This place is so amazing, I would give it 10 stars if I could. The setting, accommodations, food, game drives were fantastic but most importantly the entire staff made it memorable. They made this trip so special. You felt like family, not guests. We didn’t want to leave. I truly have no words to describe this special place.” Guest: Debbie S
YOUR SAFARI ADVENTURE AWAITS
We are excited to report that renovations began right on schedule on 11 January 2025. This is an extensive lodge-wide renovation that will be completed on 15th June 2025. We will keep you updated on social media (Insta, FB, Youtube) as we build and hope that you’ll follow along with that and our wildlife sightings.
If you’d like to book for the second half of the year, you can book online.
In the meantime, our sister lodge, Lukimbi Safari Lodge is accepting bookings. Lukimbi is also rated 5* & won a 2024 Traveller’s Choice Award on Tripadvisor. Lukimbi is a stunning lodge and one of only 7 private concessions in the Kruger National Park, South Africa, which borders the Sabi Sands. You can experience a unique private safari in this vast protected reserve where the Big Five and a wide variety of other animals and birds roam free in their natural habitat.
When you drive into IDUBE GAME RESERVE in the Sabi Sand Nature Reserve in South Africa, your senses will instantly awaken to your safari adventure.
Traversing 10 000 hectares of pristine wildlife area, Idube Game Reserve is home to the Big Five — lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and buffalo — and many other fascinating animals, large and small. Our leopard sightings draw safari guests from all over the world, and our visitors are enthralled by the abundant wildlife they can view from their suite patios, especially the resident family of nyala we call our welcoming committee. Idube is an oasis in the wilderness with established trees and verdant lawns. Our guests love the feeling of serenity the wonderful environment evokes. Join us for a welcome and refreshing drink at our convivial bar or the trendy glass gazebo. And at night enjoy nature by firelight.
Idube Game Reserve, Sabi Sands Mpumalanga, South Africa
Idube Game Reserve is a lush oasis in the bush and from the air, looks like a lodge in a forest. We welcome you at our reception and curio shop and assist you to your luxury or standard suites, complete with wi-fi, air-conditioning, mosquito nets, safe and private deck. Our luxury suites also have their own swimming pools and two larger pools are available to other visitors.
If you’re lucky you’ll find elephant, leopard, lion, buffalo and maybe even the rare rhino, as well as many other fascinating animals and plants.
Step into your open safari vehicle with your experienced FGASA-trained ranger and tracker for your daily morning and evening drives. At sunrise you’ll traverse the bush for about three hours and witness wildlife awakening to a beautiful new day.
Our rooms are all tastefully and individually decorated with plush, African-inspired decor, fabrics and furniture that welcome you to the South African bush.
Each suite has its own coffee and tea station, bath, inside and revitalising outside showers, hairdryer, safe, air conditioning and wi-fi. And don’t worry about mosquitoes as nets cover all windows and doors as well as the beds themselves. You can’t help but relax in these sumptuous settings at Idube Game Reserve.
Idube’s reputation is for excellent cuisine that often features as a highlight in guest reviews.
We cater to all our guests’ food preferences, with specific emphasis on cultural requirements, allergies and dietary restrictions. People love our vegan and vegetarian options.
Our dining portions guarantee full satisfaction, and we serve breakfast, lunch and supper in a variety of settings, so that our visitors are constantly surprised and delighted.
Our amazing, welcoming staff are known for their attention to detail, kindness and personal service.
Led by our very capable management team, Charita and Evert Hanekom, Idube Game Reserve aspires always to make our guests feel welcome. Our team‘s mission is to look after visitors in a friendly and relaxed way, and the number of repeat guests is testament to the comfort our staff members provide.
Left: National Women’s Day 9 Aug 2023. Meet the faces behind the scenes, the ones who work tirelessly to ensure every moment of your stay is filled with wonder and joy.
