Enjoy A Luxury Safari Stay At Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge

An Amazing Luxury Safari Stay At Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge

Our great African adventure finished with a luxury safari stay at Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge.  We were spoiled with the pampering environment on our stay at the Thorntree River Lodge in Zambia.  But we were certainly delighted when we found an equal level of luxurious accommodations and excellent customer service on this stay at the Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge for 4 days.

While we would have been quite content to just enjoy our lovely large suite and the public spaces at the lodge, we headed out twice a day for wildlife safaris. Each safari experience provided amazing close encounters with the local wildlife.  Animals walked right by our jeep, we saw wildlife devouring their kills, lion cubs were so cute we almost forgot about their deadly parents and we finally saw leopards!

This safari stay in South Africa exceeded all of our expectations about what a true luxury safari experience should be!

Travelling To The Sabi Sabi Private Reserve

After our 3 day stay at the game lodge in Zambia we travelled back to South Africa.  We flew with AirLink on the smaller Embraer jets.  And when only 4 passengers boarded on a plane that held 37, it felt like we had a private plane experience.

Leaving Zambia, we flew over the amazing Victoria Falls.  On our stay in Zambia, we explored the Victoria Falls from the ground and by helicopter.  But it was awesome to get this final view of the cascading waters as we left.

As we approached the Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport we saw vast green agricultural fields below us.  We knew we would have a great fresh supply of produce on this stay in South Africa.  But it was hard to believe there were massive safari parks nearby.

We got off the plane on the tarmac and with so few passengers, we had our luggage in no time.  Our driver loaded our bags and we settled in for a long 2 hour transit to the lodge.  There were seemingly endless fields of bananas. We saw a little of the local life when we passed through the towns.  And saw locals with large stalls on the roadside selling fruit and veggies.  The last part of our drive was over rough dirt roads as we approached the Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve.  

Options For Flying Out

We were happy when we learned that our departure from the lodge was at the smaller Skukuza Airport.  It took less than an hour to drive to this airport.  But when we learned that there was a private airstrip on the Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve, we wondered if that might be a better option for a return visit.

We left the Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve and entered the Kruger National Park to reach the Skukuza Airport.  We got a little glimpse at how different Kruger might be for a safari visit.  The strict rules were posted at the gate.  And we saw the closed safari vehicles that were required inside Kruger.  A very different environment than we found on our private game reserve experience.

The Skukuza Airport was a very small airport in the heart of safari country.  There were only a few flights per day.  We flew with AirLink back to Johannesburg and were again on a smaller Embraer jet.  The baggage constraints for these small planes meant we bought virtually nothing on our visit to Africa.  This time our travel was certainly not a near private flight.  Almost every seat was taken! 

We discovered many different ways to reach the Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve for a luxury safari stay at Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge.

An Amazing Safari Lodge 

The Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve had 4 different lodges located in the South-Western section of the Greater Kruger National Park.  The reserve was located on a central plain between two rivers providing an environment that attracted a wide variety of wildlife.  With no fences between the private reserves and Kruger, animals regularly moved across boundaries.  

Sabi Sabi drew its name from the Sabie River which meant the “river of fear”.  This reflected the area that teemed with the wildlife of the area.

The Sabi philosophy for its collection of family-owned resorts was “yesterday, today and tomorrow”.  The Sabi Sabi Earth Resort represented the future.  And as soon as we entered, we saw why!

Our driver pulled up and we thought we might have a long walk to find the resort.  There were no building structures visible from the entrance.  When we walked down the path, we got our first glimpse of the resort carved into the earth. 

The main buildings and all of the 13 suites in individual buildings were below the entrance.  But they were high above the local area with stunning views over the South African bushveld. We got such amazing views during the day and for sunset each night.

Our first view was a bit of a surprise for a luxury safari stay at Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge.

A Great Luxury Suite On Our Luxury Safari Stay At Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge

We checked in and were escorted to our massive suite.  Our suite was lovely with several different areas to relax.  The large king bed came complete with a mosquito net.  We had a large soaker tub to relax after long safari days.  Showers were located both indoors and outdoors.

