Upon arrival in Johannesburg, you will back your way to the domestic terminal where you will connect with your flight to Hoedspruit. Upon arrival in Hoedspruit you are met and transferred to your lodge in Timbavati Game Reserve, forming part of the Greater Kruger National Park. You have time to settle into your lodge before embarking on your afternoon game drive.

The Timbavati forms part of the 2 million hectare Greater Kruger National Park. It was the first private game reserve to be incorporated into the Kruger National Park and is part of one of Africa's most innovative conservation partnership agreements. The Timbavati is 14 700 hectares (36 300 acres) and shares an unfenced boundary with Kruger National Park.

Track the Big Five, as well as a rich variety of other game such as antelope, zebra, warthog, giraffe and hippo, in the company of an armed ranger and local Shangaan tracker. Bird viewing is spectacular, with over 360 recorded species including various eagles, vultures, kingfishers, woodpeckers, buzzards, herons, egrets, owls, weavers. The Timbavati is also home to the world-famous “White Lions of Timbavati”.

This morning after your morning game drive and breakfast you check out of your lodge. You are met and transferred Southwards to Sabi Sand Game Reserve, forming part of the Greater Kruger Park. You have time to settle into your new lodge before embarking on our afternoon game drive.

Forming part of the Greater Kruger National Park, the Sabi Sand Reserve has no fences and the wildlife is able to cross freely between the Sabi Sands and the rest of the Greater Kruger National Park. The safari experience in the Sabi Sand is highly personalised because game drive vehicles have exclusive traversing rights in their area.

The Sabi Sand Reserve is a remarkable natural sanctuary known for its exceptionally high concentration of animal and bird life. Close contact encounters are guaranteed as the animals are not threatened by the presence of vehicles thanks to sound conservation management policies. Safaris are led by experienced rangers coupled with local Shangaan trackers. With exceptional sightings of leopard (usually the most elusive of cats), lion, rhino, elephant and buffalo during game drives - visitors are never lacking in exciting photographic content.

You will head out on dawn and late afternoon game drives in the company of dedicated and highly knowledgeable rangers and trackers. The fact that the Sabi Sand is a private Kruger reserve means that guests can enjoy activities not normally permitted in the Kruger Park itself. Your ranger will go off road for close-up views of special sightings and once darkness falls, you'll be treated to thrilling spot-lit night drives in search of rare nocturnal creatures and big cats on the move. Guided nature walks complete the spectrum of safari activities.

This morning after your morning game drive and breakfast you will check out of your lodge. You bid farewell to this African Wonderland as you are transferred to Nelspruit Airport.

The Main Lodge is a perfect haven where you will find a superbly situated deck with stunning views of the dam, allowing you to unwind and watch amazing wildlife scenes unfold before your eyes. It is a lovely area to either relax on your own and take in the beauty of your surroundings, or to socialise with others and share stories about your sightings.

The sun loungers around the pool are perfect for sunbathing, reading or dozing, whilst our cozy loft serves as a quiet reading area or lounge to enjoy TV or a movie. In the main area, there are large, comfortable sofas by the roaring fireplace to keep you warm on a chilly evening, whereas on a warm summer’s night, nothing beats sitting on the deck by the pool sipping a refreshing cocktail to the sounds of lions roaring nearby. Alternatively, mingle with other guests at the bar where the barman is ready to prepare you your favourite drink, and share stories of your day’s sightings.

Throughout your stay, your comfort and pleasure are our priorities, which is why we strive to ensure that every detail is just right, both indoors and outdoors. From every aspect of your suite, to your food and drinks and your game drives, at Makanyi, quality and service are our watchwords.
Every one of Makanyi’s seven luxury suites overlooks the magnificent dam and comes with an extra large bed, a relaxing sitting area with its own fireplace, a beautiful bathroom with a spacious shower and separate bathtub, a private deck with loungers and an outdoor shower. Premium Africology amenities, complimentary Wi-Fi, telephone, hair dryer, mini bar, and a Nespresso coffee machine and tea making facilities are found in every room.
Two of the seven rooms are special honeymoon suites. As they are located furthest from the main lodge they offer more privacy, as well as a romantic four-poster bed and a wonderful private plunge pool on the deck – ideal for a soak with a glass of champagne, under a blanket of stars.

