Notten’s Bush Camp – Private Safari Lodge, Sabi Sands South Africa
My parents had travelled to South Africa a number of times and stayed at Notten’s Bush Camp in the Sabi Sands Reserve and after each visit could not wait to return. A few years ago my husband and I joined them for Christmas at this truly magical family run Safari Lodge. It was a Christmas I will never forget and one of South Africa’s best kept secrets.
Sabi Sands Reserve is the oldest of all the private reserves and forms part of the largest conservation area in South Africa. It was formed in 1950 and comprised of many privately owned game parks and was the birth places of sustainable wildlife Tourism in South Africa. Today the fences have been taken down between Sabi Sands and Kruger National park so the game can move freely through this treasured natural sanctuary. Notten’s is located in the southern section of Sabi Sands Reserve and has access to over 15000 acres of pristine land for game viewing.
To get to Notten’s we flew into Johannesburg and drove 7 hours through beautiful towns and villages to arrive at Sabi Sands but you can also fly into the reserve from Johannesburg and Notten’s will meet you on arrival and transfer you to the Lodge. On the drive through the reserve to Notten’s we saw Springbox and Kudu, which are a giant antelope, just along the dirt roads. It just did not seem real and was so exciting as they were so close to us. The Lodge has 8 private suites all with En-suite bath, shower and some with indoor – outdoor bathrooms. The beds were covered by mosquito netting with overhead fans and private game viewing decks. Very comfortable and luxurious and the main dinning communal area was amazing. Long verandah’s for game viewing, bar and sitting areas and even a pool to cool off in at the hottest part of the day.
At Notten’s all meals and drinks are included and the food was fabulous. Each day we had a morning and afternoon game drive and you could go for a walk in the middle of the day if you wished as long as one of the rangers was with you. We went at the hottest time of the year and if was to go again I think I would go during their spring or winter as it was very hot over the Christmas period and there is no air-conditioning in the rooms.
The reason you go on Safari in South Africa is to see the game and at Notten’s not one day was disappointing. A private game park gives you a much more up close and personal experience with the wild life than if you go on a large tour as the rangers know these animals well and were to find them, some even have names like Fat Albert the Rhino. Because the land is privately owned the rangers do not need to stay on designated paths as they do in other areas which means the jeep can go where the animals are rather than have to wait and hope the animals come to you. You are also travelling in small open jeeps with a maximum of two jeeps at any one time which helps get closer to the animals and does not scare them away.
Each morning we would go out about 6.30am after a cup of tea or coffee and a small bite to eat and not return until about 10.30 am when breakfast was served. Then again we would go out about 4pm and come back as late as 8 pm for dinner so we got to see some of the animals at night. All the game drives were conducted in open style jeeps for the best viewing and during the trip we were able to see Elephants, Giraffes, Rhinos, Kudus, wildebeests, warthogs, Lions, Cheetahs, Leopards, Zebras plus a lot of lizards and bird life.
I was amazed how close the animals came to us and at times it was a little scary especial when a leopard walked around our jeep on the first night we arrived, a lion came right up to the side of the jeep to check us out and an elephant ran at the jeep flapping her ears when we got a bit too close to her young. Each day was different and each day the rangers would ask “what would you like to see today?” We would all give them a wish list and every day we were not disappointed. I personally wanted to see Zebras and on our final night at Notten’s they took us for our last afternoon game drive and we had sunsets drinks with a herd of Zebra that would have had over 100 in the herd of all different ages. It was spectacular.
I have personally recommended Notten’s Bush Camp to a number of people over the years and everyone single one has had an amazing adventure. I hope to be able to return in the near future as it truly is magical and the best place to see the wild life of South Africa.