Mala Mala, located in the Sabi Sand Reserve on the border of Kruger National Park, offers arguably the finest safari in South Africa!
A recent trip to Kruger where I had the pleasure of staying at 9 different safari camps, all in different parts of the greater Kruger region, Mala Mala Main Camp being one of the camps, reinforced my belief that Mala Mala offers something incredibly special.
There are 3 camps at Mala Mala; Mala Mala Main Camp, Sable Camp and Rattray’s on Mala Mala. Now, for those of you that want a lodge with all the bells and whistles and require the highest level of luxury then Mala Mala may not necessarily be for you, having said that, Rattray’s on Mala Mala is a very luxurious camp and is the ideal choice for those who require luxury whilst on safari. There are though, many excellent safari lodges in the Sabi Sand Reserve, Manyaleti and Timbavati that offer the ultimate in luxury, however Mala Mala wants to be remembered for the exceptional safari experience it delivers, in other words, the game viewing and not necessarily the luxury element. At Mala Mala it’s all about “the game viewing” and boy do they deliver on that front.
Mala Mala is simply a massive reserve at 33,000 acres, this allows for a very exclusive safari experience as the only vehicles traversing on this land are Mala Mala vehicles. The other major point about having such a massive traversing area is that it avoids or limits the disappointment of being on a game drive and for example tracking lion only for the Lion to walk into a neighbouring private concession and your sighting is over. I have experienced this many times at various safari lodges and there are few things that are more disappointing whilst on safari, than when you have an excellent sighting and the animal walks across an imaginary border and you have to watch it head off in the distance. With its massive traversing area Mala Mala certainly negates this from happening.
Mala Mala also has 3 tiered land rovers and so with just 6 guests on a vehicle (only 4 at Rattray’s on Mala Mala), this adds to the exclusivity of the overall game viewing experience at Mala Mala. We also rate the guides at Mala Mala as being right up there with the very best. The guides we have encountered at Mala Mala were all extremely passionate about wildlife and very knowledgeable and extremely efficient at tracking animals.
Another aspect that makes Mala Mala such an amazing safari destination is the different terrain and especially due to the fact that the Sand River flows right through Mala Mala. In the dry season animals that are located well into the Kruger National Park descend on Mala Mala to quench their thirst from the Sand River. The great variety of habitat types consisting of riverine forest, acacia bushveld, rocky outcrops and open grassland also allow for varied wildlife to flourish.
In a nutshell when it comes to a pure game viewing experience, Mala Mala has to rate as the ultimate South African safari destination!
By Stuart Parker
Enquire now about booking a safari at Mala Mala.
