Lion Sands is likely one of the non-public reserves inside the Sabi Sand Game Reserve. Open borders with world-renowned Kruger National Park make Lion Sands Game Reserve a major wildlife-viewing vacation spot with an authentic wilderness ambiance. The entire Big 5 and cheetah are current, and sightings are frequent – together with the usually secretive leopard.
With only eighteen apartments, the lodging is impressively small. Each room at the lodge features its own observation terrace with a view of the river that is alive with animals in addition to the resort’s distinctively modern appeal. Additionally, while modifications now include outdoor showers, the four River Suites stand out because they each have their own plunge pool.
After that, wooden boardwalks lead from your accommodation to the lodge’s facilities, with the Safari Lounge serving as its focal point. You will enjoy unlimited refreshments here, including specialty coffees provided at the Barista’s Station. Visitors may even print their animal images on canvas in the “Memory Lab.” However, everywhere you go, you can count on exquisite designer accents, including creations by regional artisans.
Lion Sands Game Reserve Highlights & African Safari
Lion Sands Game Reserve has been household owned and managed for the reason that the early 1930s. 4 5-star lodges show type and class whereas wonderful meals and repair are a part of the package deal.
River Lodge affords standard bush expertise whereas Ivory Lodge contains 9 ultra-luxurious villas, awarded by Tatler journal as ‘Finest Resort within the World’.
Tinga and Narina lodges are the latest additions and provide a special sort of type and luxury.
Lion Sands Game Reserve owns an affordable chunk of the Sabi Sands property and solely affords restricted traversing rights, which prevents over-crowding at wildlife sightings.
Measurement Sabi Sands*:
650km² / 251mi²
Altitude Sabi Sands*:
272-479m / 892-1,572ft
*Lion Sands Game Reserve is a part of the larger Sabi Sand Game Reserve
In South Africa’s well-known Kruger National Park, every of Lion Sands Recreation Reserve’s 4 lodges has a personal pool and splendid interiors.
Select your lodge to fit your safari type; go barefoot within the bush in River Lodge, soak in breathtaking views at Ivory, deliver the outside in at Narina, or get pleasure from just a few extra modern comforts in Tinga.
Accommodation and Rooms
Four separate, opulent lodges make up the lodging at Lion Sands. Eight Luxury Rooms, six Superior Luxury Rooms, and four River Suites make up the 18 thatched rooms at River Lodge. gazing out over the Sabie River or African savanna. The luxury rooms contain a minibar, a living space, and a wooden observation balcony with breathtaking views of the savannah. Maximum occupants per room are 2 adults and 1 child (aged 10-15 years).
All meals, tea, coffee, game drive snacks and refreshments, local soft drinks, beer, spirits, and wines (with the exception of premium/imported brands and Champagne) are included. daily game drives with the option of going on a bush walk. All Lion Sands Lodges come with a mini-bar. Laundry services and a variety of regional brands from the mini-bar are included for Ivory Lodge visitors.
Get a more in-depth take look at the native wildlife by way of one of many telescopes on the deck and on sport drives and safari walks that’ll get you close to a number of the world’s most opulent wildlife in a very pristine habitat.
Features
The safari at Lion Sands is another essential component of the overall experience. The goal of the safari experience at Lion Sands is to continually provide a professional, educational, and comprehensive safari, making sure that every aspect of the ecosystem, from microscopic organisms to the powerful African elephant, is covered in as much depth as the visitor may need.
Lion, elephant, white rhino, leopard, cheetah, buffalo, Wild Dog giraffe, zebra, hyena, waterbuck, hippopotamus, crocodile, wildebeest, kudu, and several more animal and bird species are among the characteristic species found at Lion Sands.
A group of native specialists and safari guides, public lounges with open fireplaces, door decks with telescopes, and free WiFi in all public areas.
Ivory Lodge has an artwork gallery. In rooms: a personal plunge pool, air-conditioning, black-out curtains, a minibar with free bottled water, and tea- and coffee-making amenities.
