We love the South African Sabi Sands area. While we’ve been to a few camps in the area already, we were sure that we’d see some of our favorite cats here which was definitely a good reason to return.
Why we chose Londolozi
The Sabi Sands area is a haven for big cats and abundant wildlife. It’s a place where we know we can get some great game viewing and a place with many excellent options for luxury lodges.
The decision to go to Londolozi was made to a large part due to their amazing blog. We have been reading excerpts of their virtual safaris, and it just called out to us. They have also won the title of “best luxury safari lodge” multiple times over and they are known for their many leopard sightings.
While we had stayed at the neighboring MalaMala Rattray’s Camp and Kings Camp in Timbavati it was a chance to experience another camp in the area.
Getting there
We tried a new international route to Joburg this time with United Airlines which has an overnight (15hr) flight from Newark. This turned out to be better than the other 2-day options we’ve tried before taking us through Qatar, Brazil or Europe.
For our arrival at the camp we booked directly with the Londolozi reservation team and had them organize our FedAir charter flight from Joburg. Easy! We opted to add a night at the airport InterContinental hotel. The following morning FedAir picked us up in the hotel lobby to drive us over to the private and comfortable FedAir lounge where we would board our short flight at 12:30pm. On our way back we ended up having a private flight making us feel like rockstars.
The small plane landed at Londolozi’s private airstrip where we were met by our ranger Tayla and tracker Phendulo. Off we went to discover the world famous and award winning Londolozi Private Granite Suites. Sam, the property manager, came to greet us and walked us to our suite. More about that later.
The game drives
The typical winter schedule at Londolozi is a 5:30am wake-up call with a 6am departure for the morning game drive. The converted-for-safari Land Rovers get back at around 10:30am for brunch but we never cut a good viewing short and often returned later.
The afternoon game drive starts at 3:15pm and goes until shortly after sunset which is around 6pm. With a private vehicle you can adjust the times a bit, but these times make sense as the animals tend to rest when the hot sun is out and they are most active in the mornings and late afternoons. We didn’t see much of interest on the night drives, most of our better sightings were all early morning or late afternoon.
Each vehicle has both a ranger and a tracker. The tracker sits perched on a custom seat on the front bumper/hood and acts as a spotter. We were amazed that they could see tracks in the sand as we rolled along the dirt roads at 10-20 mph. The tracker would lift his hand to signal stop and then jump off to follow the tracks into the bush and generally try and find where the sought after animals had gone. Yes, these fearless trackers would even set out in search of lions and leopards and even on a misty morning!
As we headed out before 6am the rangers and trackers had already been busy preparing the vehicle to get us fresh blankets, hot water bottles, and snacks. They’d also been reviewing the reports of where animals were last seen to plan the day and bring us to where we would be most likely to experience the most exciting animal sightings. That said, often these outings would turn out to be more ad-hoc and opportunistic.
Vultures and one hyena with a kill
One day, as we drove along the road toward our planned location, Ranger Dean stopped the jeep and showed us several vultures and an eagle in a tree. He then pointed out additional vultures closer to the ground in another tree. He made us listen to the sound of a squirrel doing an alarm call and said let’s go look over there.
Sure enough, as we approached, we spotted more vultures on the ground trying to steal away a piece of what remained of a carcass of an antelope that a hyena was dragging away. The hyena stopped and stared into the distance and moved away with the carcass. She probably stole the kill from a leopard or cheetah but now worried that a lion may be approaching to return the favor. Many sightings came about in a similar way.
Lion tracks
Another time, we headed off to find a recently found leopard but came across the prints of lions. Soon after, we saw three lionesses on the prowl.
Later, spotting tracks on the dirt road, we stopped, and our tracker showed us how the prominent and sharp ridges of the paw prints suggested that these were very recent tracks. Sure enough, as he followed outside of the vehicle, he signaled back that a young male lion was in the bushes below a certain tree. We sure would not have wanted to be following those tracks to come face-to-face with a lion, even a young one.
Hunting with a leopard
Once, after finding a mature female leopard, Ranger Tayla said look at that belly she has not eaten and will be hunting soon. Soon after we saw her crouch down and start moving towards something.
