Best hotels in Sabi Sands

The Sabi Sands Game Reserve in South Africa, spread over 65,000 hectares, is home to one of the world’s most stringent wildlife conservation efforts. This place is home to a wide array of species, making it the most densely packed big-game territory. Visitors get treated to plenty of unexpected close encounters, rare sightings, and spectacular kills. Sabi Sands has accommodation for every budget and all types of travelers. We discuss some of the best here:

 

Inyati Game Lodge

This beautiful lodge is located on the banks of the Sands river and is the perfect place to view hippos splashing in the flowing river. This lodge is also near Leopard territory, so may sight the elusive animal as well, apart from all the Big-5 predators that are quite common here. All eleven chalets in Inyati Lodge are generously spaced, equipped with all the amenities, and provide stunning views ofso Sabi Sands. Seating areas and dining areas are superbly placed, granting you open views of the riverine vegetation. The lodge offers a restaurant, bar, outdoor swimming pool, library, air-conditioned gym, and a wine cellar. Inyati offers some fantastic outdoor activities like 4×4 Safari drives, bushwalks, and fishing.

 

Londolozi

Londolozi is a family-run, stand-alone establishment that offers world-class luxury and sustainable, community-based tourism. Five supremely luxurious lodges with massive suites provide unparalleled service and stunning wildlife-viewing opportunities. The five lodges are Founders Camp, Granite Suites, Pioneer Camp, Tree Camp, and Varty Camp. These five lodges are quite different in terms of what they offer, but they still retain the spirit of Londolozi; each provides a unique, luxurious, and intimate experience. The money you spend here directly goes to wildlife conservation efforts, as well as supporting the local communities, promoting education and health. Londolozi is famous for its leopard sightings, as well as other predators.

 

Sabi Sabi

This fascinating private reserve offers four different lodges on different themes: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow. Selati Camp, with its colonial design and decorations, denotes Yesterday. Bush Lodge, with its Africana chic décor, is Today. Earth Lodge, with its modern architecture, furniture, and infinity plunge pools, is Tomorrow. The fourth one, Little Bush, is available for exclusive hire. The commonality among these four lodges is the luxury and attention to detail. Visitors can enjoy numerous views of wildlife while sitting in the lap of nature. All chalets are equipped with modern amenities, and the camp provides excellent round-the-clock service.

 

Elephant Plains Game reserve

Situated next to the Kruger National Park, this owner-run lodge offers comfort and luxury at affordable prices. The lodge is located on the banks of Manyeleti River and offers picturesque views of the landscape. There are a variety of accommodation options available, from rondavels to luxury suites. The five rondavels have facilities like minibar, en-suite bathrooms, sundecks, and electronic safes. The luxurious suites have a lounge, double bedrooms, en-suite bathrooms, and separate viewing decks. Apart from offering excellent game-drives and bushwalks, the Elephant Plains Game lodge has other facilities like pool, spa, conference centers, library, game room, and gym to keep the travelers entertained and comfortable. 

 

Idube Game Reserve

The Idube Game Reserve Lodge is distinctive for its natural colored bricks and indigenous gardens, designed to blend into the surrounding bush. Spending a night here brings you a lot closer to nature. The camp is full of viewing platforms and wide, open lounge, treating you to incredible views of flora and fauna. The lodge area plays host to families of warthogs and nyala. Visitors can also spot a multitude of bird species here. All eight suites are decorated with the African theme and are airy as well as comfortable. The suits are well equipped with all the basic amenities and provide the best luxurious experience. Apart from game drives where you can spot numerous species like Big-5 and leopards, the camp also organizes village tours where visitors can visit the local school, try the local food, and visit the cultural museum.

 

Singita Lodge

Singita Lodges were established in 1926 and have a rich cultural heritage. The Singita property is Sabi Sands has two lodges- Ebony and Boulders, as well as the Singita Castleton farmhouse. The architecture of Ebony is traditional and rustic, with lots of natural light. The Ebony lodge grants a genuinely luxurious and intimate experience to the visitors. Each room is equipped with an open fireplace, private pool, indoor/outdoor shower, and game viewing deck so that guests can enjoy the silence and solitude of Sabi Sands. The world-class Boulders lodge has all modern amenities with many designer touches. Singita Lodges offer some amazing game-viewing experiences in regions with a high concentration of big game. Singita also runs a Field Guide training academy on its property. 

 

Lion Sands Private game reserve

With sophisticated interiors, exceptional service, and unique experiences, the Lion Sands Private game reserve is an international award-winning private game reserve that provides fantastic wildlife viewing experiences. The reserve is situated on the banks of Sabe River and spans across Sabi Sands game reserve and Kruger National Park. Lion Sands has four lodges- River Lodge, Ivory Lodge, Tinga Lodge, and Narina Lodge. Each lodge has its unique style, but all of them retain the spirit of luxury, comfort, and sophistication of Lion Sands. All the lodges have spacious rooms, vast lounge areas, swimming pools, and viewing decks with breathtaking views of the Sabe River. Due to its unique location, the Lion Sands Game Reserve has a great diversity of flora and fauna. Activities include 4×4 game drives, hippo tours, bush walks, bush breakfast, Moonwalks, fishing, and picnic lunches. 

 

If you loved reading this story, then subscribe to our blog here (it will ask to verify your email) to get inspiring travel stories and trivia delivered to your email. Stories about wildlife trivia, cultural experiences, curated luxury hotel lists, underrated places to travel, polar journeys and much more.