In January 2024, my husband, our 20-month-old son, our 19-year-old niece, and I set out on a family adventure to Sun City in South Africa. Nestled near the Pilanesberg National Park, we sought a break from our daily safari explorations and were curious to discover if Sun City could cater to the diverse ages in our group. The result? A mix of delightful moments and unexpected frustrations, all of which I'll share to help you plan your visit. The Valley of the Waves: A Family Oasis: Our primary draw to Sun City was the ”Valley of the Waves.” This water park, though smaller compared to international counterparts, boasts a wave pool, splash area for little ones, lazy river, zip-lining, and water slides ranging from mild to heart-pounding. It was the perfect family-friendly hub and we really enjoyed our time there. Ticket Wisdom: Pre-purchase and Plan Early. One key lesson we learned - buy your tickets online before arriving. The gates don't sell tickets. For a non-peak midweek ticket, we paid 395 Rand per person, and children under three enter free. The ticket included full-day access to the Valley of the Waves, Access to Sun City 80 Rand voucher which you MUST use all at one time (annoying) and ONLY at the food kiosks in the Valley of the Waves + a few of the food stalls in the adjacent food court. ASK BEFORE YOU ORDER. Food Frustrations: Sneak in Snacks for Toddlers A notable frustration for us was the restriction on bringing outside food. With a toddler who needed specific snacks, we wish we'd snuck in toddler-friendly snacks. Next time, we will. It was a bit galling to us that the Valley of the Waves is a family location, but doesn't offer any food stalls where you can buy baby-friendly and toddler-friendly snacks that are not fast food (ie fruit. crackers. yogurt. etc). The food options within the Valley of the Waves, while plentiful, leaned heavily towards fast food, posing a challenge for our picky eater. Tip: Carefully and intelligently hide what you need for your baby so you aren't struggling to feed baby (if you don't like/want to serve fast food to baby). They DO check your bags but not super carefully. I think small containers of fruit or crackers or cheese etc will likely go unnoticed. Maybe split it up among your party's bags. Sorry not sorry. Transportation Trials Buses and Beyond: Upon arrival, we were directed to park at the day visitor parking and wait for a bus to take us to the welcome center. Unfortunately, communication was seriously lacking, and we found ourselves standing with our toddler, unsure of the next steps. It took multiple trips back to the gate (you'll need to drive there from the bus stop) to understand that even though no one as working at the bus stop (it was deserted at 8:30 am) the cameras on the platform were being monitored and ...eventually a bus showed up. Tip: Ask specific questions at the gate: Can you call a bus for us? When will the bus arrive? HOW long should we expect it to take? The staff
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