is the key to really enjoy the safari, and expect the unexpected! I recommend doing 3 days as I only spotted lions close to me on the 5th drive (3rd day sunrise). After the entire weekend treat, MoAfrika also organised a van to drive us straight to the Jo’berg Airport. Fuss free, always reachable, Anthony from MoAfrika made sure I always get help or my queries answered ASAP. It’s been a great pleasure doing this tour instead of the others in Kruger, as Pilanesburg is only 2.5 - 3h away by car while Kruger is at least 7 hours away! This means you get 6 drives instead of only 4 in Kruger (due to the 14 hours required to travel to and fro Jo’berg by car). All in all, I am glad I took that leap of faith to book the tour even though it is out of my budget… But the experience is unforgettable and you’ll definitely have a good time for the whole tour and feel like an esteemed guest!

The Tour company managed all the logistics exactly the way I wanted. Everything ran smoothly from the pick up to the drop off.