South Africa, Pt. 2: Inyati Game Lodge

With so many incredible experiences at Royal Madikwe, we weren’t sure anything could surpass the time there. The time had come, though, to travel to our next destination, the Sabi Sands Preserve and the Inyati Game Lodge, where we would spend the next three nights. Like Madikwe, this lodge offers two game drives per day on very large private game preserves.

At the Madikwe dirt airstrip, Chad, the pilot of this Beechcraft 55 arrived and flew us on a 90-min. flight to Ulusaba airstrip in the NE section of S. Africa.

The Inyati area of Sabi Sands was much more lush and less rocky than Madikwe. We initially wondered if the animals would be hard to see, however that was quickly put to rest as we passed herds of zebra and impala on the ten minute drive from the Ulusaba airstrip to Inyati lodge.

Over our three days we enjoyed six game drives and witnessed the majesty of nature at work. Some of it was difficult to witness. Killing, generally ruthless, is a frequent occurrence. We knew that coming in and it was educational, for sure, but still not for the faint of heart. We experienced it with two couples in our safari vehicle, one couple from Hong Kong, another from Brisbane, with whom we shared laughs, wows, and gasps.

You, too, may have some of the same reactions as you view these photos. Don’t worry, there are warnings provided before you come to any graphic photos.

From Inyati, it is off to another lodge further south in Sabi Sands, Little Bush Lodge at Sabi Sabi. We will file a report from there after our three nights at that property.

Each of the galleries below contains multiple images. Click through to see additional images.

Inyati Lodge

Inyati Lodge

Wondering why Sabi Sands is fenced? You can learn more about it here but the fence is as much about keeping illegal poachers out as it is keeping the animals in. And, the fence between Sabi Sands and Kruger National Park was removed, meaning the animals even have more space to roam. The photos of the border fence is right at that border with Kruger.