The Sabi Sand Game Reserve is adjacent to one of the largest parks in Africa known as Kruger National Park. It's known for being one of the best places to view the Big Five animals: lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard, and rhino.
Kirkman's Kamp
There are many options for lodging throughout the reserve. Our choice was Kirkman's Kamp, which is owned and operated by an ecotourism group named andBeyond. It's one of the more luxurious options for experiencing a safari, but an experience nonetheless.
Kirkman's Kamp operates on an old Victorian homestead. The private lodges are spread out in pairs, each with views of the beautiful landscape surrounding the camp. Groups of guests are assigned a single excursion guide, an animal tracker, and personal butler. These staff members remain the same throughout the stay!
The main lodge is decorated with old hunting trophies and rustic decor. There's a bar and lounge, plenty of seating, a small office for printing, and a large outdoor patio where meals are served.
The main lodge is decorated with old hunting trophies and rustic decor. There's a bar and lounge, plenty of seating, a small office for printing, and a large outdoor patio where meals are served.
The guest rooms have the same luxurious feel as a 5-star resort! Each has a full bathroom with separate shower, a private patio (with a view of wild animals), a king-size bed, and a fully stocked fridge.
Notes
- Upon arrival, you are assigned a safari guide and animal tracker who take you on your excursions. They don't change throughout your stay, which makes the entire experience more personal!
- You are also assigned a server who takes care of your group for all your meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This staff member also remains the same throughout the stay.
- Laundry services are complimentary, and very timely. Clothes set for wash in the morning are finished by the time you get back before bed.
- There are two excursions a day, early in the morning as the sun rises and later in the afternoon through sunset into the evening.
- At night, you aren't allowed to walk around the camp without a guide. There are wild animals everywhere and there have been attacks on guests in the past.
Day One - Hitting the Ground Running
We hopped off our plane at the Skukuza airstrip and were greeted by an andBeyond representative who would take us to the camp. Of course, we were extremely exhausted from the flights, but the excitement of being in the African bush made us forget how tired we were!
Right away, we were tossed into an open-air Land Cruiser and taken to the main lodge.
We were immediately greeted by staff members with smiles and waves, along with warm towels to refresh ourselves after a long, long trip.
Our bags were taken straight to our rooms while we checked in with a staff member named Gift. She also offered us lemonade as she gave us a tour of the main grounds.
We were immediately greeted by staff members with smiles and waves, along with warm towels to refresh ourselves after a long, long trip.
After we checked in, we got some showered and got some rest before heading to the main lodge for lunch. Our meal-server for the trip was a really outgoing guy named Friday!
Meals can be quite large, usually served with bread and butter to start, a starter salad or soup, and a main dish. Our lunch was fried fish and chips!
You also get dessert, which can include cheese platters and ice cream. The meals are no joke...
After lunch, we waited in the main lodge for our safari guide and tracker, Jono and Victor. Both were extremely friendly and really excited to take us on our first game drive!
The game drives are roughly 3-5 hours, depending on what animals are out and if the trackers are able to find them. It isn't the zoo, animals aren't just hanging out in specific areas. Each vehicle goes out, tracks the animals, and reports it to the other guides.
Sometimes you see tons of different animals, other times there just isn't much out there. Fortunately for us, we were able to see a couple out on our first game drive!
Impalas are a dime a dozen out in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve, but majestic nonetheless.
As the sun went down, we began to feel really ill effects from the jet lag. We were nodding off in the back of the Land Cruiser as we drove back to camp. It also got very, very cold! Along the way, our tracker flashed a large spotlight all around, looking for nocturnal animals.
We met up with another vehicle that had spotted a leopard earlier in the evening. We only caught a quick glimpse of it before it walked back into the bush. It was later mentioned to us that this leopard actually killed a female and took its carcass up in a tree, a rare thing to see.
With our first game drive in the books, we head back to the camp where we were greeted with warm towels and cold drinks. After drinks, we had a nice dinner by lamplight. With our bellies full, we made our way back to our room and crashed!
Meals can be quite large, usually served with bread and butter to start, a starter salad or soup, and a main dish. Our lunch was fried fish and chips!
You also get dessert, which can include cheese platters and ice cream. The meals are no joke...
After lunch, we waited in the main lodge for our safari guide and tracker, Jono and Victor. Both were extremely friendly and really excited to take us on our first game drive!
The game drives are roughly 3-5 hours, depending on what animals are out and if the trackers are able to find them. It isn't the zoo, animals aren't just hanging out in specific areas. Each vehicle goes out, tracks the animals, and reports it to the other guides.
Sometimes you see tons of different animals, other times there just isn't much out there. Fortunately for us, we were able to see a couple out on our first game drive!
Impalas are a dime a dozen out in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve, but majestic nonetheless.
