About This Property
Sabi Sabi Selati Lodge is a seven-suite camp on Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve — an unfenced Big 5 wilderness in the Greater Kruger, sharing a border with Kruger National Park. It sits on the old Selati railway line that once ran towards Delagoa Bay, and the camp still leans into that history: steam-engine nameplates, signals, shunters’ lanterns and suites named after bygone stations.
At night the paths are lit with oil lamps rather than a blaze of electricity, which is why the place feels smaller and older than many Sabi Sand lodges. Decks look over the Msuthlu riverbed and a watering pan, so elephant, antelope and the odd predator can pass in front of lunch as well as on a drive. Morning and late-afternoon game drives run with a ranger and tracker; you come home after sundowners on a spotlit night drive. Walking safaris and photographic outings are part of the published activity list, and the Sabi Sand’s reputation for leopard, wild dog and cheetah sits behind the Big 5 guarantee of the region.
There are five standalone Luxury Suites, the Lourenço Marques Honeymoon Suite and the Ivory Presidential Suite. Each has an en-suite bathroom, an outdoor shower and (in the standard and honeymoon suites) an outdoor bathtub; oil lamps and mosquito nets set the rooms, with air conditioning and electric light if you want them. Ivory adds a private plunge pool, a four-poster, antiques and exclusive use of a game-viewing vehicle and ranger. Lourenço Marques looks over the waterhole from a private deck.
Meals move between riverbed decks, a farmhouse kitchen long table and the boma. Sabi Sabi has employed neighbouring communities at Huntington, Lillydale and Justicia since it opened in 1979, and a community visit can be arranged. Children over 13 are welcome; younger children only if the camp is taken exclusively. We would give it three or four nights, as the operator recommends, rather than a hurried two-night stop.
Why We Love It
We love Selati because it is still a small camp. Seven suites, oil lamps on the paths, and a railway story that is actually on the ground — the old Selati line, station names on the rooms, shunters’ lanterns instead of a floodlit boardwalk.
The setting does as much work as the décor. Decks sit over the Msuthlu riverbed and a pan, so game viewing is not only a vehicle outing. Go2Africa guests and the operator both describe elephants in the dry channel at lunch; Ivory’s plunge pool has been known to draw a leopard or an elephant for a drink. That is Sabi Sand at close range, with no other lodge’s vehicles on Sabi Sabi’s own land.
We would put honeymooners in Lourenço Marques for the waterhole deck, or in Ivory if a private vehicle is the point. The five Luxury Suites are the quieter, more affordable card, still with outdoor baths under the trees. Eat in the boma or the farmhouse kitchen; walk if you want the small stuff; stay three or four nights so the night drives have time to add up.
It is not the family lodge — that is Bush Lodge, with EleFun. Selati is for two people, or a group that takes the camp, who want yesterday’s safari mood with today’s air conditioning and a tracker who knows this concession.
Rooms & Details
Luxury Suite
Five standalone thatched suites sleep two adults each, with king or twin 3/4 beds. The ensuite has a bathtub and rain shower; the private courtyard has a deep stone outdoor bath and an open-air shower under indigenous trees.
Air conditioning, overhead fan, mosquito net, mini-bar, tea and coffee, hairdryer and electronic safe are standard. Suites are named after old railway stations and dressed with rail memorabilia. No television.
Lourenço Marques Honeymoon Suite
One honeymoon suite for two adults, king or twin, with an expansive living area and a private deck overlooking the watering hole. Ensuite bathtub and rain shower, plus an outdoor bathtub and two outdoor showers. In-suite dining on request; same in-suite kit as the Luxury Suites.
Ivory Presidential Suite
The largest suite sleeps two adults in a king-size four-poster. Colonial antiques, fireplace, private patio, viewing deck, private plunge pool, outdoor shower and bathtub, and a dressing room. Exclusive-use game-viewing vehicle and dedicated ranger are included on the official rack.
