Overview

Sabi Sand Private Game Reserve is located along the western edge of the world-famous Kruger National Parkcovering around 160,620 acres of land. It shares an unfenced border with the national park offering safari enthusiasts the best wildlife viewing experience in the country. The area is divided into exclusive individual game reserves with luxurious accommodations that offer visitors great service, excellent food, and the ultimate Big Five experience. 

This is the most famous private game reserve of all and offers visitors one of the best safari experiences in the world. The game-viewing possibilities here are unparalleled and include sightings of the famed South Africa Big 5. If you add to this the opportunity to stay at fantastic luxury lodges with upscale amenities, and excellent dining then you have yourself an African dream safari vacation. The park is possibly the best place in Africa to see the elusive leopard, with both superb quality and quantity of sightings.  

Things to see and do

Sabi Sands offers exceptional safari experiences for visitors who get the option to choose from game drives, guided bush walks, walking safaris, and boat cruises. Either way, wildlife seekers get to experience the magic of the African wilderness in comfort and style. 

See the elusive leopard!!! Sabi Sands is prolific for its amazing leopard sightings which are the most elusive of the Big 5 and are frequently spotted on game drives in this private reserve. 

Sabi Sands offers so many opportunities for game viewing and is home to a great number of different species including 300 bird species which makes it a great place and popular for bird enthusiasts who can spot species such as widow finches, buntings, cisticolas, mannikins, sydahs, and eremomelas.  

There are over 150 mammal species that include the Big 5; elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo, and rhino. Visitors can spot these animals on a bush walk with an armed ranger. Walking through the bush gives an entirely different perspective than that of a vehicle where guests can learn to read the signs of the wild and get the possibility to come in close contact with the different species throughout the reserve.

Take an exciting game drive and go deeper and farther into the bush on a 4x4 safari vehicle. This ride allows you to get some once-in-a-lifetime encounters with the wildlife throughout the reserve with a chance to see rhinos, reedbuck, cheetah, eland, sable antelope, nyala, wild dogs, and hyenas. You are also very likely to spot a leopard in Sabi Sands, and it is pretty common to spot all of teh Big 5 in one day. The excitement and chance to be at one with nature in the private reserve is indescribable.

Take a night safari with a guide and use spotlights to carefully track the wildlife that comes out at night. There are many nocturnal animals in the reserve that come out of their sleeping spots at night to hunt for food. 

Go horseback riding along the sandy beaches, through the lush vineyard, or over majestic mountains in the area for a unique experience. Riders can soak in the diverse wildlife and picturesque South African scenery and treasures. Breathe in the fresh air and take in the stunning sights. 

Go on an exhilarating helicopter ride over the verdant vegetation and colorful landscapes below including the Blyde River Canyon in Mpumalanga. This thrilling ride swoops over cascading waterfalls, the Three Rondawels, the Blydepoort Dam, God’s Window, Wonder View, and Panorama Falls allowing passengers to take some spectacular photographs, the flight continues along the escarpment that offers some breathtaking panoramic views. This is an opportunity for visitors to view some of South Africa’s most well-known geographical landmarks.

Dining

There are some very unique dining opportunities to participate in when staying in Sabi Sands. After a busy day of game viewing diners can enjoy sumptuous dinner experiences under the stars in a variety of different settings. Visitors can choose from a number of unique, exciting, and romantic settings for dinner in Sabi Sands.

Outdoor Boma dining is one of the popular options with beautiful dining tables set up encircling a fire under the wooden arc structure of the boma with a ceiling of stars above. Diners can then enjoy buffet-style or plated meals which include delicious game meat in traditional and fusion-style dishes. There is usually singing and dancing performed by the lodge staff showcasing their vibrant and energetic culture.

Dinner enjoyed under the African sky and stars is what a bush dinner is all about. This is no ordinary experience, but one that is highly recommended when visiting Sabi Sands. Diners will be blown away by the array of delicious meals served outside under gently lit trees, surrounded by the African bush, with a collection of nighttime sounds and the sparkling Milky Way above.

Nightlife

As the sun goes down, the African bush is blanketed in colors and sounds. When the evening dawns the nocturnal animals come out from their sleeping spots and there are new adventures to be had on safari in the bush. An evening game drive presents visitors with a whole new world of African wildlife. Heading out for the evening on the back of a game drive vehicle wrapped up against the chilly night temperatures and watching the night sky change from blue to lilac to orange and red as the evening begins to fall. Your knowledgeable guide invites you to disembark and enjoy a sundowner and take in the surroundings as you witness a spectacular sunset on the horizon. The guide then hands out some spotlights and teaches you how to slowly scan the trees and shrubs for the shiny white reflections of the animal's eyes. Some examples of animals that can be spotted on a night safari include African Bush Babies, Porcupines, Hippos, Aardvark, Honey Badgers, Caracal, and different birds such as Owls and Nightjars.