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User Reviews of Sabi Sand Nature Reserve (76 Reviews)

Best Park Sabi Sands Safaris South Africa
Sort By: Date Most Helpful Rating 1-10 of 76 Reviews

Average User Rating

4.9474 / 5 4.9 /5
4.9054 / 5 4.5541 / 5 4.7297 / 5 4.4792 / 5

Rating Breakdown

5 star 72 / 10 72
4 star 4 / 10 4
3 star 0 / 10 0
2 star 0 / 10 0
1 star 0 / 10 0
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Male avatar icon Kok Kim Singapore flag SG       Visited: June 2018 Reviewed: Jul 2, 2018

Email Kok Kim  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

4 / 5 4 /5
4 / 5 3 / 5 3 / 5 3 / 5

Lesser sightings than at Phinda. Main highlights were leopard and lion cubs and cubs suckling mother lioness.

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Avatar icon Daryl L. Hunter - Hole Picture Photo Safaris United States flag US       Visited: October 2016 Reviewed: Nov 16, 2016

Email Daryl L. Hunter - Hole Picture Photo Safaris

Raveged by drought

4 / 5 4 /5
3 / 5 3 / 5 3 / 5 / 5

I booked a Sabi Camp for my photography tour I was leading, as I had heard Sabi Sands was the best place in the Kruger area. I bet it is when not ravaged by drought. There was very little to eat for the grazing animals so many had left, the predators were doing well off animals dying from drought. Our camp was only permitted in a small portion of Sabi Sands and I'm guessing there were better areas in the reserve. Although we had some great sightings my photo tour guests and I, chose to spend extra time in Kruger where the Sabi River was still flowing. I will return to Sabi Sands and hopefully next time it will live up to it's great reputation.

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Female avatar icon Caroline South Africa flag ZA       Visited: April 2015 Reviewed: Aug 19, 2015

Email Caroline  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: over 5 safaris

4 / 5 4 /5
5 / 5 4 / 5 4 / 5 / 5

This was more of a canned experience with the rangers knowing exactly where to take you. For that type of experience however, it was exceptional.

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Avatar icon kushalas Visited: February 2014 Reviewed: May 13, 2015

In Sabi Sand Game Reserve, you really do get what you pay for!

4 / 5 4 /5
4 / 5 5 / 5 4 / 5 / 5
During our trip to Kruger National Park, we felt that it would only do the trip justice if we spent a few nights in Sabi Sand Game Reserve before heading back. We had read about the differences between the two and were quite certain we would be short changing ourselves if we didn't pay a visit to Sabi Sand. We stayed in Umkumbe Lodge which is one of the smaller lodges in Sabi Sand. That being said, Umkumbe brought along with it a wonder crew ranging from the chef to the tour guides. There was alot of personal attention and you could see and feel the extra mile they go to making sure your stay is as comfortable as can be. We were a family of vegetarians and they made it a point to make special meals for us and they were honestly some of the best meals we had on the trip. The game drives were alot of fun, the guides were very knowledgeable and the coordination of the drives was great. The highlight was spotting the rhinos and it helped us complete our list of the big 5 (of which we had
Read more seen the other 4 in Kruger). I would recommend Sabi Sand for anyone who has the ability to pocket the price you would be paying for it, but once that staged is past, be prepared to have a thrilling, luxurious and very pleasant time in Sabi Sand.
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Male avatar icon Donal Heffernan United Kingdom flag GB       Visited: February 2026 Reviewed: Feb 25, 2026

Email Donal Heffernan  |  65+ years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

5 / 5 5 /5
5 / 5 5 / 5 5 / 5 5 / 5

Two tours a day, early morning and late afternoon into night tours. Thus avoiding the midday heat. it was dark when we returned to the compound so were looking for smaller animals via a spotter sitting in a chair at the very front of the vehicle with a spotlight. We spotted a rare owl one night hooting loudly. No light polution so the stars were plentiful and bright.
Also the tour operators supplied extra surpises, like one morning, a breakfast served in a field as the sun rises.
Another day there were drinks and snacks again served in a field as the sun set.
Also Ice creams were served one midday to cool us down. These were lovely unexpected touches.
We were allowed out of the vehicles for these treats and were able to stretch our legs.
We saw four of the big five animals, the leopard staying out of sight. Of coure plenty of other animal too.

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Female avatar icon Jennifer Morrison United States flag US       Visited: February 2026 Reviewed: Feb 19, 2026

Email Jennifer Morrison  |  35-50 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

5 / 5 5 /5
5 / 5 5 / 5 5 / 5 5 / 5

Above and beyond our expectations. Created the experience of a lifetime from the time we got there till the time we left. We seen so many (almost all the animals you could imagine) expect a leopard.

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Female avatar icon Carole Australia flag AU       Visited: June 2025 Reviewed: Jun 15, 2025

Email Carole  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

a wonderful experience

5 / 5 5 /5
5 / 5 5 / 5 4 / 5 0 / 5

Nottens Bush camp was a delightful place to stay; the staff were very friendly and helpful and the standard of service and accommodation was excellent; the experience of the game drives was unbeatable

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Male avatar icon Jose Castro United States flag US       Visited: November 2024 Reviewed: Nov 23, 2024

Email Jose Castro  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

5 / 5 5 /5
Where do I begin! Elephant Plains exceeded our expectations and made or safari trip a dream come true. From the attention to detail in our rooms from the reception and housekeeping teams to the servers and chef for our meals, everything was exceptional. Carmen at the front desk especially made us feel welcome and definitely made everything much more fun for us. Now for the main event, game drives! Two game drives a day and every single one was different/exceptional! Sabi Sands really is a dream come true for big 5 sightings. Many said we would have to be lucky to see 1 Leopard, well we saw 5 different ones! What a beautiful animal. Our tracker Dion and guide/driver Nick were our team for the entire stay and they were phenomenal. Nic with his very informative with a splash of wit made every drive fun and enjoyable. Dion skills as a tracker were amazing, always on the lookout and they both even got us to see all the big 5 in one drive! With every drive you take a break for drinks and snacks.
Read more In the morning drive we had amazing coffee and in the evening we had great cocktails. The Lodge itself is amazing and clean. The dinner from chef Betty was some of the best food we have ever had! 10/10 food! We could not have asked for a better experience. My wife and I will never forget EP and this trip as it has instantly become a highlight of our life. Highly recommend EP 11/10 and we hope to come back soon!
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Male avatar icon Ben Johnson Singapore flag SG       Visited: August 2024 Reviewed: Sep 1, 2024

Email Ben Johnson  |  35-50 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

5 / 5 5 /5
5 / 5 5 / 5 5 / 5 0 / 5

Sabi Sand was incredible and the better of the two reserves we went to from a wildlife and game drive perspective. It felt like at every turn there was the next incredible thing to see!

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Male avatar icon Fabrizio Gentili Germany flag DE       Visited: June 2024 Reviewed: Jul 23, 2024

Email Fabrizio Gentili  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: over 5 safaris

5 / 5 5 /5
5 / 5 5 / 5 5 / 5 4 / 5

The big 5 in only 6 hours. Never happened before.
What a beautiful trip.

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