Timbavati Game Reserve safaris

Wildlife abounds in the Timbavati Game Reserve. In addition to the classic Big Five experience, so lauded among Africa’s lodges, the Timbavati is also home to African wild dog and the rare white lion. Some of the Timbavati’s lions have an almost white pelt due to an evolutionary pigmentation condition known as leucism.

Private game reserves regularly offer greater flexibility of activities and this holds true for the Timbavati. You will get your standard morning and afternoon game drives, as you would in the adjacent Kruger National Park. However, night time game drives reveal an otherwise unseen insight into the Bushveld’s many nocturnal protagonists.

Guided walks add further colour to the environment, your senses undoubtedly heightened once the perceived sanctuary of the game drive vehicle is removed. Children are generally not permitted on guided bush walks, however, they will get to enjoy their own version. Specially trained coordinators will take them on short walks around the safety of the lodge. The focus may be bug hunting, following animal tracks or that quintessential luxury family safari activity – poo identification!

The Timbavati, like every reserve worth its salt, features a range of accommodation to suit everyone.

Here you can find romantic tented camps, a relative rarity in South Africa. Equally, those in search of a luxury safari experiences won’t be disappointed.

It’s worth noting that many of the properties in Timbavati have age limits, so those with young children may be better looking at the malaria-free safari reserves of Madikwe, Shamwari, or Kwandwe.