ELEPHANT PLAINS - REFLECTIONS

Elephant Plains has to be just about the best value for money in the Sabi Sands region and the enthusiastic rangers will go out of their way to try to ensure a Big Five experience, which is great if time is limited to a couple of days in the bush.

In the 48 hours we spent at Elephant Plains, we spotted the big 5 within the first 12 hours - up close and personal at a lion kill, where the pride took down a large Kudu; alongside a herd of buffalo, close to elephant, spotted rhino and watched a mother leopard and her cubs for a couple of hours. Also had two other fantastic lion sightings, besides the plains animals like giraffe, zebra, wildebeest and other antelope.

The accommodation in the new suites is fantastic - large, spacious, airy, well furnished and with a generous deck looking out over a dry river bed. Food at Elephant Plains was excellent - no pretentious nouvelle cuisine here - just very tasty, well presented and generous fare, all of which is included in the rate ffrom R 1577.00 per person sharing. Standard chalets start at R 940.00 - and you can't get a better price than that in Sabi Sands!

The lodge has a child friendly policy and the staff make sure that the little ones are happy too - the kids who were there during our visit had a mind blowing time and were clearly exthralled at everything they saw and experienced, though one little fellow was unhappy he was not permitted on the bush walk, which is restricted to persons over 12.

All in all, excellent value, great wildlife and one of the best places for a family to experience a safari. By the way, the cildren there were delightful and in no way impacted negatively on other guests - I guess parents who take their kids on safari have offspring worthy of such experiences.