South Africa’s 5 Best Game Reserves

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Written By Evan Dunstone

Congrats, you’ve made the wise decision of choosing South Africa for your safari destination, known for its great value, abundant wildlife, ease of travel, and ethical safari practises.

Now you simply need to choose the right game reserve that will suit exactly what you’re looking for, and we’re here to help with a list of 5 of the best game reserves in South Africa, especially for first timers!

Spoiler they’re all in the Greater Kruger National Park!

This is a personal as well as professional preference, although there are a few other options in other areas that will be right up there in terms of the amount of wildlife you’ll see and standard of hospitality.

So why the Greater Kruger you ask?

  • It’s the most natural and expansive of all the reserves making it the most authentic safari experience.

  • It’s probably your best chance of seeing the Big 5 (especially leopards) and an abundance of wildlife.

  • There is a very high level of hospitality.

  • It’s easily accessible from JHB & Cape Town.

  • The wildlife viewing is highly ethical.

  • It’s the most famous for a good reason.

Now as I mentioned there are other options that are right up there with the Greater Kruger namely Phinda in KwaZulu Natal Province and Madikwe in North West Province. However, we feel like the most important factor for us has to be the size of the wilderness area the wildlife is restricted to and the Greater Kruger is simply incomparable in this category being in excess of 35 000 square kilometres if you combine it with Kruger National Park and the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park. That unfenced area is larger than Belgium for reference!

Let’s have a look at each of these game reserves and what makes them so special, and the perfect place to experience your first safari in South Africa.

1. Sabi Sands Game Reserve

65 000 hectares

Some have described it as the best place on earth to fill up your camera card with Big 5 sightings in the shortest amount of time. Most notable of these would be the usually shy and elusive leopard which almost seem to be around each corner in the Sabi Sands. And due to decades of habituation, they are incredibly relaxed in the presence of vehicles, giving guests outstanding opportunities to view them up close and for extended amounts of time.

The accommodation and hospitality in the Sabi Sands is absolutely world class in general although prices do tend to be a bit higher due to its fame and popularity which is justified.

Fly into Skukuza Airport for the Southern Sabi Sands and Hoedspruit Eastgate Airport for Northern Sabi Sands. Most lodges also offer shuttle and charter flights to their airstrips.

Here are some of our favorite lodges in the area to give you a taste of what’s on offer:

2. Manyeleti Game Reserve

24 000 hectares

Sandwiched between the Sabi Sands, Kruger National Park, and the Timbavati, you know the wildlife is going to be incredible in the Manyeleti. Most well-known for its brilliant lion sightings especially, game drives have a traversing area size of 24 000 hectares over the entire reserve! And the vehicle density is very low here giving guests the opportunity to stay with special sightings for an extended amount of time. One negative to mention is that the main roads are open to the public, however when staying at a private lodge they are able to keep you off the main roads for most of your game drives. There are very few lodges on the reserve and the landscape and vegetation is beautifully varied. Fly into Hoedspruit Eastgate Airport to reach the reserve within an hour and a half.

Here are some of our favorite lodges in the area to give you a taste of what’s on offer:

 3. Timbavati Game Reserve

53 000 hectares

Home to the famous white lion pride that sometimes frequent the area, and very healthy lion populations in general, Timbavati is a beautiful reserve with a decent lodge to area ratio. Lodges here adhere to high ethical wildlife viewing practices and game drives are slower paced but with an abundance of wildlife to keep guests entertained. Its 53 000 hectares of some of Africa’s most pristine wilderness! What makes it special is that it has a very good balance of abundant wildlife coupled with a low density of lodges and vehicles.

Here are some of our favorite lodges in the area to give you a taste of what’s on offer:

 4. Thornybush Game Reserve

14 000 hectares

Located to the West of Timbavati, without fences obstructing the flow of wildlife between these reserves and the Kruger National Park, Thornybush feels more action packed both in terms of wildlife sightings and also vehicle traffic. Although the professional guides are able to keep away from other vehicles and sightings are still limited to only 3 vehicles per sighting so it does still feel exclusive with quality, ethical game viewing. Lions are common to see on the reserve along with wild dogs, hyena, and many other high-profile animals. One should expect to see the Big 5 and much more if staying for a few days. The reserve is 14 000 hectares and there are some outstanding lodge options here!

Here are some of our favorite lodges in the area to give you a taste of what’s on offer:

5. Klaserie Game Reserve

60 000 hectares

Klaserie has the lowest lodge and vehicle density of these reserve options which creates a slow, authentic, exclusive and wild safari experience but the only drawback being that the wildlife sightings aren’t as action packed as the others. You can still expect to see the Big 5 although you may need a bit more time than a 2 or 3 day stay. Of course anything can happen in the bush! So, it will come down to your personal preference of travel style. It is a very large reserve at 60 000 hectares and the now unfenced reserve is more of a new endeavour as it was formerly mostly privately owned land and lodges that are now being commercialised and offered to the public. There are more and more world class lodge options popping up and they are absolutely stunning.

Here are some of our favorite lodges in the area to give you a taste of what’s on offer:

Each of these reserves offers something unique and we often recommend our guests to combine 2 or more lodges in different reserves to get totally different experiences. There are also various budget options in each from bush lodges to ultra-lux lodges and each will offer value in different departments such as a focus on wildlife or a focus on accommodation and facilities. It’s important therefore to know what you’re looking for to get the most value for your money and to get the most out of your safari experience.

If you’re ready to start planning your safari to South Africa, please reach out to us and we’d be happy to help!

Email: info@nalaafrica.com

Evan Dunstone
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