Sabi Sabi Bush Lodge : Sabi Sands Game Reserve: South Africa

Sabi Sabi Bush Lodge photo gallery

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Sabi Sabi Bush Lodge

Location

Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve, situated in the world-renowned 65 000 hectare Sabi Sand Game Reserve in the South-Western section of the Kruger National Park.

Accommodation and facilities

Each of the 25 spacious, air-conditioned thatched suites is beautifully appointed, featuring exquisite ethnic décor in keeping with the bushveld environment. The en-suite bathrooms feature al-fresco as well as glass-fronted indoor showers, affording wonderful views of the bushveld.

Huge viewing decks are the ideal setting to relax while spotting game, birdwatching, or cooling off in the filtered pools. Meals, including the wonderful dinners in the open air boma, are heralded by blasts on a kudu horn, a summoning to delicious food. This luxury safari lodge also features artistically designed open courtyards with spectacular wooden carvings by renowned South African sculptors, created from uprooted trees and wood salvaged from the surrounding bushveld.

The Mandleve Suite at Bush Lodge is an ultra-luxury suite perfect for honeymooners or those in search of sumptuous accommodation. The beautiful spacious suite includes an open plan lounge and gorgeous bathroom with outside shower. A secluded pool, private safari experience and optional in-room dining all combine to make this suite an absolute treat.

Activities and game viewing

Morning Safaris

An early morning call from the Ranger will wake you before first light, while the kitchen brews hot coffee or tea, and prepares cool fruit juices with a muffin, rusk or other freshly made delicacy. So begins the morning safari.

The bush is already alive, the air filled with birdsong as the rising sunlight dances off beads of dew on spiders' webs. Nobody, not even the tracker who can read the bushveld like a book, knows what's in store. He will watch the road for spoor, leaning forward intently to find any print left by a predator during its hunt in the dark. There may be hushed discussions in Shangaan between Ranger and Tracker, and brief radio interactions from one vehicle to another. Sharing information ensures that the occupants of each Land Rover have the best chance of a wide range of sightings during their drives - and also ensures control and responsible behaviour as the vehicles move in close to the animals.

Morning Guided Bush Walk

Renowned for luxury experiences, Sabi Sabi isn't all about phenomenal game drives and exceptional dining. Opportunities for education and adventure are definitely on the cards for those interested and energetic. On the morning safari walk you can be part of a small group that sets out on foot after breakfast. The walk is an opportunity to feel the pulse of Africa through the soles of your feet and experience the bushveld at close quarters.

Sabi Sabi boasts approximately 350 different species of birds, a paradise for birdwatchers. Raptors are plentiful, including 11 species of owl, the seldom seen cuckoo hawk and rare bat hawk. There is an endless diversity of trees, shrubs and flowering plants, and whatever the time of year, no two walks are ever the same.

Evening Safaris

Evening falls and you prepare for the night safari. As the fierce heat of the day cools, the inhabitants of the bush become restless, and the animals move out of the shade of the trees. The call of the crested francolin reverberates through the bushveld and birds increase the volume of their song. You will be aware of colours softening to the beautiful, gentle hues that vary with each season. New scents fill the air and as the sun dips behind the horizon your Ranger will choose a spot where you can stretch your legs and enjoy sundowners alongside the vehicle. Watch in awe as the sky turns to the sensational vibrant reds, golds and oranges typical of an African sunset. There is a lull as the animals sense the transition into a time of increased danger. It is during evening safaris that the nocturnal hunters start stirring, and their prey needs to be alert for survival through the night.

During your safari you may be lucky enough to watch lions prepare for their evening hunt. Their long bodies stretch to ease muscles cramped from lying in the shade during the day; sinews are lengthened and claws sharpened against a tree; the vegetation is marked with scent, and the wind checked for smells; only then do they set off in a slow, loose-jointed, arrogant amble. There are numerous nocturnal hunters and on your evening safari, with the help of a spotlight, a leopard's eyes may reflect back from a nearby tree. Or you may be lucky enough to spot another smaller predator, a genet, African civet or African wild cat. One can come across scenes at night that become etched in memory: elephants moving heavily but silently in the moonlight; the incredible flying leaps of bushbabies from treetop to treetop, and the red shine from a lion's eyes as it looks up from its kill. A Sabi Sabi evening safari will never be forgotten.