Palace to pool deck to Big Five, all before Sunday brunch.
Kerzner built Sun City inside a dormant volcanic crater in 1979 and it has quietly refused to age since. Three nights at **The Palace of the Lost City** — the grande-dame with the Royal Wing suites — one morning game drive in **Pilanesberg** (Big Five, in a volcano), one afternoon on the **Gary Player** course, one at the Valley of Waves. Two hours from Johannesburg, malaria-free, family-proof.
The essentials, unmoved.
This is an AskAnt set package — the hotels, routing and inclusions on this page are the ones we run. Ant can shape a fully custom trip around it (dates, add-ons, party size), but the bones of this journey stay as published.
- The Palace of the Lost City · 3 nights. Royal Wing suite, breakfast daily, adults + kids under 12 sharing.
- Pilanesberg dawn drive. 3-hour open-vehicle drive in the 55,000-ha volcanic-caldera reserve.
- Gary Player Country Club. One 18-hole round on the Nedbank Golf Challenge course.
- Valley of Waves access. Full-day entry included — Africa's biggest wave pool.
Day by day.
- Day 1OR Tambo → Sun City
Private transfer from Johannesburg (2 hrs) or 45-min light-aircraft charter to Pilanesberg (NTY). Check in at The Palace of the Lost City — Royal Wing suite. Sundowners at the King's Bar; dinner at Plume (rooftop, dress code).
- Day 2Sun City · Pilanesberg
Pre-dawn wake-up for a 3-hour open-vehicle game drive in Pilanesberg — Big Five, in a 1,300-million-year-old volcanic caldera. Back for breakfast. Free afternoon: pool, spa, or Valley of Waves.
- Day 3Sun City · Gary Player CC
18 holes on the Gary Player Country Club (host of the Nedbank Golf Challenge — 7,832 yards from the tips). Non-golfers: full spa day at the Palace, or a helicopter tour over the crater rim (see Ant's Extras).
- Day 4Sun City → OR Tambo
Slow morning, late checkout, private transfer back to Johannesburg for onward flight.
- 3 nights Royal Wing suite at The Palace of the Lost City
- Full breakfast daily
- One shared open-vehicle game drive in Pilanesberg
- One 18-hole round at Gary Player Country Club (green fees + cart)
- Full Valley of Waves & Sun City entertainment centre access
- Private return transfers OR Tambo ↔ Sun City
- International flights
- Lunches and dinners outside breakfast
- Golf caddie fees, club hire, playing partners
- Casino chips (Ant cannot help with that discipline)
- Gratuities for staff, guides and caddies
Things Ant would quietly add.
The set package stays put. But if you want to make it yours — a helicopter here, a private guide there, an add-on Ant slips in every chance he gets — these are the ones worth the whisper.
Private game drive in Pilanesberg
+$540 per coupleSwap the shared 3-hour drive for a full-day private vehicle with a Level-3 FGASA guide.
Helicopter over the crater rim
+$390 pp20-minute flip with the whole caldera and the Palace's domes below. Best photo of the trip.
Bakubung Bush Lodge · 1 night pre-Palace
+$390 ppSleep one night inside Pilanesberg itself. Wake to giraffe outside the window, then transfer to the Palace.
Nedbank Golf Challenge tickets (Nov)
On request, seasonalTime the trip to Africa's Major — hospitality packages on the 18th.
Kids' Kamp Kwena upgrade
+$110 per child, per dayFull-day supervised kids' programme so the adults get one uninterrupted spa afternoon.
Tap AskAnt (bottom-right) to slot any of these into your quote →
Ready when you are.
This one runs as published. Ant will confirm live dates, party size and any add-ons — then a human specialist locks it in.
Tap AskAnt (bottom-right) — or send the brief below →
Sun City — The Palace, Golf & Pilanesberg Big Five · 3 Nights — straight answers
- How long is Sun City — The Palace, Golf & Pilanesberg Big Five · 3 Nights?
- 4 days · 3 nights, through North West · South Africa. The published itinerary runs 4 stages: Day 1 — OR Tambo → Sun City; Day 2 — Sun City · Pilanesberg; Day 3 — Sun City · Gary Player CC; Day 4 — Sun City → OR Tambo.
- How much does Sun City — The Palace, Golf & Pilanesberg Big Five · 3 Nights cost?
- From $1,850 pp. That is an indicative starting rate in US dollars for the itinerary as published; final pricing depends on travel dates, party size and any Ant's Extras added. A specialist confirms the exact figure before you commit.
- What is included in Sun City — The Palace, Golf & Pilanesberg Big Five · 3 Nights?
- Included: 3 nights Royal Wing suite at The Palace of the Lost City; Full breakfast daily; One shared open-vehicle game drive in Pilanesberg; One 18-hole round at Gary Player Country Club (green fees + cart); Full Valley of Waves & Sun City entertainment centre access; Private return transfers OR Tambo ↔ Sun City.
- What is not included?
- Excluded: International flights; Lunches and dinners outside breakfast; Golf caddie fees, club hire, playing partners; Casino chips (Ant cannot help with that discipline); Gratuities for staff, guides and caddies.
- What can you add to this trip?
- Ant's Extras for this journey: Private game drive in Pilanesberg (+$540 per couple) — Swap the shared 3-hour drive for a full-day private vehicle with a Level-3 FGASA guide.; Helicopter over the crater rim (+$390 pp) — 20-minute flip with the whole caldera and the Palace's domes below. Best photo of the trip.; Bakubung Bush Lodge · 1 night pre-Palace (+$390 pp) — Sleep one night inside Pilanesberg itself. Wake to giraffe outside the window, then transfer to the Palace.; Nedbank Golf Challenge tickets (Nov) (On request, seasonal) — Time the trip to Africa's Major — hospitality packages on the 18th.; Kids' Kamp Kwena upgrade (+$110 per child, per day) — Full-day supervised kids' programme so the adults get one uninterrupted spa afternoon..
- Can this itinerary be changed?
- This is a set AskAnt package, so the properties, route and inclusions run exactly as published. Dates, party size and Ant's Extras are flexible; anything beyond that becomes a custom brief that Ant scopes and a human specialist prices.
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