The Dinokeng Game Reserve presents a rare opportunity to develop a model for future conservation. The Dinokeng Game Reserve is unique in a sense that we are the only residential Big5 game reserve worldwide located within the boundaries of a metro city and just half an hour from the city centre. We are pioneering a model where the Big5 roam freely and live in harmony with resident land owners.
We believe we can create an ecotourism destination without the negative side effects of mass tourism. Because conservation conscious tourists are the type of people that not only respect nature, but are also curious about the culture and customs. This is a core prerequisite to prevent the clash between conservation and tourism in hotspots around the globe.
A key spin off of our conservation model is that it creates opportunities for the adjacent communities, their restaurants and shebeens, their crafters and cultural initiatives.
All this has the potential to improve quality of life and to bring together our communities inside and outside the perimeter fence of the reserve. Tourism is by its nature, the most people intensive of all industry sectors. Nurturing of responsible tourism is surely the best means of creating sustainable jobs.
Accommodation in the Dinokeng Game Reserve
The diversity of Dinokeng Game Reserve accommodation options means that there is an offering to suit every taste. Whether you want to pitch your own tent or come with your caravan, whether you want the camp atmosphere without the hassle to bring your own equipment, whether you want to feel home from home in a self catering chalet or want to be fully pampered in a luxury lodge, Dinokeng Game Reserve has something just for you.
Below you will find a directory of all accommodation in the malaria-free Dinokeng Game Reserve north of Pretoria, just a bit more than a one hour drive from OR Tambo International.
What better way than to drive along more than 140kms of winding tracks (most of which is suitable to sedan vehicles) stopping from time to time to be in contact with an environment where wild animals, creatures plants and humans live side by side? Permits to use the route can be purchased at the gates of the Reserve or at selected Lodges. The handy detailed map that comes with the permit has numbered reference points and places to stop for comfort breaks, meals or picnics, will guide visitors along the route. Popular with families is the Dinokeng Visitor’s Guide, a booklet designed to inform visitors of what can be seen and that helps to keep children interested as the identify animals, birds and plants along the route. Various restaurants along the route are also a must to visit.
This is a truly different Game Reserve experience where visitors feel closer to the bush and enjoy greater freedom to explore whilst contributing financially to the future of conservation in Tshwane.
Picnic sites & bird hides - Users of the Self Drive Route have a choice of three different Picnic Sites situated along the route. These picnic sites are built and maintained by private landowners who levy no charge for their use but expect visitors to leave the sites in the condition that they would wish to find them.
Guided game drives & bush walks - Enhance your nature experience with guided game drives and bush walks. A game drive in an open safari vehicle not only gets you closer – you can smell nature and your sight is increased by the elevated seating position – but it gets enriched by the wealth of knowledge and experience the qualified field guides are sharing.
During your morning coffee with home baked rusks or sundowners in a secluded area in the middle of the bush or on the riverbank, your guide will share legendary tales of mating ostrich and laughing hyena.
Guided game drives come with age restrictions for children. Please check details with your chosen operator.
Hot air ballooning - Floating above Nature. Visitors come to Dinokeng to get out into the bush and to enjoy a different interaction with nature and wildlife in its many shapes and forms.
Taking off in a hot air balloon as dawn breaks and having the adventure of rising slowly above the bush and drifting along (as the air movement dictates combined with the skills of the professional pilot) is an amazing experience – it sits on the bucket list of many. A balloon flight in the DGR usually takes about an hour from take off to landing.
The bird’s eye view of animals below as you float along above them is hard to beat. We are fortunate to be able to offer this unique experience to visitors within the Dinokeng Game Reserve.
Dining - Let your taste buds have a party with a view at one of the restaurants in the park. The variety is amazing, and each has his own specific atmosphere. So there is something for everybody’s taste.
What else around
Dinokeng – Africa in one day
The Greater Dinokeng Area
Meaning “a place of rivers”, Dinokeng is a region in northern Gauteng rich in natural, cultural and historical heritage sites.
Dinokeng’s three major tourist hubs are the historic town of Cullinan, where the world’s largest rough gem-quality diamond was discovered in 1905, the Roodeplaat Dam, a birder’s paradise, and the Dinokeng Game Reserve, Gauteng’s only free-roaming Big Five reserve.
Our Conservation Efforts
Degraded land returning to former glory – rehabilitation & conservation.
The future of conservation requires a two-pronged strategy the fight for open ecosystems and pristine wilderness areas and the development of new buffer models where people and nature grow together in harmony. The Dinokeng Game Reserve – as the only residential Big5 game reserve worldwide within the boundaries of a metro – has the unique opportunity to develop itself into such a model for future conservation.
Conservation in such an environment comes with a number of challenges, which can be turned into successful projects. These range from the eradication of alien plants, management of veld and game – yes, although we adhere to the concept of free roaming and self fending management interventions are necessary amongst other to avoid in-breeding, especially in smaller reserves -, to the protection of endangered species.
