Lion Sands Reviews – Page 2 – Reviews 11-13 of 13

Jo H. –

US

Visited: February 2011 Reviewed: Aug 14, 2012

Email Jo H. | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari

Lion Sands Game Reserve was an unforgettable experience!

Overall rating

5/5

Wildlife:

Bush Vibe:

Scenery:

Birding:

During February 2011, I stayed at the Lion Sands River Lodge. I had no particular expectations, having never been on a safari trip, but this destination turned out to be one of my absolute all-time favorites! I was amazed from the moment of arrival. The Lodge is beautiful and fits perfectly into the surroundings. The private villas are luxurious yet give you the feeling that you are right out among the animals, which in fact is true, as the Lodge is not fenced in. The staff set the high mark for personal service and spoiling guests. The food was delicious and attentively served by our personal butler, whose desire was to provide us with just what we wanted. In addition to a personal butler, we were also assigned a night guide (for seeing us safely back to our villa after dark), a ranger (for the game drives), and a game tracker. The morning and evening game drives were exciting. Our tracker and ranger knew just where to find the animals and when possible, tried to give us not just a sighting but a fuller experience. We saw the "Big Five" in the first day, plus so many more fascinating animals, right down to the not-so-small Golden Orb spiders. We had the unique experience of following a female leopard for an hour as she walked about, sharpened her claws, stalked prey, and seemed virtually unaffected by our presence. Throughout our stay, the staff did things to surprise and delight us. As an example, on an evening game drive we stopped unexpectedly in the bush to find a gorgeous white-tableclothed bush dinner set up for us under the stars around a bonfire. Another example, our ranger and tracker pulled an impromptu bar from the Land Rover and served us mixed drinks along the riverbank, while we watched the hippos lazily playing in the water as the sun went down. Lion Sands was an unforgettable experience and I can't wait to go back!

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Neal D –

CA

Visited: August 2010 Reviewed: Jul 27, 2012

Exceeded Our Expectations

Overall rating

5/5

Wildlife:

Bush Vibe:

Scenery:

Birding:

My wife and I had always wanted to go on a safari in Africa. We had high expectations as we flew from Capetown to Mpumalanga to begin our adventure. Those expectaions were more than met during our stay at the Lions Sands River Lodge. Just on the drive from the gate to the lodge we got a taste of what was to come as we saw Impala, Bushbuck and a Kudu on the bushveld. Upon arrival we were greeted by the friendly and helpful staff and offered a welcome drink as we waited for our orientation talk. That talk had to be delayed as a herd of Elephants chose that time to pass by on the dry river bed in front of the deck. It was a magnificant sight and my wife was thrilled because elephants were what she had most wanted to see. Needless to say, it only got better from there. On our first game drive we came upon a pride of lions at dusk and were amazed at how close we were able to be to these beautiful creatures. During our stay we saw all of the "Big Five" as well as giraffe, zebra, warthogs, hippos, African wild dogs and many many more. We had nothing but memorable moments during our stay, but in addition to the welcome parade of elephant on the first day, a couple did stand out. We watched two hynea stalked a pack of African wild dogs. Observing the actions of the pack as they moved to protect their young was fascinating. And then there was my close encounter with a lioness. We had come across a pride of lions on one of the roads and stopped to watch as they passed our land rover. I was snapping picture after picture with my telephoto lens and as one lioness' head seemed to fill the viewfinder I took the camera away from my eye to find out that she was right beside the truck. I am sure I could have reached out and touched her. When I later looked at the photo, I saw that the fur on her face was red with blood from the morning kill. It was quite an experience. I would highly recommend the Sabi Sands Game Reserve to anyone who wants a great safari experience. The staff at the Lions Sands River Lodge were attentitive to our every need. The rangers and trackers are experienced and extremely knowledgeable and made sure we saw everything that was possible to see. The accomodations are spacious and comfortable and the food was great. Our time was much too short and we are hopeful we can return one day to this beautiful place.

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Katherine Visited: December 2014 Reviewed: Feb 6, 2015

Our honeymoon safari was life changing!

Overall rating

5/5

Wildlife:

Bush Vibe:

Scenery:

Birding:

All of our expectations of going on a safari were exceeded! The lodge was so luxurious, the service some of the best in the world & to be in the bush with the wildlife forever changed us. Luckily Southern Destinations sent us to an area where there are the most leopards as well as all the other Big 5 wildlife. We had many sightings that we will treasure & took hundreds of photos. The South African rangers are so well educated & can tell you everything from the smallest dung beetle to everything about elephants. They graduate from Wildlife college & are certified guides. The native trackers have grown up on the reserves so they can spot animals or tracks when no one else can. Our food at the lodge was top notch & the chef accommodates any & all special requests along with providing wonderful wines. We felt terribly spoiled our entire stay!

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