Leopard Hills

“We have found our new home!”

I came to Leopard Hills off the back of a less than pleasant experience elsewhere in the Sabi Sands and had a degree of hesitation in returning. However there was absolutely no need for such hesitation and from the greeting on arrival it very soon became apparent that there is something special … lisää

I came to Leopard Hills off the back of a less than pleasant experience elsewhere in the Sabi Sands and had a degree of hesitation in returning. However there was absolutely no need for such hesitation and from the greeting on arrival it very soon became apparent that there is something special about this place. Of course the lodge is beautiful, the rooms are stunning, the food and drink top notch, all as you would expect from a luxury lodge experience. But Leopard Hills has something extra, difficult to put into words, but definitely extra special. It was only a 2 night stay and I was surprised how sad I was to leave after such a short period of time, and how happy to know my return visit was airedy booked. Nothing was too much trouble, the service levels impeccable and all of the staff completely brilliant. Now onto the game drives, we were fortunate enough to have the guide/tracker combination of Michael and Advicr and we had the best time with them. They are super fun, full of knowledge and a love of the bush and 4 drives just was not enough. They both worked so hard to make sure that guests had the best possible experience. What absolute stars. We even finished on the last drive of a complete high of 4 different leopards on that one drive. I honestly cannot recommend this place highly enough. And can guarantee once will not be enough.

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“Luxurious safari experience”

We spent three nights at this lodge, which we consider the perfect number of nights to stay at a lodge to get the full experience. We were welcomed with a glass of bubbly – always a nice way to be greeted! Everyone who worked at the lodge was super pleasant and clearly wanted guests to have a good … lisää

We spent three nights at this lodge, which we consider the perfect number of nights to stay at a lodge to get the full experience. We were welcomed with a glass of bubbly – always a nice way to be greeted! Everyone who worked at the lodge was super pleasant and clearly wanted guests to have a good time. The common areas were large and luxurious. Our cabin (#4) was quite substantial, and it was nice to have air conditioning and heat since the temperature varied a lot from morning to evening. Our cabin had a beautiful view down to a small valley where we could see animals throughout the day. There was large deck area for relaxing with a small plunge pool and nearby outdoor shower. The place was a bit posh for a real safari experience, but why not treat yourself? The food was excellent and the food and beverage manager was always around talking to guests and making sure everything went smoothly. Coffee tea and some snacks were available prior to the morning game drive, a nice breakfast with small buffet and ala carte offerings was available after the game drive and then in early afternoon there was an ala carte lunch if you wanted to enjoy a lunch and before going out on the evening game drive there were snacks and coffee and tea. No one was going hungry. The staff serving food we're very attentive quick to offer refills for any beverage you were having. The food was excellent; there were two boma nights and one three course meal night. The three-course meal (we had springbok shank) was so delicious we were a little concerned about having two boma nights. That said the food at the boma nights was quite good and different between the nights, so this was not the negative that we had expected. We liked the fact that the guides joined guests for dinners. There were 20 wines available that were included as part of the package. That's the most of any camp we have ever been to. The strength of this lodge is that the maximum number of visitors per Toyota Land Cruiser is 6 so that no one must sit in the middle seat. Loved the hot water bottles in the jeep for the morning drives that were chilly. The game drive quality varied a bit from drive to drive - for example there was one drive where we went 60 to 90 minutes without seeing any mammals or even probably any birds. Of course, on safari it is about 80 to 90% of driving around and then 10 to 20% of interesting sightings. Our guide was an expert in elephant behavior and that was very enjoyable as we spent quite a lot of time with elephants. Everyone, of course wants to see lions, but lions pretty much lie around all day while elephants are moving and constantly entertaining. We were fortunate that wild dogs were denning on the site and we were able to see wild dogs for two days in a row. In our previous 15 years of going on safari, we had only had wild dog sightings twice. So, this was a thrill. Our only quibble with our guide is that he drove at about 6 miles or 15 kilometers an hour which is excruciating slow and you can look out across the scenery and quickly see that there is nothing at all in the area, yet we still drove through it slowly. Going so slowly and looking at nothing was a bit frustrating. Our guide was an excellent driver, and we didn't get bounced around too much but when we needed to motor to see the dogs we were able to move quite quickly so that speed concern is minor. We have been to about 14 safari lodges and this one was one of the most elegant and well-run operation we've come across. We suggested offering guests a hot towel when returning after a game drive (most lodges do this) and we would have preferred only one boma night for a 3-night stay. The chef is quite good so guests should experience his skills. There is a lot to be said for lodges that are simpler and feel more rustic if they have excellent food and wine and guiding, but there is also a lot to be said for going on safari in elegant accommodations. This lodge clearly offers the latter.

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“Peaceful and Perfect a high-class experience”

Leopard Hills was amazing! Greeting us with the feel of belonging, then off on a game drive immediately upon arrival. Morne and Advice are a great team to be riding with in the bush and their experience truly opened our eyes to the wonders of Sabi Sand. Nyala grazing in the backyard off of our d… lisää

Leopard Hills was amazing! Greeting us with the feel of belonging, then off on a game drive immediately upon arrival. Morne and Advice are a great team to be riding with in the bush and their experience truly opened our eyes to the wonders of Sabi Sand. Nyala grazing in the backyard off of our deck. Amazing food and boma experiences. The staff, managers, chef and all were truly a "family" at Leopard Hills. The accommodations are beautiful and comfortable and spotless! Very spacious. The peacefulness will carry with us forever. We miss everyone and the nature remains in our hearts.

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“Great reserve all around……with very friendly small feel atmosphere”

We have made several trips to the Sabi Sands area and did not know about LH. Fell into it after a google search…it was wonderful. The accommodations were lovely, and the food fabulous ( thank you Carmen and Cuco!!) We have done other 5 star facilities but LH stood out for the small personal family … lisää

We have made several trips to the Sabi Sands area and did not know about LH. Fell into it after a google search…it was wonderful. The accommodations were lovely, and the food fabulous ( thank you Carmen and Cuco!!) We have done other 5 star facilities but LH stood out for the small personal family atmosphere. The game drives gave us everything…leopards, lions, wild dogs!…many beautiful elephants. It was perfect. A shout out to Michael and Collen …a job well done! We hope to return soon! Thank you for a memorable vacation.

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