Manyeleti Game Reserve

Wildlife & Animals

Expert

By Philip Briggs

Philip is the author of the Bradt and Insight guides to South Africa.

Manyeleti is part of the Greater Kruger ecosystem and offers a very genuine wildlife experience. Wildlife viewing is a bit slower here than in some top private reserves such as neighboring Timbavati. The emphasis is more on looking at all bush creatures instead of just checking off the Big Five. All usual safari animals, including the Big Five, are present.

ElephantOccasional

GiraffeOccasional

HippoOccasional

BuffaloOccasional

ZebraCommon

WildebeestCommon

White RhinoRare

Black RhinoVery Rare

LionOccasional

LeopardOccasional

CheetahOccasional

HyenaOccasional

Wild DogVery Rare

Wildlife Highlights

The reserve offers a good environment for plains game such as Burchell's zebra and blue wildebeest. Big cats can be hard to find, but look out for cheetah in the open areas. Black-backed and side-striped jackal can often be seen trotting along, and unusual antelope such as greater kudu, nyala and the rare sable antelope can also be spotted.

Best Time for Wildlife Viewing

Overall, the dry months of June through September are the best for wildlife viewing. August to September, when the Dry season ends, is a very enjoyable time since it is warmer than in mid-winter and wildlife is easier to spot because animals tend to cluster around predicable water sources.