Sabi Sabi’s Expansion Into Sandringham and Cape Town

There are safari brands people book once, photograph endlessly, then move on from. Sabi Sabi tends to work differently.

Guests return years later with favourite suites already in mind. Preferred guides. Particular corners of the lodge where they drink coffee before morning drives. It has built that kind of following over time: loyal, well-travelled, and quietly discerning.

Now, the collection is growing beyond its original footprint in the Greater Kruger with the addition of Sandringham Private Game Reserve and a heritage hotel in Cape Town called The Claremont.

For travellers already considering a Greater Kruger safari, the expansion feels significant. Not because Sabi Sabi is suddenly trying to become bigger, but because the additions sit naturally within the world the brand already understands well.

Good guiding. Strong wilderness areas. Smaller details done properly.

And increasingly, a safari that extends beyond the bush itself.

Sandringham Private Game Reserve Joins the Collection

The arrival of Sandringham Sabi Sabi has been closely watched within the safari industry over the past year, particularly among travellers familiar with the Greater Kruger region.

Located in Limpopo Province, Sandringham Private Game Reserve spans roughly 4,500 hectares and has undergone extensive rehabilitation in recent years. Previously utilised for hunting, the reserve is now being restored as protected wilderness with conservation and regenerative tourism at the centre of its long-term vision.

Its opening is currently scheduled for 1 August 2026 following delays caused by heavy seasonal rainfall earlier this year.

One of the more important developments is the planned removal of perimeter fencing shortly before launch, linking Sandringham Game Reserve to the wider open safari system shared with neighbouring protected areas.

For guests, this changes the safari experience in noticeable ways.

Wildlife movement becomes less contained. Tracking feels more fluid. Sightings are dictated more by conditions, patience, and good guiding than fixed patterns.

The region already has a strong reputation for leopard viewing across several established territories, while lion sightings remain reliable throughout the surrounding wilderness areas. Birdlife is also particularly strong, especially around riverine sections and open woodland.

Sabi Sabi is placing considerable emphasis on guiding at Sandringham, including the development of a dedicated tracking academy. According to current planning, guests moving between lodges may also remain with the same guide-and-tracker team across multiple stays.

By the third drive, conversations settle naturally. Guides begin noticing what holds your attention and what doesn’t.

Some guests want photography positioning and long lens angles. Others are happiest following tracks through dry riverbeds or sitting quietly at a sighting without another vehicle nearby.

The best guides read that instinctively.

Walking safaris will also form part of the experience at Sabi Sabi Sandringham, giving guests time on foot after morning drives. It slows your attention toward details that disappear from a vehicle: fresh tracks pressed into sand, the scent of wild sage after rain, and hornbills carrying through the trees before sunrise.

Two New Lodges at Sandringham

The expansion includes two new camps within the Sandringham Private Game Reserve, both expected to open during 2026.

While full design details remain limited for now, the positioning of each property is already becoming clearer.

One lodge will operate as an adults-only retreat aimed at couples and honeymooners wanting a more secluded atmosphere. The second is expected to cater more comfortably to families and small private groups with flexible accommodation configurations.

That distinction feels sensible.

People travel differently now. Some want long lunches and slower afternoons between drives. Others want family dinners after evening safaris and enough space for three generations to travel together comfortably.

The new Sandringham safari experience appears to lean toward a more relaxed interpretation of luxury rather than excessive formality. Current discussions suggest an all-inclusive structure with additional layers built into the safari experience itself, including storytelling elements inspired by live wildlife broadcasting.

Access remains primarily air-based, with short flights linking Sandringham to the wider Sabi Sabi portfolio and other safari regions across South Africa. Road transfers are still possible though, including full-day drives through Kruger National Park for guests wanting more time in the bush between properties.

Current rates are also fixed through February 2028, offering unusual stability at a time when luxury safari pricing across Africa continues climbing steadily.

The Existing Lodges Still Define Sabi Sabi

For all the attention surrounding Sandringham, the original lodges remain the foundation of the Sabi Sabi collection.

And importantly, each one still feels distinct.

Bush Lodge remains the most versatile of the group. Families, first-time safari guests, and returning travellers all settle comfortably there. The atmosphere feels social without becoming busy, with generous shared spaces balanced by quieter corners overlooking the bush.

