Sabi Sand Game Reserve safaris, tours & holiday packages
World-class guided game viewing bordering the KrugerCustom Sabi Sand Game Reserve
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A western extension of the wildlife-rich southern Kruger, the cluster of private reserves known collectively as Sabi Sand are renowned for their stylish lodges and peerless game viewing.
Comprising around 20 small but contiguous private reserves, the Sabi Sand area is arguably the most exclusive Big Five game-viewing location in Africa. The area is renowned for the frequency and quality of its leopard sightings, but it is also superb when it comes to close-up encounters with lions, cheetahs, white rhinos, elephants and most other large ungulates common in Kruger.
A feature of the reserves is the superb night drives, which often yield sightings of nocturnal oddities such as bushbabies, genets, civets and (occasionally) the bizarre aardvark. Off-road driving is also permitted, selectively.
Popular Sabi Sand Game Reserve safaris
These popular itineraries can be customised to match your budget and travel dates
Cape Town, Kruger and Vic Falls Deluxe Honeymoon
Combine three of Southern Africa's most loved destinations into one romantic getaway and you'll share the memories forever
$ 5,870
£ 4,455
R 81,490
€ 5,082
per person
11 daysSouth Africa and Botswana safari
Experience the best of two of southern Africa's gems
$ 5,260
£ 3,992
R 73,025
€ 4,554
per person
11 daysLuxury South Africa to Zimbabwe safari
Spot the Big Five in Thornybush Private Game Reserve and enjoy the majesty of Zimbabwe's roaring Victoria Falls
$ 3,709
£ 2,815
R 51,485
€ 3,211
per person
8 daysSouth Africa and Mauritius Island Holiday
South Africa has so much to offer, from spotting the elusive leopard, to exploring Johannesburg's historical sites. Include the tropical island of Mauritius for an even more unforgettable vacation.
$ 5,444
£ 4,132
R 75,577
€ 4,713
per person
12 daysCape Town and Kruger Luxury Safari
Combine Cape Town and the surrounding Cape Winelands with a safari in the Kruger National Park for a relaxing and exhilarating South African safari
$ 6,725
£ 5,103
R 93,350
€ 5,821
per person
11 daysSabi Sand Game Reserve safari
You'll trek Africa's Big Five members in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve
$ 2,479
£ 1,882
R 34,420
€ 2,146
per person
4 daysSabi Sands & Madikwe Combo
Our selection of South Africa's top safari lodges and game reserves are guaranteed to suit every taste and budget. Consider this exciting safari package
$ 5,097
£ 3,868
R 70,750
€ 4,412
per person
7 daysSabi Sand Private Game Reserve and Okavango Delta Safari
Explore the famous reserve that offers exceptional game viewing and sight the elusive Sitatunga antelope
$ 4,052
£ 3,075
R 56,255
€ 3,508
per person
8 days5 Day Greater Kruger & Sabi Sands safari
Enjoy an authentic African safari. Game viewing possibilities are unparalleled and include the Big Five in the Sabi Sands and white lions in the Timbavati Nature Reserve.
$ 3,958
£ 3,004
R 54,950
€ 3,427
per person
5 daysBig Five South African safari
Get the best possible chance to see the Big Five wildlife in the iconic Kruger National Park
$ 3,716
£ 2,820
R 51,590
€ 3,217
per person
7 days
“The wildlife viewing and photographic opportunities in Sabi Sand are difficult to beat, but with one big proviso – that you stay at one of the larger reserves that maintain exclusive traversing rights, in other words, MalaMala (my personal favourite), Londolozi, Singita or Sabi Sabi. Most other lodges share traversing rights with up to half-a-dozen neighbours, making for a contrived and sometimes quite irritating experience.”
More on Sabi Sand Game Reserve holidays
Sabi Sand Game Reserve was created in 1948 as a jointly managed conservation area abutting the south-western Kruger Par. It dropped fences with its larger neighbour in the 1990s, allowing for unrestricted wildlife movement between the reserves. Extending across some 650 square kilometres, it is bounded by the Sabie River to the south and bisected by the south-east-flowing Sand River.
The three largest properties in the original association – MalaMala, Londolozi, Singita – have all gone their own way in terms of game management since the millennium; the other properties still form part of Sabi Sand and the region is still generally referred to by that name. Though the two border each other, Sabi Sand offers a very different experience to Kruger.
Most reserves in the Sabi Sand area offer an all-inclusive package that incorporates guided game drives in an open 4x4, optional guided bush walks, accommodation in lodges that range from attractively upmarket to super-stylish, as well as all meals and, in some cases, drinks. Guiding standards are exceptional, as is the food and service ethic.
Sabi Sand Game Reserve Map
Sabi Sand Game Reserve's location on Google Maps
Frequently Asked Questions about Sabi Sand Game Reserve
If you’re travelling to Botswana, you will need vaccinations for hepatitis A, typhoid fever, polio as well as medications for travellers diarrhea. Malaria prophylaxis is recommended when you're travelling to the northern part of… go there.
During the dry season of May to September is the best time to visit Leopard Hills Private Game Reserve. go there.
January to March is the best time to witness the Makgadikgadi zebra migration as well as the wildebeest. go there.
The currency used in Botswana is Pula (P), which is made up of 100 Thebe. Botswana Banks accepts US Dollars, Pounds Sterling, Euro and South African Rands in cash. Credit and debit cards, including International Visa and MasterCard are… go there.
Botswana: Electric plug M 230V and 50Hz Kenya: Electric plug G 240V and 50Hz Malawi: Electrical plug G 230V and 50Hz Mauritius: Electrical plug C & G, 230V and 50Hz Mozambique: Electrical plug C,F,M, 220V and 50Hz Namibia: Electric plug… go there.
The dry season / winter months of May to September is the best time to visit the Sabi Sand Game Reserve. The vegetation will thin out, making it easier to spot wildlife congregating around water sources. go there.
Whether you are in the Southern or East Africa you will generally be able to see the big five. The difference really comes in when considering antelope as they are based on your chosen location. go there.
This is all dependant on the countries that you will be visitng and due to the status of certain vaccinations changing at times, please consult our experts before getting vaccines. go there.
In some parts of Southern Africa it is safe to drink the tap water, however it is highly recommended to stick to bottled water (mostly supplied) during your trip as even drinkable African water is completely different in taste and… go there.
Reviews on our Sabi Sand Game Reserve safaris
Living afar and trusting in an organisation with whom you have no previous knowledge can lead to feeling of mistrust and wondering whether what we have paid for actually exists. A little more proactive communication would have eased those…
Tony Russell
Discover Africa delivered the dream trip! It was a pleasure dealing with Matthys at Discover Africa from start to finish. He made everything as simple and easy as possible. Our trip was tremendous and we would fully recommend anyone planning…
Craig Wood
Thank you for the way you organised the trip for us. It was a pleasure dealing with Discover Africa and Matthys in particular. From start to finish, everything was simple and easy. Our trip has been tremendous and we would fully recommend…
Craig and Sue Wood
Megan and Discover Africa did an amazing job helping us plan our trip. During the trip, we kept thinking how happy we were that we didn't have to plan some of the things we experienced. We booked over 16-months prior to our trip and were…
Joe
Working with Megan from Discover Africa to set up our safari was a breeze. She managed to get us to all of the locations we wanted to get to and the camps we wanted to visit. She was incredibly responsive and helped us with any questions or…
Jon Nafziger
from United States of America
We worked with Alice to plan the safari portion of our South Africa trip. Alice was wonderful to work with. She was very helpful with finding two safari locations within our budget. We considered both Botswana and South Africa, and she…
Alyson Esteves
from South Africa
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