Sun City is known as Africa's 'Kingdom of Pleasure' and combines a variety of entertainment facilities.
Need Advice?Sun City is a unique family resort in South Africa's North West province. Hotel magnate Sol Kerzner established it during the dark days of apartheid when the government cordoned off independent homelands or "bantustans" for the various indigenous peoples of South Africa.
One of these homelands was called Bophuthatswana and was intended as an independent homeland for the Tswana people. At the time, gambling was illegal in South Africa, and Kerzner dreamed up an imaginary kingdom complete with a fanciful legend of a lost city and a lost tribe as the basis for his resort.
Today the resort lies in a tranquil basin of an extinct volcano in the Pilanesberg adjacent to South Africa's rich platinum belt. It boasts four hotels, an award-winning golf course, and many other attractions for tourists of every ilk.
The Gary Player Golf Course and the Lost City Golf Course, designed by South African golfing legend Gary Player, are both internationally acclaimed courses. The Gary Player Golf Course is renowned for hosting the annual Million Dollar Nedbank Golf Challenge, while the scenic Lost City Golf Course is better known for the almost 40 crocodiles that frequent the 13th hole.
The Sun City Resort is at the height of gaming entertainment in South Africa, offering an impressive range of slots and more than forty table games. It also caters to those who don't prefer gambling, with various bars and restaurants. The children can also visit the gaming arcade or watch a movie while their parents play.
An artificial beach, complete with a 6500 m² wave pool with a 2m wave every ninety seconds, will give you the impression that you are actually on holiday on the sunny coastline of South Africa, not in the remote North West. It is only one of the great attractions available for children and adults in the Valley of the Waves, including slides, rides, and a food court.
Sun City's plethora of experiences are all aimed at unadulterated entertainment for guests to South Africa's 'Kingdom of Pleasure.' Indulge in the water wonderland of the Valley of the Waves or tee off on a championship golf course.
Sun City Resort lies relatively close to Johannesburg and Pretoria. Guests will be welcomed at OR Tambo International in Johannesburg, where the journey will continue on the well-maintained roads of Gauteng and the North West. Private charters are also available at the nearby Pilanesberg National Park.
The resort is situated approximately 200km from Johannesburg, and takes about two and a half hours to reach. It is important to note, however, that this road is the main arterial link to the north, and can get extremely busy during school and public holidays. We will make sure that your trip to Sun City is a comfortable one, and we will arrange for a charter if needed.
Sun City is a blue sky and sunshine destination for most of the year, and visitors don't have to consult their calendars because of the weather. Suppose you plan to visit a nearby safari destination. In that case, the winter months from May to August are the best time to view wildlife in South Africa, as the vegetation is quite dense during the rainy summers.
It is better to avoid the resort altogether over December, as it gets full during the peak season with summer school holidays in full swing. In the deepest of winter, June and July, the evenings can be cold but not freezing. If you plan to visit the Valley of the Waves, contact an African Sky consultant to confirm that it is open.
One of these homelands was called Bophuthatswana and was intended to exist as an independent homeland for the Tswana people. At the time, gambling was illegal in South Africa, and Kerzner dreamed up an imaginary kingdom complete with a fanciful legend of a lost city and a lost tribe as the basis for his resort.
Kerzner started life as a manager of a small family-owned hotel in Durban, a coastal city on the Indian Ocean. Through hard work and innovative marketing, he built his empire into an international entity called Sun International. Today, the company owns resorts and hotels in Africa, the Caribbean, the Americas, and Europe, but Sun City is still one of the big success stories of Kerzner's career. The resort opened on 7 December 1979
Because of the alternative laws in the homelands, Sun City could provide entertainment such as gambling and topless revue shows, which were illegal in South Africa. Sun City is an easy drive from main centers such as Pretoria and Johannesburg. As such, these unique, and at the time illegal, forms of entertainment attracted thousands upon thousands of tourists from South Africa.
The Kwena Gardens Crocodile Sanctuary is at the entrance gate to Sun City. Within this sanctuary, there are hundreds of crocodiles. It is even home to three of the giant captive Nile crocodiles in the world. It offers educational tours and even a chance to hold a baby crocodile. The bird sanctuary at Sun City allows one to observe various birds, such as parrots, owls, and vultures, up close. Even on the golf courses, one might sneak a peek at crocodiles in the water hazards and baboons on the fairways.
Two well-known reserves, Pilanesberg and Madikwe, are close to Sun City. Day trips are available directly from Sun City - a fabulous South African bush experience minutes away from this luxurious resort. Both neighboring reserves contain the Big Five: the elephant, rhinoceros, buffalo, leopard, and lion. Other predators one might find include cheetahs, wild dogs, and even brown hyenas. Zebra and giraffes are plentiful. Both of these reserves have documented over 300 species of birds
Sun City is not particularly well known for its vegetation, being a luxury resort and casino situated in the North West Province of South Africa. Its location between the Elands River and the Pilanesberg merits some elucidation. The resort includes the Lost City, the Valley of the Waves, two internationally acclaimed 18-hole golf courses, multiple hotels, and time-share facilities, Sun Central (which features the Sun City Superbowl and the South African Hall of fame) and the legendary Sun City Casino. Each of these, in turn, has its attractions and features.
The resort includes extensive water features, fountains, pools, natural lakes, and the waterpark, and the vegetation is subtropical, including palm trees. The Cabanas open onto lush gardens. The resort, situated in the heart of an ancient volcano, is enveloped by the African bush. Those who want to experience authentic safari landscapes can visit Pilanesberg or one of the reserves nearby. The resort, nearly 20km in circumference, was explicitly landscaped for entertainment based on the classic 1885 novel 'King Solomon's Mines' by English novelist Sir Henry Rider Haggard.
The resort offers two golf courses of international standard, both designed by Gary Player. The Gary Player Country Club is where the Nedbank Golf Challenge is held annually; some of the best international players have competed in this tournament over the years. The Lost City Golf Course is unique in that the water feature on the 13th hole is home to 38 crocodiles.
Sun City has an animal farm, an extensive aviary, the Motseng Cultural Village, and its famous water-based fun park, the Valley of the Waves. The animal farm is where kids of all ages can meet domestic and wild animals face-to-face. The aviary has a huge collection of birds from around the world. The Motseng Cultural Village is a living museum where visitors can see how the area's indigenous people lived in bygone days. The Valley of the Waves is a recreational haven of slides, rides, a giant wave pool, and even an artificial beach.
The casino offers all forms of gambling, from card games and roulette to slot machines and bingo. In the Salon Prive, gamblers with a nose for big winnings can try their luck against the house or each other for almost limitless stakes. Gamblers may call on an army of servers for snacks, drinks, or any other requirement they might have.
