The Kruger National Park is one of the most famous wildlife reserves in Africa and is associated with unbelievable diversity, which provides a perfect example of an African safari. It is located in northeast South Africa and covers more than 7500 square miles; it harbors a wide variety of wildlife including the popular Big Five lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, and rhino. Although Kruger National Park itself is a great place to view the game, numerous tourists want to have even more exclusive and intimate experience. And this is where in the proximity of Kruger National Park there are the best of the private game reserves. These reserves offer a more intimate safari experience and in many cases, they offer luxurious accommodation, private game drives and the chance to see wildlife in a personalized environment, not accompanied by the crowds of people.
In this all-purpose manual we shall venture into the most suitable private game reserves that adjacent Kruger National Park, what they are like, what they offer, and what makes them so special. Whether it is extraordinary wildlife experience or the refined accommodation, these game reserves provide a once in lifetime chance to enjoy the South African wilderness.
What Does the best privatized game reserves in the Kruger national park make involved?
It is worth knowing what the best personal reserves bordering the Kruger National Park have worth over the rest before venturing into the personal reserves.
1. Exclusive Access: These reserves provide a guest with a personal access to the land, which implies much less amount of people compared to Kruger National Park. Game drives will often be set to a few guests, which makes the game drive experience intimate. This enables a more intimate experience, whereby professional rangers can provide custom experiences depending on interest with the guests.
2. Private Game Drives: This is one of the greatest benefits of purchasing a stay in a private game reserve and it is because of the fact that it is possible to take private game drives. In contrast to Kruger, in which the cars can be shared with other guests, in the private game reserves, the tourists can enjoy the wilderness in small and exclusive groups often with their own guides and followers who will tell them their long time experience with the ecosystem.
3. Big Five Sightings: It is a mere look to determine that the private game reserves all surround Kruger and have an immense number of wildlife including the Big Five. The presence of these reserves near the Kruger National Park makes these reserves have much in common in their species and ecosystem giving them good chances of wildlife viewing in a less crowded and quiet atmosphere.
4. Off-Roading Opportunities: one of the major aspects with the private game reserves is the off-roading opportunity available in the game drives. At Kruger National Park, the only options available to the vehicles are to drive on created roads, whereas in the private reserves, you can be driven off-road by a ranger to have a closer, more personal experience with wildlife. This presents you with a rare opportunity to be intimate and close to animals, and at the same time be in a safe place.
5. Extraordinary Four-Star Hotels: The private reserves have some of the most exceptional four-star hotels in South Africa. These game reserves are smaller, harder-to-reach, and offer already furnished lodges, private villas, and fancy tented camps, which allow a more lavish and spacious experience of a safari than the bigger, busier parks with a wider range of services.
6. Conservation and Sustainability: Some of the finest examples of the private game reserves along the Kruger National Park boundaries are dedicated to conservation and sustainable tourism. Such reserves have been seen to collaborate with local communities and wildlife conservation projects to make sure that the wildlife are conserved and their natural habitat maintained to be used by the future generations.
Top 5 best private game reserves bordering Kruger national park.
Having now known what is so special about these reserves, we shall enter into a few of the finest of the private game reserves that border Kruger National Park. These reserves are unique in their luxury, service, wildlife experiences and closeness to Krupers iconic landscape.
1. Sabi Sand Game Reserve
Sabi Sand Game Reserve is arguably the famed private game reserve that borders Kruger National Park. Sabi Sand which is situated west of Kruger is an extension of the larger Kruger region; providing an amazing safari experience and is more focused on privacy, luxury, and excellent game viewing. Reserve is a place of leopards, some of the most photographed wildlife in Africa, due to the off-road accessibility of the reserve and the experience of the rangers and trackers.
• Highlights: Sabi Sand has one of the most memorable game viewing experiences in Africa, where there are frequent sighting of the big five and other wildlife species including cheetah wild dogs and a variety of more extraordinary bird species. Another activity the reserve is also famous at is its conservation and community development work.
Marketing strategies: Luxury lodges like the Singita Sabi Sand, Londolozi and Dulini offer all-star fictional accommodations and their exclusive villas and tented camps offer unexampled privacies and convenience.
The activities: Game drives, bush walks, and special dining options are among the highlights but what makes Sabi Sand unique is its unique and intimate nature and this is as such that renders it popular with people who prefer an intimate and exclusive safari.