We followed along in the jeep and saw a male impala. Tayla explained that the male impalas were positioning and snorting at each other this time of year to impress the females and that this may give the leopard an opportunity to strike when they are distracted.
We watched for well over an hour as she calculated the approach, the wind direction and all the variables to put the odds in her favor. We quietly followed her approach only to have her efforts thwarted by a noisy bird raising an alarm call.
It was so much fun to be following along as the only jeep at the sighting. Like watching “a day in the life of a leopard”. She was not at all bothered by the jeep and just went about her business. All the animals are seemingly conditioned and used to the vehicles and human sounds.
Tracking and searching
Much of the adventure and suspense was in fact this following of tracks and the listening for cues. As the jeep drove along the road, Tracker Phendulo from his perch on the front bumper would raise his hand and make us stop. He’d jump off and follow tracks he had somehow seen as we sped along.
We looked down and could honestly see nothing. We even thought they must be making it up for show to impress the tourists! But no, those faint tracks turned into a sighting more often than not.
One day we searched and searched following tracks and alarm calls to no avail. Two trackers combed the bush as we drove through bushed and over rough terrain to keep up. But, the elusive leopard we were searching for could not be found. If they don’t want to be found they won’t be, and we’re sure that they saw us even though we didn’t see them. We finally gave up and went after a known sighting of a mother leopard with a cub instead that had come up on the radio.
Favorite wildlife sightings
Our sightings were quite impressive over the four days we were there. Each of the 8 drives had at least one spectacular encounter.
A female cheetah with three cubs, a leopard with a cub, a pride of 17 lions, a den of hyenas with one cub, two male lions, a mother leopard and son with a hyena that had stolen their kill.
Add to that the usual variety of zebras, antelopes, elephants, giraffes, a couple of jackals, and even some owls.
We also saw many colorful birds like bee-eaters and our favorite lilac-breasted roller. An exciting 4 days!
Top-notch rangers and trackers
The rangers and trackers were enthusiastic, and you could tell they loved the animals. They had all been heartbroken having seen the cheetah with only two cubs earlier in the day. And they were bubbling over with joy when we saw the third cub again with mum. They told us stories about the big cats and knew them like they were part of the family. One single lioness alone in her pride was maybe pregnant again, and they were thrilled. Another one had a den of cubs over by another reserve.
They knew the history and the lineage of the animals and the habits such as how long the cubs stayed with their mums and more. We were lucky to get such passionate guides like our ranger and tracker.
Londolozi Private Granite Suites
The Granite Suites camp at Londolozi is made up of only three suites. Very exclusive, and you very much need to book in advance. We booked almost a year prior and when we did, we asked for Suite number 2 but were told that we were already second on the waiting list. Imagine our surprise when Sam turned into the walkway to Suite number 2 as she walked us to our room.
What’s special about Suite number 2 is that there is a private full-sized heated pool blending into a series of natural granite boulders. Simply a breathtaking view.
More than that, the suite is somewhat like one’s own private bungalow. Every creature comfort is provided from a fully stocked mini bar with snacks, candies, cookies, and more. A Nespresso machine with plenty of capsules is provided and even insect repellant, sunscreen and after-sun lotion were there for our use.
Modern and beautiful throughout, the walls are made up of broken granite rocks, and the 20ft high vaulted ceiling is thatched. The king size super comfortable bed gets a mosquito net with the nightly turn down and we were impressed to even find individually controlled heating pads on each side of the mattress for those cold winter nights. A super comfy duvet cover and crisp sheets made it a heavenly bed.
The full-size living-room has a wall-to-wall darkened window looking out over the pool and river beyond. We’d see birds in the morning and one day even had a hippo lounging on the rocks.
The huge bathroom has two sinks and a large bath as well as a 4x6ft walk-in shower. And there is more! A make-up desk with charging stations and a behind the bed his and hers closet area with a safe and plenty of storage. Daily laundry is provided, and the room is made up and restocked twice daily.
The place was so huge we couldn’t even hear each other across the expanse of rooms. Our little carry-on bags were lost in there. We could have moved in with most of our belongings.
