Sabi Sand Game Reserve

Sabi Sand borders Kruger with no fence between them, so the animals move freely across, but the way people see them is entirely different: this is private land divided among lodges, drives are guided with a ranger and a tracker, vehicles go off-road to follow animals, and only a few vehicles are allowed at any sighting. That combination is why the reserve became the place for leopards. Decades of careful, non-threatening vehicle presence produced generations of leopards that ignore cars completely, and the sightings here - a leopard walking past a bumper in daylight - are close to impossible in a self-drive park. Individual leopards are known by name and followed across years. The reserve also holds the rest of the big five, night drives are permitted, and rangers walk guests in some concessions. The trade-off is price: this is the most expensive kind of safari in the country.

What you actually see

• The habituated leopards - animals that ignore vehicles after decades of careful contact.
• The open boundary - no fence with Kruger, so game moves freely between them.
• Off-road tracking - rangers and trackers following animals away from roads.
• The vehicle limits - only a few cars per sighting, unlike the queues in Kruger.

When to go

May to September - dry, thin bush, animals at water. Three days to make the cost worthwhile.

Honest expectations

There is no cheap entry: you book a lodge, and rates run to the top of the market. No self-drive at all. Drives are at fixed times, morning and evening. Some lodges are unfenced with genuine safety rules to follow at night.

Nearby

Kruger's Skukuza is across the open boundary; Hazyview is west.