Experiences with Sanbona Wildlife Reserve?

Question

My boyfriend and me are going to Cape Town in a few weeks, we'd given up hope of a 'Big 5' safari and where happy to settle for smaller game closer to 'home' as the only place that seemed to be able to offer big game in driving distance of Cape Town was Aquila, which we were told was basically a big zoo, with few animals that were being fed on schedule so the tourists could see them.

Now I stumbled onto Sanbona by coincidence (while I was looking for something entirely different) and I was wondering if anyone had any experience with this reserve?

From what I've read, people complain about few animals, but I was wondering how valid this is or whether that was more or less the complain of people who were not used to wildlife spotting and where expecting vast herds to cross the road in front of them?

I'm aware that it is a private reserve that is just reintroducing animals and therefore won't have anywhere near as many as 'natural' reserves but my main concern is, are the animals being left to their own devices and allowed to interact (feed, hunt etc) naturally or are they being fed and kept apart. Also how little animals are there really, is it worth going? How would it compare to Tsavo in Kenya for example (only valid comparison I can think of, as this is the only other safari experience I have)?

Any experiences/suggestions welcome! Thanks!

Answer 1

Any new wild life park will take a while to establish it self, but there are many wild life game farms that you have not even given a second look.

The FREE STATE Province has many "game farms" where lots and lots of things are happening right now.

Species are re introduced to the areas where they had previously been, like lion, cheetah, buffalo, wildebeest and so on.

Try places like;

Quantani Game Reserve.

La La Nathi

Sterkfontein Game Reserve.

Krugersdorp Game Reserve (private)

Mount Exorces Game Lodge (Kwa Zulu Natal)

Mount Everest game lodge (Free State) with some really big animals...

Get hold of the Harrismith Tourist Information Group for more info on Game farms in the area that actually do have lion and cheetah.

Tsitsikama Game Reserve. (Eastern Cape)

Also look up Game lodges in the Free State Region as there are so many private game lodges of first class quality that one would have to look at very many more options than you had at first thought.