Sanbona Wildlife Reserve

Magnifique. Très bel endroit. Le manoir est exceptionnel et le service impeccable.

From the moment we arrived Sanbona proved to be the most incredible experience. We stayed in Gondwana Lodge for an overnight experience, with two safaris as a family with our 9 year old daughter. They catered for everything, with a backpack and activities for our daughter, gifts for the family and snacks to keep us going and amazing food. The Safari themselves was out of this world. Anthea, was fantastic - she was super knowledgeable and full of information to answer all of our questions. Our only wish was that we’d stayed longer!

Tilney Manor was superb, meals good and Jordan our safari guide couldn't have been better. Malaria free.

Cannot fault Sanbona and their brilliant location, 5 star accommodation and facilities and their wonderful staff. If it’s your 1st safari experience or like me who has been on safaris before, this place is the one to come to. Josh our guide was just absolutely brilliant! Watching the lionesses go on an Eland hunt from start to finish is something that we will never forget.

We started our two week tour with you guys first. the food, experience with your mazing staff and end of the day deinks in the reserve as the sun was going down. The two encounters with Elephants S very funny.

We stayed for two nights in the wonderful Tilney Lodge and went on safari in the reserve four times, twice in the morning (sunrise) and twice in the afternoon (sundown). We enjoyed viewing the lions, giraffes, springbok and many other animals in their natural habitat. The lodge has wonderful facilities and an excellent staff, and our guide, Jan, has superb knowledge of the reserve and its wildlife.

Our stay was exemplary from beginning to end. I think it is important to explain Sanbona is focused on conserving the wildlife habitat and there is a tremendous amount to be learned from what they are successfully managing to accomplish. This does mean those looking for wildlife around every corner may want to consider booking in Kruger National Park (Sanbona has a reserve in this area too). All our animal sightings were amazing and the education we received from Josh, our guide, made me reconsider some of the misconceptions I had surrounding animal habits. Our lodging was top rate (Dwyka Tented Lodge) and the food, prepared by a wonderful chef, was absolutely delicious. The whole experience is to be highly recommended.

We stayed at Sanbona's Tilney Manor, which provides excellent accommodation and food. The reserve's scenery is beautiful and we had some great wildlife experiences, including lions, cheetah, elephants and rhinos. Although not cheap, it is value for the quality provided. In planning, note that it's over an hour from the entrance gate to Tilney Manor - longer to the other accommodation. We can't comment on Gondwana or the tented camp, other than to say that they are arguably better located in terms of getting to the main wildlife areas of the reserve. You can also arrive in time for lunch at Tilney Manor, as it's full-board. An added benefit of Sanbona is that it's on the very scenic R62 and can readily be reached by lunchtime from Cape Town. One of us uses a wheelchair, though can walk a bit. We managed at Tilney Manor, though the best disabled facilities are at Gondwana (which was fully booked). The staff were extremely helpful and accommodating.

The best experience ever! If you don’t come here, you’re missing a dream come true. It’s 5 star and beyond .