All-inclusive safari resort offering high-end suites with plunge pools, plus daily bush excursions.
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As seasoned bush travellers, this was arguably our best bush experience to date!
Summary: Game viewing - incredible sightings (please note this is the bush, its luck of the draw) but with expert guides and remarkable trackers, their ability to find animals produced some of the best sightings we have ever had.
Rooms - pure luxury, spacious, comfortable and clean. Wonderful flow from room to beautiful bathrooms and outside shower. Turn down service between activities and bedtime notes - a nice touch.
The Food and Beverage - fine dining at its best. All meals were fantastic and the boma dinner was a real feast and highlight - dining under the stars, next to a crackling fire, hyenas whoop in the background - ahh, this is Africa!
The people - some of the best people I have encountered - you will feel so welcome and cared for.
Right, to the detail:
Game: saw just about everything - Big 5, Cheetah (very special) and plenty birds (got my first Coqui Francolin). The area lived up to its reputation. Its luck of the draw, an open system, you get what you get, and it's why I love the Kruger so much. Its the wild.
Guide Justin - a personable guide who went above and beyond for all sightings, whether big or small (we are aspiring birders) - he delivered on all fronts. Apart from his depth of knowledge and skills, a real gentleman - who remembered our names from introduction - this is big for me - took a genuine interest in us as guests. This was really appreciated. We hope to cross paths again.
Trackers: we had Ron for our first night and Mo for the duration of the trip: Ron - A very wise man and a fountain of knowledge. You can tell a well-respected member of the Sabi Sands region. Privileged to see him at work. Mo - that smile! What a truly good human with eagle eyes. A stand-out highlight was when Mo picked up on some leopard tracks - jumped off the vehicle and made his way into the thicket...moments later a radio call "Got em". A few directions later a beautiful leopard emerged. It was a remarkable piece of skill and great to see the guide/tracker work so well. Wishing Mo all the best with his upcoming guiding studies and further qualifications.
Food and beverage: Tammy runs an extremely well-polished team - we were treated like royalty. From beautiful table settings every night to paired wine offerings, everything was immaculate and nothing too much trouble. To the wonderful waitron staff, you were all amazing and kind. Reward, Benedict, Clearance, Nicholas - thank you for all your hard work, everyday smiles, and looking after us so well.
To Head-chef Cobus, Penny and Carel - WOW! The food was out of this world! And we enjoyed rolling out of the dining room after each meal. Expect delicious breakfasts, wonderful lunches and 3-course meals every night of the highest quality.
Mandla, guardian of the night. The camp is completely open and Mandla ensures safe travel back to your rooms in the dark. Thank you for the safe late-night walks.
To the front-of-house team we got to meet, Kiara, Megs, Nadine and Selina, thank you for all you did for us, nothing was a hassle. And for all the behind-the-scenes work we are not aware of, that made our stay so memorable, thank you!
To all the smiles we did not get to meet, but who play such an important role in the Leopard hills family , the housekeeping staff, the grounds team and all those in the background - you are vital to this team for creating memorable experiences - thank you for all your hard work, bedtime notes and stories, and greetings around the grounds.
To the Leopards Hills family, it was an incredible stay, and we hope to be so lucky to one day return. Until then, keep doing what you doing, it's a wonderful advert for South Africa!
Until next time, kind regards
The...
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We stayed at leopard hills for four nights as part of our honeymoon. It was our first time on safari and we didn't know much about it. Our experience was that researching a hotel for safari is not like researching a traditional hotel. Stuff like the room and food and service are only of secondary importance, and tbh no safari Lodge will be able to match a traditional five star hotel like four seasons dollar for dollar. The facilities at Leopard hills are good but they are one tier below traditional luxury resorts. This will be the case no matter which Lodge you choose (Ulusaba, Sabi Sabi, etc). But they are still very comfortable and you won't be disappointed.
