[Updated September 2026]
Two top tens, one reserve. The first ranks the Sabi Sand’s luxury tier from the most expensive lodge down, using each lodge’s current published nightly rate and allowing one entry per operator. The second ranks the ten lodges Safari.com guests actually book most, across every budget, counted from confirmed bookings in our own system over the twelve months to September 2026. One lodge appears on both.
The Sabi Sand Nature Reserve covers roughly 65,000 hectares on Kruger National Park’s western boundary and has shared an unfenced 50-kilometre border with the park since the fences came down in 1993. It was established as a private reserve in 1948, and its lodges hold traversing rights over their own sectors rather than the whole reserve, which is why the western, northern and Sand River sections each have a distinct character. Leopard viewing is the reserve’s defining strength; lion, elephant, buffalo and both rhino species are seen on most stays, and wild dog and cheetah move through regularly.
Every rate below is per person sharing per night in South African rand, as loaded on the lodge’s own page, and every lodge includes two game drives a day and all meals. The currency switcher on this page converts the sidebar prices. Two omissions to note: Ulusaba’s Safari Lodge and Rock Lodge are closed for rebuilding until April 2027 and are left off this year’s luxury list, and Lion Sands Tinga and Narina are excluded from both lists because they sit in a Kruger National Park concession, not the Sabi Sand.
Top 10 by luxury: the Sabi Sand’s highest tier, ranked by nightly rate
Ranked from the highest current nightly rate to the lowest, one lodge per operator. The band runs from ZAR 56,310 to ZAR 31,000 per person per night, and every lodge in it is fully inclusive of drinks, laundry and airstrip transfers unless stated.
Singita Boulders Lodge
Singita Boulders Lodge tops the Sabi Sand luxury tier at ZAR 56,310 per person per night for September and October 2026, and it comes with the largest private traverse in the reserve: 45,000 acres shared only with sister lodge Singita Ebony and the exclusive-use Singita Castleton villa. Twelve suites sit above the Sand River, seven along the bank, three facing the bush and two family suites, each with a heated plunge pool and glass walls onto the water.
Children of ten and over are welcome and join the Mini Rangers programme. Guests can visit Singita’s Anti-Poaching Canine Unit for a ZAR 3,800 donation booked in advance. Stay seven nights in 2027 and one night is complimentary. Ebony Lodge next door carries the same rate, and Castleton, which sleeps twelve with a private guide, chef and vehicle, starts at ZAR 58,560 per person.
FromZAR 56,400 pps/night, all-inclusive
From a Safari.com guest who booked the Sabi Sand through us. The review is about our service, not this lodge specifically.
“Awesome team at Safari.com, helped us plan an amazing trip to Sabi Sands and Victoria falls. Shann was very responsive and helpful!”
Plan your stay at Singita Boulders Lodge.
Londolozi Granite Suites
Londolozi Granite Suites is three suites only, built into the granite boulders on the Sand River in Londolozi’s private concession, at ZAR 54,000 per person per night for stays to mid-December 2026. Each suite has a four-poster bed, an outdoor bath and shower, underfloor heating and a deck with its own heated pool and sala looking straight onto the river, where hippo pods and Cape clawless otters are resident.
Londolozi has been run by the Varty family since 1926 and its leopard-viewing record goes back to the first habituated female tracked here in 1979. The rate includes all drinks, two daily game drives, guided walks, laundry, in-room Wi-Fi and emergency medical evacuation cover, and the Cubs Den programme takes children. Londolozi’s other camps share the same traverse and guiding team: Tree Camp and Pioneer Camp at ZAR 48,450, Founders Camp at ZAR 39,400 and Varty Camp at ZAR 27,950.
FromZAR 54,000 pps/night, all-inclusive
From a Safari.com guest who booked the Sabi Sand through us. The review is about our service, not this lodge specifically.
