ENCOUNTERSAFRICA
6-Day Madikwe & Pilanesberg Safari

South Africa - Fly-in safari

6-Day Madikwe & Pilanesberg Safari

Duration
6 days
Countries
South Africa
Suited to
2-8 guests
Pricing
From USD 5,480

The journey

Updated on 23 August 2026

Not every great safari needs a light aircraft. This one runs entirely by road from Johannesburg, stays entirely malaria-free, and still delivers the Big Five twice over, which is why it anchors so many family itineraries. Madikwe comes first: 75,000 hectares against the Botswana border, one of South Africa's largest reserves and its most underrated. Day visitors are barred, so the bush belongs to the lodges, and Madikwe's wild dog packs, its big elephant herds and its black-maned lions perform for remarkably few vehicles. Madikwe Safari Lodge folds into a rocky outcrop in stone and thatch, suites with fireplaces and plunge pools. Then the road runs southeast to the Pilanesberg, a ring of hills that is the eroded throat of an ancient volcano, its crater floor stitched with waterholes that pull elephant, rhino and lion into constant circulation. Ivory Tree Game Lodge sits in a secluded amphitheatre of the northern hills. Two nights here finish the trip an easy two and a half hours from Johannesburg, or forty minutes from Sun City if the family votes for a waterpark landing.

Your camps, day by day

Stay 1

Johannesburg to the Border Country

The road runs northwest from Johannesburg for about four hours, farmland thinning into thornveld, until Madikwe's gate swings you into 75,000 protected hectares. Madikwe Safari Lodge waits in its rocky outcrop, all stone, thatch and fireplaces. The afternoon drive gets straight to business in a reserve where yours may be the only vehicle at the sighting.

Stay 2

Running with the Dogs

Madikwe's wild dogs range wide, and the morning drive joins the lodges' shared effort to find them, often ending alongside a pack flowing through the thornveld at a hunting trot, one of Africa's great spectacles. Brunch on the deck, siesta by the plunge pool, then an evening drive among elephant herds heading down to water.

Stay 3

The Full Madikwe Day

Two long drives cover the reserve's spread: black-maned lions on the open plains, both rhino species, and the salt pans where flamingos gather after rain. Between them, the lodge runs a bush-craft hour for younger travellers and the fire never quite goes out in the lounge. Dinner is in the boma, drums first, stars after.

Stay 4

Into the Crater

After a final Madikwe morning drive, the road runs southeast for about two hours to the Pilanesberg, and the landscape does something strange: you drive through a ring of hills into the floor of an ancient volcano. Ivory Tree sits in its own amphitheatre in the north. The afternoon drive circles waterholes where elephant queue like commuters.

Stay 5

Waterholes of the Volcano

The crater's dams and waterholes organise the wildlife into reliable circuits, and the morning drive rides them: white rhino grazing the shorelines, hippo rafts, lion on the red-rock ridges with the whole ring of hills behind. The afternoon offers the spa, or a Sun City run for families, before a last sundowner drive as the hills go copper.

Stay 6

Crater to Johannesburg

A final dawn drive through the waking crater, a big breakfast, and then the easy 2.5 hour road back to Johannesburg, landing you at the airport by early afternoon for evening international departures. Six days, two reserves, the Big Five and the wild dogs, and not one malaria tablet or baggage scale involved.

Safari highlights

  • Three nights at Madikwe Safari Lodge in 75,000 hectares
  • Wild dog packs and black-maned lions
  • No day visitors in Madikwe, ever
  • Two nights at Ivory Tree in the Pilanesberg crater
  • Entirely malaria-free, no internal flights
  • An easy road loop from Johannesburg

What is included

Included

  • 5 nights accommodation, per person sharing
  • Road transfers Johannesburg-Madikwe, Madikwe-Pilanesberg and Pilanesberg-Johannesburg
  • All meals at both lodges
  • House wines, local spirits, beers and soft drinks at Madikwe Safari Lodge
  • Twice-daily game drives at both reserves
  • Madikwe and Pilanesberg conservation levies, government taxes and VAT
  • Emergency medical evacuation cover

Not included

  • International flights to and from Africa
  • Visas and entry permits
  • Comprehensive travel and medical insurance
  • Drinks at Ivory Tree beyond meal times
  • Spa treatments and Sun City excursions
  • Gratuities for guides, drivers and lodge staff
  • Items of a personal nature and telephone calls

Frequently asked questions

How much does a 6-day Madikwe and Pilanesberg safari cost?

From USD 5,480 per person sharing, rising to about USD 5,980 in peak season, one of the lowest entry points to a fully catered Big Five safari in South Africa. It covers five nights at Madikwe Safari Lodge and Ivory Tree, meals, game drives, levies and all road transfers from and to Johannesburg. International flights to Africa are excluded and quoted separately.

Is Madikwe really malaria-free?

Yes. Both Madikwe and the Pilanesberg lie in South Africa's malaria-free North West province, so no prophylaxis is needed at any time of year for any age group. That, plus road access and both lodges' children's programmes, is why this route is the standard recommendation for families with young children and for older travellers avoiding medication.

What is Madikwe known for?

African wild dogs above all: Madikwe's packs are among South Africa's most reliably seen, hunting across a reserve where day visitors are prohibited and only lodge vehicles drive. Add big elephant herds descended from Operation Phoenix, the 1990s restocking that was then the world's largest game translocation, black-maned lions, both rhino species and superb summer birding.

How does the Pilanesberg differ from Madikwe?

Geology and scale. The Pilanesberg occupies the collapsed crater of a 1.2 billion-year-old volcano, a ring of hills around waterhole-dotted plains where elephant, rhino and lion circulate in easy view. It is smaller and busier than Madikwe but spectacularly scenic, and Ivory Tree's private northern corner keeps the crowds at arm's length. Sun City sits just outside the gate for a family finale.

How long are the road transfers?

Johannesburg to Madikwe is about 4 hours on tar through farming country, with a stop midway. Madikwe to the Pilanesberg takes around 2 hours, and the final leg back to Johannesburg or Sun City about 2.5 hours and 40 minutes respectively. No leg requires a light aircraft, so there are no luggage limits on this itinerary.

When is the best time to go?

May to September, the dry winter, concentrates game at Madikwe's waterholes and the Pilanesberg's dams and keeps days mild; pack warm layers for early drives. November to March is green, hot and stormy with newborn game and the migrant birds in. Both reserves, being malaria-free, have no bad season for families.