idube game reserve

This is the place for a good chance of seeing leopard up close. Other members of the Big Five are there although we personally did not see rhino on a short visit.

All of Kruger National Park is extraordinary but there are rules that will not allow you to go off road so choose a game reserve in Sabi Sand area. The various lodges share information about the animals here (they say they are not in competition since travelers have already chosen the lodge by the time they are in the vehicles!) and here you are ALWAYS off road. Seriously amazingly wonderfully sometimes scarily close to animals. The rangers and trackers were incredibly knowledgable and planful (you know who you are Rob and Ronald!) We were inches away from lions and leopards (one up a tree eating an impala with hyenas below waiting for leftovers.) All of the staff is lovely and gracious and willing and helpful. The reason for the 4 and not the 5 is because of lack of a generator. South Africa has what they call 'load shedding' - which sadly means the country does not have enough electricity to go around. So many days, electric is shut off for various sections of the country at planned times. Other hotels and lodges we stayed at had back up generators to help alleviate the issue and Idube did not. It is not a game changer and in no way were we disappointed in the safari aspect of the visit (we cannot speak highly enough of Rob the Ranger and his ability to get us nose to nose with elephants and lions, hippos and even rhinos and wild painted African dogs -- the birds, the fauna, even the dung beetle!!). However, the lack of the generator meant meals could be affected and delayed as well as afternoons when one wants to rest in air conditioned rooms the windows are closed. First world problems and response to large issue I know. Plan on least 2 nights - we were there for 3 and could have spent more time on those rides.

We stayed at the Idube Game Reserve in late February. Within two trips out we had seen all the Big 5 and then some. We got amazing close up looks to a pride of lions, cheetahs and a Rhino family. The views were simply once in a lifetime. We even had a visit by an elephant to the back of our lodge! The staff was amazing, so courteous, friendly and welcoming. The food was excellent and the accommodations were top notch. We can't wait to go there again. This place is a must if you want to get the true close up safari experience.

We just returned from Idube after a 4 night/5 day visit and I have to say it was amazing. We are a family of 4 (2 15 yr. old boys) and we loved it. The staff was friendly and took care of whatever we needed. The real attraction here is the safari. The rangers and trackers are top notch and really know their stuff. Our guide/ranger, Rob was great. He answered all our questions and made sure we were in the best spots for the animals, sunrises and sundowners in the evenings. Our tracker Lonnet seemed to see animals before they appeared! This is an intimate setting as the lodge only holds about 20 guests, so you get to meet people from all over the world. Breakfast and lunch are served in an open air deck where you can see wildlife as you dine. Dinner is served around a fire in a semi-circle seating arrangement (Boma). The food was very good, not too exotic but different enough to make it an interesting dinning experience. Roxanne, the chef, made sure we had a nice selection each night and prepared our menu with much care. The rooms were comfortable, clean and well appointed - but you are not paying for the rooms you are paying for the safari experience that cannot be replicated if you try to tour Kruger on your own. There are two game drives per day and a walking safari that lasts about an hour. We experienced something new on every drive! Big 5, no problem! In our first afternoon drive we watched cheetah enjoying an impala kill (about 5 feet from the vehicle) and three male lions feasting on a giraffe (within 10 feet of the vehicle!). This was our first safari and I was absolutely astounded at how close these vehicles can get to the animals without distributing their natural behavior. I enjoyed the walking safari with our guide, Rob. Getting so close to the animals is a rare experience and cannot be achieved unless you are part of a private game reserve. We also like the fact that you had plenty of time to relax next to the pool in the afternoon or take a nap on your deck. For our teenage boys, an afternoon nap was needed since the 5am wake-up call for the game drives seem to take a lot out of them. I brought a small pair of binoculars and used them frequently - mostly for birds, but not really needed since you get so close to the animal. By the way there were almost no bugs! I purchased expensive bug repellent and didn't use it once. On the days I was going on the walking safari I sprayed my legs with the repellent supplied by the lodge to keep tics off. Overall an outstanding experience, highly recommended. I

A lovely homely atmosphere with very upmarket and comfortable accommodation at a comparatively affordable price.The access to viewing the big 5 in this reserve is unmatched anywhere!The rangers and trackers are tremendously knowledgeable and do all they can to keep their customers happy.Good food, good service by all the lodge staff is a further bonus!We had a truly unforgettable experience.