“Made safari reservations with Pascal John. He was very helpful as we had a specific time frame that corresponded with the rest of our Africa trip. Pascal John was professional, sent documents on time, and with no errors. He responded via email very very quickly. We definitely recommend Safari.com and Pascal John!”
Plan your stay at Londolozi Granite Suites.
Lion Sands Ivory Lodge
Lion Sands Ivory Lodge charges ZAR 52,565 per person per night to 30 September 2026, easing to ZAR 49,670 from October, for one of eight one-bedroom villas at the meeting point of the Sabie and Sand Rivers. Every villa has its own pool, deck and lounge, and the villa minibar is stocked with champagne as standard. The two-bedroom Fish Eagle Villa adds a private chef, field guide and vehicle.
Ivory is the smallest and highest-priced of the four Lion Sands lodges. Children of ten and over are welcome. Honeymooners staying three nights get 50 per cent off one guest’s accommodation until 31 May 2027, and a stay-four-pay-three offer runs for September and October 2026 travel. Road transfers from Skukuza Airport, drinks and laundry are included.
FromZAR 52,600 pps/night, all-inclusive
From a Safari.com guest who booked the Sabi Sand through us. The review is about our service, not this lodge specifically.
“Lynn Bowers went above and beyond to organize our safari in Sabi Sands and our beach holiday to Mauritius. She knew Sabi Sands was my top choice and even though there was very little available for our dates, she was able to get everything arranged. Absolutely recommend!”
Plan your stay at Lion Sands Ivory Lodge.
andBeyond Tengile River Lodge
andBeyond Tengile River Lodge is nine suites on a bend of the Sand River at ZAR 50,000 per person per night to 30 September 2026 and ZAR 46,500 from October to 20 December. Opened in December 2018, it is the newest luxury build in the reserve: raised suites in thatch, stone and timber, each with a sunken outdoor lounge, indoor and outdoor showers and a private lap pool over the riverine forest.
Children of twelve and over are welcome, with two interleading suites for families and no triple rooms. The rate covers meals, local drinks, laundry, scheduled drives and walks, Skukuza Airport road transfers and medical evacuation cover. Honeymooners save 50 per cent on one partner’s accommodation, and in 2027 four consecutive nights earn a fifth free in the January to mid-May and mid-October to December windows.
FromZAR 50,000 pps/night, all-inclusive
Plan your stay at andBeyond Tengile River Lodge.
Cheetah Plains
Cheetah Plains is booked by the house, not the room: three exclusive-use Bush Houses, Mapogo, Karula and Mvula, each with four suites for up to eight guests and a private chef, butler, field guide and tracker, from ZAR 49,875 per person per night. Concession rights cap shared sightings at two vehicles, and the game-viewing fleet is fully electric.
Children of all ages are welcome, subject to the make-up of the group, and a Nikon D500 body and lenses are included for the stay. The western Sabi Sand location is reached via Arathusa Airstrip, with transfers included on FedAir or private charter flights. Stay four nights and pay for three, or seven for five, in Karula and Mvula for travel to 19 December 2026 and again from 5 January to 28 February 2027; the two offers stack.
FromZAR 49,800 pps/night, all-inclusive
Plan your stay at Cheetah Plains.
MalaMala Rattray’s Camp
MalaMala Rattray’s Camp is eight freestanding suites on a forested bend of the Sand River at ZAR 42,800 per person per night, inside the 13,300-hectare MalaMala Game Reserve. MalaMala holds the longest unfenced boundary with Kruger National Park of any private reserve, roughly 19 kilometres, and its guides follow big-cat sightings across the whole property rather than a fixed sector.
Each suite has a heated plunge pool, an outdoor shower and a deck over the river or a waterhole. The camp takes sixteen guests and no children under sixteen unless it is booked exclusively, in which case twelve and over are accepted. Stay four consecutive nights across the MalaMala camps between 1 November and 15 December 2026 and one night is complimentary. Transfers from the MalaMala airstrip, drinks and laundry are included.
