6-Day Luxury Sabi Sands Safari: Big Five & Leopard Tracking

This 6 day luxury Sabi Sands safari is the slow version of a South African safari. You fly from Johannesburg to the reserve, spend four nights at one lodge, and use every drive to learn a single area, with a guide and tracker who know where the leopards have been. It is deliberately different from our five-day Kruger and Sabi Sands tour, which moves between two lodges: here you stay put, repeat the best sightings and rest between them.

The point of staying four nights in one lodge is repetition. On day one the guide knows less about your interests than on day four, and the tracker has had time to follow leopard movements, check dens and follow a lion pride as it moves. You go out twice a day, in the early morning and late afternoon, and you spend the rest of the day at the lodge, with a pool, a deck and a view of a waterhole or river. Our best time to visit Sabi Sands guide explains how the seasons change the bush.

The reserve shares an open boundary with Kruger National Park, so animals move between the two. Sabi Sands is known for leopard sightings that are often close and relaxed, but leopards are secretive and no operator can promise one. If the lodge offers a bush walk, a qualified guide takes you on foot to look at tracks, plants and smaller animals. Read what to pack for a Sabi Sands safari before you go. Browse the Big Five safari page and the South Africa destination page.

Easy. Game drives are from an open vehicle, and the optional bush walk is slow and short. Early starts are the main effort, and winter mornings can be cold, so bring layers. The flights are in small aircraft with baggage limits, and the lodge sets the schedule. If you have limited mobility, tell us, and we will check that the lodge and the vehicles suit you.

The dry winter months, from about May to September, are best for game viewing, with thin vegetation and animals near water. Early mornings are cold. The summer months, roughly November to March, are green and hot, with heavy afternoon rain and many young animals. Leopards are seen in every season, but patience matters in all of them.

This tour suits travellers who want to stay in one place and slow down, including couples, photographers and anyone who has already done a faster safari. It is not for people who want to see several regions. For a two-lodge version, see the 5-day luxury Kruger and Sabi Sands Big Five safari. For a mid-range option with a Cape Town stay, see the 8-day South Africa Big Five safari and Cape Town.

Tell us your dates and the kind of rest you want, and we will describe the options for the reserve and the lodge tier. We advise on visas free of charge and confirm the lodge after booking. Read what a luxury Kruger safari costs and whether Tanzania or South Africa is better for a luxury safari.

For a journey that supports local communities, see our Signature Journey, the 6-day KwaZulu-Natal safari and Zulu cultural heritage tour.