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Write a User ReviewUndiscovered Greater Kruger Gem
This little-known, provincially managed game reserve is sandwiched between Kruger National Park, Sabi Sands and Timbavati private reserves. The wildlife viewing is as good as its more famous neighbours – although as there are fewer visitors, the game is perhaps a little less habituated. With a little luck, visitors have a chance of seeing lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo, as well as wild dog and cheetah. The reserve is unfenced and so game is free to come and go from the surrounding reserves.
There are a choice of private lodges ranging from the sublime Tintswalo to the charming, off-grid, rustic Pungwe. I loved Pungwe for its simple, back-to-nature feel, with elephants munching outside my tent at night.
During apartheid, Manyeleti was the only reserve accessible to Black people – and since then it has somehow stayed in the tourism shadow. It is an undiscovered gem, poised for great things.
Dependable Lion Sightings & a Rhino Programme
The predator-filled Kruger National Park is another unfenced neighbour of Manyeleti, leading to a steady stream of thrilling sightings. Leopards in trees, lions chewing on a zebra carcass, hyenas fighting jackals over carrion, quietly grazing white rhinos, curious giraffes and playful elephants are all possible. Manyeleti also has a rhino conservation programme, encompassing dehorning, educating local communities and even battling poachers with drones and a Bat Hawk light aircraft.
I stayed at Tintswalo Safari Lodge, which is well recommended for a classic experience of