Dinokeng Game Reserve is the easiest Big Five safari to reach from Johannesburg and Pretoria. It is the only place in Gauteng where the Big Five roam free, and the area is malaria-free, which makes it an easy first safari for families and visitors from the city. Tshikwalo Game Lodge sits inside the reserve, and this guide covers the practical details for planning your visit.
What Is Dinokeng Game Reserve?
Dinokeng is the only free-roaming Big Five reserve in Gauteng. It covers around 20,000 hectares of bushveld, grassland, thornveld, and wetland north of Pretoria, and it runs on a public-private partnership where private landowners add their land to the reserve. The reserve opened in September 2011, and the Big Five were complete by August 2012 once disease-free buffalo were introduced. You can explore it two ways. Drive the self-drive route in your own car, or join a guided game drive run by one of the lodges.
How to Get There
Dinokeng is an easy drive on good roads. From central Pretoria it takes around 45 minutes, and from Johannesburg or O.R. Tambo International Airport allow about an hour. The route runs along the N1 north towards Hammanskraal, and most of it is tarred, so a standard car is fine. Dinokeng has several entrance gates, each serving a different area. If you book with Tshikwalo, we will send you the correct gate and clear directions before you arrive.
Wildlife You Can Expect
The main attraction is the Big Five: lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard, and both black and white rhino. The reserve is home to many other animals, including cheetah, giraffe, zebra, kudu, wildebeest, waterbuck, and hyena. Birdlife is excellent too. Fish eagles, the endangered blue crane, breeding martial eagles, and woodland kingfishers are among the species recorded here. The animals move freely across the reserve, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Things to Do at Dinokeng
The reserve has activities besides game drives. You can take a guided bush walk with a qualified field guide. Along the self-drive route there are picnic sites and bird hides to stop at, and several restaurants inside the reserve serve meals with a view. The reserve also hosts weddings and conferences, and it works well as either a day trip or a relaxed overnight stay.
Gate Times
The reserve gates and self-drive route are open from 06:00 to 18:00. Plan your day around these hours, because the route closes at 18:00 and you need to be back at your lodge or out of the reserve by then. Early mornings and late afternoons are the best times for game viewing, so aim to be at the gate when it opens.
Conservation Fees
Everyone entering Dinokeng pays a conservation fee, which goes directly to the reserve and funds its upkeep and anti-poaching work. The fee is charged per person, with reduced rates for children and higher rates for international visitors. For overnight stays it is charged per night, with a cap on the total each person pays per stay.
If you want to drive the 140-kilometre self-drive route in your own vehicle, there is an optional once-off permit. If you join a guided game drive with a lodge instead, you pay the conservation fee but not the self-drive permit. A restaurant-only visit is charged at a lower rate per vehicle on presentation of your restaurant receipt.
The gates are cashless, and fees are usually bought online before you arrive. Check the official Dinokeng Game Reserve site for the current rates before you travel.
Make Tshikwalo Your Base in Dinokeng
Tshikwalo Game Lodge is a 4-star lodge inside the reserve, around 30 minutes from Pretoria. Our experienced rangers run guided game drives in open vehicles, with morning and afternoon options that get you close to the wildlife.
We also have a range of accommodation, including standard rooms and luxury guesthouses, plus a restaurant with views over the bush.
To plan your visit to Dinokeng, contact our team. We will sort out your game drives and accommodation.