We thought by far the more important aspect was the quality of the safari. If you are spending 10k and travelling long haul for a week you want to maximise your chances of seeing interesting animals in the bush. In this respect Leopard Hills has several advantages which we did not know before the trip:
the lodge shares its traversable area with neighbouring lodges (Ulusaba, Inyati, Dulini and others) and the guides from all these lodges share information about the location of animals. This means it's much more likely you'll see interesting animals. Basically the ratio of guides sharing information to traversable area is very favourable. Some lodges do not do this and either have too many trucks in a given area where the game drive feels too crowded or have too little and there is more chance you go a day without seeing many animals.
leopard hills specifically is located right in the middle of its traversable area. This is important because it's easy to get to any other place in the area. Some other lodges are located in the corner of the area which means if say a lion is sighted in the opposing far corner, it could be too far to drive to get there in time.
Sabi sands in general apparently just has a very high density of animals. Like a lot of lodges in this area, the animals will likely come right by the rooms.
Leopard hills ensures only 6 people are sat in each game truck. This means you are guaranteed a "window" seat vs an "aisle" seat. (The trucks can either be three rows of 2 people or 3 people. If its 3 people then an unlucky person has to sit in the middle, and it's also just less comfortable. Leopard hills doesn't do this.)
On top of this, because the lodge only has 8 rooms, its all very social and friendly. My wife and I got to know our guides, Justin and Ron, and the other people in our truck over the four days. The whole place feels like a big family which isn't surprising as it's been run by a family for the last 20+ years.
One couple staying at the lodge had been back most years for the past 25 years. They have visited other lodges around the continent but always finish a trip with leopard hills because they know they are guaranteed a good time and good game viewing.
The craziest part is we didn't know any of the above prior to our trip. I was sat there comparing things like room sizes or whether the pool was instagrammable. This is fine for a long weekend in Greece but not important for safari. I think the lodge really sells itself short with the website which is why I'm leaving this review....
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Leopard Hills was our final destination, concluding our first safari experience in Southern Africa, and what a way to end this wonderful trip! We stayed 4 nights and wish we had stayed longer. |The lodge is stunning, featuring modern, understated luxury with earthy tones that seamlessly blend into the surrounding landscape. The views from the main deck are breathtaking. Situated on the side of a hill, it offers a stunning overlook of both the surrounding landscape and the waterhole below the lodge. There is nothing more rewarding than watching a variety of animals, such as rhinos, elephants, impalas, wildebeests, and hippos, at the waterhole during breakfast and lunch.|There are eight rooms or suites located throughout the resort. Some are built on the hillside with stunning views, while others are at ground level facing the bush. Each suite is beautifully designed, featuring a sitting area with a desk, a comfortable king-sized bed, and a bathroom equipped with both a separate shower and bath. Outside, there is a deck that includes a plunge pool and an outdoor shower. The room offers all the amenities you could desire, including a well-stocked fridge with both non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages, snacks, and a Nespresso coffee machine. We stayed in room 5, which was located on the ground level and overlooked a small waterhole frequented by various animals, including elephants. It was great to sit on the deck and watch impalas, baboons, and zebras come to the waterhole. One afternoon, I had the most magical experience of being woken up by elephants drinking from the pool!|In addition to the luxurious surroundings, the staff is excellent. From the moment we arrived, we were greeted warmly and attentively. The staff remembered our names and preferences, such as how we take our coffee and our favourite lunch beverages. These small details and personalised service truly reflect what makes this lodge great! Special thanks to Spha for taking such great care of us during meal times and to Portia in the spa for relieving our sore muscles with her magical touch. |What truly sets this place apart is the game drives. The vehicles accommodate only six passengers and are extremely comfortable. Each morning, we were given hot water bottles, blankets, and windbreaker ponchos to ensure we could enjoy the drives without getting cold. We saw a lion and the resident leopard, Ravencourt, on the first game drive, and we had ticked off the “Big 5” within 48 hours of arriving at the lodge. |Justin, our guide, was phenomenal. His knowledge of the African biota was incredible, and he had a wonderful personality to match. He was an excellent host, taking care of us during rest breaks by preparing a “bush mix” of chocolate, coffee, and Amarula in the morning and mixing G&T or DBC at sundown. The trackers, Justice and Ronnie, were great and always going above and beyond while spotting tracks, unusual insects, or birds. |We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at this lodge and would recommend it without...
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