Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve

The beauty of seeing animals in natural settings and at such close ranges.

Sabi Sabi has PLENTY of space and like Mala Mala it is unfenced, but because the preserve has less space than Mala Mala, there's only so far the guides can take their guests without encroaching upon someone else's property. Don't worry though. There is NO QUESTION that you will come into very close proximity of all manner of African wildlife, from weaver birds to elephants and from dwarf mongooses to hippopotami . I LOVED my three night stay at Sabi Sabi and I'd recommend the place highly to anyone.

A feeling of being pampered.

Sabi Sabi is first class in every way. We were greeted at the private airstrip with resfeshments and taken by bush vehicle to our luxurious "hut". Safari drives are held twice per day and we saw every one of the big 5. The staff was wonderful, the food delicious and our guide was very professional. A particular highlight was the evening "sundowner" drinks in the bush.

The leopard sightings in Sabi Sands are among the most consistent.

Some of the best food I had in Africa. Guides were a lot of fun and joined us for dinner which was a nice touch. Saw the big five.

An incredible two day experience

We visited Sabi Sabi in mid March 2015. Our ranger picked us up at the airport and before we reached the lodge we had memorable animal encounters with elephants, giraffes, impala's, and nyala's. Our ranger (Eve) and tracker (Donald) were assigned to us for our full stay which provided for good continuity. They were both great. As it turned out, we had the vehicle to ourselves which made it like a private tour. Ranger Eve asked what we liked to look for and adjusted to meet our interests that included looking for birds. We saw all the big 5 and had special (at least to me) encounters with cheetahs, wild dogs, and leopards. We took a nature hike with the ranger and saw two leopards on foot. We saw a large number of birds in the bush. The weather had been quite dry, so we did not see many wading birds. The accommodations were first class. Very spacious, private, and clean. The food was served buffet style but there was a wide variety and of very good quality. The included house wines were also quite good. The cakes available at the afternoon high tea were exceptionally good. They are worth eating even if you are not hungry. It was a nice touch to have our ranger join us for dinner both nights. This allowed us to learn a lot more about Sabi and SA and added to our overall experience. Yes, it is expensive but I would say it is still a good value based on the personal service we received. You are going to remember the experience more than you are going to miss the few hundred bucks. By the way, on the way back to the airport we saw lions.

A few days in paradise - or at least as close as you can get.

I've visited the Sabi Sands Game Reserve three times yet (different lodges every time) and, compared to the other Game Reserves I know, it's probably the best. The game viewing is top notch, mostly due to the fact that there are two rivers crossing the reserve. In the Greater Kruger Area it's the best chance you get to meet the African Wild Dog, one of the highlights besides the Big 5. The scenery is great as well, sometimes in this area the bush gets a little thick but that gives you the best experience, nothing can beat a rhino behind the next corner you're not seeing well in advance. The Lodges are among the best I've seen, sometimes it's almost a little bit too much. All the guides I've met were experts and took all the time necessary to explain whatever you ask them (it is important that you ask as they don't push their knowledge at you as they sometimes do in other areas). Food was great as well, but there's one thing I liked a little bit better in other game reserves. Often in South Africa you have your dinner with the people your spending most of the day on game drives with and - most important - your guide, which leads to many interesting conversations. They don't do this at all the Sabi Sands Lodges I've visited which is a bit of a small minus for me, but everything else makes up for this. If you go there and you meet Surprise, Ferdi or Fritz - plese say hi from me!

Absolutely stellar, stunning, incredible location. I never thought that one could become bored by leopards. They are so plentiful that this practically occurred. You go to South Africa for the wildlife. You would be doing yourself a disservice not to visit Sabi Sands.

This reserve offers the quintessential African Safari with sunset and sunrise game drives and lazy midday relaxation sessions in opulent surrounds

Sabi Sands has all the animals of Kruger but is a different experience as it is guide led game drives. Here you will get the luxury safari experience. The Guides know when and how to find the animals so your are likely to have excellent sightings. You will be comfortable and well fed. Here I found the safari experience featured in magazines with huts overlooking rivers, nice food around a fire, etc.