EXETER PRIVATE GAME RESERVE
SABI SAND GAME RESERVE, SOUTH AFRICA

• World-renowned Leopard sightings
• Big 5 Game-viewing
• Day and night safaris
• Three exclusive safari lodges
• Private plunge pools

General information

Located on the southwestern corner of the Kruger National Park, there are no restricting fences, thus enabling the animals to roam freely just as nature intended.

The Reserve is famous for its incredible leopard sightings. The Sabi Sand leopards have grown accustomed to safari vehicles, thereby permitting close up sightings and extraordinary photographic opportunities.

Accommodation

SAFARI ACCOMMODATION AT EXETER PRIVATE GAME RESERVE

Exclusive safari accommodation

Exeter Private Game Reserve features the elegant Leadwood Lodge, unique River Lodge and Dulini Safari Lodge, each offering elegant accommodation and style in the African bush.

LEADWOOD LODGE, SABI SAND GAME RESERVE

A private safari lodge situated in the western part of the Sabi Sand Game Reserve, nestled against a well wooded bank of the Sand River, where jackalberry and leadwood trees lend their shade. Its four suites distanced from one another to offer solitude and serenity.

• 4 spacious air-conditioned suites
• Dramatic views of the Sand river
• Private plunge pools
• En suite bathrooms
• Perfect for family gatherings and special occasion safaris

Leadwood Lodge boasts a tactile blend of boldly expressed and contrasted materials - crushed stone, raw cement, dark meranti, rough granite and glass. Soft furnishings provide an inviting counter point to the textures and patinas of the structure. Each suite has a fireplace, sitting room and private pool, surrounded by a wooden deck and granite wall. Spacious en suite bathrooms pamper and delight guests

RIVER LODGE, SABI SAND GAME RESERVE

Tucked away in a quiet corner of the Sabi Sand Game Reserve's western sector, River Lodge sits in the shade of a grove of ebony trees right on the edge of the Sand River. Eight luxury suites spread out along the shady bank with dramatic close up views of the River, all with generous spaces and elegant bathrooms. Cool off in the private plunge pool, while enjoying the sight of a herd of elephant drinking or perhaps a hippo surfacing in the river below.

• 8 air-conditioned suites
• Romantic African bush dinners
• Private plunge pools
• Outdoor showers

Magnificently positioned guest sitting and dining areas overlook the Sand River. A giant sausage tree provides shade for long, lazy afternoon lunches. Delicious Pan African meals, complimented by the finest South Africa wines, are shared in the open air boma around a blazing fire under a star strewn sky. Romantic candlelit dinners in the African bush, or on the deck of the guest suites, offer more memorable dining experiences.

DULINI SAFARI LODGE, SABI SAND GAME RESERVE

Six spacious stone cottages grace the banks of the Mabrak River in the western corner of the Sabi Sand Game Reserve. As one of only 12 guests, one feels instantly at home in this quiet retreat. The beautifully appointed suites boast generous plunge pools, shady decks and classic interiors that celebrate the signature style of the Reserve. From the privacy of their own plunge pools, guests enjoy watching game explore the dry riverbed just a few metres away.

• 6 spacious stone cottages
• Private Plunge Pools
• Delicious Pan-African cuisine
• Wine Cellar

The guest area is an elegant space filled with big welcoming sofas and interesting African sculptures. Dine under the ancient jackalberry tree where skilled chef's serve delicious Pan African meals, or steal away for a romantic candlelit dinner in the well-stocked wine cellar.

Exhilarating safaris at Leadwood Lodge, River Lodge and Dulini Safari Lodge: Explore the Reserve and its diverse wildlife on interpretive morning and afternoon/evening game-drives or fascinating bush walks in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve near the world-famous Kruger National Park.

Activities:

SAFARI ACTIVITIES AT EXETER PRIVATE GAME RESERVE

Exciting safari activities

Exeter Private Game Reserve is excellently positioned in the game-rich Sabi Sand Game Reserve bordering the famous Kruger National park, offering thrilling wildlife related activities at no additional cost:

Twice daily Big Five game-drives

Experienced rangers and trackers will lead you on morning and afternoon/evening game-drives in open 4x4 safari vehicles. The Sabi Sand Game Reserve and Kruger National Park are of the finest Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino) game destinations in Africa and you have an excellent chance of spotting the elusive leopard. Exeter is renowned for its world-class rangers and Shangaan trackers who are regarded as among the best in Africa.

Interpretive bush walks

Explore the Sabi Sand Game Reserve on interpretive wilderness walks led by experienced rangers or expert Shangaan trackers, and learn more about the area's intriguing fauna and flora. Guided bush walks bring you face-to-face with wild Africa at its best.

Game viewing:

WILDLIFE VIEWING AT EXETER PRIVATE GAME RESERVE, SOUTH AFRICA

Exceptional year-round African wildlife:

Game drives at Exeter are made memorable not only by frequent sightings of Africa's Big Five, but also because this exclusive western property of the Sabi Sand Game Reserve borders the Kruger National Park. Its habitats are home to an extraordinary range of wildlife and bird species.

• Big Five
• Best Leopard viewing in Africa
• Superlative lion viewing
• Excellent birdwatching
• Spotted hyena's
• Scenic Sand River
• Interpretive game drives led by expert rangers

Exeter Private Game Reserve Wildlife Habitats

Exeter's mixed bush savanna habitat is dominated by acacia, marula and combretum trees, with tamboti and weeping boerbean on raised termite mound thickets. A narrow band of riverine forest lines the Sand River and its drainage lines.

