A dream come true; the place I left my heart.
My fiance and I stayed at one of the luxury lodges in Sabi Sands Game Reserve and it was way more than we could've ever expected. I've been a life long animal lover, watching National Geographic and all sorts of wildlife shows and documentries since I've been at least 4 or 5 years old. South Africa has always been a dream of mine; specifically to see elephants, lions, leopards, cheetahs, african wild dogs and hyenia. We were lucky enough to see all of those, along with hundreds of other mammals, birds, reptiles and insects. Coming from New Jersey (northeast United States), the weather was perfect - during the time we stayed the temperature ranged from 60-80 degrees; even though it did rain one day, I still enjoyed every minute in the busch. Our accomidations were absolutely amazing - in fact, our lodge over looked a waterhole where hippos and crocs hung out all day and night - in fact, you could hear the hippos grunting all night. Our ranger Stefen, and tracker, Rodney quickly became like family to us - in fact, it was a teary goodbye for me at the end of our trip. It was as if we had known them for our entire lives. The highlight of our trip was the siting of about 50 elephants who surrounded our safari vehicle, including babies, young elephants, young adults and older females. Two of the females even approached our vehicle to check us out - the one was about a 3 feet away and looking straight into my eyes. Also, one of the local prices of lions (Tsalala Breakaways) were 4 lionesses about 3-4 years old who recently broke away from their mother's price (Tsalala's); we saw these beautiful girls almost everyday. The day we left was bitterswweet - I could finally say that my dream came true but it was heartbreaking to leave such a paradise. I may live in NJ, but I left my heart in Sabi Sands. Until we meet again :)
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The African bush and wildlife like nature intended.
We spent three nights within the Sabi Sand Game Reserve. Our first taste of the real African bush. It was, without doubt, the highlight of our 2 week South African holiday. We opted for the drive from Nelspruit Airport to the lodge we were staying at. This was a great opportunity to see a bit more of the real South Africa. Our main purpose of the trip was to experience Africa's wildlife in their natural habitat. Well Sabi Sand Game Reserve didn't disappoint. During our stay we saw the Big 5 numerous times as well many other animals, including the elusive wild dog. My personal favourite - the elephant: from individuals to babies to breeding herds these were in abundance. The early morning wake up calls were never a problem as we were already up and ready to see what the day had in store for us - never knowing what you might encounter on a game drive. Our guide and tracker at the lodge were fantastic - extremely knowledgeable and you can tell they love what they do. Our lodge's facilities were beautiful and comfortable, and the food plentiful. Not a day goes by when I don't think about our time in the African bush.. always dreaming of the day we return.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Once in a lifetime wildlife experience
In June, 2012, my Dad and I visited Notten's Bush Camp in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve. We had an incredible time on our bush drives. Notten's provided two drivers per day, one in the early morning and one in the early evening, so as to allow for prime sunrise and sunset viewing. During our time there we saw everything we could have ever hoped for, and so much that we never even expected. Wild dogs taking down an impala, lions with a cape buffalo kill, a leopard with her cubs supping on an impala (one of the cubs came right up to our jeep too!), elephants, warthogs, giraffes, zebra, rhinos, wildebeests, and some beautiful birds, including a very tiny owl, among many other animals. We also went on several bush walks and two jogs out in the bush (with a guide of course). The guides and trackers at our lodge were knowledgeable and extremely skilled, and Notten's was extremely luxurious (but not overly so—the little lodges/cabins have no electric lights, so it's a bit rustic, in the best possible way). Incredible food too. My Dad was able to sample a wide variety of traditional South African food, which he loved, and they also had delicious, fresh vegetarian and vegan options for me. Everything about the trip was perfect. I would love to get to go back someday. I felt utterly transformed by the experience of being in the presence of so many incredible wild animals.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about South Africa by Lauren
South Africa is a wonderful location for going on safari. The wildlife is incredible, and there are a huge number of endemic plants and animals in the country. The climate is also quite nice.
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Book your safari at Matoke
Matoke Tours does deliver what they promise. Their personal attention towards customers is very good.
The respond quick on your questions and during the safari everything was arranged according to the schedule. Also good in price! Ask for Nicole at Matoke, she did a great job.
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Big 5 in two game drives!
Sabi Sands is a great private park to spend your dollars. The rangers are really good en you can go off road and see all the animals up close! We stayed here for three nights and did 6 game drives. The first 2 game drives we saw the big five! We stayed at Cheetah Plains for 2 nights and 1 night at Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge.
