The Palace of the Lost City
Luxury 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 flagship of Sun International's four Sun City hotels, at the resort that borders Pilanesberg on the south. It is outside the park, about 7 km from Kwa-Maritane gate and a short drive from Bakubung gate. Its published from-rate, R5,217 a room a night with resort entry and the Valley of Waves, is barely above Sun City Hotel's. For the park you self-drive or book Mankwe Gametrackers from the Welcome Centre, including the balloon flight at R6,592 a person with pick-up at Sun City. Choose it for a resort holiday with the park as an excursion; skip it if you want the bush at your door.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Sun City's top hotel for R82 a night more than Sun City Hotel
- Resort and Valley of Waves access included
- Balloon flights pick up at Sun City
- Rate published by the hotel group
Cons
- Outside the park; gate fees every day
- Priced per room; meal basis not stated
- A resort, not a bush lodge
- Mankwe drives from Sun City cost R807 a person, against R612 from the eastern gates
What's here
- Swimming pool
We could not reach a website for The Palace of the Lost City, 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 Palace of the Lost City
From $319 per room. Sun International's own site, read 24 Sep 2026: from R5,217 (about $319) 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. Meal basis and VAT treatment are not stated. 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 Palace of the Lost City
How much does The Palace of the Lost City cost?
From R5,217 a room per night on Sun International's site, read 24 September 2026, including resort access and the Valley of Waves. Park fees are extra.
Is The Palace inside Pilanesberg?
No. Sun City borders the park on the south. Kwa-Maritane gate is about 7 km away; Bakubung gate is a short drive west.
Can you take a balloon flight over Pilanesberg from Sun City?
Yes. Mankwe Gametrackers flies about an hour over the park, about 5 hours in total, with pick-up from Sun City or Bakubung gate: R6,592 a person plus the park fee, minimum age 7.