These wooded habitats provide the ideal conditions for leopard, bushbuck and a variety of shade-loving birds. Rock outcrops (koppies) north of the Sand River support trees such as large-leaved rock fig and jacketplum.

Mammals at Exeter Private Game Reserve

Our guests are extremely likely to see territorial and individually recognizable leopard and lion which are tracked on a daily basis. Several clans of spotted hyena den in collapsed termite mounds. Impala are the most abundant antelope, with common waterbuck and grey duiker also frequently seen. Greater kudu, bushbuck and nyala favour thickets and riverine forest, whilst buffalo herds graze in tall grasslands. Waterholes attract elephant, white rhino, giraffe and warthog and many other African wildlife species during the dry season (May to October). Cape clawless otter and hippo are resident in the Sand River. Nocturnal white-tailed mongoose, African civet and large-spotted genet are frequently encountered on night game drives. Rock hyrax and klipspringer live on rocky outcrops.

Birds at Exeter Private Game Reserve

There are more than 300 bird species recorded in the Sabi Sand. White-crested helmetshrike, lilac-breasted roller, brown-headed parrot, emerald-spotted dove and scarlet-chested sunbird are among the colourful savanna residents. Woodland kingfisher, red-chested cuckoo and Wahlberg's eagle are breeding visitors from tropical Africa during the wet summer months (October to March). The distinctive call of African scops-owl punctuates the night throughout the year. Crested francolin and helmeted guineafowl wonder on sand tracks during the early mornings and late afternoons. Saddle-billed stork, grey heron and pied kingfisher feed at waterholes and pools in the Sand River.

Other African Wildlife at Exeter Private Game Reserve

Large golden orb-web spiders hang their webs in dense vegetation. Chains of processionary caterpillars are conspicuous as they cross sand tracks at the end of summer (April to May). Dung beetles actively go about their business where elephant and rhino have been. Tree monitor and water monitor are frequently encountered in savanna and riverside habitats respectively. Nile crocodiles are resident in the Sand River. Large leopard tortoise and flap-necked chameleon are other interesting reptiles. The conspicuous meringue-like nests of foam-nest frogs hang above waterholes after summer rains and 18 species of frog may breed in seasonal waterbodies.

Conservation

ECOTOURISM AT EXETER, SOUTH AFRICA

Exeter Private Game Reserve is committed to the core principles

Care of the Land, Care of the Wildlife, Care of the people.

The focus is

Community equity, income generation, education and health care are a primary concern. In consultation with community organisations such as the Africa Foundation - a not-for-profit rural development organisation - our partner CC Africa has contributed significantly towards improving the prosperity and living conditions of rural communities.

Ecotourism in Africa

Guests play a critical role in helping realise the dream and vision: to create a model in wise land management, integrating international travellers and rural people to their mutual benefit and demonstrating that wildlife can be preserved on a sustainable basis by all.

Positive Health Programme

Our partner CC Africa strongly believes in its people and was recently listed as one of three finalists in the Investor in People category of the 2005 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards. The October 2005 edition of Africa Geographic featured an article on AIDS and conversation, and highlighted the activities and programmes that various African companies are implementing in order to increase AIDS awareness and, in doing so, empower the communities taking care of some of the world's richest wilderness regions.

"Probably the most attractive program ... is that of CC Africa... CC Africa launched a Positive Health program in 2003 and in April and May last year ran two seven-day courses.... Their approach focuses on home-based care, gardens, counseling techniques and gender issues.... The health of the habitat is critical to the health of the individuals in it.... The conservation industry is uniquely positioned to take the treatment of HIV/AIDS in radically new directions.... Benefits [of the program] include acquiring 'hard skills' such as maintaining clean water, producing food, and home-based methods of dealing with illnesses that are not life threatening.... It takes only the will of ecologically minded people to make sure that the wild places are not lost."

Africa Geographic, October 2005

Getting there

Exeter is easily accessible by self-drive, road transfer and air. We can pre-book and package all of your regional/internal flights and transfers.

• Federal Air offers daily scheduled flights from Johannesburg International Airport to Skukuza Airstrip, followed by a short drive to Exeter.
• Twice daily scheduled flights from Johannesburg to Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport, followed by a road transfer to the Lodge
• Driving time for self-drive guests from Johannesburg to Exeter Private Game Reserve is five and a half hours on excellent roads.

Let Amanzi Travel arrange your flights for you

Price Includes/Excludes - EXETER PRIVATE GAME RESERVE

What is included:

• Accommodation
• Three meals daily
• Soft drinks, house wines, local brand spirits, and beers
• Teas and coffees
• Refreshments on game drives
• Laundry
• Scheduled safari activities
• Nature walks (1 hour) accompanied by experienced armed trackers, subject to availability (n/a at Madikwe)
• Emergency medical evacuation insurance
• VAT

What is not included:

• Telephone calls
• Safari Shop purchases
• Champagne, cognacs, fine wines, premium brand spirits, and cigars
• Transfers to and from the lodge
• Gratuities
• Government levy / bed levy
• Conservancy or park entrance fees (where applicable)
• Landing fees (where applicable)

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