There are two options:
A) We leave at 4am (4:30am-depending on time of the year) for the 2.5 hour drive to Pilanesberg National Park. We will daven Shacharis at a suitable location depending on the situation either on arrival or later. Breakfast will be eaten whilst on the game drive. We spend a lovely day enjoying the smells and sounds of the African bushveld. Mincha and lunch are enjoyed at a suitable spot. We depart the Reserve early afternoon returning back to Joburg late afternoon.
B) We leave mid-morning for Pilanesberg National Park for the 2.5 hour drive. Mincha and lunch are enjoyed at a suitable spot. Only certain safari operators in the Reserve have permission to conduct a night drive. So, we have the choice to drive ourselves until the gates close at around 7pm or to pay extra and enjoy the sights and sounds of the night drive which will end at about 9:30pm. We arrive back in Joburg at around midnight.
Info on Pilanesberg National park:
Thanks to Operation Genesis in 1979, which involved the game-fencing of the reserve and the re-introduction of many long-vanished species, the park now has in excess of 7 000 animals including 24 of the larger species. There are over 300 species of birds in the park.
The crater of a long extinct volcano is the setting of Pilanesberg National Park – a fascinating alkaline complex produced by volcanic eruptions. Pilanesberg is one of the largest volcanic complexes of its kind in the world. Its rare rock types and structure make it a unique geological feature.