2. Timbavati Private Nature Reserve.
Timbavati Private Nature Reserve is yet another wonder lying to the north of the Sabi Sand next to the Kruger National Park. Timbavati is a part of the Greater Kruger ecosystem and has been known to give the same spectacular wildlife view with much fewer people.
• Highlights: Timbavati has a lot to boast of: there are white lions, a genetic anomaly that is very rare and beautiful that have attracted visitors over the years. Timbavati does not just host the white lions only, but also the Big Five, and even more animals such as giraffes, zebras, and various antelope species among others.
• Lodging: Visitors have options of accommodation, including the lavish Timbavati Safari Lodge to the smaller and more personalized Ngala Tented Camp. Numerous of the lodges are oriented to combining the elements of luxury and nature with a more informal and intimate feel.
Activities: Game drives, guided bush walks and cultural interaction with the local communities are only a few of the activities you will face at the Timbavati. There are no crowds and a variety of wildlife makes it a wonderful alternative to people who seek a calmer safari.
3. MalaMala Game Reserve
One of the largest privately owned game reserves in the Greater Kruger region is known as MalaMala Game Reserve and is found along the shores of the sand river. It has been the favorite of safari lovers over the decades providing the genuine safari experience with the best view of wildlife and high-end luxury accommodations.
• Highlights: MalaMala is famed with the vastness of predators, especially leopards, lions and cheetahs. The reserve has got an expansive size and wide range of habitats that enable one to have a good animal viewing experience all the year round and thus it is among the best places to view the Big Five.
• Accommodation: The luxurious MalaMala Main Camp and Sable Camp have elegant rooms with magnificent views of the reserve whereas Rattray on MalaMala has a more close and exclusive experience that would provide the ultimate luxury to the visitors.
• Activities: Guests will have the opportunity to participate in two similar game drives a day namely, early morning and late afternoon drives during which rangers and trackers will assist the guests to view the games at the most appropriate places of viewing. There are also the options of the private vehicles when one would like to get the most out of the safari.
4. Kruger Private Reserves (Phalaborwa, Balule)
The Kruger Private Reserves comprising of Phalaborwa and Balule lie along the North and the Western boundaries of the Kruger National Park. These reserves are characterized by the variety of wildlife, great game viewing possibilities and a less developed environment than the more frequented sections of Kruger.
Highlights: Kruger Private Reserves are the home of the big variety of wildlife and one can find elephants, rhinos, lion, leopard, and buffalo. In particular, the town of Phalaborwa features huge herds of elephants and the town of Balule features some of the best predator viewing areas with lions, hyenas among others.
• Accommodation: The Balule Nature Reserve has lodges like Shindzela Tented Camp to people in need of an immersive experience in a safari. Phalaborwa has nicer ones like the Gondwana Game Reserve.
Activities: Visitors have the opportunities to enjoy a traditional game drive, guided bush walks and even bush breakfast in some of the further corners of the reserves. These reserves have few visitors and offer a better chance of having a Peaceful and less crowded experience which could be of interest to a person who wants a more personalized experience with the Safari.
5. Balule Nature Reserve
Greater Kruger and Balule Nature Reserve is a section of a very large reserve within the Greater Kruger that will provide an excellent safari experience with less visitors. The reserve is situated in the western region of Kruger and is an aspect of Greater Kruger ecosystem, implying that it shares a fence free border with Kruger.
Highlights: Balule is famous because of its high populations of buffalo, elephants, and predators such as lions and leopards; which provides enormous game viewing opportunities.
• Accommodation: There are a wide range of accommodations available to the guests in the form of luxury safari lodges like Klein, Camp to single tented camps like Shindzela Tented Camp.
• Activities: Balule is the best place to be when a more intimate and quieter safari is needed as part of its activities include private game drives, walking safari and bird watching.
In conclusion: What is the reason to select the Best Private game reserves bordering the Kruger national park?
The finest private game reserves in the areas near Kruger national park can provide people with an excellent chance to feel the African wilderness in a comfortable and fashionable way. You are either wild life lover or a photographer or you are just wanting a unique and luxurious safari experience these reserves are the place where you will get to see this magnificent creatures of the area out of the bustle and commotion.
You can have the popular Sabi Sand game reserve and the much quieter Timbavati and MalaMala each with their own respective offerings, so that every kind of traveler will find something he or she likes. Having professionally trained guides, custom made game drives, luxurious lodges and a focus on conservation, these private game reserves provide the inimitable safari experience of the world. The largest private game reserves that are found adjacent to the Kruger national park are the ideal options to those who want the most wildlife adventure.
