Sabi Sand Private Game Reserve, Private game reserve in Mpumalanga, South Africa

Sabi Sand Private Game Reserve is a private game reserve in Mpumalanga, South Africa, covering about 62,000 hectares. It shares a 50 km unfenced boundary with Kruger National Park. The reserve contains the Sabie and Sand rivers, and its name comes from these two rivers. Visitors can see lions on sandy ground and hippos in the water.

The current protected area formed from several private farms merged in the mid-20th century. Later, the boundary with Kruger National Park opened, allowing animals to move freely between both areas.

The name comes from two rivers that cross the land and shape a watery landscape there. Visitors join early morning tracking sessions in open vehicles, guided by trackers who share their understanding of animal movements and behavior patterns.

Three entrance gates connect the reserve to public roads, and charter flights land on several airstrips inside the area. The drive from Johannesburg takes about five hours, with the final sections on unpaved roads.

The area is known for unusually frequent leopard sightings, as the dense riverine strips and the lack of fences to the neighboring park favor their movements. Elephant herds regularly dig in the riverbeds for water during dry months, offering rare insights into their behavior.