Safari Extravaganza at Singita Sabi Sands, South Africa – April 2017

The Sabi Sand is world renowned for its incredible density of super-relaxed and highly visible leopards

Singita (https://singita.com) is a world-renowned luxury safari and aspiring conservation brand that punches way above its weight class, and it has been an honour for me to be involved with this exciting industry-leading and trend-setting organization for the past two years. Having visited and spent time at all the Singita lodges and protected areas, except for the two flagship Sabi Sand lodges, it was with great anticipation and high expectations that Katherine and I flew to the South African lowveld in late April to spend a week at Ebony and Boulders (https://singita.com/lodge/singita-boulders-lodge/).

Singita Sabi Sand is a romantic safari getaway

The two neighbouring lodges enjoy enviable locations overlooking the perennial Sand River in the heart of the leopard-infested Sabi Sands private reserve. The area’s reputation for high quality leopard viewing is well deserved and Singita did not disappoint, as we were treated to regular sighting of these supposedly elusive felines. A mother and her cub that had taken up residence at the lodge started off a string of superb sighting that culminated with the holy grail of sightings: a mating pair out in the open during the day! The Sabi Sands truly is in a league of its own when it comes to high quality leopard encounters on a daily basis.

The Sabi Sands (https://www.sabi-sands.com) is also swimming against the tide when it comes to rhino with only a handful lost to poaching in the last couple of years despite the rhino genocide raging across southern Africa. What a privilege to see and spend time in the company of so many of these prehistoric looking beasts. We can only hope that the huge (and costly) investment made by both Singita and the Sabi Sands into anti-poaching staff, equipment and supporting technologies will continue to ensure the security of this important sanctuary for the beleaguered rhinoceros.

Seeing leopards mate is the holy grail of safari sightings

But the Singita Sabi Sands experience is not only about enjoying legendary leopard and ridiculously relaxed rhino sightings, the opportunity to go mountain biking, walking and even running in the nature reserve provide an opportunity for active safari enthusiasts to work up a hunger and earn the right to indulge with impunity in the delicious daily feasts on offer at the lodges. Boulders, in particular, had a delectable spread of mouth-watering dishes that are quite simply impossible to appreciate in moderation, so we happily overindulged and then assuaged the guilt by donning our running shoes to make space for more!

There is good reason why the aptly-named Singita is known as the “place of miracles” and if you have not yet had the good fortune to experience this for yourself, then best you make a booking soon. With their Sabi Sand lodges now running at over 90% occupancy, you get the distinct sense that the highly successful Singita recipe is no longer the safari secret it once was…

Singita Ebony and Singita Boulders both enjoy enviable locations overlooking the languid Sand River