Unparalleled Luxury in an un-spoilt Environment... Simbambili Lodge is situated among dense stands of knobthorn and jackalberry trees along the meandering Manyeleti River in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve, part of the world-renowned Kruger National Park.

With its Morroccan-styled suites that have been sensitively designed to blend with the environment and carefully positioned to enhance privacy, this is a must for the romantic at heart. With the Lodge accommodating a maximum of 16 guests, public areas are carefully designed to resemble hospitality akin to a comfortable home with specially prepared meals and venues for entertaining and relaxation. Sophisticated yet simple, each of the 8 suites has spectacular views over an extensive savannah grassland that teems with wildlife. Each suite has an en-suite bathroom, its own private plunge pool and Sala overlooking the watering hole.

Meals are served on the deck under the Jackalberry trees or under the stars in the Boma. Simbambili has an in-house spa offering wellness and beauty treatments.

This exquisite Lodge is famed for its regular Leopard sightings and abundance of general game species as well as extraordinary bird life. The Sabi Sand is famous for its big five and has the highest concentration of leopard in the world. It offers cat lovers a chance to meet the stars of the Simbambili Leopard Project (an online journal of the life of three leopards Saseke (the beautiful one), Mafufenyane (the angry one) and Nyaleti (the star) - face to face in their natural habitat).

Simbambili is graded 5-star.

Upon arrival at your safari lodge you are given a welcome drink and your safari experience will be explained to you by your lodge host. There will be time to settle in before afternoon High Tea followed by your first game drive. Game drives take place in the early morning and evening to ensure game viewing when animals are most active. Night game drives provide a fascinating glimpse into the lives of the predators, particularly the leopard for which this area is renowned. You return to your lodge in time for a sumptuous safari cuisine dinner. The next day after a light snack you are taken on a morning game drive. You return to the lodge for a grand brunch. There is time to relax around the sunny pool, do some bird-watching from the observation deck or read a book in the peace of your room’s private veranda. If you are feeling more active, you can go on a bush walk with your ranger. After High Tea you set off on another evening game drive, returning again in time for dinner. On your day of departure, you will do a morning game drive and will leave the lodge after brunch.

The Timbavati is brimming with various species of fowl and beast, including the sought-after Big Five, namely lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino. The reserve also boasts over 40 other species of mammals. Creatures of every shape and size abound during the day, and by night visitors to the reserve are likely to see smaller, nocturnal mammals - such as porcupines, servals, civets and genets. Bird-lovers would struggle to replicate this calibre of bird watching anywhere else in the world, with the Timbavati featuring over 360 different species.

Sabi Sabi is situated in the world-renowned 65,000 hectare Sabi Sand Wildtuin in the South-Western section of the Kruger National Park. It is a wildlife oasis, where you can observe at close quarters the age-old natural relationship between predator and prey. The diverse habitat is home to spectacular wildlife including the Big 5 - lion, leopard, rhino, buffalo and elephant - as well as cheetah, wild dog and some 200 other animal species indigenous to the area. There is nothing quite as stirring as the sight of a lion, elephant or rhino roaming free in the bush; as haunting as the sound of a hyaena laughing in the dead of night; as electrifying as the tension one feels when following spoor along a dry riverbed. Sabi Sabi is also home to a remarkable 350 species of birds. On a single summer's day, a visitor from the Northern Hemisphere will probably see more bird species than he is likely to see in a lifetime in his home country.

Day and night safaris in open Land Rovers, led by highly trained Game Rangers and qualified Trackers, follow the animals on and off-road, deep into the heart of the wild African Bushveld. The morning safari starts at first light, when the bush is already alive, the air filled with birdsong as the rising sunlight dances off beads of dew on spiders' webs. The tracker will watch the road for spoor, leaning forward intently to find any print left by a predator during its hunt in the dark. You return to the lodge for a grand brunch. After brunch walking safaris allow guests to feel the pulse of untamed Africa through the soles of their feet. As evening falls you depart on the night safari. As the fierce heat of the day cools, the inhabitants of the bush become restless, and the animals move out of the shade of the trees. As the sun dips behind the horizon your Ranger will choose a spot where you can stretch your legs and enjoy sundowners alongside the vehicle. There is a lull as the animals sense the transition into a time of increased danger. It is during evening safaris that the nocturnal hunters start stirring, and their prey needs to be alert for survival through the night. You return to the lodge for a safari cuisine supper.