Our large covered patio had lots of spots to relax and we enjoyed the stunning views out to the pond.  Each suite had its own small pool and lounge chairs with a large umbrella.  We had a table and chairs on the patio which could be used for a private dinner.

Inside the room we found a well-stocked fridge with a wide variety of wines and spirits.  We even found a bottle of sparking wine on ice.  The comprehensive coffee and tea bar was great.

The most interesting thing we found in the room was a complete artist kit.  I really wanted to believe I might take up art on this visit.  But it just never happened.

Our suite was a stunning spot to ensure a luxury safari stay at Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge.

Lovely Public Spaces To Relax

If our suite was a relaxing haven, we found many other spaces around the Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge to enjoy and relax.  The design was earthy and filled with with local art and architecture.

The bar area had a big roaring fire that was great when it was a bit chillier at the beginning or end of our days.  The library was another cozy spot we found to enjoy.

The resort had a massive wine cellar with over 6,000 bottles of South African wines.  The venue was available for dinner but we simply ran out of time and energy to enjoy this treat.

The resort also had a large spa on the property that offered a wide variety of treatments.  With a very busy schedule for 4 days, we never managed to find time to enjoy the spa. But there were days when we got off the jeeps and really wanted a good massage!

We loved the natural design of the safari lodge.  It definitely made for a luxury safari stay at Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge.

Food And Drink Started Early In The Day

The morning game drive started at 6am.  We were wakened by a call at 5:30 and had a short time to grab a coffee and a quick morning snack before we headed out for our morning game drive.  There was a great selection to ensure we never started the day hungry.  And one day, we were surprised with a stop on our morning game drive for a coffee break.

When we returned from our morning game drive, a full breakfast was available.  The buffet tables offered a healthy selection.  And the breakfast hot food menu always had one daily special.  The only breakfast challenge came when we skipped a morning game drive.  Full breakfast service always started close to 9am.  But as early risers, we got coffee and a snack 6am to hold us over.

Lunch was then available at 1pm.  The lunch menu never changed but there was a good selection of options for our 4 day stay.

Afternoon Tea was available at 3:30 pm in the lobby area.  For a special treat, Afternoon Tea could even be taken at a table in a small pool.

Our afternoon game drive started at 4pm.  When we did game drives on our Rovos Luxury Train trip, we were introduced to the “Sundowner” tradition.  Our jeeps stopped every day as sunset approached.  Cocktails and small snacks were served with a stunning African sunset view.

On our luxury safari stay at Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge we started the day well fed.

Great Food And Drink Finished Our Days

We generally arrived back at the lodge around 7pm for dinner.  Each night we stayed at the Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge dinner was served in a slightly different spot.  One night we ate in the garden with the sounds of wildlife really close.  On another night, we sat at candlelit tables around the lobby. The Boma dinner was a special setting with fires, safari lanterns and the endless night sky above us.

For dinner, the chef came to each table and presented the dinner options.  For each course we had a few choices including a vegetarian option.  There was always an interesting set of fresh local food and we ate well. 

Some nights we were so exhausted we chose simple dinners with no desserts and headed to our suite a bit earlier. But on our last night, we were tempted with a great caramel and chocolate treat we could not pass on!

Wine and cocktails were freely available throughout the resort and at meals.  The wine selection was always great.  We saw many of the tasty wines on the menu that we found on our wine tasting trip to Stellenbosch earlier in this trip.  

The food was plentiful, tasty and the selections varied.  David continued his search for exotic foods and tried warthog, springbok and ostrich.  With the very long and busy days, we did not really take good advantage of the wide open bar.  But great food and drink were a hallmark of this luxury safari stay at Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge.

Customer Service Exceeded Expectations On Our Luxury Safari Stay At Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge

From the moment we arrived, we knew we were in for customer service treat.  Every time we came in the front entrance, we were greeted with cold or warm cloths and a welcoming drink.  This was always a treat after 3 hours bouncing in a jeep.

The reception staff and lodge manager checked in with guests on a regular basis to ensure we had everything we needed.  Restaurant staff got to know us well over the four days.  They knew how we liked our coffee, stopped questioning when we turned down dessert and continually tried to tempt us with great wine selections.  On our final night, they made sure we got a chocolate treat! Everyone we interacted with made our stay extra special.