At night, despite the electric fence around the property we were told to walk with a security guard. In our case, a woman named Promise.
The meals
Meals at the Londolozi Private Granite Suites are hosted in a central terrace area in a common building (exclusive to the three suites). It is also modern, tasteful and has a pretty spectacular terrace overlooking the granite rocks next to the river.
Dining times are selected by each guest, so you simply come when you want. Chef Reward came out to tell us about the three daily choices for appetizers and mains. There are no written menus. One must-try is the freshly grown salad from their own community garden. Every night was something different. Always tasty.
One night they did a grill in the boma which is an open area surrounded by upright sticks driven into the ground. A true African safari experience cook-out. There is an open firepit and they had setup a bar and a grill.
We asked our ranger and tracker to join us for dinner too and got to know them a bit better. Both were enthusiastic nature lovers, and you could tell they loved what they did. As we talked about the animals, we saw the emotion as they told us about the births, the deaths, the injuries, and the various hardships of the animals. It’s a rough life out there in the wild bush, even for the big predators.
The meals were generally as follows: In the morning we headed out very early directly on to the game drive. There was a coffee and tea break with a few snacks if desired where the Land Rover was converted into a picnic table and we all stretched our legs. Brunch was at 10:30 or 11am after the game drive. One day we arranged to have a packed breakfast so we could stay out longer on the drive.
There was the possibility of lunch, but we generally told them we would not have any. Brunch was big and we wanted to enjoy the nice room (and heated pool) and of course get back in the jeep to see more animals!
Dinner was at our leisure but generally after we got back from the afternoon game drive around 6pm we’d just freshen up and come for dinner. The game drives themselves also included “sundowners” where we’d park to enjoy the wonderful African sunsets while enjoying snacks and drinks.
Other activities at the camp
There is a small historical museum about Londolozi located in the next camp over (a 3-minute walk) that gives some details about the game reserve and its almost 100-year history. Did you know the idea was conceived over a tennis match after a few drinks?
There was also a spa and a gym, but we stuck with staying out as long as we could on the game drives and didn’t partake.
Between the game drives we would relax in our room (more like a bungalow!) and enjoy the huge, heated pool. Of course, in the African winter even the heated water was a bit of a shock to the system, but we jumped in anyway.
Overall conclusion and parting thoughts
Having been on many safaris including some in the same general area we were excited to be back in what we know is leopard country.
Our room at the Granite Suites was hands down the most expansive, modern and beautiful place we’ve stayed at on safari. It would be hard to beat. Even if you added another room or two it was already oversized with everything and anything one could ask for. Every amenity and creature comfort were thought of thanks to Sam. We can’t think of anything that would make it better. It was perfect!
One day we had neglected to bolt the door, and the wind pushed it open. A 12-inch lizard had slipped in and was found to be sunning himself on the windowsill the next day. We had to chase him out with a book towards the back door. The poor little thing was more scared than we were, but we wanted to get him out before the next guests had a surprise.
The jeeps were comfortable and the guides excellent. Having the separate tracker we believe makes a difference, especially when looking for a particular animal in the bush. It takes an experienced and perhaps nerves-of-steel type of person to jump into the bush after seeing lion tracks and go looking for the lion.
In terms of viewings. We had some fabulous ones. The terrain was beautiful with lots of open expansive areas as well as bushier spots with old riverbeds. Perfect for leopards! There were enough roads to make 4 days of game drives interesting and even if we did the same roads a few more times I don’t think we would have gotten bored, there was always something new to see.
The Londolozi camps are all located within walking distance of each other, and the rangers share their sightings so one doesn’t have to stay at the top camp to have the same safari viewing experience.
Ultimately with the 5:30am wake-ups and all the fresh air we were tired and went to sleep early and left before dawn.
While it would have been fun to hang out in the fabulous suite longer, we didn’t want to miss a minute with the animals on the game drives. We very much enjoyed our afternoons back in the room and took advantage of that heated pool with a view. It was wonderful to spoil ourselves while celebrating our birthdays at Londolozi’s beautiful Granite Suites.
Would we come again? In a heartbeat! A definite two thumbs up to Londolozi’s Private Granite Suites.