Richard Branson’s Ulusaba Game Lodge, Sabi Sands, South Africa: An incredible safari experience

by Gary Bembridge · March 18, 2012

Ulusaba Lodge Sabi Sands Game Reserve South Africa

The Richard Branson owned Ulusaba Lodge in the Sabi Sands Game Reserve, Kruger National Park in South Africa is quite something. It is not only a unique and stylish place to stay, quite unlike anything you would expect from a safari lodge – but also offers amazing opportunities to see all the “big 5” Game (Lions, buffalos, leopards, elephants and rhinoceroses) on the twice daily safari trips that are included in the price. Saying that, the price is not cheap as this is a luxury resort and experience. But was worth every penny we spent on going there. It remains still today one of the most remarkable and wonderful travel experiences I have had to date.

This is how the lodge is described on their site: “Ulusaba, meaning ‘place of little fear’, can be found amidst the breathtaking landscapes of the Sabi Sands Private Game Reserve in South Africa. At Ulusaba Safari Lodge in South Africa you will discover the soul of Africa, where the forces of nature bring together a wilderness of beauty. It is just a 1 hour and 20 minutes flight from Johannesburg. We have our own private airstrip, and there are daily scheduled and charter flights available”.

When staying at Ulusaba, you are able to go on game drives twice a day with your allocated Game Ranger and Tracker team in open-top Land Rovers. The rangers all keep in touch, and you see a huge range off game, and very close up. The first drive is before breakfast (which means getting up at about 4.30am) and then one before dinner. These are the best times to see game. There are also other opportunities to see game, like walking ones during the day. There are often surprises and treats on the drives, like stopping for some coffee and breakfast treats, and in the evening you can be taken to a big open air event with entertainment and drinks.

The food and drink is all included, and tasty. Dinner is eaten at a long grand table.

To illustrate the type of flight, which has to be in a small plane that can land on the dusty landing strip, and what you can experience getting there, here is a video I made of the flights and views as you fly in and then the lodge. Below that is a video of the STUNNING room.

This was our amazing 2 level room:

For photos of the place and the animals we saw, visit my flickr set by clicking here
Listen to a podcast I made about the Sabi Sands Game Reserve
Read a review and article on Ulusaba on the the VTravelled blog: click here

More photos I took of Ulusaba: