TIMBAVATI
PRIVATE NATURE RESERVE, SOUTH AFRICA
SUMMARY
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COST
GBP £2,500
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GUEST CAPACITY
4 - 6 Guests
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DURATION
6 nights / 7 days
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START DATE & END DATE:
30 April - 6 May, 2023
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START & END LOCATION
Eastgate Airport, Hoedspruit
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SAFARI LOCATION
Timbavati Private Game Reserve
HIGHLIGHTS
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Timbavati shares an open border with the Kruger National Park, allowing all animals to roam freely into the reserve
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Hosts a large array of animals including the iconic Big Five plus African wild dog, spotted hyena and much more
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Home to the rare species of white lion. Whilst sightings are rare, and as such are not guaranteed, they are very much sought after
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Eco conscious camp, meaning you don’t have to worry about having a negative effect on the environment whilst enjoying the luxuries of a safari.
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Attentive guidance throughout from your private professional photographer, providing tuition in-the-field and back at the lodge
ABOUT TIMBAVATI
Buffalos, lions, giraffes, wildebeest, impalas, baboons, cheetahs, leopards, and the rare white lion – the list of wildlife in the Timbavati Game Reserve is mind-blowing and goes on and on.
This private game reserve, adjacent to Kruger, has over 40 mammals roaming freely. Covering 75.000 hectares of bush, you will experience a more intimate and personal affair with wildlife than anywhere else. Being in a private game reserve, jeeps are allowed to go off-road – in contrast to Kruger Park where vehicles are restricted to paved roads – and get much closer to animals.
The bright white icing on the cake in Timbavati Game Reserve is the presence of the rare white lion. A crème-coloured coat, ice blue eyes; their beauty is captivating. Although born with a snow-white coat, white lions are not albinos; it is the result of a rare colour mutation. White lions are indigenous to the Timbavati Game Reserve and the earliest records of sighting them in this region date from 1938.
Luckily, thier colouration doesn’t appear to be of disadvantage when it comes to survival. The Global White Lion Protection Trust (GWLPT) reintroduced white lions into their natural habitat in 2009, and they have been hunting and breeding successfully ever since. To prevent the spread of diseased animals, a fence erected along the Kruger Park’s boundary in the 1960s, blocked migration routes as well.
Due to an agreement of all parties in 1999, the fence was taken down. Now, no fences separate Timbavati’s 75.000 hectares from the Kruger Park, so herds are free to track along the ancient paths they roamed for ages. In the Timbavati Game Reserve, wildlife can be viewed up close, since vehicles are allowed to approach animals within six meters.
Beside the Big Five and dozens of other mammals, here is one exclusively for the birdwatchers among us.Get your cameras ready for the ‘Big Six’: Lappet faced Vulture, Martial Eagle; Saddle billed Stork, Kori Bustard, Ground Hornbill and Pel’s Fishing Owl. Africa’s most intriguing feather friends!