FromZAR 42,800 pps/night, all-inclusive
“Safari,com’s friendly and professional assistance in arranging a trip to MalaMala and Lukimbi Safari Lodge at short notice for myself, my son and grandson was invaluable. We communicated by email and telephone with our agent, Dolan, who was always available despite the time difference between South Africa and the USA. He managed the booking of the internal flights, and secured prime accommodations for us in both camps.”
Plan your stay at MalaMala Rattray’s Camp.
Silvan Safari Lodge
Silvan Safari Lodge is six suites plus the two-bedroom Leadwood family suite above the Manyeleti riverbed, at ZAR 42,235 per person per night to 19 December 2026. Each suite has a private plunge pool positioned over the riverbed, and elephants have been known to drink from them in the dry months.
Children of twelve and over are welcome. Guides are FGASA-qualified, Swarovski binoculars are provided on every drive, and the rate covers three meals, selected drinks, two drives and walks, laundry and airstrip transfers. Book four consecutive nights and pay for three until 28 February 2027, or pair four nights at Silvan with three at its sister property Camissa House in Cape Town for a free night at each. Silvan is not on our live-availability engine, so a safari specialist confirms dates by hand.
FromZAR 42,200 pps/night, all-inclusive
Plan your stay at Silvan Safari Lodge.
Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge
Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge is the one lodge on both of our lists: eighth by nightly rate at ZAR 40,000 per person per night, and tenth by confirmed Safari.com bookings. Twelve suites and the Amber Presidential Suite are sculpted into a slope so that almost nothing shows above the bush, each with a private pool, butler and glass-fronted bathroom, and the cellar below holds more than 6,000 bottles.
Children of twelve and over are welcome at full adult rates. Stay four nights and pay for three until 28 February 2027, excluding 20 December to 5 January, and a three-night Earth Lodge stay currently earns two complimentary nights at The Claremont Hotel in Cape Town. Honeymooners on four nights get two nights free for one partner. Sabi Sabi airstrip transfers, walking safaris and day and night drives are all included.
FromZAR 40,000 pps/night, all-inclusive
“Earth lodge is without a doubt the most incredible lodge/ resort/ safari experience I have ever had! Beautiful lodge, amazing, amazing, amazing staff, delicious food, the best ranger and tracker, and amazing bush safari’s, bush walks, and sundowners!”
Plan your stay at Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge.
Dulini River Lodge
Dulini River Lodge is six suites under old ebony trees on the Sand River at ZAR 34,500 per person per night for 2026 travel, rising to ZAR 37,600 in 2027. Each suite has a plunge pool, outdoor shower and deck over the river, and the lodge shares its traverse with Dulini Leadwood and Dulini Moya, both priced identically, so a stay can be split across the three.
Children of eight and over are welcome, younger only on exclusive-use bookings. Pay for five consecutive nights across the Dulini lodges and the sixth is free, honeymooners get 50 per cent off one partner’s accommodation on three nights or more, and transfers from Ulusaba Airstrip, drinks, laundry and two drives a day are included. Wild dog sightings are a regular feature of this western section of the reserve.
FromZAR 34,600 pps/night, all-inclusive
“CHANTAL was everything!! We are so so happy she booked our honeymoon for us. We loveddddd our stay at Dulini River Lodge and she really made our travel seamless. She got us incredible seats on the jumper flight, drivers were there without an issue, all smiling and very comfortable rides. Absolutely book with her!! She made our honeymoon PERFECT!”
Plan your stay at Dulini River Lodge.
Chitwa Chitwa Game Lodge
Chitwa Chitwa Game Lodge rounds out the luxury ten at ZAR 31,000 per person per night, with six Luxury Suites, the two-room Charlsy Suite and the two-bedroom Chitwa House, which comes with its own vehicle, guide and tracker. Every suite has a plunge pool on a deck over the lodge’s lake, and the name comes from an old giraffe that lived near what was once the Brink family home.