It is a shame it's nog easy to go from one lodge to another through Sabi Sands. We had to go out via de Gowrie Gate, drive south en go back in via Shaws Gate. That took us 4 hours! Tip: Book your safari experience at one lodge!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
One of the best places to view wildlife in KwaZulu-Natal
One of my favourite parks in South Africa, Hluhluwe-Imfolozi has so much to offer visitors. It’s excellent Big Five territory, and the landscape, which varies from gentle woodland savannah to rugged flood plains, is beautifully wild.
Years ago, Hluhluwe and Imfolozi were two separate parks. Imfolozi became known as being ground zero for Operation Rhino, Dr Ian Player’s very successful initiative to bring the white rhino back from the brink of extinction. Today still, the park is a very good place to see white rhinos. Also in the Imfolozi section of the park are the famous wilderness trails, where you go out on multi-day walks through areas accessible only on foot. These walks are not for the faint-hearted, but should be on the top of every serious nature-lover’s bucket list.
Hilltop Camp, in the Hluhluwe section, is the park’s flagship camp. It feels something like a resort, with a busy restaurant (with incredible views out and down over the park) and shops, and there is a variety of accommodation available here. Throughout the park, there is a variety of accommodation that suitable to different size groups: rondavels, cottages and what once were warden’s houses.
The last time I was at Hluhluwe-Imfolozi I came across five collared wild dogs that had recently been released. They’d just killed an impala, and the twilight battle between the dogs and three hungry hyenas will always stick in my mind as a true indication of survival in the wild.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
The park to visit for once-in-a-lifetime game-viewing experiences
If you want to visit a park where you’re virtually guaranteed of seeing the Big Five, as well as incredible sightings of other animals, MalaMala is the one to choose.
Luxury is central to your time at MalaMala, and so when you’re not enjoying the facilities at the exquisite lodge, you’re required to sit back, relax and let someone else take care of the driving. Guests are taken on game drives in open game-viewing vehicles, and are accompanied by a ranger and a tracker. The rangers are in constant radio contact with each other, and calls are sent out when “special” animals are sighted.
Because MalaMala is a privately owned area, you’re allowed to be out in the park after dark, and the usual drive-only-on-the-road rule doesn’t apply. Once you get over the shock of your first true bundu-bashing experience, you’ll realise that being able to look for and track animals off-road drastically increases the quality of your game viewing. Over the course of a few days, I found myself literally in the middle of a herd of 300 buffaloes; hot on the heels of two lionesses as they chased and then killed an impala; and spent almost an hour sitting under a tree while a leopard ate her kill.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
A safari experience that's accessible to all types of travelers
The beauty of South Africa’s flagship park is that it’s accessible to almost anyone – whether you’re travelling alone, in a large group, a 4x4 or in a small sedan. The extensive road network is very well maintained.
It’s a park that has so much to offer – from walking trails in very remote wilderness areas to mountain biking trails, 4x4 trails, camp sites, luxury accommodation and regular cottages. Of course, this park boasts the Big Five, but you really will experience so much more of the bush if you take time to go on a guided walk (ask at your camp’s office about guided walks and night drives) and stop to notice the small things: the insects, grasses and bird calls.
The park is one of the most popular tourist destinations in South Africa, and it can get particularly busy during the South African school holidays. That said, it’s usually the roads close to the camps that are busy, and the further afield you drive – and the further north you travel – the quieter the roads become.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Where the "wild west" takes on new meaning
The smaller and quieter of the two Tsavo parks, Tsavo West fits that old cliché: it really is an undiscovered gem. “Undiscovered” because, although together with Tsavo East it forms part of Kenya’s biggest park, Tsavo West seems to enjoy far fewer visitors than its larger cousin, and a drive through the park, particularly the further west you go, will have you believing you’re the only people for hundreds and hundreds of kilometres.
If you head to the far south-eastern border of the park, where Kenya meets Tanzania, you’ll find yourself in a very remote area on the shore of Lake Jipe. There is an abundance of wildlife in this area, and we saw huge herds of waterbuck, eland, gemsbok, elephants, and troops of baboons.
There is a camp site and bandas on the shore of the lake. We camped alongside a large herd of waterbuck; had hippo grazing past our tent in the evening, and woke in the morning to views of Kilimanjaro. A short drive along the lake, where we breakfasted on top of our Land Cruiser, we spent more than an hour watching a herd of elephants moving over to an island in the lake.
Within an hour, this park had become one of my favourites in all of Africa.