It was a dusty, dry July afternoon in 2019 that I set out amongst the spectacular landscape of the Sabi Sands Game Reserve with my family on a three-day safari. It is world-famous for its fearless and iconic African wildlife, and especially its leopards. Very difficult to observe leopard behaviour can be seen here easily, including mating rituals along with interactions between mothers and their cubs. Because of how amazing each of the 7 game drives we did were, I’m only writing about three of my favourite ones. I was extremely excited for a trip of a lifetime as we set off with two expert guides at our aid. Almost immediately we could see some female and male Nyala antelope grazing in an open patch of grassland.

We turned onto a dirt track crossing the Sand River, one of the few lush areas of the reserve during the dry months, after observing the antelope. We could see a very large pod of Hippos, wallowing in a dammed part of the river! Definitely a bucket-list species for me. On a nearby tree branch we could see a Red-Billed Hornbill.

In the river there was a small group of Egyptian Geese and on the banks a Marabou Stork. A baby Nile Monitor darted past the vehicle as we drove into the bush. We continued on for around five minutes until we came to stop at a watering hole where a herd of Giraffe was quenching its thirst, an unforgettable and majestic sight.

As we were driving, we also saw a flock of Helmeted Guineafowl.

Our driver had received a call about a mother Leopard and her cub in a sandy riverbank! After about ten minutes of driving, we arrived to an amazing view of the mother Leopard fearlessly resting with her cub on a sandy bluff, not 40 feet away from our jeep. It was a spectacular experience that we will never forget.

She moved on after being spooked by the calls of Vervet Monkeys in a nearby Jackalberry tree. Our guide suggested visiting a Hippo carcass afterwards, about 15 minutes from the riverbed. Dusk was approaching, and scavengers would be more active. Along the way, we saw a huge herd of Impala, crossing the trail.

Coming close to the carcass, our guide spotted some Lappet-Faced Vultures high up in an acacia tree.

The carcass had 2 adolescent Spotted Hyenas who fed nervously as more Hyenas came. Eventually an entire clan arrived to feed: about 6 members total. Dusk had fallen and the experience was mesmerising.

We left the carcass after the hyenas departed to spotlight for nocturnal animals. Within a few minutes, our guides found a Small-Spotted Genet in the crook of a tree which quickly disappeared into the bush.

Before we made it to the lodge, they also found a White-Tailed Mongoose and a Scrub Hare, but we were unable to photograph them. We got back a little before 7 pm, and after a wonderful 5-star dinner at our lodge, we fell right asleep, ready for tomorrow’s safari.

We woke early and embarked on our second game drive, hopeful about the prospects of seeing a Lion. The first animal we saw was a shy male Kudu.

Our guide found this Crowned Hornbill as we scanned the landscape for more game.

Below the hornbill, a herd of striking Burchell’s Zebra arrived and began to graze.

Our tracker had picked up the trail of a pride of Lions! We headed right towards the cats.

When we arrived, a pride of large, tawny Lions led by an old male was indeed there, resting! We were able to attain close views of the animals on our vehicle, a truly one-in-a-lifetime experience.

We left the lions after awhile, and came to our next animal within the dense brush- a lone bull Cape Buffalo, a dangerous beast that attacked and nearly killed our guide years prior! Hunters have nicknamed it the “black death” for its tendency to seek revenge on hunters that miss their shot.

Our driver got a call about some elusive African Wild Dogs, and before we knew it we were in the pack, tailing these incredible animals closely as they hunted!

After the wild dogs, we found some rare White Rhinos, and stuck around for a long time, noting how unique they were as they grazed. White Rhinos were once highly numerous in Sabi Sands, but relentless poaching for rhino horn which peaked in 2014 made them quite scarce.

On our way back, we saw some musky-smelling Waterbucks and a Tawny Eagle.

The game drive ended shortly after, and we returned to the lodge for lunch. On our afternoon game drive, we were immediately in the midst of several fighting Hippos! These two bulls fought for half an hour, providing a spectacular display of raw power.

We got a call about a male Leopard and feasting on an Impala kill high up in a tree, and we sped toward its location, hoping to get a glimpse of the iconic felid. Before we knew it, the Leopard and its kill lay directly in front of us. A spotted hyena snatched up anything the leopard dropped into the grass below.

The last predators of the day were the lions we saw the day before. We had found them feasting on a wildebeest carcass!

As the day drew to a close, we pulled up alongside a large herd of immense African Bush Elephants, an amazing animal that concluded our search for the Big Five!

As we headed back toward our lodge, we saw a pond lined with Nile Crocodiles and got our last whiffs of the African bushveld.

With that, my greatest trip ever concludes. I would consider my first African Safari one of the best moments of my life. It was a dream come true to cruise the bush looking for megafauna, and I truly enjoyed it. I would recommend Sabi Sands and the Inyati lodge to anyone thinking of going on Safari in Africa.

Mammal Species Documented: ( 24 total- 23 lifers!)

African Bush Elephant

Warthog

Hippopotamus

Scrub Hare

White Rhinoceros

Steenbok

Waterbuck

Impala

Kudu

Nyala

Cape Buffalo

Burchell’s Zebra

Giraffe

African Wild Dog

Leopard

Lion

Side-Striped Jackal

Small-Spotted Genet

Large-Spotted Genet

White-Tailed Mongoose

Spotted Hyena

Vervet Monkey

Chacma Baboon

Blue Wildebeest

Bird Species Documented: ( 14 total that I can remember- all lifers!

Red-Billed Oxpecker

African Green Pigeon

Maribou Stork

Egyptian Goose

Southern Red-Billed Hornbill

Southern Yellow-Billed Hornbill

Crowned Hornbill

Lappet-faced Vulture

White-backed Vulture

Fork-Tailed Drongo

Helmeted Guinaefowl

Ostrich

Crowned Plover

Tawny Eagle