The Vegas of Africa – Sun City

Photo from Flickr by crafty1tutu (Ann) (recovering from hand surgery)

Don’t let anyone ever tell you there’s only one Vegas because South Africa’s Sun City goes a long way to prove them wrong. Even the location of this glitz and glamour city is unique; just a short drive from Johannesburg and found in the heart of an ancient volcano, the resort is awash with fancy casinos, million pound golf courses and there is also room for over 2000 guests in four world-class hotels. Of these hotels it is the Palace of the Lost City that stands out as a beacon of opulence.

Throwing guests into the allure of an ancient civilisation, this hotel is like no other; featuring grottos, ancient carvings, the ‘Shrine of the Sacred Monkey’ and old temple ruins that create the deft illusion of some idyllic ancient civilisation rediscovered. The Palace of the Lost City is undoubtedly one of the architectural wonders of Africa and should be on anyone’s bucket list should they win the lottery.

But this amazing hotel still has more to offer you in the form of the Valley of the Waves. The Lost city presents a gigantic man-made pool, man-made beach, water slides, palm trees and a machine that generates real waves. All hundreds of kilometres from the nearest ocean!

There is also a vast amount of adult entertainment in the form of floor shows, slot machines, gaming tables. That aside, if you’re a golf fanatic you might just think you’re in heaven. If you wish to tee off in style then book a golf holiday with Mahlatini and visit the 2 Million Dollar Nedbank Golf Challenge at the Gary Player Golf Course.

Sun City really does have it all, even easy access to the Pilanesberg Game Reserve. The reserve holds over 7000 game and 350 species of bird to keep any twitchers happy. Pilanesberg, only two hours from Johannesburg, is also home to the ‘Big Five’ and the impressive Pilanesberg mountains.

During what was known as Operation Genesis new life was brought to the park with nearly 6000 animals of 19 different species introduced to Pilanesberg as their new home. Fantastic for game viewing, the park also features a wide selection of lodges, which might not compare to the Palace of the Lost City, but are still beautiful places to stay.

Aaron Bradford has written 106 articles. Aaron is the leader, mentor and chief geek of the Happytime team. He put together this crack team of travel writers known by codename “The Firm“. Twitter: @b4ubackpack | Google profile | More articles by Aaron