Safari deck
The main deck looks over the Msuthlu riverbed and watering pan in Sabi Sand Nature Reserve, unfenced to Kruger National Park. Meals are served on the riverbed decks, in the farmhouse kitchen, or in the boma.
Lounge and bar
The lounge and bar keep the 1920s Selati railway theme, with oil lamps after dark. Selati is one of four camps on Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve, a short traverse from neighbouring lodges such as Singita Ebony Lodge.
Swimming pool
A shared pool sits in the camp gardens. There is no on-site spa or gym at Selati; spa treatments are arranged at Bush Lodge or Earth Lodge.
Amenities & Features
Cancellation Policy
Official Sabi Sabi private-travel terms for stays 1 March 2026–28 February 2027 (off-peak): cancellation fee 5% of reservation value if 46+ days before check-in; 25% at 31–45 days; 50% at 15–30 days; 100% at 0–14 days. A 5% portion of any cancellation fee is allocated to conservation, reserve management, community development and administration (the entire 5% fee if cancelled more than 45 days out). No cancellation fee if the same dates are resold. Written notice required. Peak-season (20 December–5 January) bookings have a separate payment timetable (balance by 30 September). Full terms: sabisabi.com.
Photo Gallery
Rates
Prices start from $1,805 per night. Final pricing depends on season, room type, and availability. Check current rates on our booking partner's site for the most accurate pricing.
What's Included
- Breakfast (South African breakfast; freshly baked breads, jams and preserves)
- Lunch (decks over the riverbed or farmhouse kitchen)
- Dinner (open-air boma, farmhouse kitchen long table, or riverbed decks)
- All drinks excluding French Champagne and Private Collection cellar wines; safari teas, rusks and sundowner snacks
- Open-vehicle game drives by day and at night (ranger and tracker)
- Environmental awareness walking safaris (age restrictions apply)
- Bird watching
- Photographic safaris
- Transfers between the Sabi Sabi airstrip and the lodge
- Community tours (Huntington, Lillydale and Justicia; extra / on request)
- Amani Spa treatments at Bush Lodge or Earth Lodge (extra)
- Ivory Presidential Suite: exclusive-use game-viewing vehicle and dedicated ranger
Fully inclusive rack covers accommodation, breakfast, lunch, boma dinner, all drinks excluding French Champagne and Private Collection cellar wines, open-vehicle safaris by day and at night, environmental awareness walking safaris, limited laundry, Wi-Fi, transfers to and from the Sabi Sabi airstrip, and VAT. Not included: Sabie Game Reserve conservation levy (R450 pp/night 2026/27), spa treatments, boutique purchases, telephone calls, Skukuza Airport transfers, French Champagne, private-collection wines and gratuities. Ivory Presidential Suite includes a private safari vehicle and dedicated ranger. Lourenço Marques and Ivory guests can request in-suite dining.
Location
How to Get There
By air — Sabi Sabi airstrip
Federal Air operates a scheduled shuttle from O.R. Tambo International Airport (Johannesburg) to the private Sabi Sabi airstrip. Connections via Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (KMIA / Nelspruit) with a short hop to the airstrip are also published. Complimentary open-vehicle transfers run between the airstrip and the lodges. Private charters and helicopter transfers can be arranged. Lodge reception at Selati Camp: +27 13 735 5771.
From Skukuza Airport (SZK)
Airlink flies daily from Johannesburg and Cape Town to Skukuza. Road transfer into Sabi Sabi is about 45 minutes to one hour on private roads in a safari vehicle. Transfers to and from Skukuza are an extra (not in the fully inclusive rate).
From Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (KMIA)
About two hours by public road. Official 2026 transfer times allow a minimum of 1.5 hours. Scheduled road transfers are priced separately.
Self-drive from Johannesburg (about five hours)
National roads to Hazyview. From Hazyview take Portia Shabangu Drive (R536) towards Paul Kruger Gate for about 37–38 km. Official directions: ignore GPS after turning onto the R536. Turn left at the Sabi Sabi sign onto dirt road, then right at the T-junction to Shaw’s Gate. Sabie Game Reserve gate hours at Shaw’s Gate are 08:00–17:00 (contact lodge management for emergencies). Official Selati Camp GPS: S24 53.857 E031 30.627. There is no fuel at camp — fill up in Hazyview. A Sabi Sand / reserve vehicle and person fee is payable at the gate for self-drivers.
