Located not far from Johannesburg and just north of the glitzy gambling mecca of Sun City, Pilanesberg National Park offers a convenient safari option to those who don't have time to go to more distant Kruger. Covering the crater of a billion-year-old former volcano, Pilanesberg is home to the Big Five animals (lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo), as well as giraffes, zebras, hippos, antelope, crocodiles and over 350 bird species.