Sun City, South Africa

SUN CITY

Sun City in South Africa is one of the best resort in the world. As the name suggests, it is not just a resort, it is a city filled with entertainment. Sun city is a mix of entertainment, watersports, gambling, family fun and golf. It is a luxury casino and resort.

                                Palace of the Lost city Hotel, view from terrace

Water world

Elephant ivory 

                                                             Valley of the waves

Our group of friends decided to break our journey in South Africa for a couple of days, on our way back to India from Brazil.

Sun city is situated in the dense forests of South Africa and spread across 5 sq kms. It is in South Africa’s North West province. Sun city is 200 kms from Johannesburg and takes two hours drive to reach.

Sun city has four star hotels, casino, water activities, wild life safari, night life, golf and many more. Sun city was developed by hotel magnate Sol Kerzner as part of Sun International group of properties in 1979.

Hotels

The star hotels are Palace of the Lost City, Sun City hotel, The Cabanas and the Cascades hotel. The Palace of the Lost City is one of the most extraordinary hotels in the world. This 338 room hotel is a fantasy of luxury. The elevetor has carvings of elephant  ivory. The interior is adorned with Mosaics, murals and artwork. 25 hectares of botanical jungle surround the hotel with waterfalls and pathways.

Valley of the waves

The Lost City’s premier attraction is Valley of the Waves, which has exciting water activities. An artificial sandy beach generates huge waves through a powerful wave machine. Every 90 seconds a 1.2 metre wave is generated and crashes on the white sandy beach. 

Sun City is home to two water theme parks, one dedicated to slides and rides,and the other to action-packed water sports. The resort’s lake is home to Waterworld, where the attractions include from bumper boats to parasailing, jet ski and water-ski.

Golf

There are two world class golf courses in Sun city, designed by South African legend Gary Player. The Lost City Golf Course and the Gary Player Golf Course.  It has two 18-hole, 72 golf courses and is South Africa's major golf destination.

The Lost City Golf Course is a unique experience and offers spectacular views across the bushveld. Also to be noted are the use of bunkers and extensive water-features - and at the 13th hole, 38 crocodiles await.

Casino

Sun City Extravaganza takes place every evening with live show and cabaret. Guests can also try their hand at blackjack or the slot machines at Harlequins Casino in the Sun City Hotel. There are wide variety of restaurants catering seafood and fine dining.

Pilanesberg National Park

Adjacent to Sun City is the beautiful Pilanesberg National Park, one of the largest in South Africa and also a malaria free zone. The park covers an area of 55,000 hectares and its plains are rich and fertile as they were once part of a now extinct volcanic crater. Majestic hills encircle the park and a large central watering hole is ideal for game viewing. Pilanesberg National Park is home to all of the Big Five including giraffe, hippo, zebra and crocodile as well as an extreme diversity of bird life and over 300 species have been recorded. There are a number of picnic spots here.

The Pilanesberg National Park was opened in 1979 and can lay claim to one of the most successful resettlement projects in South Africa. Over 6,000 animals were reintroduced to the park during the 1980's and the park today is home to nearly all animal species of Southern Africa.

The Kwena Gardens Crocodile Sanctuary is located near the entrance to the resort. There are over 300 Nile crocodiles and the two largest captive crocodiles in the world.

There are no direct flights to Sun City. Visitors should fly to Johannesburg first and then hire a vehicle to reach Sun city.