Nearby Attractions
Kruger National Park (unfenced southern border), Sabi Sand Game Reserve, Msuthlu riverbed waterhole, neighbouring communities of Huntington, Lillydale and Justicia, Hazyview, Panorama Route (God’s Window, Blyde River Canyon)
Things to Do
At the property
Watch the Msuthlu riverbed and watering pan from the safari decks, the pool and the Ivory or Lourenço Marques patios. The Trading Post boutique, bar, outdoor lounge and boma are the indoor-outdoor gathering points. Wi-Fi is available in suites and main areas. Amani Spa treatments are at Bush Lodge (about 15 minutes) or Earth Lodge, not on site. Honeymoon and Ivory guests can dine in suite.
In the reserve
Twice-daily open-vehicle game drives with a ranger and tracker, returning after sunset on a spotlit night drive. Environmental walking safaris (not for under-12s). Bird watching and photographic safaris. Sabi Sand game viewing is known for the Big 5 plus cheetah and African wild dog. Community tours to neighbouring Huntington, Lillydale and Justicia can be arranged.
Day trips
Most guests remain on Sabi Sabi. Kruger National Park shares an unfenced border; there is no need to leave the private reserve for Big 5 viewing. Transfers between Selati and the other Sabi Sabi camps (Bush Lodge about 15 minutes, Little Bush Camp about 40 minutes, Earth Lodge via Bush) are possible if you are splitting a stay.
Good to Know
Children: Unless the camp is booked exclusively, only children over the age of 13 are welcome at Selati Camp. Exclusive-use family rates are on request. Across Sabi Sabi, children under 6 are not on standard safaris (3–6 years only with an exclusive vehicle, surcharge and sighting restrictions); no children under 12 on environmental walking safaris; children 4 and under are not allowed in the boma for dinner. Child-minders from R350 per child per hour, booked at reception on arrival. Vehicle exclusivity (6 seats) is R25,000 per night, lunch to lunch, subject to availability.Malaria: Officially a malaria area (FAQ also calls it low-risk). Consult a travel clinic; suites have mosquito nets, sprays and plug-in repellents.Check-in / check-out: Official guest form: check-in 12:30, check-out 10:30 (SAST). Lodge listing sites also give 12:00 / 10:30.Power and plugs: Backup electricity on site. South Africa 220V; Type M (and increasingly Type C/N) adaptors may be needed.Wi-Fi and phones: Wi-Fi in suites and main areas; signal can drop in weather or with wildlife interference. Phones silent in main areas; airplane mode and no geotagging on safari.TVs: None in suites.Spa: No spa on site; Amani Spa at Bush Lodge or Earth Lodge (about 15 minutes to Bush Lodge).What is included: Open-vehicle day and night safaris, environmental walking safaris, breakfast, lunch, boma dinner, all drinks excluding French Champagne and Private Collection cellar wines, limited laundry (no dry cleaning), Wi-Fi, airstrip transfers, VAT. Excludes SGR conservation levy, spa, boutique, telephone, Skukuza transfers, French Champagne and private-collection wines, gratuities.
Who It's For
Couples and honeymooners who want a small, historic camp rather than a large family lodge. Exclusive-use groups of families or friends (seven suites, 14 guests). Not the default family property — children over 13 only, unless the whole camp is taken. Wildlife watchers after Sabi Sand leopard and Big 5, with walking and night drives included.
Best Time to Visit
Year-round. Official dry months (March–August / autumn–winter) thin the bush and draw animals to waterholes; mornings can drop to about 12°C in June–August. Spring and summer (September–February) are greener and thicker, with newborn animals; summer highs average about 35°C. A stay of three to four nights is recommended.
