​Overview – Sabi Sabi GR

Philip Briggs
Expert
By Philip Briggs

Philip lives in South Africa and has authored many guidebooks to African destinations, including ‘The Rough Guide to Game Parks of South Africa’.

Philip lives in South Africa and has authored many Africa guidebooks, including ‘The Rough Guide to Game Parks of South Africa’.

Philip is the author of many Africa guidebooks, including ‘The Rough Guide to Game Parks of South Africa’.

Philip is author of ‘The Rough Guide to Game Parks of South Africa’.

An authentic wildlife experience is assured at Sabi Sabi, one of the private luxury reserves located within the greater Sabi Sand Game Reserve. Sabi Sand shares fenceless borders with the world-famous Kruger Park. Wildlife viewing tends to be superb, and the main focus is on the Big Five. The big cats are plentiful. Even the secretive leopard is easily found.

Sabi Sabi was one of the first lodges in Sabi Sands and offers exclusive wildlife viewing while guests enjoy 5-star accommodation as well as excellent food and service. It has four very different lodges to choose from with themes ranging from traditional to colonial and contemporary to avant-garde. Sabi Sabi owns a reasonable chunk of the Sabi Sands area and only offers traversing rights to one small property, which makes it less crowded at wildlife sightings.

 
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Best Time To Go May to September (Dry season)
High Season October to March (It can get a bit busy)
Size Sabi Sands* 650km² / 251mi²
Altitude Sabi Sands* 272-479m / 892-1,572ft
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Pros & Cons

  • Wildlife viewing is fantastic
  • Off-road driving allows close encounters with wildlife
  • Experienced guides offer a variety of wildlife-viewing activities
  • Four luxury safari lodges with different styles
  • Situated in a less crowded part of Sabi Sands
  • Expensive, fully-inclusive safari packages are the only option
  • Emphasis on finding flagship species only

Sabi Sabi GR Safari Reviews

  • Wildlife
  • Scenery
  • Bush Vibe
  • Birding
  • Wildlife
  • Scenery
  • Bush Vibe
  • Birding

Wildlife

Easy sightings of the Big Five make wildlife viewing superb. While you’ll almost certainly see some lions resting during the day, you might be lucky to find them hunting on a night drive. Other nocturnal animals you could encounter are porcupine, civet and maybe even a notoriously fierce honey badger. Burchell’s zebra and blue wildebeest are often seen grazing together while greater kudu tends to stick to thicker vegetation.

Scenery

Sabi Sabi's landscape is mostly woodland savannah. The foliage can be dense, but this rarely presents a problem when viewing wildlife due to the expert tracking skills of guides and the possibility to drive off-road.

See Sabi Sand Game Reserve for more information

Sabi Sabi is part of the greater Sabi Sand Game Reserve. See the links below for more info about Sabi Sands.

Want To Visit Sabi Sabi GR?

Sabi Sabi Safaris

Sabi Sabi GR Safari Reviews

  • Wildlife
  • Scenery
  • Bush Vibe
  • Birding
  • Wildlife
  • Scenery
  • Bush Vibe
  • Birding
Most Helpful Expert Review
Expert
Emma Gregg  –  
United Kingdom UK

Emma is an award-winning travel writer for Rough Guides, National Geographic Traveller, Travel Africa magazine and The Independent.

Impeccable responsible tourism credentials, breathtaking design
5/5

Sabi Sabi, in the far southwest of the Sabi Sand Reserve, is classic Big Five safari territory – with excellent trackers and guides and acres of gorgeous, well-watered woodland and bush to explore, memorable sightings are guaranteed. But...

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Latest User Review
Mrs Elizabeth Hirst  –  
United Kingdom UK
Reviewed: Apr 15, 2025
5/5

Our safari experience in Sabi Sands was magical. We were at Umkumbe Bush Lodge and it was stunning. The game drives were brilliant and we saw so many beautiful animals. We were really well looked after. Our superior tent was just gorgeous...

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