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History, Balule Reserve, Blyde River Canyon, Kapama Reserve, Klaserie Reserve, Makalali Reserve, Manyaleti Reserve, Sabi Sand Reserve, Thornybush Reserve, Timbavati Reserve, Umbabat Reserve

History

In 1926, the Kruger National Park was officially proclaimed as South Africa's first national park. The privately-owned land to the west of Kruger, including the Sabi Sand and other territory was excluded from the new national park and most of this wild bush country was used by the owners for livestock farming or private hunting grounds.

Over the years, some of the landowners to the land west of Kruger organized and combined their lands into private wildlife reserves. The first of these was the Sabi Sand Reserve, which was created in 1948. Several lodges in the newly formed Sabi Sand immediately opened to the public for game viewing.

Further north of the Sabi Sand, more landowners also began organizing into private wildlife reserves and these included the Timbavati, Thornybush, Manyaleti, Klaserie and others.

Today these private wildlife reserves all offer exclusive wildlife safari lodges and privately-guided safaris that rival safaris anywhere in Africa. The reserves are sometimes referred to as The Kruger Private Reserves.

Sabi Sand Reserve

Created in 1948, the 240-square-mile (623-sq-km) Sabi Sand Reserve is world famous for its astoundingly good wildlife viewing, and in particular, for its abundance of leopards and the ease with which one can view these beautiful cats. The reserve shares a border with Kruger National Park and is the most visited of the private reserves.

Besides leopards, the Sabi Sand offers near-assurance of seeing the Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, rhino, buffalo) as well as near non-stop general game viewing and excellent birding. The stellar reputation for excellent safari experiences is well deserved and untold numbers of safari aficionados return to the reserve again and again.

The Sabi Sand offers a wide selection of safari lodges, all of which offer exclusive safaris and world-class guiding. MalaMala, Singita, Londolozi, Ulusaba, and Sabi Sabi are just some of the well-known and established safari lodges in the reserve.

Read full details on the Sabi Sand Game Reserve here.

Timbavati Reserve

The Timbavati Reserve was created in 1956 and covers 289 square miles (748 sq kms) of savanna and woodland. The reserve shares 25 miles (40 kms) of unfenced boundary with Kruger National Park and a total of 69% of its perimeter is bounded by other protected reserves. The Timbavati is similar to the Sabi Sand, but with far fewer lodges that are more spread out and with generally lower prices.

Leopard and rhino viewing do not compare to the Sabi Sand, but the overall game viewing experience is similar and of the private reserves, it is arguably second only to the Sabi Sand when it comes to its wildlife. Elephant, buffalo and all of the regional wildlife are found in abundance here.

Timbavati has also gained fame for its small population of white lions. These lions are not albinos, but rather have blue eyes and their fur color is caused by a recessive gene that sometimes results in cubs of this unique look

Manyaleti Reserve

Located directly north of the Sabi Sand, the 93-square-mile (240-sq-km) Manyaleti Reserve was created in 1964 and, at the time, was the only private reserve in the country that was open to black visitors. The reserve shares 19 miles (30 kms) of unfenced boundary with Kruger National Park and wildlife viewing here is good. 

The reserve is quite underused and there are only a few lodges in the reserve, which gives guests a feeling of exclusivity and you will be unlikely to see many, if any other vehicles during your stay. 

All of the big cats are found here, as well as good numbers of general game and seeing all of the Big Five is possible, but finding them is a bit more difficult than in the Sabi Sand or Timbavati.

Thornybush Reserve

Situated on the unfenced western boundary of Timbavati lies the Thornybush Reserve, which covers 54 square miles (140 sq kms) of pristine wilderness. The reserve dates back to 1955. Wildlife viewing is excellent and visitors have a very good chance of seeing all of the Big Five. 

The lodges in the reserve are somewhat less luxurious (and generally priced accordingly) than those in the Sabi Sand, but all offer great service, excellent food and a top-notch safari experience

Kapama Reserve

The Kapama Reserve was founded in 1993 and covers 50 square miles (130 sq kms), but unlike the reserves discussed above, it is entirely fenced and not connected to the Kruger National Park, giving it a slightly more contrived feel.

All the Big Five animals are found here and are likely to be seen, as well as an abundance of general game.

Makalali Reserve

The Makalali Reserve is a 95-square-mile (247-sq-km) wildlife conservancy consisting mostly of savanna grassland, acacia bush and scattered woodlands. The reserve was founded in 1992 and is located west of Kruger National Park, but is not directly connected to the other Kruger reserves.

