The Cabanas
Family resort hotel · Sun City resort, about 5 to 10 minutes from Bakubung and Kwa-Maritane gates · Sun International
Mid-range
Outside the gate
Safari company
The entry-level hotel at Sun City, owned and run by Sun International, a hotel group. Sun City borders the park on the south, outside the fence: Kwa-Maritane gate is about 7 km away and Bakubung gate a short drive west. Rooms start at R3,196 a night on Sun International's own site, including resort entry and the Valley of Waves, which day visitors pay R395 an adult to enter. Mankwe Gametrackers picks up for drives at the Sun City Welcome Centre. Choose it for a family that wants pools and a park drive in one trip; skip it if the park is the whole point.
Pros and cons
Pros
- The cheapest room at Sun City, from R3,196
- Resort and Valley of Waves access included
- Mankwe drives pick up at the Sun City Welcome Centre
- Two park gates within a short drive
Cons
- Outside the park; gate fees every day
- Priced per room; meal basis not stated
- A resort crowd, not a bush stay
- Mankwe drives from Sun City cost more than from the eastern gates (R807 against R612 for 3 hours)
What's here
- Swimming pool
- Family rooms
We could not reach a website for The Cabanas, so this list is incomplete by definition. Ask them directly.
What the park charges on top
The rate above buys you a bed. Pilanesberg National Park charges its own entry fee for every day you are inside. Here is what that adds up to.
- Park entryR748 per international adult per day at USD 1 = ZAR 16.36.
- $46per person, per day
- VehicleR168 per car per day, about $10.
- $10per vehicle, per day
Three nights means three days inside, so two adults sharing one vehicle pay $306 in park fees before anyone pays for a bed.
Guests at lodges inside the park usually pay the fee through the lodge; several private-reserve lodges include it in their rate.
The full fee schedule for Pilanesberg National ParkRates at The Cabanas
From $195 per room. Sun International's own site, read 24 Sep 2026: from R3,196 (about $195) per room per night, including Sun City resort access and the Valley of Waves. Park fees are extra: R748 (about $46) per foreign adult and R168 ($10) per South African adult and per car, per day. The source does not state the meal basis or VAT treatment. Rand at R16.36 to the dollar.
What the rate covers is not confirmed. We do not know yet whether meals, drinks and activities are included, so read this as the bed only.
Every figure on this page is in US dollars.
Rates checked against our research of 24 September 2026 and converted at R16.36 to the dollar. Where a lodge publishes its own rate we use it with its date. The per-person figures for Ivory Tree, Shepherd's Tree, Kwa Maritane, Bakubung Bush Lodge, Tshukudu, Tsholo, Umoya, Mbazo and Dzombo are a named agent's or reseller's and say so; the guesthouses, The Kingdom and Tlou come from one Booking.com night (14 to 15 October 2026) or LekkeSlaap's list. The price filter and sort use per-person rates only: campsites, rooms, villas and whole lodges show their rate in the text but carry no sortable figure. The park conservation fee comes on top outside the gate: R748 per foreign adult, R168 per South African adult and R168 per car, per day since 1 December 2025, card only, and a new tariff could start on 1 December 2026.
Questions about The Cabanas
How far is The Cabanas from Pilanesberg?
Sun City borders the park on the south. Kwa-Maritane gate is about 7 km from the resort and Bakubung gate a short drive west, about 5 to 10 minutes by car.
Does a Sun City hotel rate include the park?
No. The rate covers the room, resort access and the Valley of Waves. The park conservation fee is paid at the gate by card: R748 per foreign adult and R168 per car a day.
Can you do a game drive from Sun City?
Yes. Mankwe Gametrackers runs scheduled drives with pick-up at the Sun City Welcome Centre: R807 a person for 3 hours, park fee extra, at rates valid 1 December 2025 to 30 November 2026.