You are here: Home » South Africa Safaris » KRUGER NATIONAL PARK AND ADJOINING PRIVATE RESERVES » Sabi Sand Private Game Reserve » Kirkmans Camp

Kirkmans Camp


The Sabi Sand Private Game Reserve is the ideal place to experience an incredible African safari. With breathtaking scenery, affordable and luxury accommodation and lodging, rich biodiversity and amazing wildlife encounters, Sabi Sand is South Africa’s ultimate safari destination.

The Sabi Sand Reserve is adjacent to the Kruger National Park and consists of various private game reserves: MalaMala Game Reserve, Djuma Game Reserve, Lion Sands Reserve, Exeter Private Game Reserve, Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve, Londolozi Private Game Reserve, Singita Game Reserve and Ulusaba Private Game Reserve.

Situated in Mpumalanga Province, the Sabi Sand Wildtuin (the word Wildtuin being an Afrikaans word for game reserve) is a 65 000 hectare wildlife sanctuary which forms part of the greater 2,3 million hectare Kruger National Park game preservation area. The Sabi Sand reserve shares a common 50km unfenced eastern boundary with the world famous Kruger National Park. No fences exist within this area and animals are free to roam unhindered through the enormous conservancy with habitat types ranging from riverine thicket to open savannah.

Sabi Sand is an association of freehold landowners, many of whom manage commercially active photographic safari operations. Sharing a common environmental management program, this association is administered by a warden reporting to an elected executive committee.

Two perennial rivers supply the game reserve with a valuable water source. The Sand River flows through the reserve for 50km (31 miles) from north west to south east whilst the Sabie River flows on the southern boundary. The sustenance of these rivers ensures that this area enjoys one of the highest and most bio-diverse wildlife populations of any area in Africa. Over two hundred different species occur in abundance whilst the ever changing bird life provides even the most experienced ornithologist with rare finds. Such is the environment that the wildlife, save for the migratory birds, remain in their territories all year round.

The rich bio diversity makes the Sabi Sand region possibly the best place in Africa to see the big five with especially good leopard sightings and with healthy populations of both endangered black and white rhino. Add to this cheetah, wild dog and a huge range of plains game, an excellent and well maintained road network, superb accommodation and easy access from Johannesburg by road and air and it is easy to see why Sabi Sand is so popular.

As Sabi Sand is privately owned the rules which apply in the Kruger National Park do not apply here making exciting activities such as night drives, guided walks and off road game viewing possible, low visitor densities and clever visitor management mean that other tourists are rarely encountered on a game drive. The quality of guiding and tracking in these reserves is excellent with highly qualified and experienced guides helping to create an authentic safari experience.