Lion Sands River Lodge

"Lions Sands River Lodge - that was fantastic!! The staff, rangers and trackers all are very professional and friendly."

"Lion Sands was amazing - loved the lodge, the people and the game drives."

We were mostly fascinated with the Sabi Sands and all the amazing wildlife that we found there! We saw the big five two times in four days, besides other incredibly interesting animals, and our ranger and tracker were fantastic. Besides, the Lion San ds River Lodge was everything we hoped for and more and the staff great!

"We had an unforgettable experience at Lion Sands River Lodge and were blessed to see the Big 5."

"Incredible! Our tracker, ranger and butler made our stay amazing."

All was perfect from the service to the room to the food. The "maxi-bar" was included and I loved the French Press. I had wondered if we would have decent coffee and we did. Our guide, Ale, She knew everything and was willing to share and in fact ended up being the best guide we had! Plus, important to us that they had the fitness center. I quickly found out that safari-ing is a lot of time sitting in a vehicle and then eating great meals and drinking great wines...ome day we hope to return.

We had a wonderful trip. Everything about it was great. This was my sixth African safari and the best of all overall. That says a lot because each has been a fantastic experience. Both lodges were quite nice. Lion Sands Lodge was quite luxurious and we felt pampered the entire time. The staff at both lodges were friendly and very accommodating to the girls food preferences. The rangers and trackers at both lodges were excellent and resulted in our viewing some less seen animals.

Lion Sands - This was hands down the best service I have ever had on vacation. The entire staff was warm, welcoming and always extremely helpful. Our butler Jabulani was absolutely amazing. The resort was also amazing and totally over-delivered on our expectations. The room was beautiful and each night they left us a very nice note on the bed for our honeymoon. The food was top notch, always served promptly and this goes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The grounds were another treat, so calm and relaxing I wanted to freeze time and drink iced tea on the couch all day. Our guide, Mike, was also fantastic. He came recommended and I’m glad we rode in his vehicle. He knew EVERYTHING there was to know about nature, the animals and the area that I must have asked 1,000 questions over 3 days. This was a trip I’ll never forget and if I were to ever return to Kruger I would make sure I book well in advance to stay at the River Lodge again. We stayed in the Chalkey Tree house one night and that was a night to remember. The accommodations at the tree house were fantastic, comfortable.

"Lion Sands was perfect. Our rangers were exceptional and we got a lovely welcome basket from Rob More whom we actually saw on the plane."

"Lion Sands was out of this world."

"Lion Sands River Lodge was wonderful - the service fantastic, our ranger and tracker brilliant and we were lucky enough to see the big five and more, including wild dogs (which apparently is rare)."

The hotels were all top notch. No issues whatsoever on that front. The service and quality at each location was great. No qualms with referring any of these places moving forward. Lion sands was incredible and the game drives were awesome. I think th e 3 days was the perfect time to spend there

"Lion Sands is such a beautiful accommodation, so relaxing and the safaris was amazing, saw so much."

"The Lions Sand Lodge and safari was the highlight of our trip. The lodge was beautiful and they made our safari experience unforgettable. We did see the big five, had amazing an room and great food. The staff was excellent."

"We had a wonderful time & would highly recommend!"

Lion Sands is great. The rooms are lovely, and very comfortable. The staff were great. Our ranger and tracker were very knowledgeable and very friendly, and obliging. Our drives were fabulous. The food is very good and we had a lovely butler who reme mbered our likes and allergies. We saw a lot of game (the big five), but not an abundance. There had been a lot of rain, the bush was very thick and we couldn't go off-road until our last day.

We LOVED Lion Sands, and thought they did a great job with every detail of the experience. The accommodations, the food, the atmosphere and the staff were all top notch. The game viewing was amazing, and we really couldn't have asked for anything m ore out of the safari experience. We loved the little breaks on the game drives with snacks and drinks. We also had a breakfast out in the bush with elephants walking around -- was really beautiful! There were animals walking around right outside of our room, so even during the down time of the day, we could see more wildlife! I was so sad when our stay at Lion Sands was over because I thought it was one of the most special experiences of our life.

