From Mbotyi, we travelled to Sabi Sabi, where we stayed at the luxurious Selati Camp. Sabi Sabi is a private game reserve that borders Kruger National Park. Through an agreement with Kruger NP, there is no fence between the park and the game reserve, so animals wander freely between the two; under this agreement, the animals in Sabi Sabi receive similar protections to those in the park. On the safaris we saw a rare “Royal Big 5,” which is the Big 5 (elephant, rhinoceros, leopard, lion and cape buffalo) including both the white and black rhinoceros.

One of the many exciting moments was when we accidentally surprised a group of elephants. The matriarch of the herd appeared to take exception to our intrusion. The ranger told us “Don't move!” The spotter sitting on the left fender of the safari vehicle would have been the first to feel her wrath, but did a good job of looking non-threatening. She ultimately decided we were not a threat, calmed down and rejoined her herd.