Sabi Sands Game Reserve is home to an exclusive-use luxury villa and a sustainable safari experience located in South Africa’s most celebrated wildlife region.
© Cheetah Plains
Cheetah Plains, opened in 2018, offers a refined eco-luxe safari, with villas that run entirely on solar power and a focus on sustainability and thoughtful design. The property provides a highly personalized, flexible itinerary so guests can shape their safari experience. Ideal for families or groups of friends seeking privacy and comfort, Cheetah Plains features three private villas, each accommodating up to eight guests and showcasing award-winning architecture and interiors.
The villas—Mapogo, Karula and Mvula—are named for notable wild cats that feature in the reserve’s history. Designed to blend with the environment, the villas use natural materials and modern forms to create a calm, elegant atmosphere. Each villa contains four private guest suites and shared living areas that include a lounge, dining and living rooms; an expansive swimming pool with deck; an outdoor boma for fireside dining; a well stocked wine selection; and a fully equipped chef’s kitchen.
© Cheetah Plains
Wildlife viewing is enhanced by quiet, electrically assisted Land Cruiser game-viewing vehicles, improving the chance of close, unobtrusive encounters. Back at the villa, guests enjoy attentive hospitality from a dedicated team that typically includes an experienced host, culinary staff, a lodge sommelier, spa therapist, private guide and tracker, plus childcare when required.
Meals emphasize fresh, locally sourced ingredients, with bushside brunches after morning drives and intimate dinners fireside beneath African skies. Each villa houses a 300-bottle wine cellar for tastings that complement the diverse menus prepared by the chef.
Cheetah Plains is reachable on a 1.5-hour flight from Johannesburg International Airport by commercial or private charter, followed by a 20-minute private vehicle transfer from Arathusa airstrip to the villa. The property pairs well with visits to Cape Town, the Cape Winelands, Kruger National Park or Victoria Falls, and daily scheduled flights or helicopter transfers can be arranged to create a wider South African itinerary.
© Cheetah Plains
Rates start at $2,000 per person per day, all-inclusive, based on four adults with a two-night minimum. Additional guest pricing is $1,550 per extra guest; children 3–12 years are $770; infants under 3 years are $150.
The all-inclusive rate covers value added tax at 15 percent and includes exclusive-use accommodation with four adjoining private guest suites; a curated selection of South African wines, beers and spirits; all meals during the stay; twice-daily game drives in a private vehicle for up to eight guests; a private guide and tracker team; guided bush walks; in-suite wellness treatments by a spa therapist; access to an on-site gym; laundry service (excluding dry cleaning); WiFi; childcare; use of a Nikon D500 series camera and lenses; and transfers between Arathusa Airstrip and Cheetah Plains when flying with FedAir, Airlink or private charter.