Family Self-Drive South Africa: Sun, Fun & Wildlife - 15 Days

The name says it all - the perfect family holiday in South Africa. Start in the fabulous Sun City Resort where fun and excitement are never far away. With luxurious hotels, great dining options, golf courses, the famous Valley of Waves and more, there’s lots to keep the whole family entertained - plus the superb Pilanesberg Game Reserve is just next door. Head east to Mpumalanga’s Panorama Route for breathtaking vistas, scenic waterfalls and lots of adventure activities - hiking, mountain biking, zip lines or elephant encounters - make for a spectacular stay. Finally you have a full week to explore the amazing Kruger National Park and to discover its vast array of wildlife. This game reserve is a Travel Africa favourite and we are certain you will have an incredible time when doing your own self-drive games drives or being guided during a lodge stay.

Choose between two accommodation grades - Standard or Upgrade. Alternatively mix and match accommodation from each grade to create your perfect holiday. Interactive itineraries for each accommodation grade can be viewed below.

A specially designed family holiday.

Sun City - Pilanesberg Game Reserve - Blyde River Canyon / Panorama Route - Wildlife and birdlife of Kruger National Park.

Johannesburg - Sun City - Hazyview - Kruger National Park - Johannesburg
(Itinerary can operate in reverse)

Start: Johannesburg
End: Johannesburg

Standard accommodation: clean and comfortable hotel / national parks / lodge accommodation. 5 nights self-catering accommodation in Kruger National Park is more basic and rustic, however this enables you to stay in some some of the national parks truly magical spots.

Upgrade accommodation: higher quality hotel / lodge accommodation with a broader spectrum of facilities. 5 nights self-catering accommodation in Kruger National Park is more basic and rustic, however this enables you to stay in some some of the national parks truly magical spots.

Car hire - Group M vehicle (Ford Ecosport - small SUV - or similar) for 14 days. Pick up & drop off Johannesburg International Airport. For details of the different vehicle types available please see - Self Drive Safaris.
Premium level vehicle insurance (Zero Excess) - including collision damage waiver, personal accident insurance, theft protection, third party liability, unlimited kilometres, additional driver and Wi-fi router with 1GB data per day.
Accommodation as indicated below - all rooms indicated are family rooms sleeping 2 adults and 2 children.
Meals as indicated below.
3 hour Pilanesberg Game Reserve Game Drive.
2 hour Kruger National Park Night Drive.
Relevant Travel Africa Information sheets.

With Travel Africa you are safe in the knowledge that you are working with people who are experts in self-drive travel. We have driven the types of vehicles you are looking to hire and driven them in the places, and on the road conditions, that you will experience. We have enjoyed all kinds of self-drive trips in southern Africa for over 25 years – from quick flits along the Garden Route to 8 month adventure trips with fully equipped 4x4s and roof top tents throughout southern Africa.

We give you peace of mind by working closely with you to custom-make and book your itinerary – ensuring you have the most appropriate type of vehicle and accommodation for your trip. We also provide you with detailed trip dossiers, which include routes, directions, tips and hints on driving in southern Africa, ensuring you have all the information you need to enjoy every minute of your trip and feel comfortable and secure with your holiday plan!

Our in-depth knowledge of destinations, conditions, vehicles and equipment, based on extensive personal experience, gives you the peace of mind you need for your self-drive safari.

Interactive standard itinerary

Interactive upgrade itinerary

Detailed itinerary

Travel distance: Approximately 200kms, good roads and major highway.

Arrive at Johannesburg International Airport and after picking up your hire car drive to the Sun City Resort in South Africa's North-West Province. The Sun City Resort is South Africa's premier entertainment destination, an enormous, extravaganza of luxurious hotels, attractions, restaurants, shops and extensive, beautifully landscaped gardens.

The highlight for many is the Valley of Waves, a huge free-form swimming pool and beach with two metre high artificially created surfing waves. A number of exciting water chutes and slides are on offer for the brave and a lazy river ride for the not-so-brave. Those looking for something a little more sedate will enjoy the huge series of interlinked lakes, pools, weirs and walkways, that lead through gardens and between rock formations. Other outdoor activities include two world-class golf courses, tennis, horse-riding, quad-biking, a maze, a canopy / zipline tour and numerous swimming pools. Indoors, the Entertainment Centre is a vibrant concentration of restaurants, bars, specialty shops, cinemas and theatres used for big-name shows and international events.