Love everything!It's Sally's home and mine as well.IDUBE is in the Sabi Sands Game Reserve within the Greater Kruger Park, home of the Big Five and all the Small Five's and you can find everything and more here

This is my first review ( I'm a lazy internet user) but I made an exeption for this fantastic place. I was at the Idube for two nights a few days ago with my wife and my 9 years old son and we enjoyed everything we found there. The ranger Andries has a great skill for sightings and is very educated and passionate about his work, he taught us lot of interesting stories about the animals we were watching, their habits and their interaction along the ecosystem. He showed us basically every marvellous animal you can dream of soooo close that we could look straight in their eyes, and doing this he offered also a solid performance as a super offroad driver, we liked a lot this part of the game as well. The trackman Ronald was a real hawk and seemed to know every tree and every stone of the reserve, they are a great team and make a great job together.They were also very kind to wait for us for the first afternoon game drive, because i was late driving from the Kruger airport, this was very important for us staying only two days. I really apologise I' can't type the name of the sweet and kind girl at the reception, she wrote it in a paper for me but I lost it, it's not a common name for me as an Italian and I'm sad I don't remember it.Our room was very nice, clean, confortable and, being the Idube an open lodge, we had the feeling of sleeping in the bush: great sightings also from there! The food was very good, great South african wines.Later on we spent two days in another lodge in the kruger Park, a marvellous place too, but didn't match the fantastic experience we had at the Idube...Andries told me the best month is September, maybe next year we will have a second and longer stay there!

Big five ticked off on the first drive, stunning work by Rob the Ranger and tracker Ron, aka "The dream team". They continued to deliver, under difficult circumstances, due to soggy off road conditions, and being unable to traverse the northern part of the reserve, as the river was in full flow. My photos and videos are a testament to their skills!

Excellent Leopard sightings and a super friendly team added to my time at iDube (The food was not bad) ... The rooms and lodge seem to be overdue for a refurb, the old fashioned face brick style didn't appeal to me. It's obvious that many people love iDube and its warm staff ... Perhaps a comparatively affordable travel option within the Sabi Sands

Great location for seeing all the big five in a jeep or walking, day or night time. We saw an elephant after she had given birth and a Leapard in camp after having killed an Nyala.The Ranger was very informative and it was a great experience being there. The only thing to remember is to lock away all your vauables before leaving your lodge.

It is my 1st safari. Stayed at the lodge for 5 days, seen all animal including a fight between male/female lion in less than 20 feet. The ranger, Okkur (apologize if I mis-spell) is awesome as well as the tracker Titus. Both of them are very professional and friendly. Food and accomodation is great as already mentioned a lot here. The chef, Chris, loves sushi and I will later send her a video program about the best sushi shop & master in Japan. All the staff there are very helpful. A family from Austria was there and they discovered a leopard resting in their patio when they are back from dinner! I travel solo but all the guest I met there are friendly. A really enjoyable and relaxing vacation. Here is something which I experience:(1) Eyewear - don't wear contact lens as fine dust particle encounter in game drive will hurt your eyes. Even when inside the air-con van from Nelspruit airport to the lodge my eye not feeling good as some fine dust particle must have entered the van.(2) Clothing - no need to bring lots of cloth for change as their laundry service is inexpensive and normally can return within the same date.(3) Photography - Fast lens (i.e. with large aperture) that can zoom to 300mm is more useful; as it will be getting darker and darker during the afternoon game drive. I sometimes use my phone to take video and snap shot which is very handy. Bean bag or tipod no use during game drive.

I have never written a review before but this holiday was so good that I wanted everyone to know about it. Idube was the best. The best for viewing game....we saw everything even the most rare of animals - cheetah, leopard, rhino, lions,buffalo,elephants, zebra,giraffe,wild dogs with cubs, wildebeest, monkeys, hyena, honey badger, mongoose,waterbok, kudu,eagles, vultures impala, warthogs, birds galore, and loads of babies including a one week old baby elephant. The list goes on. The hotel suite was immaculate and beautiful and from our sun loungers on our veranda we saw elephants walking by, giraffe, and loads of other animals. The food was fab. 15 of us outside sat around a huge wood fire eating and drinking. The staff were all lovely and ear to help. And a huge special THANK YOU to Promise and Ron our guide and tracker. They were exceptional. And they got us up close and personal with all of the animals. We will be going back and would not go anywhere else on safari. Simply the best.

we spent 2 days at Idube. It is very nice place with a cozy feel. Staff are friendly. We were stunned by the game viewing..had not idea we would see wild animals so up close and personal (was awesome). We got to see all the Big Five (Buffalo, Rhino, Elephant, Lion and Leopard) and more. We also got to see the rare to see wild dogs...our ranger (Francios) was fantastic and we really enjoyed his enthusiasm, knowledge and friendliness. Out tracker (lonnet) was also very good at spotting animals and we enjoyed out time with the two of them. Food is OK at Idube, though the ambience of eating dinner around a bonfire and as a group was nice. Being a private reserve landrovers are allowed to leave the trails and follow animals, os higher odds of seeing the big five here than at kruger (though i would recommend both for first time visiters as you get a different feel at kruger and sabi)

I'm not much in to game resort adventures, yet being at Idube will make 1 reconsider. It's the nicest game Reserve I've been to yet.

we liked it in every way--warmth generated by the host--Andrew and Laura. the bonfire and barbeque they organized every evening was great!