Ulusaba Private Game Reserve, Sabi Sands
Derek Billings visited Ulusaba and had this to say:
I think this was, by FAR, the highlight of our trip. The service was amazing — everyone knew us by name. The staff greets you upon arrival. Drinks, food, whatever you want at anytime. FRIENDLY.
The game drives were SUPERB — the animal sightings were plentiful. Lions, leopards, elephants, Zebra, Crocs, Rhinos, Water buffalo, hippos, tons of birds — it was like watching the National Geographic Channel. Our guide, SIMON was amazing. VERY passionate about the wildlife and VERY informative. We would highly recommend him for anyone who is also passionate about the wildlife (As were we — we bonded with him.).
As for Safari Lodge vs. Rock Lodge, it’s a toss-up. Safari Lodge (Elephant Room) was like a tree-house and was an amazing place to view animals up-close. We were VERY lucky and had a sighting of a herd of about 45 elephants walk right past our lodge / room. That was worth the price of admission right there.
Rock Lodge (Rock Cliff Room) had an amazing panorama view and gave one the chance to spot animals all over the reserve (They had a telescope for you to view through). Personally, I liked Safari Lodge better — I liked the grounds a bit better, thought the rooms were a bit nicer, and enjoyed the playful ‘Tree House” aspect. Chris preferred Rock Lodge, though.
We ended up switching rooms from Rock Lodge to Safari Lodge just to get that other point of view. Both were very unique and both experiences were amazing. If someone were there for more than four nights, switching isn’t such a bad thing. The staff made it very easy for us. If someone were a bit older and had difficulty walking, Rock Lodge has a lot of steps all around.
At Safari Lodge, the Safari Rooms (Which aren’t as nice as the Elephant Rooms or River Rooms) are closer to the main building. But Elephant Room #1 is only across one rope bridge, so it’s an easier walk.
Also, they had two “special” dinners for us — one was supposed to be out in the Bush, but it got cancelled because of a storm. But they had it at Safari Lodge and had dancers and singers from one of the local villages. Another night they did a barbeque with a roaring firepit. It seems that they try to do these unique dinners every few days, so a longer stay is beneficial to get the full experience.
Africa is truly under my skin. We can’t wait to go back. - Derek
