George Mokotedi, the General Manager of Bakubung Bush Lodge at Pilanesberg National Park generously invited my wife and me to stay for a night at this excellent lodge. Located next to Pilanesberg’s Main Gate, Bakubung Bush Lodge took a knock during COVID but has bounced back stronger than ever, and George was on hand to tell me all about it.
Pilanesberg is less than 200km from Johannesburg, and Google Maps estimates the drive takes just over three hours. The recommended route is via Pretoria on the N4, but we chose to take the scenic route past Maanhaarrand on the R24. It soon became apparent why the N4 would have been the better choice: we got stuck behind trucks on the narrow road, which made our road trip nearly four hours long. But even if you take the N4, which we drove on the way back, the built-up areas around Rustenburg and the small ‘dorps’ (towns) near Pilanesberg all create bottlenecks making the journey laborious. For this reason, I would recommend driving to the game park for a few nights, opting for a 3-Day Pilanesberg Safari or if time and budget allow a 4-Day Pilanesberg Safari to Bakubung Bush Lodge. The extra time on safari will make the drive, in addition to the flowers along the way, even more well worth it.
On arrival at Bakubung Bush Lodge, we were swiftly ensconced in our impeccable lodgings, helped by the well-trained and efficient staff. I was keen to chat with George about the lodge, and his two decades of service experience soon came to the fore as he put me at ease. In addition to George’s hospitality and lodge experience, he gave me several insights about what’s been happening recently in Pilanesberg National Park.
All of South Africa’s parks were heavily affected by COVID. The pandemic massively dented tourism figures and thus income, but things have turned around since. In 2022 Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Barbara Creecy reported a 74% increase in visitors to South Africa’s national parks from the prior year. George was happy to report that all the Bakubung staff who were laid off during the pandemic have now been reemployed, thanks to the renewed influx of visitors.
The nature of the visits and visitors has changed since COVID. Winter is now much busier than it was before at the lodge, which George puts down to the fact that people were cooped up in their homes for two years, and this is now a ‘catch-up’ period – people really want to travel. Rates are a different story; although occupancy is high, what people spend while staying at the safari lodge remains low. This is because prior to the pandemic, about 70% of travellers were international tourists, and 30% were local visitors; these figures have now been almost exactly reversed.
Foreign tourists tend to stay longer (three nights or more) and they want to experience more: safaris (often twice a day), activities for kids, room service with add-ons, and they support the bar more. The Big 5 walking tours, with highly trained guides, are very popular with international tourists, but not so much with locals. This is because “South Africans don’t like to walk,” according to George but it may have more to do with the cost. Another activity international visitors love is rhino notching, in which rhinos are darted by vets and the visitors get to see the ancient creatures close-up, and even touch them.
Few changes were made at Bakubung Bush Lodge while the pandemic raged; although the opportunity was there to develop infrastructure, there were simply too few personnel to carry out any heavy work, which was mainly limited to maintenance. Since the staff returned, lots has happened: a soft refurbishment, maintenance in the restaurant, and re-thatching; now that the visitors are returning, the budget is available for such work.
Bakubung, named after a tribe in the area and run by Legacy Hotels & Resorts, is an enormous lodge. The hotel alone now has 100 rooms that can accommodate over 250 people, and it is still growing.
Fire pits have recently been added to the outside restaurant, where visitors can dine while watching animals drink at a nearby dam (a couple of lambs rotated slowly on these fire pits in preparation for dinner – but the kudu was even tastier). The lodge also has 66 self-catering chalets that are available for timeshare and run at above 90% occupancy throughout the year, and upmarket villas, with three to four rooms, are currently being built.
The growth at Bakubung Bush Lodge is driven by demand. The numbers of visitors are looking good, now and into the future, said the lodge manager. Periods that traditionally don’t do well, such as May to August, have been promoted with specials to boost numbers, which get most of their traction through local agents. The local market, the lodge is discovering, is something to tap into, which reduces reliance on international travellers.
George said the animals in the park “also went into lockdown” during the pandemic. It was really strange, he observed, but when he drove around the park during this period, he actually saw fewer animals. He was at a loss to explain this but surmised that they had become used to the visitors driving past them. Since the visitors and vehicles have returned to the park, the wildlife has also returned. So much so that on his last safari, he saw four out of the Big 5 (lion, leopard, rhino, and elephant) – the only one he didn’t see was buffalo. He also said that mongoose, which were previously very shy, are now seen far more frequently.
Infrastructure in Pilanesberg National Park has taken a knock, he said, and this is reflected in the state of the park’s roads. On our early morning safari the next morning – after our sumptuous supper and a very comfortable night’s sleep – the dirt roads were fairly uneven, but the large diesel truck filled with mainly French tourists took the bumps in its stride. I’ve toured the park before but in a car, and I soon realized that the Pilanesberg game is best seen from a safari vehicle. Not only is one higher up, and can thus see more animals, but having an experienced, trained guide behind the wheel helps, as they identify species and share interesting facts about them. For example, the first animal we saw was a spotted hyena, which is apparently the only one of its kind in the park, due to Pilanesberg’s brown hyena conservation efforts.
We literally saw wildlife every five minutes. The recent fires also helped to spot wild animals, as they were not obscured by tall bushveld grass, and it’s possible that the topography of Pilanesberg helps: in parks with fewer hills, animals are harder to spot.
Pilanesberg National Park must be among the best game parks in South Africa for the sheer number and variety of wildlife one will see in a short time. In our three-hour guided game drive, we saw a hyena, elephants, tsessebe, giraffes, lions on a kill, warthog, wildebeest, and white rhino (close-up!).
In addition to zebra and springbok, a Kori bustard (the world’s largest flying bird), kudu, impala, hippos by a dam, and a female pride of lions. As we returned to the lodge, we passed a lone zebra on the road right next to the vehicle, and a big herd of elephants, many with babies.
Pilanesberg National Park must rank among the best South African game parks my wife and I decided. Thanks to George Mokatedi, and his amazing staff, we left Bukubung with our bellies full from the sumptuous Bakubung breakfast buffet, and an enlightened perspective on the changing landscape of Pilanesberg National Park.
For a fantastic range of affordable safaris to Pilanesberg, Kruger, and other gems in South Africa and beyond, visit African Budget Safaris.
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