Located right next door to Sun City is the 55,000 hectare Pilanesberg Game Reserve - one of South Africa’s largest national parks. Pilanesberg’s plains are rich and fertile, as they were once part of a now extinct volcanic crater, and are encircled by majestic hills. The Park is found in the transition zone of the Kalahari and the Lowveld and so is home to the ‘Big 5’ and other large game including giraffe, hippo, zebra and crocodile, as well as a myriad of bird species. A self-drive safari into Pilanesberg is recommended on one of your days, and you will find it extremely rewarding. The Parks’ roads are very well maintained and can be travelled with a normal vehicle. There are also hides and picnic spots where you can stop and stretch your legs plus a visitors centre, with a restaurant, in the centre of the park. A guided game drive into Pilanesberg is included during your stay in the Sun City Resort and hot-air balloon flights over the park are also offered (additional cost).

Spend 3 full days enjoying everything the Sun City resort and Pilanesberg Game Reserve has to offer.

Stay at:
Standard - Cabanas Hotel (Standard Family Room) or similar
Upgrade - Cascades Hotel (Luxury Family Room) or similar

Travel distance: Approximately 525kms, good roads.

Leave the Sun City Resort early, it is a fairly long drive today, and drive to the Panorama Route – an extension of the Drakensberg Mountains. At the heart of the Panorama Route is the Blyde River Canyon which is situated in an area of sculpted peaks and deep ravines, tumbling streams and green valleys. The drive alongside the Blyde River Canyon, a majestic red sandstone gorge with sheer cliffs plunging into waters below, is magnificent. The region provides a marked contrast to the sub-tropical bushveld, with scenic mountain passes, relaxing walks, horse-riding, mountain biking and golf all on offer. For the family you will find gentle walking trails connect a series of delicate waterfalls or nearby is Pilgrim’s Rest, a restored mining village that was the epicentre of the 19th century gold rush. You have 2 full days to explore and enjoy this stunningly scenic area located just outside Kruger.

Stay at:
Standard - Rissington Inn (Garden Suite) or similar
Upgrade - Perry's Bridge Hollow Boutique Hotel (Family Room) or similar

Travel distance: Approximately 100kms good roads (speed limits apply on national parks roads).

One of the finest nature reserves in Africa, the Kruger is a vast wilderness of thorn trees, prolific game and sub-tropical heat. It is home not only to The Big Seven – elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino, cheetah and wild dog, but also to an abundance of smaller, equally fascinating animals and birdlife. The size of Wales or Israel this amazing wildlife paradise contains a vast array of habitats that attract different animals and birdlife in different seasons. Your time in Kruger is spent on early morning and afternoon game drives, choosing your route based on what has been seen in the area. Alternatively park yourself at one of the many waterholes and see what comes along … huge herds of elephant or buffalo needing an afternoon drink or mud bath, or if you are lucky a pride of lions needing water after devouring a kill!

Your time will be split between a number of different rest camps / safari camps located in different areas of the park. This will give you the opportunity to explore different habitats and environments in search of the various animal and bird species that can be found in them. Central Kruger is characterised by open plains and grasslands where herds of zebra, wildebeest, impala and buffalo roam enjoying the fresh grasses and shrubs - watched over by the attendant predators such as lion and cheetah. Small rivers criss-cross this region providing camouflage for leopards and also pockets of water for herds of elephant to drink and play in! The south of the park is crossed by two major perennial rivers - the Sabie and the Sand - which provide a lifeblood for the animals. These rivers attract a huge amount of wildlife including pods of hippo, lazing on the river bank, herds of elephant, it is fun to watch them have a mud bath and play in the river, buffalo, which always seem to have lion prides following them and leopards, which love to use the riverine trees and bushes as the perfect ambush spots! Moving to the south-west of the park you start to find hills and koppies, perfect country to find rhino grazing and smaller antelope species such as duiker and klipspringer.

During your stay in the Kruger Rest Camps you have a two hour guided night drive included with national parks rangers.

Stay at:
Standard -
2 nights: Satara Rest Camp, Central Kruger, Self-Catering Bungalow (Room Only) or similar
3 nights: Lower Sabie Rest Camp, Southern Kruger, Self-Catering Bungalow (Room Only) or similar
2 nights: Nkambeni Safari Camp, South-West Kruger (in a small private concession on the edge of the park), Luxury Tented Suite including breakfast and dinner
(distance between each camp is approximately 100kms, national parks roads)

Upgrade -
2 nights: Satara Rest Camp, Central Kruger, Self-Catering Bungalow (Room Only) or similar
3 nights: Lower Sabie Rest Camp, Southern Kruger, Self-Catering Bungalow (Room Only) or similar
2 nights: Elephant Plains Private Game Lodge, Sabi Sands Private Game Reserve, Family Rondavel including all meals and game activities - for lodge details plus ideas for other Kruger safari lodges Travel Africa can tempt you with please see Deluxe Kruger (Luxury Safari Lodges).
(distance between each camp is approximately 100kms, national parks roads)

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