Sun City
R556, Sun City, ZAF
Sun City is a resort and entertainment complex located north-west of Johannesburg. One of South Africa's top leisure destinations, the resort complex is conveniently located on the South African Garden Route and next to Pilanesberg National Park. Highlights of Sun City include a casino, spa, water park, and golf courses.
The casino is the heart of Sun City, and offers everything you would expect of a world-class gaming facility. Among the multitude of other attractions are a health spa, the Valley of Waves water park, and two 18-hole golf courses—one in the crater of an extinct casino, the other featuring live crocodiles in its water feature. Families with kids can stop by the Boardwalk, which hosts a slate of activities for children of all ages.
Day tours from Sun City to the adjacent (and malaria-free) Pilanesberg National Park offer a chance to spot Africa’s coveted Big Five—lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, and Cape buffalo. It’s also possible to visit Sun City and the Pilanesberg Game Reserve on a day trip from Johannesburg.
Guests must be 18 years or older to gamble in Sun City's casinos.
The resort has six different options for accommodations, with a variety of handicap-accessible rooms available.
Most day trips from Johannesburg to Sun City include round-trip transportation, as the resort lies roughly three hours away by road. Flight transfers from the Johannesburg airport are also available. Sun City is a popular stop for travelers who rent a car to drive the Garden Route, and Port Elizabeth is the closest town.
The resort's temperate, malaria-free climate makes it suitable for visits year-round. Sun City is typically most crowded during summer (December through January) and the Easter school holidays. The dry winter season (May through September) is a good time to visit if you want to spot wildlife at Pilanesberg, when animals tend to congregate around water sources.
Just three hours from Johannesburg, Pilanesberg National Park is one of South Africa's most easily accessible game reserves. Featuring the coveted Big Five, the game reserve is also attractive for the fact that it is malaria-free.
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