Lower Sabie, Kruger National Park

Lower Sabie is undoubtedly one of the most popular camps in Kruger National Park – and with good reason. The wildlife here is prolific and it’s an excellent spot to see the Big Five. In addition, it occupies a wonderful location on a bank of the Sabie River, a short distance upstream from a small weir that dams the river in front of camp. Magnificent old sycamore figs, coral trees, fever trees and jackalberries are dotted throughout, and birdlife abounds. There is plenty of space for the kids to unwind on the grassy lawns under the trees, while you enjoy sundowners in the snazzy, new restaurant and bar area overlooking the water. (Be warned, however, that mosquitos can be a problem in the evening, so it is best to wrap up in long pants and shirt.)

Accommodation at Lower Sabie

Due to its popularity, it is essential to book accommodation well in advance, as the camp tends to be full year-round.

Chalets
The four one-bed huts are not equipped with kitchen utensils, cutlery and crockery, although the two-, threeand five-bed huts (26 in total) do have a fridge and basin. They all utilise communal ablutions and kitchens. The twobed bungalows (not equipped) have a bathroom, and three-bed bungalows are equipped with both kitchenettes and bathrooms. Of the 60 units, 46 have a perimeter view and are consequently more costly. The two, two-roomed family bungalows sleep a maximum of five all in single beds, two in one room and three in the other. Steenbok and Moffat guesthouses each have two bedrooms and sleep four, while the Keartland Guesthouse sleeps seven people in three rooms. Each bedroom has its own bathroom with baths and showers. All the guesthouses are fully equipped, including proper stoves, while Keartland also boasts DStv. A new boardwalk leads upstream from the restaurant along the Sabie River, offering excellent views and associated biodiversity.
Safari tents: The 24 new safari tents sleep two and have a small en-suite bathroom. Of these, 12 have a river view.

Camping and caravanning
There are 34 clearly demarcated gravel sites, each with its own braai spot and electric box requiring a caravanning adaptor for regular thee-pin plugs. Some sites are allocated, but there are precious few with any shade.

Wildlife around Lower Sabie

The camp
The large sycamore figs, sausage trees, fever trees and jackalberries lining the Sabie River give the camp a shady, relaxed feel and attract a wide range of birdlife, especially as they bear fruit for much of the year. Elephant, hippo, buffalo and other game congregate at the water to drink and are easily viewed from camp.

The surroundings
The Lower Sabie area teems with life and you are sure to see a wide range of animals, from large crocodiles and hippos in the Sunset Dam to leopards along the river course. The entire area is also good for wild dog, which are sometimes seen early in the mornings along the roads radiating out from camp. Further south, cheetah are often encountered. Warthogs occur in large numbers in the area.

The Big Five
All members of the Big Five are present in good numbers in the area and, on lucky days, all may be seen on a single outing.

Birds
The trees in camp attract numerous species, in particular hornbills, green pigeons, barbets and a host of other fruit-eating species. Sunbirds, weavers and starlings are also common in camp. At night, listen out for square-tailed (Mozambique) and fierynecked nightjars and the deep grunt of Verreaux’s (giant) eagle owl. Sunset Dam is a good place for a range of water birds: African jacana, goliath heron and saddle-billed, woolly-necked, yellow-billed, openbilled and black stork. Hamerkop are always present and African spoonbill prowl the shallows, while malachite kingfisher flit overhead. White-crowned lapwing are also often seen here as well as near the N’watimhiri causeway on the road to Skukuza. White-fronted bee-eater occur in the dongas along the road to Skukuza a few kilometres from camp. On the grassy plains north of camp, look for ostrich, kori and blackbellied bustard, red-crested korhaan, Swainson’s spurfowl, common and harlequin quail as well as kurrichane buttonquail.

Don’t miss!

Watch the sun slip below the horizon at Sunset Dam as the guineafowls flock into the branches of the dead leadwoods for the night and young male hippos spar with each other in the water below. Also be on the lookout for the area’s wild dog, lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and giraffe.

Activities offered at Lower Sabie

Three-hour morning and sunset drives in 20-seat vehicles can be booked at reception. Guided, early-morning bushwalks, which include refreshments, provide you with an excellent chance of meeting white and black rhino, together with a host of other wildlife, on foot. Bush braais are popular, so book well in advance. Wildlife documentaries are shown daily, weather permitting.

Best drives around Lower Sabie

Lower Sabie is surrounded by fantastic routes, all of which offer sightings on a regular basis. It lies in the bottom corner of the Leopard Triangle, comprising Skukuza, Nkuhlu Picnic Site and Lower Sabie. Here, where the Sabie and Sand rivers meet, you will find the most extensive stretch of riverine forest in the Lowveld. One of the best spots for game hardly requires a drive
- Sunset Dam is less than a kilometre from the gate, and provides great crocodile, hippo and water bird sightings. It is also a favourite hunting spot for wild dog, which regularly attack herds of impala that gather to drink at sunset.

Skukuza-Lower Sabie Road
The main ‘drag’, the H4-1 (Skukuza-Lower Sabie Road) along the Sabie River, is one of the busiest roads in the park … and rightly so. Elephant, kudu, lion, leopard, wild dogs – you name it – are regularly seen along this route, and you could wrap up your game viewing in a morning on a good day.

It’s worth heading all the way out to Nkuhlu Picnic Site (fulcrum of the Leopard Triangle) where there are gas cookers for hire, toilets, chairs and tables, a small shop and takeaway. The monkeys and starlings may be entertaining, but don’t feed them! After this the road tends to get busier and busier and it is probably better to return home the way you came. Alternatively, if you can face the people, head up to the H12, which crosses the Sabie River (look out for great water bird sightings at the low
bridge, as well as crocs and hippos) and return along the S30 (Salitje Road) and then the S128 or H10.

Muntshe Loop
To take in the Muntshe Loop, head north from the camp on either the H10 or S29, passing Mlondozi Dam Picnic Site. Although this lofty view over the dam provides you with pretty scenery, it is unfortunately a little far for any great wildlife sightings, but look out for the resident mocking cliff-chats. Then, taking either the S122 or H10, circle the Muntshe Mountain (444 m), which is one of the prime spots in the park to see sable and mountain reedbuck. These routes pass through open grassy plains. Elephant, lion and large herds of buffalo are often seen here, particularly in the dry winter months. Exciting sightings are possible along the entire route and lion, leopard, elephant, hippo, bushbuck, white rhino, waterbuck and giraffe are all common.

Gomondwane Road
The H4-2 (Gomondwane Road) heading south from Lower Sabie offers a huge number of exciting sightings, from elephant, white rhino and giraffe to wildebeest, zebra and lion, all of which are common, while leopard are seen regularly. Cheetah are often reported around Duke Water Hole, while wild dog are often reported closer to Crocodile Bridge. It is worth heading all the way south to Crocodile Bridge before returning along the S28 (Nhlowa Road) past Nhlanganzwane Dam and Nthandanyathi Hide.

This is an extract from the Kruger Park Guide by Cameron Ewart-Smith and Sunbird Publishers. This is an extract from the Kruger guide. Want you own copy of the pocket guide? Buy the Getaway Guide to Kruger National Park here.