Children of all ages are welcome, each suite takes up to two extra beds for under-twelves, and until 15 December 2026 one child under twelve per family stays free when sharing. A stay-four-pay-three offer runs to the same date. Meals, soft drinks, laundry, two daily drives, walking safaris and transfers from the Chitwa airstrip are included; conservation levies and reserve entrance fees are extra.
FromZAR 31,000 pps/night, all-inclusive
Plan your stay at Chitwa Chitwa Game Lodge.
Top 10 by popularity: the lodges Safari.com guests book most
Ranked by confirmed Safari.com bookings over the twelve months to September 2026, with no price filter. The ten run from ZAR 6,100 to ZAR 40,000 per person per night, and eight of them sit below ZAR 30,000, which is where most of our Sabi Sand guests book.
Idube Game Lodge
Idube Game Lodge is the most booked Sabi Sand lodge on Safari.com by a factor of two over the next lodge, at ZAR 18,000 per person per night for stays to 15 November 2026 and ZAR 16,000 from 16 November. Fourteen suites, all with a private deck and plunge pool, sit along a dry riverbed in the western sector, reached via Newington Gate, and a swing bridge leads to a refurbished waterhole hide set up for photography.
Children of eight and over are welcome, with four linked suites for families. A new Baobab Spa and a gym twice its previous size were added recently, and the lodge runs on solar. Stay three nights and pay for two between 16 November and 19 December 2026, or take the four-night pairing with Lukimbi Safari Lodge in southern Kruger, two nights at each. Bush walks run on stays of two nights or more; as Ray notes below, the reserve asks walkers over 65 for a doctor’s letter.
FromZAR 18,000 pps/night, all-inclusive
“Very helpful with itinerary and excellent arrangements of transport from and to Cape Town, and Idubi in Sabi Sands and Lukimbi in Kruger. Although a rep for Safari.com said a letter from a doctor was not required, such a letter IS REQUIRED to go on bush walks if older than 65. Fortunately, we checked the reserve web site and had a doctor’s letter.”
Plan your stay at Idube Game Lodge.
Lion Sands River Lodge
Lion Sands River Lodge is the second most booked and the original Lion Sands lodge, on the Sabie River at ZAR 30,025 per person per night to 30 September 2026 and ZAR 28,575 from October to 19 December. Eighteen rooms and suites face the water: eight luxury rooms, six superior luxury rooms, three standalone river suites and a two-bedroom family suite.
Children of ten and over are welcome. River Lodge is the base for Lion Sands’ treehouse sleep-outs, booked as an add-on night under the stars. Stay four nights and pay for three until 31 October 2026, milestone celebrations earn 25 per cent off, and returning guests and their party get 10 per cent off through the Friends of MORE programme. Skukuza Airport road transfers, local drinks and drives are included.
FromZAR 30,000 pps/night, all-inclusive
“Shann was extremely helpful in advising us and getting a great price for the Safari extension of our trip. She beat a price of the all inclusive trip and was able to extend our stay at Lion Sands Lodge an extra night. Wonderful service by Shann Shaw.”
Plan your stay at Lion Sands River Lodge.
Inyati Game Lodge
Inyati Game Lodge is the third most booked, one booking behind River Lodge, at ZAR 16,500 per person per night through December 2026. It reopened on 1 July 2026 after a three-month refurbishment that rebuilt the boma, extended the main veranda over the Sand River and added outdoor showers to the eight standard chalets. Three family chalets each sleep four.
Children of eight and over are welcome and join the Young Rangers programme, learning spoor, bird calls and star navigation, with a certificate at the end. The rate includes meals, house drinks, two drives, walks, fishing in the Sand River and transfers from Ulusaba Airstrip. Inyati’s stretch of the Sand River in the western sector is one of the reserve’s dependable leopard areas.
FromZAR 16,600 pps/night, all-inclusive
From a Safari.com guest who booked the Sabi Sand through us. The review is about our service, not this lodge specifically.
