Dinokeng Game Reserve is situated in Gauteng, and only an hour from Johannesburg. It is home to the Big 5. If you keen to stay over there is an array of lodges to suit every budget and. It’s close enough to the city if you don’t like long drives, but far enough to give you a true bushveld experience.
We, however, opted for a day trip with a self drive at Dinokeng Game Reserve. We packed a picnic basket with padkos and drinks, and spent the whole day driving through the reserve, and taking breaks at the allocated picnic spots. It was a wonderful day trip and it felt amazing to get out for a bit.
Did we see the Big 5 at Dinokeng Game Reserve?
Let me not keep you in suspense. Unfortunately we did not see the Big 5. We did however spot some cheetah with her cubs, giraffe, impala, waterbuck, zebra, wildebeest, and a jackal.
We spent approximately 6 hours in the driving through the park via the self drive route. Other traveller reviews range from not having any sightings at all to a lucky few who have seen a few of the Big 5. If you keen on seeing the Big 5 you may be disappointed if you only do one drive. Perhaps consider staying over at one of the many lodges so you increase your chances over a few game drives.
Tips for your self-drive at Dinokeng Game Reserve
- VEHICLE – You need a vehicle with high clearance, especially after the rains. The roads are mostly single lane and you do need to venture off road to allow other cars to pass by. We just hired a 4 x 4 for the day.
- PADKOS – Pack some padkos if you self-driving. There are restaurants open for day visitors but you need to check if these are on your route and if they accepting visitors at the time of your visit.
- TOLL GATES – If you travelling from Johannesburg to Hammanskraal, you will pass two toll gates en-route.
- ENTRANCE GATES – There are a number of gates to enter the reserve. We entered via the Ndlovu gate and exited through Tau.
- PRICES – At the time of writing this blog, it is R250 per car and R80 per adult.
- MAP – Maps are available at the reception. We recommend buying the map as it includes educational info as well as the self drive routes. The maps and signboards are a bit confusing and requires extra concentration. 🙂 The map costs R40.
- PICNIC SPOTS – Plan your route at the start of your trip or at least have an idea of where you headed. We’ll show you where we stopped on the vlog. These spots are unfenced so beware.
- LODGES – Spending the day driving can be exhausting so you may want to consider spending a night at a self-catering or full board lodge in the reserve.