Lion Sands Game Reserve Rooms
18 rooms, 20 suites, 9 villas, and a treehouse.
Check–Out
11 am. Earliest check-in, is 3 pm; each versatile topic to availability.
Costs
Double rooms from £1392.13 (ZAR29,570), together with tax at 15 percent. Please word the resort prices an extra authorities tax of ZAR115.00 per particular person per evening on check-out.
More about Lion Sands Game Reserve
Charges embody all meals and most drinks, transfers to and from Skukuza airport, two-sport drives day by day, and different wildlife actions corresponding to escorted bush walks.
Back outdoors, you’ll discover a beautifully designed pool and a welcoming boma campfire where guests may mingle under the stars. The all-inclusive fineries are distributed throughout several courses of the meals, which are frequently served al fresco down by the river. You can expect the greatest South African cuisine, including gamey meats and the freshest seasonal fruit. The twice-daily game drives that set out to look for the neighborhood Big Five are also included in the evening charge.
Facilities
Dining areas inside and outside (boma), a personal lounge and bar, and a wine cellar (Ivory Lodge). River Lodge’s pool has a view of the river. Africanology Center for Wellness. Experiences in treehouses in Chalkley and Kingston. quirky stores. For guests to print pictures on canvases, there is a “Memory Lab.” Free WiFi is available in public places.
This luxurious product blends in a beautifully modern look despite its stunning bush environment. A variety of opulent amenities, from a stylish open bar to a full-board fine-dining restaurant, can be found here. Expect exposed timber, clean lines, and plenty of natural light. All of this is situated on the banks of the Sabie River, and it includes twice-daily game drives into the renowned Kruger National Park as well as exclusive access to game-watching from the lodge.
Favorite rooms as per review
The villa nearest the river has the perfect views and somewhat bit of additional privacy – it is usually given to honeymooning {couples}.
Poolside
Every villa has a personal pool. There’s a telescope for viewing animals from the deck.
Spa
Every one of the Lodges has an Africology spa a place you may get pleasure from facials, massages, and manicures in between game drives.
Africology is one of all South Africa’s main eco-friendly and holistic spa manufacturers and makes use of all pure substances which are formed in the pores and skin.
Some remedies are carried out outdoors, so should you can maintain your eyes open whereas having a soothing massage, there are lovely environments to stare upon.
Packing ideas
Deliver sturdy, ankle-length thick-soled boots for bush strolling. Solar cream and a hat are really helpful. Deliver a heat fleece in winter for evening safaris.
Park entrance in the Lion Sands Game Reserve charges should not be included; friends on self-drives must pay R110–R120 for their automobile and R20–R30 for an individual.
Tinga and River Lodge are appropriate for disabled travelers.
Kids
Youngsters aged 10 and older are welcome in the entire lodges. Babysitting is obtainable in Tinga and River Lodge, and each has household rooms;
River Lodge additionally has two interconnecting rooms. Tinga, River, and Narina all provide children’s actions for bush infants.
Game drives
Every day at dawn and again in the late afternoon, game drives in open safari vehicles depart. The Big Five are among the native wildlife at Lion Sands, and the reserve is famous for providing excellent opportunities to see leopards, one of nature’s most secretive carnivores.
Visitors are guaranteed a wonderfully personal safari experience thanks to unique crossing rights on both Lion Sands Sabi Sand and Kruger Park parts. There can never be more than 16 cars on the reserve at once, and there is a cap on the number that may be seen. This makes sure the animals are comfortable and allows visitors to interact with them longer and see the animals’ natural behavior.
Walk
These are the wild after-breakfast walks we go on. Instead of merely seeing the bush, visitors are fully immersed in it. All five senses are used as they experience the exciting sensation of spotting large wildlife at eye level while hearing the crack of a branch announcing their company and feeling the brush crush beneath their feet. Our knowledgeable guides will design walks that focus on animals, birds, insects, plants, geology, etc. to suit the interests of each of our visitors.
