The 15 Best Safari Parks in South Africa

1.Johannesburg: Lion & Safari Park Half-Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 384 reviews · 5 hours · from $167Our pick

Travel from Johannesburg or Pretoria with an English-speaking guide such as Thapelo, Dusty, or Ceepo, then join a one-hour open vehicle drive at Lion and Safari Park. Expect close views of lions, cheetahs, wild dogs, hyenas, and possibly a rare white lion.

“Our tour guide for the safari park (Dusty) was absolutely amazing! She was so knowledgeable and had a great sense of humour. Our transportation guide was also great! He so so polite, and professional!!! Would highly recommend for everyone!”

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2.Hartbeespoort: Lion and Safari Park Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 103 reviews · 3 hours · from $70

Ride in a small-group safari truck through Lion & Safari Park near Hartbeespoort. Your English-speaking guide takes you past lions, cheetahs, wild dogs, hyenas, leopards, and antelopes before a relaxing stop beside the Crocodile River. Guides such as Dina, Dusty, and George have earned strong praise for their humor and animal knowledge.

“Simply amazing - guides were funny and entertaining as well as being very knowledgeable. Worth every rand!”

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3.Hartbeespoort: Lion and Safari Park Guided Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 99 reviews · 2 hours · from $38

Join an English-speaking guide such as Thoko, Jabulani, or Mzi for a two-hour truck safari through Hartbeespoort’s Lion and Safari Park. You’ll see lions, antelopes, cheetahs, hyenas, leopards, and wild dogs, with time afterward for lunch, drinks, and souvenirs.

“Jabulani was the highlight of the the tour,his energy and fun facts on the animals was entertaining,we laughed alot,loved him,big ups to him🤌🏿”

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4.Hartbeespoort: Self-Drive Lion and Safari Park Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 64 reviews · 8h 30m · from $24Best value

Drive your own vehicle through Lion & Safari Park near Hartbeespoort, visiting lion, wild dog, and cheetah enclosures before continuing on an extended game drive. No guide is provided, so you set the pace. Plan around the 12:00 PM or 3:00 PM lion feeding on weekends and public holidays.

“The restaurant and the vast amount of animals got to see all the animals”

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5.Lion & Safari Park

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 26 reviews · from $89Top rated

Visit the 1,000-hectare Lion & Safari Park near Pretoria with private transport, air conditioning, water, and a guide such as John. Expect a three-hour drive through grassy plains with chances to see lions, cheetahs, giraffes, zebras, hyenas, and wild dogs, plus a possible lion feeding.

“The whole tour was fantastic. Our driver and guide John was awesome. He told us about the history of South Africa on the way to the park and was so lovely helping both myself and my parents with hand luggage. Definitely try this tour its a wonderful experience.”

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6.Half Day Lion and Safari Park Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 24 reviews · from $103

Travel from your Johannesburg or Pretoria hotel to Lion and Safari Park with a local guide, then spend two hours in a specialized safari vehicle. Look for more than 85 lions, including a rare white lion, plus cheetahs, hyenas, and wild dogs. Groups are limited to three people.

“It was canceled by the tour company on the day...very disappointing, would never use them in the future”

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7.Cradle of Humankind and Lion and Safari Park Tour from Johannesburg or Pretoria

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 6 reviews · from $167

Travel from Johannesburg or Pretoria to Lion and Safari Park for a game drive with lions, cheetahs, wild dogs, giraffes, and more. Then explore Sterkfontein Caves and Maropeng at the Cradle of Humankind with a guide, lunch, and hotel transfers included.

“The caves were very interesting the guide was great and our driver was awesome . Very interesting human history”

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8.Half-Day Lion and Safari Park Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 5 reviews · from $74

Travel from Pretoria or Johannesburg in a private air-conditioned minivan with a guide such as Joseph, Gilmore, or Gilroy. Spend two hours on a ranger-led safari seeing lions, cheetahs, hyenas, wild dogs, antelopes, and possibly feeding giraffes before returning to your hotel.