The Lion Sands River Lodge you've proposed to us is simply magnificent. Always taking care of the tiniest detail for us to be satisfied. We were treated like kings. The game drives were simply out of this world. We never had been so close and inside Mother Nature, and the drivers/guides had very good knowledge of the environment (class A professionals). Two of the dinners we've had were awesome (one of them was outside the lodge, ... simple magnificent). Although we are not prepared yet to sleep outside in the jungle (for example in the tree houses) someday, I think, we will try them. There was also a great care in our security/safety that made us feel like "family".

I have been meaning to drop you a line to let you know how much we enjoyed our trip to your beautiful country. Everything went perfect. All connections went smoothly and our transfers that met us to get to our next destination were all on time and very nice people. Lions Sand River Lodge was the ultimate adventure. I would highly recommend all the places we visited and have recommended you to our friends. Thank you for a trip of a lifetime!

We had such an extraordinary trip to this point that we were wondering how Sabi Sands could possibly top all that we had seen to this point. However, Lion Sands was such a special and luxurious time that we were absolutely blown away! The resort was an absolute dream, so beautiful and so comfortable. The team there were exceptionally professional, we were made so welcome and it was an exceptional place to view the Big 5! We were so very very fortunate to view the Big 5 in our first afternoon drive and each and every day beyond that provided us with the most amazing opportunity to see so many animals so close and so much more than we ever expected. Every day out on safari with Sly and our tracker was just amazing. We learnt so much about the animals and the region and had a great laugh with fantastic hospitality throughout. The sundowners were superb! One thing I do also want to say is that we weren’t aware before arriving the extent of the gourmet experience that we were to expect at Lion Sands. EVERY meal was EXCEPTIONAL!! I am an ex-hospitality professional mostly in 5 star hotels and I was AMAZED at the food and hospitality that we experienced throughout! Janine and the team are to be congratulated on the job that they do in such a marvellous location. Each meal was arranged to be different for the experience and the food – treehouse brunch out on the drive, outdoor bbqs, river side candle lit dinners all with fantastic food. Our thanks too for the lovely bottle of champagne that was awaiting our arrival from you and the Lion Sands team; what a lovely surprise!

"It was great! we really enjoyed our trip.... The lodge was very nice, the staff and/or service was excellent, and the food fantastic.... we really didn't want to leave...."

My personal highlight of the trip was our Safari at Lion Sands. I cannot say enough nice words about that property, and the only bad thing about it was that we couldn't stay forever. We managed to not only see the big 5 multiple different times, but also had the unique opportunity to see the baby Lions, Elephants, Hippos and baboons. It was surreal.

"We had an amazing time on the trip and are grateful that we had your expertise in booking critical segments of it. Lion Sands was a really beautiful reserve."

Lion Sands lodge was unreal and our days were jam-packed. We were woken up each morning at 5:30 AM to go on our first game drive of the day, and saw the Big Five (lions, leopards, water buffalo, elephants and rhinos) after our first three drives. In terms of game-viewing, the two highlights (of our lives) were 1) sitting in a car 6 feet below a leopard and her cub as she chowed down on a bush buck in a tree, blood dripping down onto the front of our ranger's car and 2) taking an outdoor shower as a journey of 11 giraffes hopped right on by. The meals were AMAZING and we went on hippo drives and nature walks through the bush, where we were surprised with champagne! We were also surprised with a 'Happy Wedding Anivesssay" spread on our bed. Ashley, our awesome travel agent, told Lion Sands we were "madly in love" and that was one of the things they decided to do for us. We also had meals out in the bush, and spent a night in a ridiculous tree house while lions and hyenas hung out below. Ariel was scared. Cailey had no problem running down to search for a fallen toothbrush.

I LOVED the Lion Sands Safari Resort. We had a wonderful room decorated with flowers, candles, and a pre-made bubble bath. It was very romantic. The food was delicious as well. Overall, the staff was great. At one point, I thought I got a tick b ite, but it was a false alarm. The manager and several workers on the property continued to check up on me throughout our stay. Our safari driver and tracker were amazing! They knew everything about the bush and the animals. They had a great sense of humor and were very modest regarding their talents. I was impressed with their knowledge and skills. They made me feel comfortable and I was able to enjoy this once in a lifetime experience. This was truly the best part of our trip!

"I was very pleased as a vegetarian that I was treated like a 'normal' diner at Lion Sands. It was refreshing."

