Does anyone know the best lodge in Sabi Sands for birds? Are any of the more expensive lodges fenced to allow ‘safe & relaxed’ walking within the camps? I prefer looking at nature from the ground and not from a vehicle. If you were not going on many game drives and were more interested in the view and serenity aspect from your accommodation where would you go?

Also – apparently construction is taking place at Singita Ebony & Boulders. Do you think this is a reason not to go?

The lodges I know are not fenced and so the area available to walk around is quite limited.

As far as birds go, most lodges will be pretty similar. There are about 335 birds on the SSGR list. What really counts will be the quality of the guide. I am very much interested in the birds as well as the bigger game, my record at Mala Mala is 162 species in five days, this year we are looking for 175 in eight. My total list for SSGR is 203, so the 175 will really take some work.

To bird the area it would be better to self drive and visit the Kruger park itself, you can drive all day and traverse the park from north to south leaving a potential list of over 500 birds.

You may want to conside Mvuu in Malawi, this has a two day record of 266 birds.

I can't imagine spending SSGR type money and not going on game drives.
From camp at Mala Mala I would guess I probably have a bird list in the low 30's.

Also if you are really a keen birder and not interested that much in the mammals, you are likely to be somewhat unpopular with the other guests in the vehicle, and that does not make for a good time. The guides will love your enthusiasm, but most "mammal" guests get
pretty antsy after five minutes pishing at a bush.

Thanks for that information! I was hoping that one of the lodges has accomodation with a view of water because where there is water there are usually birds.
I have done some birding in the Kruger Park camps (in skukuza & lower sabie) and found it to be excellent. Of course there you are free to walk around.

Others can speak to that better, Mala Mala main camp does not have what you are looking for. You might want to check individual websites and look at the various photos.

You may have luck finding some specific tours geared for twitchers. When I stayed in South Luangwa, the lodge owner told me that the prior week they were visited by a couple of birdwatchers from the UK, and their "game drives" never ventured more than 100 yards from the camp. I think the camps in Kruger are fenced, but not those in the Sabi Sands.

leanapayne

You might want to look at Tinga Private Game reserve as they are within Kruger and the accommodations have a water view.

Thanks safarinut! I just checked their website. Didn't even know they existed. And so close to Skukuza which is convenient.