“With limited time in Pretoria, this was an ideal way to see several animals - lions, cheetahs, wild dogs, leopards, ostriches, hyenas, giraffes - albeit in a huge, multi-hectare compound; a solid 2-hour guided vehicle tour. Midweek (summer): not at all crowded. Great restaurant/bar & gift shops. Excellent van pickup/dropoff service. Super driver, Gilmore, thank you!!”

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9.Half Day Durban City Tour and Phezulu Safari Park

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 4 reviews · 6 hours · from $223

Spend six hours with an English-speaking guide exploring Victoria Street Market, the Zulu Medicine Market, Durban Botanic Gardens, and Phezulu Safari Park in the Valley of a Thousand Hills. Expect cultural dancing, Zulu huts, a game drive, short meal breaks, and pickup from your hotel, port, or airport.

“Besuch SheZulu Nationalpark zu empfehlen, ansonsten hätte es eine Taxifahrt oder Uber auch getan. Preis überhöht, wenn man bedenkt, dass Eintritt Nationalpark nur 25 EUR kostet und ansonsten nichts geboten wird außer Hin- und Rückfahrt. Botanischer Garten ist eintrittfrei.”

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10.Hluhluwe Imfolozi Game Reserve & Phezulu Safari Park from Durban

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 4 reviews · from $675

Travel privately from Durban to Phezulu Cultural Village and Hluhluwe iMfolozi Game Reserve. See Zulu dancing, healing traditions, and spear making, then take three game drives with an overnight stay, early coffee, biscuits, breakfast, and a braai.

“A great 2 days. So much wildlife at Hluhluwe. Amazing dances at Phezulu. A great tour Hluhluwe Imfolozi Game Reserve & Phezulu Safari Park from Durban”

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11.Lion safari park tour(Half-day)

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 4 reviews · from $111

Spend about five hours traveling from Johannesburg to Hartbeespoort for a guided open-vehicle drive through a lion park. Expect white and brown lions, cheetahs, wild dogs, antelopes, and possibly a black leopard, with transport, entry, water, and WiFi included.

“This was an awesome experience. The lions were a treat, and the icing on the cake was the black leopard. Overall its a must, if you like wildlife and visiting Johannesburg. Extremely satisfied.”

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12.Pilanesberg Nature Reserve & Safari Park Lion Private

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 4 reviews · from $205

Leave Johannesburg at 06:00 for a private, 10-hour wildlife day. Explore Pilanesberg National Park for four hours, then take a game drive at Rhino and Lion Nature Reserve. A guide, round-trip transport, park fees, and lunch are included, though lunch arrangements should be confirmed.

“The driver was very nice and knew his way around very well. However, the promised services such as lunch and various stops during the tour were not kept. The driver apologized for this but nothing was done about it. After five hungry hours, we paid for lunch ourselves”

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13.Durban: Half Day Phezulu Safari Park and Durban City Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 3 reviews · 6 hours · from $212

Spend six hours with an English-speaking guide, starting with wildlife at Phezulu Safari Park in the Valley of 1000 Hills, then a Zulu village, dance performance, Reptile Park, and Durban sights. Pickup is available across Durban, nearby coastal areas, cruise ships, hotels, and the airport.

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14.Johannesburg: Lion and Safari Park tour. Pick up Privately

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3 reviews · 5 hours · from $143

Travel from Johannesburg in an air-conditioned vehicle, then spend two hours on a guided safari drive at Lion and Safari Park. See white lions, cheetahs, wild dogs, hyenas, leopards, zebra, and giraffe. Lunch and shopping are optional, and the English-speaking group is limited to three people.

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15.Isithumba Village and Phezulu safari Park Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3 reviews · from $148

Join Afro Zulu Tours, with guide Zamani among the named guides, for an eight-hour trip from Durban to Phezulu Safari Park and iSithumba Village. See crocodiles and snakes, watch Zulu dancing, meet a headman and Sangoma, and walk to a significant river.

“Great tour. Very informative. Kept my attention. I grew up watching Shaka every February during Black History Month in the States. I decided I wanted to visit and came across this tour. Great experience.”

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