If you want to live in style and enjoy the best game viewing I have ever experienced then this is the place for you. Friendly, well run, good food, amazing animal trackers and great guides. Nothing but good.

We had been told repeatedly to go to Sabi Sabi for the amazing game and wildlife. We were fortunate to have really great safari experiences in Kruger and Madikwe so our bar for a great safari may be higher than others. I can honestly say that this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. If you are a safari lover, you must save your money and go here! Its worth every single penny (rand).

What made the safari experience at Sabi Sabi Little Bush so great?
(1) Knowledgable, professional guides. Richard was an absolute star and could spot chameleons, scorpions, and other rare sightings like nothing I've seen before. He really gave great insight into the area and into the game we saw.
(2) Plentiful cats! Everyone said, "Go to sabi sabi to see leopards." We saw leopards and lions daily, but more importantly, we saw leopards mating. In the daylight. And then saw another leopard just walking around - in broad daylight! It was amazing to continually see leopards for hours on end. AMAZING!
(3) Comfortable vehicles. The vehicles for Sabi Sabi are amazing well kept. They don't crowd their vehicles, which is something that has frustrated me at other lodges. I actually go to ride next to my husband, which I've never done before! Fantastic!
(4) Flexibility. Because its a private reserve, there's more flexibility in the safaris than in Kruger. We were able to do walking safaris, which is such a great experience! In addition, we saw a kill on our evening drive. After dinner, one of the guides offered to take us back out (at 9:30pm!) to see what animals had come to check out the kill. It was so great to see the animals that were out at that hour - owls, cervals, hyena, and more!
(5) Star gazing. Richard had an amazing laser that he used to point out all the amazing constellations in the sky. No other guide has done that for us before. Fantastic!

Here's what else is great about Sabi Sabi:
-- Meals are simply amazing! Its great to go somewhere that offers choices at meal times rather than a buffet. My breakfast of mushrooms, scrambled eggs, and parmesan cheese was heaven on earth. Sabi Sabi's burger with onion rings? YUM. There was something for everyone on the breakfast and lunch menus. Dinners were 3 course plated meals served on white linens with candlelight. I asked the chef for recipes because the food was so great. Definitely a plus!
-- The pool area is really relaxing with tons of chaise lounges and a comfortable pool.
-- Our bedroom was fantastically appointed and comfortable. We loved getting in our jacuzzi after dinner, although the rangers had scared us into feeling like a "leopard potjie" as a female leopard had urinated all around our room the night before.
-- That leads into a next point - Wildlife are in absolute abundance at the lodge! Elephants walked right next to our room and bushbuck were frequently in front of our door.
-- We mentioned it was our anniversary and came back to our room to find rose petals, candles, and a bottle of champagne! A bubble bath was also drawn and had rose petals and candles all around. INCREDIBLY romantic.

Sabi Sabi has three other lodges. We were not drawn to Bush Lodge as we'd rather stay somewhere that only has a few rooms than a bunch. Selati is supposed to be nice, but I don't think it will be the same bush experience as Little Bush. Earth Lodge should be absolutely amazing, but its the most expensive of the four. Little Bush is the least expensive, but believe me, it didn't feel that way!

The service and accomodation at Sabi Sabi is top class. You will not (cannot!) be disappointed by a stay here as they have already thought of everything to make you comfortable. While its quite pricey, its worth every penny. I'd much prefer to stay here once than to have a bunch of safaris at a lesser price. It is, by far, the best place we stayed in South Africa! Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

The lodge itself is one of the more basic lodges in the Sabi Sabi family. But, it's also very small which means you get to know everyone there. The rooms were comfortable with AC and a large bath. Our room had a deck with a hot tub, but it was not completely private since the path to the pool passed behind the room. The bed was comfortable and the room was well-furnished. I especially liked having the mini-bar that is setup to make a gin and tonic in your room. (Complete with fresh lemon!)

The menu is quite large for a safari lodge. Most of the things we had were very good, but some were a little off the mark. They served a full breakfast, a large lunch with as many courses as you like, and a big dinner. Plus tea with snacks and snacks while out on safari. So, you will not go hungry! The bar had an excellent selection beverages. The inclusive wines were fine table wines, and the exclusive list is impressive (though the prices seemed high relative to elsewhere in SA).

We saw lots of animals while on game drives. However, because of the density of guests in the sabi sabi reserve, we also saw lots of other guests. So, the game drives almost started to seem orchestrated -- we got to see lots of animals, but it felt a little like a guided tour and not a "luck of the draw" safari drive. The walking safari was good fun and a good change of pace.

We did have some problems on departure. Most importantly, the manager mixed up the time for our outward flight. So, we nearly missed it. Also, I had a great deal of difficultly figuring out what the appropriate tipping procedure was. When I was leaving a staff time, the manager seemed to suggest that I might want to leave tips for individuals, but didn't suggest whom. (I'd already tipped the guide and tracker.) Tipping is always a little bit uncomfortable in a foreign country/new setting, and a little more directness from the manager on this topic would have been helpful -- especially since I was asking away from other guests.

My wife and I, along with some friends spent 2 nights at the Little Bush Camp. Enough cannot be said about how aaaamazing this experience was. From the moment you arrive to the time you leave, the place, the people, the game viewing is fantastic. Both Hugo and Alta, who are the hosts at Little Bush camp are wonderful, they did everything possible to make our stay as lovely and warm as possible. The chef at the camp is brilliant and cooked us everything we fancied. Offcourse, the greatest of all was our ranger, Richard. He made our game experience infinitely better. Richard is extremely knowledgeable about the jungle and made the safaris so much more fun. We all looked forward to our drives with Richard as much as we did to view the animals. I would highly recommend anyone going to Little Bush camp to request for Richard as their ranger. Sabi Sabi is a very special place and we would highly recommend it to anyone considering going to South Africa for the Safari. The game viewing was fantastic...we pretty much saw everything there is to see in the Jungle..including a live kill