8 Wildlife Safaris in Johannesburg to Build a Day Around

1.Lion & Safari Park Half-Day Tour

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

You’ll leave Johannesburg or Pretoria in a clean, air-conditioned vehicle with an English-speaking guide, then join a one-hour open-vehicle drive at Lion and Safari Park. Expect close views of lions, cheetahs, hyenas, wild dogs, giraffes, and other animals, with a possible white lion sighting.

“Due to COVID we could not pet the lion cubs, we did however enjoy the park. Our 4 year old and 1 year old were very interested and enjoyed riding in the safari bus. Our driver Nick was very helpful and an excellent navigator. We would recommend this tour if you want to get up close and personal with some of the animals at the park. The Lions came right up to the bus!”

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2.Cradle of Humankind Tour with Lion Safari from Johannesburg

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 65 reviews · from $207Top rated

Jason of Deeprift Ventours takes you from your Johannesburg, Sandton, or Rosebank hotel to the Lion and Safari Park, Sterkfontein Caves, and Maropeng. Expect a one-hour open-vehicle animal drive, guided cave visit, interactive museum exhibits, bottled water, and a maximum of 13 people.

“We had an excellent time on this tour with Jason. We were lucky that there were only the two of us booked that day, so we got our own private tour. The best part was the visit to the lion park, in fact the highlight of our trip was getting to spend time with the cutest lion cubs. This was a great tour and I would highly recommend it. Thanks Jason!”

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3.Captivating Safari Lion Park Experience (Half Day Guided Tour)

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 62 reviews · from $94

Travel from Johannesburg with a driver such as Solly or Bryan, then spend about two hours in a guided safari vehicle at Lion and Safari Park. Expect close views of lions, cheetahs, wild dogs, giraffes, zebra, and antelopes, plus useful animal facts and strong photo chances.

“Feeding day for the big cats was exciting to watch. The lions competed over food and mates while we looked on.”

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4.Rhino & Lion Safari and Wonder Cave Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 49 reviews · 8 hours · from $121

Travel from Johannesburg to Bothongo Rhino and Lion Nature Reserve for Wonder Cave, a four-hour reserve visit, and a game drive. Expect an English-speaking guide, small groups of up to 15, rescued predators, African wildlife, and lunch at your choice of three on-site restaurants.

“We were picked up on time and the journey there was about 50 minutes. The open vehicle safari ride was fun and we managed to see many animals within a short period of time. Only thing to note is that the safari ride was not fully 2 hours, it was closer to 1.5 hours. After our safari ride, we were whisked to the Wonder Caves and the experience was amazing. The caves were magnificent and no too strenuous, I would say it was much easier to walk inside that the Sterkfontein one. All in all a great day trip.”

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5.Cradle of Humankind and Lion Safari

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 36 reviews · 9 hours · from $224

Spend nine hours with a small group of up to 13, visiting Lion and Safari Park, Sterkfontein Caves, and Maropeng. Your English or Afrikaans-speaking guide handles the driving, wildlife viewing, and site visits. Jason Pollard has led many well-regarded outings.

“The hole trip and the sites where all very interesting and beautiful. From the lion park to the amazing caves and the maropeng museum all worth the time exploring. My guide Jason Pollard was very well prepared to explain everything along the way and on the sites, very considetare to my needs and the way i wanted to see the sites.”

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6.Private Rhino and Lion Park, Cradle Caves or Maropeng Museum

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 25 reviews · 6 hours · from $87Best value

Join Shane for a private, small-group day from Johannesburg or Pretoria. Spend about three hours among lions, cheetahs, rhinos, wild dogs, and antelope at Rhino and Lion Park, then visit Maropeng Museum or Sterkfontein Caves, home of Little Foot fossils.

“Is niceeeeee ! The trip is beatiful! We can see white lion and anothers lions and chita, búfalos, rinisceronts and many others animals!!! We loveddd só much! The guide is so much good for us! Sorry me english! We are Brasílian! We dont forget this day!”

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7.Rhino and Lion Nature Reserve Safari

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 18 reviews · 4.5 hours · from $121

You’ll leave your Johannesburg hotel for Bothongo Rhino & Lion Nature Reserve, then spend 1.5 to 2 hours on a guided open-vehicle drive. Expect lions, white rhinos, wild dogs, hippos, crocodiles, cheetahs, antelope, an English-speaking guide, and a small group of up to 15 people.

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8.Lion Park Safari and Cultural Village Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 12 reviews · 1 day · from $219

Leave Johannesburg at 8am for a 4x4 safari in the Cradle of Humankind, then visit Lesedi Cultural Village and its five traditional homesteads. Your English, French, or Portuguese-speaking guide handles transport and entry fees. Guide Pascal has earned special praise for his warm, informative style.

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