Most of the boundaries with the Kruger National Park are unfenced so the wildlife is free to roam. The Greater Kruger consists of a variety of mixed habitats which are home to the big 5 and many smaller creatures and offer a full range of lodges from mid range to luxury, plus some great walking areas and chance to do night drives.
Whilst they are a fraction of the size of the main Kruger Park, the private reserves offer a fantastic wildlife experience, as they guides that work here really know their patch inside out and the guide to guest ratio is much higher than in the national park (where visitors mostly self-drive). The private reserves are also allowed to drive off road (responsibly) and can offer night drives and bush walks as well as traditional game drives.
Most of the lodges are luxurious and fairly small and intimate but some offer more basic accommodation or bush camps and focus on walking and getting back to nature.
Some of the best known reserves are Sabi Sands and Timbavati. Here are some of the private reserves, please ask us about any other particular areas that you would like to know about.
The Sabi Sand Wildtuin (wildtuin means reserve) covers 22,000 sq km of wilderness and includes many concession areas such as Londolozi, Singita, Elephant Plains, Djuma, Nottens, Sabi Sabi and Ulusaba amost others. One of the biggest concessions is Mala Mala. The Sabi Sands has a 50km unfenced boundary with the main Kruger Park allowing animals to roam freely. There is diverse habitat and the Sabi and Sand rivers provide life lines to over 400 species of birds and over 50 different mammals. Some of the original pioneering lodges in the area include Londolozi, Sabi Sabi and Mala Mala. One of the more traditional family run safaris camps is Notten's.
Timbavati Private Nature Reserve sits further north from Sabi Sands and also is home to the big 5 and a variety of lodges and camps. Fences between here and the Kruger Park were taken down in 1993 and most species have risen in number inside Timbavati since then. Camps and lodges amongst others here include Gomo Gomo with it's thatched rondavel rooms, Ngala and Tanda Tula for afro-colonial luxury, simple comfort at Umlani and bush camps with Transfrontiers Walking Safaris.
Manyeleti Game Reserve (meaning Place of Stars) is a pretty reserve which only has sand roads - no tarmac - and has few lodges on it's 23,000ha of land. The reserve has rocky hills and tree thickets but mainly savannah grasslands, home to elephant, rhino and large herds of buffalo over 600 in number. Manyeleti is in a great position with Sabi Sand to the south, Timbavati to the north and Kruger Park to the east. Private lodges here include Honeyguide and Tintswalo.
Klaserie Private Nature Reserve is to the west of Timbavati and sits either side of Klaserie River. Most lodges here are private or corporately owned and have few visitors. There is grainy soil and dense bush and woodlands. Leopard and lion live here but the other members of the big 5 are seldom seen. Walking safaris are a highlight here.
Thornybush Game Reserve does not border Kruger but it is part of Greater Kruger. It is a fenced 11,500ha area with the Northern Drakensberg Mountains in the background and containing mixed woodlands, savannah and rivers which are home to the big 5. There are 12 lodges in the reserve and the guides know the wildlife here intimately.