Sabi Sand Private Game Reserve

Diverse and abundant wildlife with guides and trackers who go above and beyond.

I stayed at the Idube Lodge and the staff was very friendly especially the ladies in the kitchen. The local staff was very quick to offer up smiles and say hello and even lend a hand with greetings in local languages.....more than one! The game drives and access to the Sabi Sand were the shining star in my experience here. (I managed to poison myself by spraying the "Sleep Ease" bugspray in my room with the doors closed....not advised!). However, I got very,very lucky where I had a vehicle all to myself on one drive........Also quite unique was my guide, Promise, a local, whom I was told by a driver is a Prince in his tribe.....can't get much luckier than that! This was an unforgettable experience!

We saw just about everything that could be seen by daylight: lions and leopards (almost daily), Africa wild dogs, spotted hyenas and their young, elephant herds, giraffes, rhinos, Cape buffalo, tortoises, hippos, giant land snails, dung beetles, baboons, vervet monkeys, half a dozen kinds of antelope, and birds galore. Only one crocodile because the river was dry. No cheetahs, which are less common there and difficult to spot because of the tree density.

Our &Beyond guides from Kirkman's Kamp were incredibly knowledgeable. They knew the mammals, birds, insects, plants. When they found out we were more interested in insects, plants and soil/geology than the average safari-goer, they made sure to point out more of these features and give us opportunities to discover.

It rained one of six game drives. The safari vehicles are open, so raincoats and ponchos were a must. Some people in our group opted not to go out, but we went and didn't regret it. The rains brought African wild dogs, and the rain was not cold so it wasn't too uncomfortable.

The other days were hot and dry (we went in March, late summer, in a drought year). That meant few mosquitos. We forgot about the heat when we were watching animals, and when the vehicles were moving we had a breeze.

In the private reserves, it's permitted to be out on game drives after dark. We did not do any specifically night drives, but drove back at dusk/nightfall on our afternoon safaris. We saw nightjars, the Southern constellations and a few other things.

Staying in a private reserve afforded us the opportunity to go off-road in appropriate conditions and meant few encounters with other safari vehicles. Because of this, we got closer/better viewing of lions, leopards, elephants and rhinos than we might have otherwise.

Fantastic

The best experience ever. We were lucky enough to see a lot and found our rangers and tracker very competent

Raveged by drought

I booked a Sabi Camp for my photography tour I was leading, as I had heard Sabi Sands was the best place in the Kruger area. I bet it is when not ravaged by drought. There was very little to eat for the grazing animals so many had left, the predators were doing well off animals dying from drought. Our camp was only permitted in a small portion of Sabi Sands and I'm guessing there were better areas in the reserve. Although we had some great sightings my photo tour guests and I, chose to spend extra time in Kruger where the Sabi River was still flowing. I will return to Sabi Sands and hopefully next time it will live up to it's great reputation.

A beautiful reserve with an amazing wildlife

We really enjoyed our safari at Sabi Sands. First of all, in only two days, we managed to see the Big Five, plus a variety of other animals (antelopes, giraffes, hyenas, zebras, hippopotamus). The weather was nice, dry, a bit cold in the morning and night as it is supposed to be at this period of the year (winter). We stayed at Umkumbe Lodge, a human sized, owner run lodge, which really makes you feel at ease. Guides and staff were helpful and friendly, dinners around the camp fire were excellent and the sundowners in the middle of nowhere are a must. The situation along the Sand river allows you to watch the wildlife coming to the river just from your room.

Same as above , same area. Same facilities

You could drive right up to the animals and we saw a lot of them!!

Very beautiful. Nice that it was allowed to drive off road. It made the game drive more authentic.

We saw so many animals, it was amazing.

Leopards, leopards, leopards!