- Children under the age of 16 are not allowed on bush walks
- The length ranges from 1.5 to 2 hours, depending on the physical capabilities of the visitors.
- A medical certificate of good health is required for visitors over 60.
- Visitors should wear sunscreen, hats, sunglasses, neutral-colored clothes, and comfortable walking shoes.
- Visitors should bring binoculars, a lightweight dry-mac jacket, and their smartphone or camera.
Eco‐friendly
Every reservation is a topic to a Conservation Contribution payment of ZAR115 an individual, every evening, which will probably be used for safeguarding endangered species and maintenance of the park.
Finest Time to Go Might to September (Dry season)
Excessive Season October to March (It might get a bit busy)
Lion Sands Game Reserve: Pros & Cons
This luxurious product blends in a beautifully modern look despite its stunning bush environment. A variety of opulent amenities, from a stylish open bar to a full-board fine-dining restaurant, can be found here. Expect exposed timber, clean lines, and plenty of natural light. All of this is situated on the banks of the Sabie River, and it includes twice-daily game drives into the renowned Kruger National Park as well as exclusive access to game-watching from the lodge.
- Wildlife viewing is great, Big 5 animals are simply discovered
- Off-road driving permits up-close animal encounters
- High-quality guides
- Actions embody day and evening drives and strolling safaris
- 4 lodges with totally different types and finances
- Situated in a much less crowded part of Sabi Sands
- Safari packages embody solely costly, absolutely inclusive choices
- Throughout sport drives, the main target lies primarily on flagship species
Lion Sands Game Reserve Wildlife
The wildlife viewing right here is great. All high-profile safari animals are current and readily seen. This consists of the leopard, which is normally tough to seek out.
Leopard is relaxed all through the world, and you might be virtually assured of a sighting. Different wildlife you may anticipate seeing consists of giraffes, zebra, wildebeest, and a number of other antelope species.
Evening drives provide an opportunity to see some nocturnal species corresponding to a porcupine.
Access to the Lion Sands Game Reserve
Ivory Lodge and River Lodge are about a five-hour drive from Johannesburg. If you decide to drive, we advise spending more than one night at one of the mountain or rural lodges along the Panorama Route so that you may come to us rested and prepared for an unforgettable safari experience the following morning.
Surroundings
The 65,000-ha Sabi Sand Animal Reserve, where Lion Sands Game Reserve is located, is recognized for its breathtaking game-watching.
The Sabie River is only accessible to it. The River originates in the Drakensburg mountain range, where the well-known Mac Mac falls may be found. Because of this River, Lion Sands offers an unrivaled safari experience in Africa.
Where there is water, there is life, cooling, a refuge from the sweltering African sun, a location where animals travel large distances to slake their thirst, renewal, and much more. This is the type of natural marvel that may be seen at Lion Sands.
Lion Sands’ terrain is primarily woodland savannah. The vegetation is kind of thick, but this hardly ever impacts animal sightings the reason that extremely expert guides and trackers are allowed to drive off-road.
Final thought
Please be aware that Lion Sands River, Tinga, Narina, and Ivory Lodge only accept children who are 10 years old and older.
Since 1933, Lion Sands Game Reserve has been family-owned and -operated. Renowned for its game-watching as well as its holistic approach to safari, every animal, no matter how big or little, is treated with the same respect and care. The lodging consists of a number of opulent lodges, each with a great selection of conveniences and those crucial views of the perennial Sabie River.
Another draw is the gourmet food, which is served outside in the boma or in the elegant surroundings of the dining room. Try spending a night in one of their incredible treehouses under the stars for a genuinely one-of-a-kind experience. The magnificent Leadwood Tree, which is the center of the 500-year-old Chalkley Treehouse, offers stunning views over the plains. The recently erected Kington Treehouse is entirely made of glass and wood, and it is surrounded by trees and stones.
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