Hot-Air Balloon Safari over Pilanesberg

Pilanesberg National Park from the air

Pilanesberg National Park covers around five hundred square kilometres inside the eroded rings of an ancient volcano, about two and a half hours' drive from Johannesburg and bordering the Sun City resort. It is a malaria-free Big Five park where elephant, lion, leopard, rhino and buffalo share the valleys with giraffe, zebra, wildebeest and dozens of antelope species. Seen from a balloon the layout of the park becomes obvious: concentric hills, open grassland in the central basin and the glint of the Mankwe Dam at its heart.

A Pilanesberg balloon safari is a different kind of game viewing. Instead of following roads, you drift silently with the wind, and animals that would hide from a vehicle carry on grazing beneath you. It is one of the few hot-air balloon flights in South Africa that takes place over a Big Five reserve, and it pairs perfectly with a ground-level game drive later in the day.

Dawn pickup and the drive to the launch site

The day starts early, around four in the morning, when the field guide arrives at your hotel at Sun City or your lodge in the Pilanesberg area in an open safari vehicle; day visitors are collected at Bakubung Gate. The launch site is in the centre of the park, so the transfer of roughly an hour through the dark bush is a game drive of its own, with the chance of nocturnal animals in the headlights and the first birds calling as the sky lightens.

At the launch site the pilot and crew are already inflating the balloon with burners that light up the pre-dawn gloom. They give a full safety briefing, explain the landing position and help each guest climb into the basket, which is about one metre twenty high. Flights launch only when the wind and visibility are suitable, which is why the operator contacts you the day before to confirm the schedule.

The flight over the crater

The balloon rises just as the sun breaks over the eastern rim of the crater. For the next forty-five minutes to an hour you float at varying heights, sometimes skimming the treetops to look down on a herd, sometimes climbing high enough to see the whole ring of hills and the resort towers of Sun City on the southern edge. The pilot reads the wind at different altitudes to steer the balloon and shares what the crew on the ground radio up about animal movements.

The silence between burner blasts is the part most guests remember: no engine, no road, just the sound of the bush waking up. Wildlife sightings from the air are never guaranteed, but on a typical morning you can expect to see giraffe, zebra, wildebeest and antelope, with elephant and rhino often visible near the dams. Bring a camera with a zoom lens and secure it with a strap.

Landing, breakfast and certificate

Landing spots change with the wind, and the ground crew follows the balloon in vehicles to meet it wherever it comes down. Guests crouch in the basket for the landing as instructed in the briefing, which is why reasonable fitness is required. Once the balloon is packed away there is a glass of orange juice to celebrate the flight before the field guide drives you back through the park, by now in full daylight, with every chance of more sightings on the way.

The morning ends at a lodge in the Pilanesberg area with a full English breakfast, where the pilot presents each guest with a signed first-flight certificate. You are then returned to your hotel at Sun City or your lodge, usually about four to five hours after pickup, leaving the rest of the day free for the pool, the Valley of the Waves or a game drive.

Sun City and Pilanesberg as your base

Most guests on this balloon safari stay either at the Sun City resort, with its hotels, water park and entertainment, or at one of the lodges inside or around Pilanesberg National Park. Both work well, because the pickup is included from either. If you are visiting for the day from Johannesburg or Pretoria, we can arrange a private transfer to Bakubung Gate on the southern side of the park, though the early start means an overnight stay nearby is far more comfortable.

The best time of year for a hot-air balloon safari over Pilanesberg is the dry winter from May to September, when the skies are clearest, the mornings are calm and the short grass makes animals easier to see; dress warmly, as pre-dawn temperatures can be close to freezing. Summer flights are greener and warmer but more often postponed by wind or storms.