We had a marvellous time! Everything worked out very well, from the transport to and from Joburg airport to Lion Sands (we had a driver named Vincent who was absolutely lovely) to the accommodations and welcoming reception at Lion Sands. The safari r ides were top notch, and we found our ranger (Kenneth) and tracker (Levy) to be incredibly knowledgeable, delightful to interact with, and fun. We saw MANY animals, and the experience was one of the best vacations we have ever had.

OMG!!!!! I am still dreaming about this place!! So unbelievably beautiful. The staff are outstanding!! The food was over the top awesome, the accommodations were spectacular and the 18 hours we spent on Safari are some of my greatest memories of my e ntire life! Nicole our guide was truly amazing, so full of knowledge and willingness to give us anything we asked for. We were with 2 other couples who made each hour even better. The pics and video I have already have circulated facebook and I have been asked to enter some of the photos into a contest. From Sunrises to sunsets, to Lions, elephants, leopards, giraffes, hyenas, buffalo, wildebeest and the many, many antelope types as well as the birds, trees bugs... everything... IT WAS A TRULY AMAZING EXPERIENCE!!!!

"Lions Sands was also very good and the game drives there were amazing. We saw lots of animals."

"We both agreed that this was the absolute highlight of the entire trip. Lion Sands was perfect for what we wanted to do and see. The staff, rangers, trackers, food and accommodations were all top notch."

"Lion Sands River Lodge was fabulous! The staff were great and the food was really good. They actually upgraded us to Ivory Sands for our last two nights, which was amazing!"

Lions Sands River Lodge was truly wonderful and staying in the Treehouse was a perfect way to end our safari part of the holiday. It's worth doing (but try and pick a night closer to the new moon, other wise the moon is very bright with no stars). Every Lodge and it's staff were so attentive, friendly, helpful, smiling and sincerely wanting to make our stay perfect. They gave Mark a wonderful surprise birthday dinner celebration and had a bottle of champagne for our anniversary.

"Lion Sand River Lodge is a fabulous lodge because it has: - a fantastic team (ranger, tracker, housekeeping, butler, etc. - a very good service - several incredible different dinners - very good safaris In general an incredible hotel."

The safari was probably our favorite part of the trip, just because it was such a unique experience for us. Lion Sands simply blew us away. The property, the staff, our guide, tracker, etc. Everything was perfect. And we saw the big 5 on our first ga me drive! We didn't want to leave.

Lion Sands was spectacular! I can't say enough about the staff. Ivory Lodge was beautiful BUT we found ourselves wanting to visit and talk with many people and River Lodge had more of that (for privacy and seclusion - Ivory could not be beat and we d id meet some great folks there).

Lion Sands - exceeded our expectations. We were assigned to a ranger by the name of Jona and tracker Bheki who are passionate about their jobs. They were my personal national geographic channel for the 4 days we were there. As a result of their passi on and their own curiosity about animals we were lucky to track and witness an actual kill - leopard killing a baby elephant. It is an experience I will not forget. The lodge - extremely grand and top notch. Having a river at the back of the lodge allowed us to relax and enjoy the animals during the day. Food was good. Highly recommended.

"The Lion Sands was beautiful we did stay in the tree house and that was something to behold the sunset and sunrise.The Ranger was knowledgeable and the animals up close, the food was great."

"Lions Sand was just unforgettable. We have even seen leopards mating right in front of us which was even extraordinary for the rangers as apparently it is a very rare experience even for them."

"Lion Sands was very nice and the Trevor / Juice were just fantastic - they were the ones who found the leopard and the lion."

I cant speak highly enough of this place. The rooms might have been a bit small, but the game viewing, service, etc exceeded all our expectations. Our ranger (DJ) was excellent and we were very happy with the staff being extremely accomodative to all our needs, especially with my wife being a vegetarian. I'm generally not one for repeating a lodge/destination for vacation, but i might have to make an exception on this place.

"Everything was perfect. Service and facilites at Lion Sands were first rate, 10 out of 10. Expectations met, and in case of Lion Sands exceeded."

Probably the highlight was at the Game reserve, very well looked after, and seeing the animals in the wild was a great experience for us, even though we had to be up at 5am each morning, it was exciting. So I think you did a very good job in organizi ng all this for us,