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Write a User ReviewSouth Africa’s top private reserve
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near-perennial (flowing year-round) Sand River. This wide forest-fringed watercourse forms a magnet for wildlife, especially in the Dry season (May–October). Overall, the wildlife here is truly superb. All the Big Five are typically recorded on more than 350 days of the year, with an incredible average of four separate leopard sightings per day. I love the relatively unpretentious lodges, and I have always been impressive by the high standard of guiding. MalaMala isn’t cheap, but those with a genuine passion for wildlife and a suitable budget are unlikely to regret the expenditure.
Simplicity in MalaMala
MalaMala is my favorite private reserve in South Africa. Wedged between Sabi Sands and Kruger National Park, and with more than 20km of river frontage, MalaMala’s wildlife viewing is phenomenal. There are several factors that make me favor MalaMala above the cluster of nearby Sabi Sand reserves. At 130km2 it is relatively large, and more importantly, MalaMala doesn’t offer traversing rights to other reserves. This makes for a more exclusive experience. It also means that there is less pressure to make way for other vehicles at sightings – the time you are allowed to stay at good sightings is often limited to 10 to 15 minutes in other private reserves. Furthermore, game drive vehicles are never filled to capacity, and the guiding is always superb.
There is a high focus on spotting the Big Five and you would be very unlucky not to see all of them in a two-day stay. The leopard sightings are unparalleled in MalaMala, and I’ve taken some of my best pictures here of this notoriously shy cat.
Easily one of Africa’s best Big Five safari destinations
At 135 square kilometres, this is by far the largest private concession in the Sabi Sands Reserve, but visitor numbers are strictly limited – MalaMala’s vehicles have exclusive access. The Sand River, which slices through the western edge of the reserve, flows all year round; the unspoilt expanses east suppport a terrific variety of species. It’s a formula which draws well-off wildlife lovers from all over the world, including celebrities, photographers and film-makers. Together, they have made the place world famous, and
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in my opinion it really does live up to the hype.There are three places to stay, all in superb riverside locations. MalaMala Main Camp is really a lodge rather than a camp, and might feel too much like a hotel for some, but is relatively affordable; Sable Camp (again, a lodge) is a mini variation on the same theme, and Rattray’s, named after owner Michael Rattray, has the feel of an elegant homestead.
MalaMala: The Legend of Leopards
Imagine Kruger without the crowds, with some of the best guides on the continent and almost guaranteed sightings of lions and leopards. MalaMala and the contiguous Sabi Sand reserves are rightly famed for their leopard sightings – the 2001 National Geographic documentary Stalking Leopards was filmed here – not least because the riverine woodland that snakes through the reserve is perfect leopard habitat. The guides here know their leopards, with which they are generally on first-name terms, and the lion prides, too, are well-known and routinely found. MalaMala’s fame means that its accommodation is both pricey and often booked out well in advance. But once here, the reward is one of Africa’s better wildlife-watching experiences.
Among the best safari offerings in Africa
Firstly, leopard sightings are pretty much assured. They, like most animals in the reserve, are super chilled around safari vehicles and will go about their daily routines as if you weren’t right there watching them. You’ll get to see them sleeping, dozing, resting, and lying around as if they had nothing better to do. They are cats after all. But with patience and a little bit of luck, you’ll also see them hunting, shagging, fighting with hyenas, and hauling dead things up into trees.
Expect also to encounter plenty of elephants, lions, monkeys, buffalo, rhinos,
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and other African creatures of all shapes and sizes. On my last visit, I spent hours photographing an inquisitive clan of dwarf mongooses as they popped their heads in and out of a termite mound like whack-a-moles. MalaMala’s guides are superb, informative, attentive, and entertaining, whilst the game drives are managed in such a way that you’ll likely never see another vehicle; even at predator sightings. On top of that, the lodge itself is comfortable and unpretentious, the food is fantastic, and the level of service is excellent. This is, without doubt, one of the best-managed private safari offerings in all of Africa.Leopard Central!
Boasting more frontage on the Sand River than any other property in the Sabi Sands area, these 133km² are widely considered to be the best leopard habitat on our planet. Since the rest of the Big Five are almost guaranteed in this area too (ace tracker-guide Michael Botes was able to show me them all on our first game drive), it’s not really surprising that MalaMala has been considered a benchmark in the safari industry since the 1960s. Emphasis at MalaMala is clearly on ticking off the Big Five, but this area also offers wonderful sightings of painted dogs and most of the iconic species you’d expect from the Greater Kruger. Travelling in summer brings
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the added allure of fantastic migrant bird species.The layout of the camp can feel a little ‘tame’ with the mowed lawn out front (to protect guests from creeping cats), but once you get into the bush there’s no doubt that MalaMala surpasses all expectations.