“What an unforgettable time our family had at Idube. Our safari guides Ian and Bongani were so knowledgeable and fun to be with. The game drives were just jaw-dropping: leopards eating a wildebeest up in a tree, frolicking baby lion cubs, massive adult male lions, elephants everywhere… we saw much more than we could have imagined, including the Big 5 on just our first day. What a wonderful vacation! Beautiful facilities, delicious and creative food, friendliest staff. We couldn’t have asked for more. We were so very happy here.” – Guest: Betsy P, USA
We hope you all had a good Easter break! Following on from the awesome video of the little elephants in the last post, here are a couple more angles from the vehicle that will give you an idea of where the mama was and what this little elephant was up to - as you can see he’s a feisty one, practicing his mock charges (sound up) Videos: Carl Marais #ElephantHerd #ElephantBaby #IdubeGameReserve #FunnyVideo #LuxurySafariLodge #SabiSandNatureReserve #SouthAfricanWildlife #SafariAdventure #SafariExcellence
This awesome video was taken by one of our younger videographers. Daniel is just 9 years old, and has captured this hilarious, sweet video of 2 baby elephants which were seen while on a family game drive/safari. Hard to believe these are wild elephants, they are very comfortable with the vehicle and appreciative audience.
A small update on how the renovation is going. The team have been super, super busy, with tight deadlines and are getting a lot done. One of the highlights is that Idube’s new fully installed solar system has been producing all the necessary power they need, no need for grid power lately. Fantastic and evironmentally friendly!
1 &2 - New walkways starting to be built - these will keep guests safe & allow plants to regrow. 3 - New pavers, planters and fire-pit upgrade - lots of places for guests to relax... 4 - New deck and tiles in suite - a gorgeous view of the bush from the shower! 5 - Upgraded entrance at reception (just a hint for now...)
One of our favourite antelope in the area - Waterbuck. They can get fairly large and males can weigh around 200 to 250kgs and females in the region of 160 to 210 kg. They have the obvious and distinctive white ring on their rumps, which is the quickest way to identify them. Males have long, curved horns and females do not.
An old buffalo near one of Idube Game Reserve’s dams. You’ll notice the oxpecker taking care of ticks for him in the 2nd pic. Cape Buffalo can live up to 22 years in the wild, but most survive to about 15-18 years due to predators, disease etc. The longest recorded in captivity was 30 years.
Absolutely stunning leopard pics. You can see this one is still young as there’s a touch of blue in her eyes - leopards open their eyes about 7 days after birth and have bright blue eyes. These change to hues of green, some blue and yellow.
We caught up with the construction team and lodge staff working hard on the upgrade. Let’s see what they are up to… (sound up!) Go Team! (Project Manager, Carl Marais chatting to everyone) Video: Carl Marais Editing: Charita Hanekom (Lodge Manager) #Idubegamereserve #sabisands #lodgeupgrade #lodgerenovation #goteam #luxurysafarilodge #safariexcellence #safariadventure
This cute dwarf mongoose got into one of the trenches during our lodge re-build and was struggling to get out. Evert, lodge manager, decided to help him out, of course, and the little guy paid him back for the rescue with a bite before scurrying off. Not to worry, all parties survived the ordeal 😂😂
It’s also about the small creatures we see in the bush. This incredible creature is a Speckled Emperor Moth Caterpillar. The adult Emperor Moth is large and has stunning markings on the bottom wings that look like owl eyes, make sure to look it up - just beautiful! Interestingly, the caterpillar does serve as a food source for some communities in Southern Africa.
Idube Game Reserve is excited to announce that the lodge will be undergoing a substantial renovation in early 2025! Idube will be closing for a this major renovation from 11th January 2025 until the 15th June 2025. We will, of course, keep you posted during the building process, and updated on wildlife sightings during that…
Article by Marlo Hartman (Guide at Idube). The Marula tree is a medium-sized tree, with heights ranging from 7 to 17 meters. They have a spreading, rounded crown and are deciduous. The word “deciduous” is derived from the Latin word “decider”, which means “to fall off.” This type of tree is dormant in dry seasons…
Idube Going Solar! Like our sister lodge, Lukimbi Safari Lodge, Idube Game Reserve plans on embarking on a major project to get off the electricity grid as much as possible. An obvious way for us to do that is to look to solar power in our beautiful, sunny climate. We are extremely aware, not only…