“Our safari consultant was Dolan Sequera. Dolan quickly assembled two incredible options in Sabi Sands and Victoria Falls for us to consider. He responded to emails so quickly we wondered if he ever slept! Planning a safari can be daunting and Dolan made the process stress free.”
Plan your stay at Inyati Game Lodge.
Elephant Plains Game Lodge
Elephant Plains Game Lodge is the fourth most booked, at ZAR 7,300 per person per night through December 2026 and ZAR 8,050 in 2027, the second-lowest rate on either list. It sits on the Manyeleti riverbed in the northern Sabi Sand with rondavels, luxury suites and the standalone Manyeleti Honeymoon Suite, which has its own splash pool and open pavilion.
Two drives a day with Shangaan trackers, a daily bush walk, three meals and tea and coffee are in the rate; drinks are extra. The lodge runs guided skywatching evenings with astronomy-trained guides, has a wine cellar and a small spa, and offers babysitting. The area is known for its leopards and also sees regular wild dog and cheetah.
FromZAR 7,400 pps/night, all-inclusive
Plan your stay at Elephant Plains Game Lodge.
Umkumbe Safari Lodge Riverside
Umkumbe Safari Lodge Riverside is the fifth most booked and the lowest rate in this article at ZAR 6,510 per person per night through December 2026. Owner-run, it sits directly above the seasonal Sand River in the southern Sabi Sand, with eleven chalets and rooms for up to twenty guests, connected by walkways to a boma, bar, lounge, gym and pool.
Children of five and over are welcome, under-twelves at half the adult rate. The rate covers meals, tea and coffee, two drives a day and an optional bush walk after breakfast for guests over sixteen; drinks, conservation levies and gate fees are extra. The unfenced grounds are trip-wired against larger animals, and the riverbed in front of the lodge is a regular leopard crossing.
FromZAR 6,600 pps/night, all-inclusive
Plan your stay at Umkumbe Safari Lodge Riverside.
MalaMala Camp
MalaMala Camp is the sixth most booked, at ZAR 27,600 per person per night, and the largest camp on the 13,300-hectare MalaMala Game Reserve: ten luxury suites, eight luxury rooms, a single room and family rooms for two adults and two children, all on the Sand River. Vehicles are capped at six guests, and the reserve’s traversing is shared only with Sable Camp and Rattray’s.
Children of all ages are welcome. Meals, local drinks, drives, guided walks and MalaMala airstrip transfers are included. Stay four consecutive nights across the MalaMala camps between 1 November and 15 December 2026 for one complimentary night, and honeymooners and milestone celebrants get 50 per cent off one guest on two to three nights in the 2027 windows.
FromZAR 27,600 pps/night, all-inclusive
“Safari,com’s friendly and professional assistance in arranging a trip to MalaMala and Lukimbi Safari Lodge at short notice for myself, my son and grandson was invaluable. We communicated by email and telephone with our agent, Dolan, who was always available despite the time difference between South Africa and the USA. He managed the booking of the internal flights, and secured prime accommodations for us in both camps.”
Plan your stay at MalaMala Camp.
Sabi Sabi Bush Lodge
Sabi Sabi Bush Lodge is the seventh most booked, at ZAR 26,900 per person per night, and the most family-oriented of the four Sabi Sabi lodges: children of all ages stay, six and over go on drives, and the EleFun Centre keeps younger ones occupied with a childminder. Accommodation runs from open-plan Luxury Suites to two-bedroom Luxury Villas with private pools and the Mandleve Suite, all overlooking an active waterhole.
Bush Lodge has traded for more than 35 years. Stay four nights and pay for three until 28 February 2027, a three-night stay earns two free nights at The Claremont Hotel in Cape Town, and honeymooners on four nights get two nights free for one partner. Day and night drives, walking safaris, meals, house drinks and airstrip transfers are included.
FromZAR 27,000 pps/night, all-inclusive
“Dolan made the whole experience of booking this special holiday for my 40th so easy & stress free. Fantastic suggestion on Bush Lodge for me to stay with my 10 year old son. When British airways delayed our flight and also lost our baggage, Dolan was on hand to help me & got us to our destination!”
