Timbavati Game Reserve

The 185,000-acre Timbavati, the northernmost of the private reserves, has been collectively owned and managed since 1962 by the Timbavati Association, a nonprofit organization that strives to conserve the biodiversity of the area. Timbavati is home to more than 40 mammal species, including the Big Five, and more than 360 species of birds. It's famed for its rare white lions; if you miss them here, you can see more at the National Zoological Gardens in Tshwane. Timbavati also has a large population of "regular" lions, and there's a good chance of finding leopards, elephants, buffalo, and spotted hyenas. Rhinos are now more frequently seen, although they keep crossing back into Kruger. You might get lucky and see wild dogs, as they migrate regularly to this region from Kruger.