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Up, up and away!
Hot air ballooning over the Pilanesberg Game Reserve
Hot air ballooning over the Pilanesberg Game Reserve.
© South African Tourism
Did you know?
The Pilanesberg balloon company Flying Pictures has over 30 years and 7 000 combined flying experience.
If you're visiting the Pilanesberg Game Reserve, right next door to Sun City, why not take the opportunity to do something different and go hot air ballooning over the Pilanesberg.
The Pilanesberg Game Reserve, situated in the caldera of a 1.3 million-year-old extinct volcano, is a wonderfully scenic reserve replete with mountains, valleys, plains, rocky outcrops and a huge dam.
Only three decades ago this 55 000ha game reserve was nothing more than overused and abandoned farmland. Then, in 1979, along came Operation Genesis – at the time one of the most ambitious rehabilitation and game-stocking programmes in the world. Today over 7 000 animals (including the Big Five) roam the reserve's diverse ecosystems.
Pilanesberg is also home to hundreds of bird species and you may well find yourself eye-to-eye with a Verreaux or Tawny eagle as your hot air balloon floats high over the surrounding countryside.
Depending on wind and weather conditions, you'll fly at anything from treetop height to just over 1 800m.
You'll see lots of game on this aerial safari – herds of antelope, grazing white rhino (the Pilanesberg is one of the best places in the world to see white rhino), stately giraffe, scampering zebra, browsing elephants, herds of buffalo, and, if you’re lucky, lions and maybe even a leopard.
But ballooning is not just about game-spotting. No longer earth-bound, just soak up the tranquillity, shed your stress, and watch Africa's majesty drift slowly beneath you.
Travel tips & Planning info
Who to contact
Flying Pictures
Mobile: +27 (0) 82 451 6731
Email: flypixsa@iafrica.com
How to get here
Take the N4 north from Johannesburg towards Polokwane. Take the N4 Rustenburg split and follow the Pilanesberg Game Reserve signs on route 91.
Around the area
Shake off the wild for a while and try your luck at the Sun City Casino, catch a tan and a wave at Sun City's Valley of the Waves or see a show at the Sun City theatres.
Tours to do
Pilanesberg Game Reserve offers guided game drives throughout the day, as well as night drives.
What will it cost
Approx. R2 500 per person.
What to pack
Binoculars, camera and a warm jacket (even in summer).
Where to stay
Pilanesberg Game Reserve has plenty accommodation options ranging from luxury lodges to self-catering chalets and camp sites. Alternatively you can stay at Sun City, right next door to the reserve.
What to eat
A full English breakfast at a game lodge is part of your aerial safari package.