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Sabi Sand Private Tours & Safari Packages
Help Me PlanSafaris in Sabi Sand Private Game Reserve
Sabi Sand is one of the best-known private reserves in Greater Kruger, with luxury lodges, open-vehicle game drives and a long-standing reputation for close Big Five sightings. African Sky includes the reserve in short fly-in safaris as well as longer private tours through South Africa and Southern Africa.
The reserve shares an unfenced boundary with Kruger National Park, allowing wildlife to move through the wider conservation area. The Sabi and Sand rivers run through the reserve and provide important water sources for elephant, buffalo and many other species.
Safari days are lodge based. Morning and late-afternoon game drives are conducted by resident ranger-and-tracker teams in open 4x4 vehicles. The hours between drives are spent at the lodge, where meals, rest and wildlife viewing from decks or other public areas become part of the experience.
Sabi Sand can be booked as a safari on its own or incorporated into a longer trip. Cape Town, the Winelands, Kruger, Phinda, Victoria Falls and Botswana all feature in African Sky itineraries that include the reserve. Travelers comparing properties should also visit our Sabi Sand safari lodges page.
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Featured Sabi Sand Safari Packages
Choose a short fly-in safari focused entirely on Sabi Sand or make the reserve part of a longer trip through South Africa and neighboring countries.
View All Sabi Sand SafarisSabi Sand Safari Experiences
The days revolve around wildlife, but the hours between drives are just as much a part of a stay in Sabi Sand.
Open 4x4 Game Drives
Morning and afternoon drives are led by resident ranger-and-tracker teams. Open vehicles provide clear views and allow the team to follow fresh wildlife signs across the reserve.
Leopard Sightings
Sabi Sand has a long-standing reputation for leopard viewing. Experienced guides and trackers know individual territories and spend considerable time reading tracks and other signs.
Morning Coffee
A stop for coffee and rusks breaks up the early drive. It is also a chance to stand quietly in the bush and listen as the reserve settles into the morning.
Sundowners
Late-afternoon drives often pause before sunset for a drink in the bush. The break is brief, informal and timed around what is happening on the safari.
Bush Walks
Selected lodges offer guided walks between game drives. Tracks, plants, insects and smaller animals receive more attention on foot than they usually do from a vehicle.
Bush Dining
Picnics and meals away from the main lodge are offered by some properties. They provide a quieter way to spend time outside between the main safari activities.
Destinations to Combine With Sabi Sand
Sabi Sand can stand alone as a short safari, but it also combines easily with several of Southern Africa's main travel regions.
Kruger National Park
The unfenced boundary allows wildlife to move between Sabi Sand and Kruger. Combining the two also gives travelers two different styles of safari in the same region.
Cape Town
Flights make it practical to combine a Sabi Sand safari with several days of private touring, restaurants and coastal scenery in Cape Town.
Cape Winelands
Franschhoek and Stellenbosch provide a complete change of pace after safari, with wine estates, restaurants and privately guided touring through the Cape.
Phinda Private Game Reserve
Pairing Sabi Sand with Phinda adds another private-reserve safari in a different part of South Africa, with contrasting habitats and scenery.
Victoria Falls
Several African Sky itineraries link Sabi Sand with Victoria Falls, giving travelers a major natural landmark between safari and other regional destinations.
Okavango Delta
For a longer safari, Botswana adds remote camps and land- and water-based activities that contrast strongly with the lodge safaris of Sabi Sand.
Planning a Sabi Sand Safari With African Sky
African Sky has arranged private travel in South Africa since 1998. With Sabi Sand, the most important decision is usually not whether the reserve is worth visiting, but which lodge and location fit the rest of the trip.
The safari itself is operated by the lodge. Resident rangers and trackers conduct the morning and afternoon drives, while African Sky manages the surrounding arrangements, including flights, road transfers, accommodation and any private touring before or after the safari.
Three nights works well for many travelers because it allows several game drives without taking too much time from a longer South African itinerary. Four nights or more becomes worthwhile when safari is one of the main reasons for traveling or when the lodge itself is an important part of the vacation.
- Short Sabi Sand fly-in safaris
- Luxury and top-end lodge stays
- Cape Town and safari combinations
- Kruger and Sabi Sand combinations
- Multi-country Southern African safaris
- Flights and road transfers arranged
- SATSA member since 2002
Plan Your Sabi Sand Safari
Start with the number of nights you have, the type of lodge you prefer and what you plan to do before or after the safari.
Allow Enough Nights
Three nights suits many first visits and provides several game drives. A fourth night gives you more time at the lodge and another full day in the reserve.
Choose the Lodge Carefully
Price is only one difference between lodges. Setting, atmosphere, room style and the way the property fits the wider itinerary also deserve consideration.
Keep the Wider Route Simple
Sabi Sand combines easily with Cape Town, Kruger and other safari areas, but every additional stop creates another transfer. Add destinations only when they bring something different.