Little Bush Camp offers something more contained. Positioned beside a seasonal riverbed, it’s often chosen by couples or smaller groups wanting additional privacy while remaining connected to the wider reserve.

Selati Camp continues to attract guests drawn toward a more nostalgic safari aesthetic. Vintage railway influences run throughout the lodge; lantern-lit pathways, polished wood interiors, brass detailing, and dining spaces that feel intimate rather than theatrical.

Then there’s Earth Lodge.

Even after years of international attention, it still feels unusually restrained for a property of its calibre. Built directly into the landscape, much of the lodge recedes quietly into the earth itself. Corridors remain cool and shadowed during the heat of the day. Suites open subtly onto the bush without dramatic interruption.

At night, the lodge almost disappears into the surrounding wilderness.

That sense of discretion is part of what Sabi Sabi has always understood particularly well. Luxury rarely needs to announce itself loudly.

The Claremont Brings Sabi Sabi into Cape Town

The second part of the expansion takes the collection well beyond safari territory. In Cape Town, the former Andros Boutique Hotel has officially reopened as The Claremont under the Sabi Sabi collection. And it has opened to grand acclaim, being named one of the hottest hotel openings in 2026 by The Times UK.

Located near Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden and the Constantia Winelands, the hotel offers a very different side of Cape Town compared with the Atlantic Seaboard properties many international visitors gravitate toward first.

Claremont has always appealed to a slightly more understated traveller.

Old trees. Residential streets. Historic homes hidden behind walls of greenery. Wine estates ten minutes away. A slower atmosphere overall.

The property itself carries notable architectural significance. Originally designed by Magdalena Sauer, recognised as the first female architect commissioned for a building of this nature in South Africa, the hotel retains much of its original heritage character.

Sabi Sabi’s refurbishment has preserved that feeling carefully rather than over-modernising the space. Cape Dutch influences, antiques, and residential-style interiors now sit alongside quieter contemporary updates.

The Claremont includes the following:

• Four Classic Rooms
• Ten Deluxe Rooms
• The private Sauer Villa

Food and wine play a central role throughout the property. Boutique South African wines and vintages from nearby Constantia estates feature heavily alongside locally sourced ingredients showcased through the hotel’s Veld & Vine Bistro.

There’s also an all-day café and high tea service, reinforcing the more relaxed atmosphere the hotel naturally lends itself to.

Not every safari guest wants rooftop cocktails and busy beachfront restaurants after several days in the bush.

Some simply want a beautiful hotel, good wine, and enough space to exhale properly before flying home.

The Claremont understands that instinct well.

A Well-Timed Addition to the Safari Space

Luxury safari travel is becoming less about elaborate opulence and more about guiding quality, vehicle density, conservation credibility, and whether a property genuinely reflects its surroundings.

That is partly why Sandringham Sabi Sabi feels well-timed.

The reserve introduces new wilderness areas into a highly established safari portfolio while remaining closely tied to the conservation principles Sabi Sabi has spent decades building its reputation around.

At the same time, The Claremont creates a more complete South African itinerary under one collection; bush, wine country, heritage hospitality, and Cape Town are all connected through a consistent sense of care and restraint.

For travellers researching a Greater Kruger safari, that continuity carries real appeal. Especially now, when so much luxury travel begins looking interchangeable.

Considering a Sabi Sabi Sandringham Safari?

The opening of Sandringham Private Game Reserve introduces a new wilderness area into one of South Africa’s most established safari portfolios.

Combined with the original Sabi Sabi lodges and the addition of The Claremont in Cape Town, the collection now offers a more rounded way to experience South Africa at a slower, more considered pace.

For some travellers, that may look like several nights between Earth Lodge and Sandringham followed by a stay in Constantia.

For others, it may mean a family safari split across multiple lodges before ending in Cape Town beneath the oaks of the southern suburbs.

Either way, Sabi Sabi’s expansion feels less like a reinvention and more like a natural continuation of a brand that already knows its audience exceptionally well.

If you’re comparing Sandringham safari tent lodge options or researching a Greater Kruger safari, this is one of the more interesting openings to keep an eye on.