Rothschild Safaris Itinerary
TYPICAL DAY IN THE SABI SANDS GAME RESERVE
The Sabi Sands Game Reserve is a private reserve sharing a border with the famous Kruger National Park with no fences separating the two renowned safari destinations, which makes it a fabulous game experience year-round. The area is known for its predators, attracted by the abundance of plains game.
A typical day will have you waking up early to head out with your guide in search of tracks and spoor leading to those coveted wildlife sightings either by vehicle or on foot, and often a combination of both. Back at the lodge the staff will pamper you with great service and big smiles whilst you relax in between activities. In the evening dine on delicious food and sit around the campfire listening to the nightly sounds of the bush.
GAME DRIVES
Professional and knowledgeable rangers conduct early morning and late afternoon/evening game drives daily in search of Africa's big game. The latest state-of-the-art, open game drive vehicles have individual bucket seats and centre consoles, ensuring optimum safety and comfort. Leopard Hills prides itself on some of the industry's finest rangers, and they offer a safari experience like no other, from sightings of big game in their natural surroundings to smaller fauna and flora.
WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY
Those with a passion for wildlife photography will receive various tips from their experienced ranger on taking the perfect picture while on their game drive or walking safari. The rangers of Leopard Hills are passionate about photography, many of them having entered renowned local and international competitions with great results.
WALKING SAFARIS
Exploring the African wilderness on foot offers a real sense of immersion, allowing you to absorb every detail of the environment. Led by an experienced, fully qualified Trails Guide, each walking safari is tailored to match your interests and abilities. Trails can be adjusted based on your preferences, whether it's a shorter walk of 1-2 hours after a morning game drive or a longer trail that replaces the drive entirely. As you navigate the landscape, your senses heighten, revealing nature's hidden wonders, like a striking leopard tortoise, a fascinating rhino beetle, or the vibrant plumage of a lilac-breasted roller. These walking safaris provide an unforgettable opportunity to connect with nature up close.
Up at 5:05 am, we meet everyone in the lodge at 6 am. We were out on the game drive by 6:15 am.
The excitement for the morning was a female Cheetah and her three cubs. While cheetahs are only slightly less rare than the Wild African Dogs, the guide said that they only see Cheetahs about every two months.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists cheetahs as Vulnerable. While their population is also in decline and they inhabit only a fraction of their historical range, there are more of them than wild dogs. Population estimates vary, but recent figures suggest a global population of around 6,500 to 7,000.
As the cheetahs moved off from their kill, the white backed vultures moved in.
After breakfast, I worked on organizing my pictures and updating my blog. I am enjoying the wifi! It is better here than at the Makanyi Lodge.
Sharon and I took a short nap. Afterwards, I went to the fitness center. I did a 30 minute Peloton upper body strength workout and walked for 10 minutes on the treadmill.
We skipped lunch.
After getting cleaned up, Sharon and I spent the rest of the afternoon watching a variety of animals visit the watering hole behind our room. At first, Sharon wasn't happy with our room. As it turns out, it might be the best room at the lodge! Lots of different animals walked behind our deck over the course of the four days that we were here.
We met everyone back in the lodge at 3:15 pm for high tea and the evening game drive. One of the trackers from the lodge tracked a pair of mating leopards down in a dry sandy wash. All three trucks from the lodge spent an extended time with the leopards. While the female made a couple overtures towards mating, the guide said that they had only been together for a day and the male wasn't getting all of the right signals yet.
We took our evening break late. Watching lightning on the horizon, we made a dash for the lodge as the wind picked up. It looked like it was going to start raining hard, but it never did.
One note about the lodge. After dark, we can't walk outside your room without a security guard. There have been several leopard sightings between the rooms in recent months. Once we got back to the room after the evening game drive, we had someone escort us to our room. Then, we had to call to get someone to take us back to the lodge for dinner.
We had dinner with the guide (Johan) in the main lodge. Both Sharon and I had tomato soup and prawn pasta. The dinner conversation went off on a couple of tangents where I didn't participate.
We crashed really early. We were both in bed by 9 pm.
One footnote. At both lodges, our itinerary talks about taking bush walks. It turns out that you have to be under 60 years old in order to go on a bush walk!?! None of us qualify...
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