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The Entabeni Safari Conservancy, meaning ' the place of the mountain' is situated in the Waterberg region, about a 3 hour drive north of Johannesburg. The 22,000 hectare private reserve is not only popular with visitors because of the opportunity to see big game such as lion, elephant, giraffe, leopard, warthog, rhino, buffalo, hippo, and a variety of birds and antelope species, but it also offers beautiful scenery - and is malaria-free. The Reserve boasts 5 eco-systems. The upper escarpment offers majestic craggy rock formations and wide open grass plains, while a drive down between the cliffs, where a gurgling stream beckons, takes you to the warmer sandy wetlands of the lower escarpment. As well as guided morning and afternoon game drives, Entabeni offers visitors the opportunity to partake in other activities such as quad biking, scenic helicopter flights, a visit to a local Pedi village, stargazing in the observatory, and sunset lake cruises. GBP 97 USD 124 ZAR 1,670 EUR 113
Ladies and gentleman, I give you... Rising from the South African bush just two-and-a-half hours from Johannesburg, this resort has four hotel complexes, two golf courses designed by Gary Player, gambling for flutterers and high rollers, the Superbowl concert venue, an entertainment centre – and the biggest maze in the Southern Hemisphere.
magis chair one white But first up after my boyfriend James and I had dumped our bags was finding lions.
charles eames chair 3d Sun City is right next door to the malaria-free Pilanesberg Game Reserve, home of the Big Five – elephant, rhino, buffalo, lion and leopard – as well as hippos, zebra, wildebeest, rare wild dogs, cheetahs, antelope and birds.
lazy boy chairs swivel You can self-drive (keeping a respectful distance from the big game while you’re on their turf) or take a guided safari.
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All tours and activities can be booked online or at the Welcome Centre at the resort. We spotted loads of ellies, some snoozing lions and plenty of rhino. The other big cats eluded us, but we saw loads of buck, zebra, warthogs and birds. The organised game drives leave very early in the morning or late afternoon to maximise your chances of seeing the animals at their most active. While they’re hiding from the midday sun, you can hit the beach. Yes, 350 miles from the nearest ocean is the Valley of the Waves – an artificial sea with a palm-fringed sandy beach. There are also fantastic water slides, a lazy river and great-value meals. If you’d like a bit of peace and quiet, then leave your children at Camp Kwena – a fantastic kids’ playground with games, activities and entertainment. There are also professional baby-sitting services available if you’d like a romantic meal in any one of the resort’s 30-something restaurants. From Indonesian to Indian, Thai to Italian, American to African, there’s a meal to suit you – accompanied by world-beating wines.
Afterwards you can head for the slot machines, take in a Vegas extravaganza or have a boogie at the Silhouette nightclub. And so to bed. The oldest part of the resort is the original four-star Sun City Hotel, which opened in 1979. Then there’s the three-star Cabanas, which is perfect for families, and the five-star Cascades Hotel set in lush tropical gardens. But looming over them all is the ridiculously fabulous Palace of the Lost City. The brainchild of South African hotel supremo Sol Kerzner (the man who later brought us Atlantis The Palm in Dubai), this is where Indiana Jones meets Disneyland... in the African bush. His vision was to create a mythical royal residence built by a lost tribe. If you’re looking for minimalist chic, then this is not the place for you. Spiral-horned kudu antelope fly from the turrets. Bronze cheetah chase buck across the drive. The fountain at the entrance has water spouting from the scimitar-shaped horns of sable antelope.
And a life-sized statue of famous South African elephant Shawu guards a courtyard. There are zebra-print chairs and leopard-print rugs. Little monkey sculptures hold up lamps. Chandeliers shimmer, and plants and vines entwine around pillars shaped like elephant legs, propping up frescoes and mosaics depicting scenes of local wildlife and the “lost tribe”. All the rooms have sweeping views of the magnificent surrounding bush. Standing on the viewing platform in one of the towers nine floors up, I watched a lightning storm play out across the hills as the sun set – nature winning hands down in the stiff competition for attention in this insane resort. There’s a heated outdoor pool surrounded by “ancient ruins” and an amphitheatre for concerts and weddings. The route to the entertainment centre is lined with tumbling building blocks and large cracks in the ground depicting the “earthquake” which forced the “tribe” to flee. The bridge lined with elephant statues still rumbles with “aftershocks” every hour... totally bonkers, but loads of fun.
Speaking of fun – fancy throwing yourself off a hill and whizzing along a 1.25-mile highwire at speeds of up to 100mph? If so, one of the world’s highest, fastest ziplines is on site for adrenaline junkies aged 12 and up (the oldest person to Superman off the 900ft mountain was an 84-year-old woman from Scotland!). This is the closest you’ll come to flying without dying, trust me. But if I thought that was going to be the highlight of our trip, I was sorely mistaken. Absolutely nothing was going to beat being whacked over the head by a hungry elephant at the neighbouring Letsatsing Game Reserve. The cheeky buggers prod you with their trunks if you don’t serve up their special pellets with the requisite speed. If that’s not enough excitement for you, ride a quad bike through the bush, try archery or clay-pigeon shooting, enjoy watersports on a huge lake – or simply float above it all in a hot-air balloon. Get lost in the maze across the hanging bridge and reward yourself with some homemade beers at the Pilanesberg Craft Brewery on the way out.
And so I returned from an adrenaline-filled week at Sun City with scraped knees from misjudging a waterslide; a spectacular bruise on my elbow from botching the archery instructions; another colourful bruise on my thigh after a graceless exit from the game-viewing truck; a cut on my thumb from behaving like a testosterone-fuelled boy racer on the quad bikes; chaffing around the unmentionables from a wedgie sustained during the zip wire... and a sunburned nose above a massive grin. When to go: Sun City lives up to its name. Winter days are dry and warm with chilly mornings and evenings, so wrap up for those game drives. Summer days are hot with occasional storms. The African sun is vicious in the height of summer, so slap on the factor 50. Getting about: Self-drive is easy in South Africa, but there are shuttles to get you around the resort and to the various activities. Dinner date: Enjoy a South African buffet at The Calabash restaurant or go for the full township extravaganza at The Shebeen.