Pilanesberg Game Reserve

Straddling the long-extinct caldera of an ancient volcano between the dusty hills that rise just north of Johannesburg, the Pilanesberg Game Reserve has been protecting and nurturing the native species of South Africa since it was first established way back in the 1970s. In fact, a plan of fauna reintroduction, so-called Operation Genesis, has imbued the park with critters and creatures difficult to find in other regional safari spots.

Pilanesberg Game Reserve tour guides can help put together a game drive that departs out of the sprawling metropolis of Johannesburg. Before you know it, you'll be rumbling over dirt tracks between fields of swaying savannah, eyes peeled for brown hyena packs, bulbul birds flitting overhead, and African wild dogs.

And that's just the beginning, because between the lowveld hills and the plains of Pilanesberg are also the fabled Big Five. That means sightings of lions, leopards, horned rhinos, and Cape buffalo are all possibilities as you delve into this 572-square-kilometer wonderland of South African backcountry.