Chitwa Chitwa, Sabi Sands (Review)

The lodge itself had a great layout, all rooms seemed to be relatively private and far enough away from each other such that you never heard much from other people. The main area was in the middle so not a long walk for anyone and there were plenty of spaces for people to hang out including outdoor lounge, indoor lounge, bar, indoor dining room, outdoor dining room, a pool and huge deck. They also have a gym and a spa. I enjoyed an awesome massage while there and can definitely recommend getting a massage or treatment!

And let’s not forget their huge waterhole – one of the biggest in Sabi Sands. It offers entertainment at all hours with resident hippos playing, fish eagles hunting and crocodiles sun baking. While we were there a big herd of buffalo visited one morning and a fish eagle caught a catfish another! Lastly the lodge is semi-fenced, with a couple of wires that are designed to keep the bigger mammals like elephants and buffaloes (and large hippos) out. Due to the fact predators can still get in, you have to be escorted to and from your room at night.

As you can see, the game viewing as expected in Sabi Sands, is excellent. The sightings in Northern Sabi Sands can be busy, which does mean sometimes you may have to leave sightings to allow for other cars (they limit vehicles at sightings for the good of both the animals and guests). This being said, for most of our predator sightings at Chitwa, we left of our own accord and did not feel rushed. It is definitely a great place to go on your first safari though if you are keen to see as many animals as possible and have a great chance to tick off the Big 5.

Chitwa has a decent traversing area of 8,500 hectares, which is plenty big enough to get both wildlife and landcape diversity.

• The game viewing is excellent – particularly good for leopards and elephants (as per Sabi Sands’ reputation)
• The lodge is a good size with a maximum of about 16 guests
• They typically like to keep to a maximum of six people per game vehicle so it’s not crowded
• Their game vehicles are a bit nicer than most other lodges, with storage/tables in between two seats in the first two rows
• They have one of the largest waterholes in the reserve, which means you can enjoy game viewing all day – particularly the resident hippos who were very active during our stay!
• The lodge is semi-fenced – good or bad depending on your preference but we prefer the excitement of animals being able to roam through at any time.

• They have trackers, which means you are more likely to find animals!
• They offer a true five star experience including exceptional food and service
• The lodge and rooms are very fancy – a great place to go if you want to spoil yourself, enjoy a honeymoon or get the true luxury safari experience
• The huge outdoor deck with private plunge pool overlooking the waterhole makes it a great place to relax during the day
• They offer the option of eating lunch in your room or in the main area, a nice touch
• They often offer deals like free nights or first child stays free (check out this awesome deal where you can save up to $12k in 2026)

• Traversing is shared with other lodges which can make sightings busy.
• Another issue of Sabi Sands is the prevalence of man-made structures like lodges/houses, solar panels, power lines etc which can sometimes detract a little from the overall ‘wild’ experience.
• It is one of the more expensive lodges in Northern Sabi Sands, but you get what you pay for!
• Due to being so excellent for families, there is a chance you will end up on a vehicle with someone else’s children (this happened to us) – but this can also be entertaining!