Plan your stay at Sabi Sabi Bush Lodge.
Umkumbe Bush Lodge
Umkumbe Bush Lodge is the eighth most booked and the sister property to Riverside, at ZAR 6,100 per person per night for 2026 and ZAR 7,020 in 2027. Six Meru-style tented suites for twelve guests stand under indigenous trees in the southern Sabi Sand, and the main lodge is built around a weeping boer-bean tree with a loft, bar and pool deck above a drainage line that runs to the Sand River.
Children of five and over are welcome; the Luxury and Superior Suites sleep three and four and take two children each, with baths and outdoor showers. Meals, tea, coffee, drinking water and two drives a day are included, with sundowner and coffee stops on every drive. Guests often split a stay between the two Umkumbe lodges.
FromZAR 6,200 pps/night, all-inclusive
Plan your stay at Umkumbe Bush Lodge.
Leopard Hills
Leopard Hills is the ninth most booked, at ZAR 26,300 per person per night for 2026 and ZAR 28,400 in 2027, with eight glass-fronted suites on a hilltop in the western sector, each with underfloor heating, a Nespresso machine and a rock plunge pool on the deck. The main deck pool looks down on a busy waterhole.
No children under ten unless the lodge is taken exclusively, and there are no triple suites. All drinks except premium wines, laundry, the conservation levy, two drives, optional walks and Leopard Hills airstrip transfers are included. Reduced rates apply for bookings made within 21 days of arrival until 20 December 2026, and Leopard Hills anchors a six-night Sabi Sand and Madikwe or Timbavati pairing where guests stay six nights and pay for five.
FromZAR 26,400 pps/night, all-inclusive
“Leopard Hills are indeed the boutique luxury camp that you recommended. People there are incredible friendly and knowledgable. The guide was excellent. And the cook, she was a friendly star too.”
Plan your stay at Leopard Hills.
Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge
Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge, covered above in the luxury list, is also the tenth most booked lodge in the reserve, one booking ahead of Arathusa, which makes it the only Sabi Sand property where our highest-spending and our most frequent bookers overlap. At ZAR 40,000 per person per night, the stay-four-pay-three offer, valid to 28 February 2027 outside the festive dates, is the usual way our guests bring the nightly cost down.
FromZAR 40,000 pps/night, all-inclusive
“Had an amazing safari at sabi sabi earth lodge. Worked with Dolan to secure the booking. He arranged the transport to and from the lodge as well and made sure dietary requirements were given to the lodge on arrival. Would give this 10 stars if I could.”
Plan your stay at Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge.
Packaged Sabi Sand safaris
Most of our Sabi Sand guests book a lodge inside a package that adds flights from Johannesburg or Cape Town and the road or air transfers, priced per person for the whole trip. Four that cover both lists:
3-Day Big-5 Luxury Sabi Sand Fly-in Package, two nights at Idube with flights, from ZAR 48,928 per person, all-inclusive, 3 days.
4 Day Lush Sabi Sand River Safari, three nights at Inyati, from ZAR 61,850 per person, all-inclusive, 4 days.
3 Day Lion Sands Sabi Sand Safari, two nights at Lion Sands River Lodge, from ZAR 67,278 per person, all-inclusive, 3 days.
4-Day Ultra-Lux Safari at Lion Sands Ivory Lodge, three nights in an Ivory villa, from ZAR 162,055 per person, all-inclusive, 4 days.
Book any of these lodges with Safari.com
Send us your dates, your group and a budget per person, and a safari specialist will come back with live availability for the lodges that fit, usually in as little as 15 minutes during working hours. We book at the lodges’ published rates, apply any stay-pay or honeymoon offer you qualify for, and add flights and Skukuza or airstrip transfers as a single itinerary.
Email helpmeplan@safari.com or call 1-888-SAFARIS, toll-free from the US and Canada.
Written by Safari.com Editorial
