A South African Safari you cannot afford to miss out on.

If an authentic luxury safari bush trip is what you’re after, you will get all that and so much more when you visit Notten’s bush camp. The perfect balance of luxury and simplicity, not garishly overdone, with lanterns lighting your way in the evenings, complimenting the magic of the bush and the star-filled African sky.

Notten’s Bush camp makes you feel like you are home. The rooms are spacious and beautiful and the lodge is made up of only 9 private suites, which gives one a sense of exclusivity, even better in these times with travellers wanting to feel more isolated.

We just love the unhurried game drives, hearty meals, friendly faces and good conversations around a boma fire. The staff go out of their way to make every second special and memorable and the managers and owners are hands on and passionate about what they do. So much can be said for an establishment such as this one, with numerous genuinely happy staff that have worked there for more than ten years.

Set in the Sabi Sands game reserve, which in my opinion offers a safari experience that is hard to match in other game reserves around the world. Wildlife viewing possibilities are simply unparalleled, and the habituated leopards are a sight to behold. These animals are so calm around the vehicles and give you the perfect sightings and photographic opportunities.

The highly trained guides are patient and alert, and will make sure you are in the best position at every sighting. Our guide, Geoff, spotted many leopards and lions independently, rather than chasing after every sighting mentioned on the rangers’ radio. They’re intuitive and cater to their guests’ every need.

We were fortunate enough to experience a thrilling sighting with a large pack of wild dogs, including loads of cute pups that looked as though they were wearing socks, They were feeding on a kill, fending off some scavenging hyena's, and then headed off to the most beautifully scenic waterhole for a drink, where they were eventually chased off by a herd of wildebeest and zebra who slowly edged their way towards them. On our first game drive, just 5 minutes from the lodge we discovered a leopard cub relaxing in a massive Jackalberry tree, which we observed for quite a while. The very next morning, about 10 minutes out on our game drive, we came across a large male leopard drinking at a waterhole and were able to follow him for a bit too.

Another special moment was had when we were casually driving along, and our guide stopped the vehicle and said, 'what are those birds making all that noise about?'. We immediately headed into thick bush to investigate and came across a small waterhole where the lapwing birds were still alarm calling loudly, and there they were, a female leopard with her cub, casually having a drink. Again, we were the only vehicle around to experience this incredible moment, we followed the two of them for quite some time and eventually learned that they had a kill in a nearby tree.

It honestly feels like there's a bit of magic around every corner in this place.

Whether you’re travelling for an anniversary or honeymoon, on your own, or as a family, this lodge is befitting. The pool area is adequately designed to allow everyone the luxury of space. The platters they serve up are generous and delicious, and all the drinks are included which makes you feel pretty well looked after. They have unique little special touches they add along the way too, which which will stay with you for years to come.

Notten’s Bush Camp remains one of our favourite destinations in the Sabi Sands Game Reserve and we cannot wait to visit again soon.

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Here's the direct page for Nottens Bush Camp