We drove down into the dried riverbed to find one of our first Big Five animals, the lion. It took about an hour to spot them, but we finally found them lying in the sand!
As the sun went down, we began to feel really ill effects from the jet lag. We were nodding off in the back of the Land Cruiser as we drove back to camp. It also got very, very cold! Along the way, our tracker flashed a large spotlight all around, looking for nocturnal animals.
We met up with another vehicle that had spotted a leopard earlier in the evening. We only caught a quick glimpse of it before it walked back into the bush. It was later mentioned to us that this leopard actually killed a female and took its carcass up in a tree, a rare thing to see.
With our first game drive in the books, we head back to the camp where we were greeted with warm towels and cold drinks. After drinks, we had a nice dinner by lamplight. With our bellies full, we made our way back to our room and crashed!
Day Two - Drinks in the African Bush
The first game drive starts bright an early. We were well-rested and ready to go at 5am! We walked down to the main lodge and had some coffee while watching the sunrise.
The drive started with a hunt for buffalo. Our tracker spotted some buffalo tracks along the drive. We saw plenty of other interesting things while looking for them, including a saddlebill stork and some kudu.
We never found the buffalo, but we saw other interesting things while driving around. Our guide pointed out an old sycamore tree, over 100 years old!
We got up close and personal with a giraffe! These are also quite common around the reserve, but they're always amazing to see.
After driving around more, we spotted the white rhino on the road! This was one of our first big animals we were able to see up close!
After sitting and watching the rhinos resting in the road, we made our way towards a rocky bank on the Sand River. To our surprise, Victor and Jono set up a portable camping table and prepared some tea and coffee for us! We were able to get out of the vehicle, stretch out our legs, and sip our drinks with a view of the river.
Once we wrapped up our tea and coffee, we hopped into the Land Cruiser and continued on our drive. We stopped at a well-known tree where a leopard hides its cub while hunting. The Sabi Sand Game Reserve is well-known for its leopards. It's one of the best places to go to see them!
When we arrived, mother was out hunting, but the cub was hanging out in a tree!
The cub usually stays in the tree to avoid predators, but this one was really comfortable with us, so she came down into the grass to groom.
Being so close to a leopard was an amazing experience. Definitely one of the more memorable moments of the entire trip!
On the way back to camp, we ran into a zebra crossing! There were many of them. They cleared the road as our vehicle passed right by.
When we arrived back at the camp, we made our way to the dining patio for breakfast. Again, we were blown away by the food! Cereals, fruits, nuts, cheeses, jams, etc. They had it all!
After our big breakfast, we had plenty of free time until our afternoon game drive. It was the perfect time for a nap back at the lodge.
Afternoon
Before going on our afternoon game drive, Friday served us a hefty lunch of fresh potato salad, greens, and grilled ostrich. The ostrich was interesting. It tasted and looked like beef, but had the soft texture of chicken.
When we were ready, we hopped back into the Land Cruiser and made our way out. The weather was much warmer in the afternoon, which was refreshing. The sun was out in full force and we were able to see some new animals!
Among the new animals were nyala, a type of antelope.
Victor also spotted an eagle owl high up in one of the trees along the shaded river bank.
Jono decided to take us to an old rhino carcass down on the grassy river bank to see what was around. Along the way, we spotted another one of the Big Five animals, the buffalo!
Down on the river bank, we could tell we were close to the rhino carcass due to its strong stench. As we approached, vultures flew off into the air and we found ourselves surrounded by a pack of hyenas.
Hyenas are rather intimidating to look at, but these ones were very comfortable with us.
They were scavenging whatever was left of the rhino carcass. Occasionally, they'd let out a little laugh, which we found amusing!
Once we couldn't take the smell anymore, we continued on to find a spot to watch the sunset. On the way, we ran into a herd of about ten elephants. They seemed very aggravated and it was clear we weren't welcome. So, we didn't stay long.
We pulled up to a nice spot out in an open field to watch the sunset. Victor set up some wine, beer, and snacks for us. However, our break was cut short when another vehicle had notified us of four lionesses wandering about the property.
We had a quick drink and made our way to the lions! They were sitting in the sand in the dried-up riverbed. There were many other vehicles watching.
We ended up following the lionesses late into the night. Victor shined his spotlight on them so we could see. It was too dark to take any photos, so we have none to show!
After the long drive home, we had the usual appetizer and drinks before dinner.
Our dinner this evening was a traditional barbecue, or braai. There were all kinds of sausage, chicken quarters, and vegetables offered to our table! At the end of the dinner, we were treated to some singing and dancing.
It was a great way to end the night!
You can find more photos and read more about our visit to Kirkman's Kamp in part two!
Special thanks to my good friend, John Ocampo, for sharing his photos with us!
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