Makalali has reintroduced a wide variety of indigenous wildlife to the reserve, including lion, cheetah, leopard, rhino, elephant and also the sable antelope.

The reserve is home to all of the Big Five animals and the general game viewing is also very good. The reserve's strong conservation focus and its efforts at protecting and expanding endangered species make it worth visiting if you would like to contribute to their continuing success.

There are several safari lodges located within the reserve.

Klaserie Reserve

Klaserie was proclaimed in 1972 and covers 232 square miles (600 sq kms) of wildlife habitat west of the Timbavati and Umbabat reserves. A number of wildlife research projects are ongoing within the reserve, including "Save the Elephants", which was founded by Dr. Ian Douglas Hamilton and the "Tembo" project, which currently studies buffalo.

The reserve hosts a number of rustic bush camps and safari lodges offering game drives and walking trails. Klaserie is unfenced on its boundaries with Timbavati, Umbabat and Balule reserves and all of Kruger's wildlife are free to move in and out of the reserve. As such, all of the Big Five, plus the myriad general game species of Kruger are seen in Klaserie.

Balule Reserve

As with many of the private reserves, Balule originally consisted of numerous fenced game farms used for hunting. In the early 1990s, these landowners removed all fences and created the Balule reserve. The reserve shares an unfenced boundary with the Klaserie reserve to the east and wildlife from Kruger National park moves freely into the reserve.

All of the Kruger wildlife, including the Big Five are found in Balule. Numerous bush camps and safari lodges are available in Balule.

Umbabat Reserve

Officially proclaimed in 1969, the Umbabat reserve is completely unfenced and bordered on two sides by Kruger National Park and the Timbavati and Klaserie reserves on the others. Wildlife in the reserve is excellent and all of Kruger's wildlife, including the Big Five and all predators and general game are found here in abundance.

Several good safari lodges are located in the reserve.

Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve

Blyde River is not one of the Kruger private wildlife reserves, but is included here for its proximity to the region.

The Blyde River Canyon is located in the Drakensberg Mountains escarpment and is part of South Africa's famous and historic Panorama Route. The reserve protects the Blyde River Canyon, the world's third largest canyon, featuring numerous waterfalls and geological formations.

The canyon is 16 miles (25 kms) in length north to south, and is on average 2 461 feet (750 meters) in depth.

Blyde River is wonderful for its panoramic views and includes a multitude of easily accessed visitors' attractions, including Three Rondavels, Bourke's Luck Potholes, God's Window, Lisbon Falls, Berlin Falls, Mac Mac Falls, and others.

The Three Rondavels are a series of grass-covered mountainous rock protrusions that resemble traditional round or oval-shaped African homesteads, called rondavels. On clear days, the lookout point gives incredible vistas over the canyon and to the three rondavels on the other side and further to various promontories of the Drakensberg mountain range.

Bourke's Luck Potholes are a unique geological feature formed by swirling waters at the confluence of the Blyde and Truer rivers. Over time, these waters created numerous huge cylindrical 'potholes' in the sandstone. Viewed from above, the effect is a fascinating collection of tubes, tunnels and interconnected swirling pools of water, each different from the next. Bridges and viewing platforms allow visitors to photograph the formations from different angles and there are some short walking trails.

God's Window is another popular viewpoint over the Drakensberg escarpment at the for south of the reserve. The vistas here are of steep cliffs that rise up   700 meters (2 300 feet) from the plains and forests of the lowveld. The incredibly scenic view gives its name and on clear days, one can see all the way to Kruger National Park and the Lebombo Mountains on the Mozambique border.

Wildlife in the reserve includes baboon, mountain reedbuck, greater kudu, wildebeest, impala, zebra and waterbuck. There are crocodiles and hippos in the Blyderivierpoort Dam. Birding in the reserve is excellent, with eagles and other raptors, sunbirds, cuckoos, woodpeckers, Lourdes and many more.

The flora inside the reserve is also noteworthy due to the diverse habitats including grassland plateau, wetland, riparian forest, afromontane forest, dry and moist woodland, grassy slopes, and more. More than 1,000 species of plant have been recorded including the Blyde river cycad, various orchids and proteas.

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History, Balule Reserve, Blyde River Canyon, Kapama Reserve, Klaserie Reserve, Makalali Reserve, Manyaleti Reserve, Sabi Sand Reserve, Thornybush Reserve, Timbavati Reserve, Umbabat Reserve