Our room was meticulously maintained during our stay.  Twice a day the housekeeping staff did a thorough refresh of the room.  And on our final night we got a special treat laid out on our bed.

We had an amazing ranger Ruan for our game drives.  He and the tracker Donald went out of their way to deliver amazing safari experiences.  They patiently sought out the sights we wanted and the special experiences they wanted to share with us.  Our game drives exceeded all of our expectations.

A luxury resort misses the mark when the great environment is not supported by exemplary customer service.  But our luxury safari stay at Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge delivered the pampering, proactive customer delight that made this stay extra special.

Not Far To Go For Wildlife Experiences

We expected to see a lot of wildlife on game drives on our safari lodge stay in South Africa.  But when we checked into the Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge, we were warned not to leave our suite after dark without an escort.  Both elephants and rhinos were known to wander the paths of the resort.  We had the same instructions on our stay at our safari lodge in Zambia and we learned to obey the warning.

The first time we saw elephants wander past the patio at lunch, we were in awe.  But we regularly found them at the pond by the garden where we ate.  On our last day we even saw a full family of elephants sipping from the pond.

One day as we walked back to our suite after lunch, an elephant appeared to be stalking us.  He followed us right to our suite and we scurried inside when we thought he might come right down the path.  Later that night, our escort after dark confirmed the elephant still stood on our roof.  One day our neighbour actually had an elephant come up to drink from his pool and he got sprayed!

We were never surprised when we saw elephants wandering on the resort.  Several times we saw antelope come close to our pool.  We watched every night for the hippos to leave the pond behind our suite and wander ashore.  But we sadly never saw a hippo up close on the property.

Close encounters with wildlife on the resort was certainly an exciting part of our luxury safari stay at Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge. 

We Saw The African Big Five On Two Game Drives A Day

We had so many great wildlife encounters on this safari lodge stay.  Every day we had two long game drives in open jeeps with only 2 other people.  We were so excited to see all of the Big 5 African animals so very close – elephants, buffalo, rhinos, lions and leopards.  Some we saw several times and others we watched in large groups.  We saw 4 of the 5 on our previous trip to Africa.  So we were delighted when we finally saw the leopards on this trip.

Our animal encounters gave us so many thrills.  Several days we saw playful lion cubs under the watchful eye of the lioness.  We saw the remnants of night kills for both lions and leopards.  And the animals cleaning the blood from their fur.  We saw the endangered wild dogs and hyenas as they waited for others to be finished with their kills

We Got Even More Stunning Animal Experiences

On our game drives, we saw so many other animals too.  A visit to the pond gave us a peek at the hippos in the water.  Zebra ran in the fields.  Giraffes wandered across the path in front of us.  

On every drive we saw large groups of Impala galloping in the fields. And we saw other antelope animals like Kudu, Eland, Nyala and Waterbuck.  The warthogs were plentiful but ran away when the jeep got close.

Sitting back we got a great look at the animal life.  But the zoom lens on our camera got us amazing close up views of the animals.  We saw how the elephants and giraffes stripped the trees bare of leaves.  Elephants batted their eyelashes.  And lions bared their teeth.  We were fascinated with our close up pics.

Every day we had a new exciting animal encounter.  We were so happy this African adventure met all wildlife expectations on our luxury safari stay at Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge. 

We Would Definitely Return For Another Luxury Safari Stay At Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge

On this visit to Africa, we had an amazing adventure.  Each stop on our itinerary added so many great experiences.  It was crowned by our final stop for a luxury safari stay at Sami Sabi Earth Lodge. 

The lodge and accommodations were lovely and luxurious.  Food and drink was plentiful and tasty.  And all of this was delivered with customer service that delighted us.  

The game drives delivered above and beyond on the safari experience we came to Africa for.  We could not believe how close we got to the wildlife.  We enjoyed cubs at play and were enthralled as animals devoured their kills.  Each day was another amazing sight.

Our stay at the Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge was the perfect way for us to do an African safari trip.  And when the wonder wore off, we knew we would be considering a return trip.

Have you experienced a luxury safari stay at Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge?  Did it exceed all of your expectations?

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