Chitwa Chitwa Private Game Lodge is a family-owned and run sanctuary which has been in the Brink family for over 40 years. Nestled in the heart of the Sabi Sand Game Reserve, Chitwa Chitwa overlooks one of the largest dams in the reserve, offering guests tranquil views of the water, as well as the sweeping savannah landscape. The lodge takes its name from an old giraffe bull who resided by the lakeside retreat, and today an abundance of spectacular wildlife surrounds the lodge, allowing guests to view game from the comfort of the spacious suites and bedrooms. Enjoy a relaxing stay with luxurious amenities including a refreshing swimming pool, soothing spa and excellent fine dining at the lodge’s restaurant.
Chitwa Chitwa Game Lodge, Sabi Sands Game Reserve, South Africa
Sabi Sand Game Reserve shares an unfenced border with the world-famous Kruger National Park, allowing wildlife to roam freely across millions of acres of pristine and untouched land. The private reserve spans a stunning 65,000 hectares and is home to an amazing array of animals including the Big 5.
Guests can reach Chitwa Chitwa Private Game Lodge by flying to Nelspruit from Johannesburg (45 minutes), Durban (1 hour and 15 minutes) or Cape Town (2 hours and 30 minutes), and then taking a 20-minute Airlink transfer to Arathusa Airstrip. From here, guests can enjoy a short game drive to the lodge, offering a taste of the amazing activities available on your arrival.
Alternatively, guests can self drive to the lodge, which takes approximately 5 hours from Johannesburg.
- Set within the Sabi Sand Game Reserve
- Home to an abundance of amazing wildlife including the Big 5
- Variety of incredible bird species
- Beautiful scenery with lake and savannah views
- Restaurant and bar
- Library
- Refreshing swimming pool
- Soothing spa treatments
- Gym facilities available
- Family-friendly
The Luxury Suites at Chitwa Chitwa all exhibit a light and airy atmosphere, with spacious bedrooms overlooking the beautiful lake. Guests can enjoy a restful stay in private and secluded surroundings, with their own private plunge pool set on the suite’s lake-view deck. Watch the local wildlife as amazing creatures congregate around the water from the comfort of your own personal space.
The luxury suites include a four-poster double bed, with a small seating area gathered around a cosy fireplace. The en-suite bathrooms feature a spacious bathtub, both indoor and outdoor showers and guests can enjoy refreshments from the minibar or tea and coffee station. The suites span from 130 to 180 square metres, and an extra bed can be provided for children under the age of 12.
The Charlsy Suite is ideal for small groups and families travelling together, with two interleading suites that offer both parties their own privacy and the chance to spend more time together. The Charlsy Suite features two luxurious suites which are joined via a comfortable lounge where guests can enjoy interacting and reminiscing about their exciting safari experiences. Outside, a large wooden deck offers stunning lake views, and guests can admire the landscape while enjoying a dip in their private swimming pool.
As with the Luxury Suites, each room within the Charlsy Suite includes a private en-suite bathroom with a bathtub and both indoor and outdoor showers. The rooms are elegantly designed, with light colours, plenty of natural light and a warm fireplace where guests can snuggle up in the chilly evenings of the dry season. A minibar, as well as tea and coffee making facilities, are provided and guests can make use of the suite’s iPod docking station.
Guests staying at Chitwa House can look forward to a completely private and intimate safari experience with their loved ones. The house consists of two bedrooms, both with comfortable double beds, en-suite bathrooms and small lounge areas, as well as a separate large living room, independent kitchen and spacious dining area. Outdoors, guests can enjoy relaxing in the outside seating area, scanning the horizon for passing elephant herds and the long necks of giraffes poking up from behind the trees. The private deck offers stunning lake views that can be best enjoyed from the refreshing waters of the swimming pool.
Guests can enjoy scrumptious meals whipped up by the lodge or their own private chef, private game drives with their own dedicated ranger and guide, and have their every need attended to by their own personal butler.
Guests at Chitwa Chitwa Private Game Lodge can look forward to three delicious meals each day, as well as afternoon tea, sundowner drinks and pre-dinner aperitifs. The Lodge’s team of professional chefs are skilled in crafting culinary masterpieces that convey the rich flavours and traditions of South African cuisine, and cater for every palette. Guests can indulge in local wines and delicious dishes in the lodge’s central areas or under the stars beside a roaring fire pit, with the sounds and sights of safari all around.
Chitwa Chitwa Private Game Lodge can cater for any specific dietary requirements as long as they receive prior notification.
Sabi Sand Game Reserve is home to an abundance of incredible wildlife, including their famous leopard populations. Guests are likely to spot these amazing big cats as they rest after a night of hunting and exploration. Journey across the wilderness from the comfort of a specially designed 4×4 safari vehicle, along with a professional ranger and tracker, who will help you find your favourite animals, including the legendary Big 5. The guides also know the spots where each species frequents, helping to improve the odds of finding the game you would most like to see.
Learn about the local flora and fauna, as well as how the ecosystem supports itself, and enjoy delicious refreshments in a scenic location, right in the heart of the South African bush. Get a sense of the sheer size of elephants and giraffes, and experience the thrill of chasing wild dogs across the plains as they work together to take down their prey.
Take the thrilling and unique opportunity to track some of the Big 5 animals on foot. Without the sound of the engines, visitors can sneak up to animals and watch them acting naturally in their habitat. Enjoy exploring the wilderness at a pace where every detail, track, plant and insect can be admired.
Look out for the smaller species that often go unnoticed during drives, and listen to the gentle songs of Sabi Sands 500 different species of bird without the distracting noise of an engine. An armed ranger and tracker will accompany you for your protection, and help you get up close to amazing animals such as elephants, buffalo, giraffes and zebras.
Venture out in a fully-equipped photographic safari vehicle, purposefully designed to pose minimal obstructions of the landscape. Guests can shoot unrivalled images of the stunning South African landscape and the amazing wildlife that inhabits it. Look out for the famous Big 5 and capture proof of your sightings to show friends and loved ones back home. Rest your lens on a bean bag to allow for crisp and focused images no matter the exposure you use, and capture incredible photographs in the perfect light of the early mornings and late evenings.
Take some time to enjoy a soothing and restorative treatment or massage, and unwind in the beautiful setting of the Sabi Sand Game Reserve. Listen to the local wildlife as animals gather and the river’s edge, and watch herds of elephants as they wander through the trees. Guests can enjoy a range of treatments including massages, wraps, masks, exfoliations, and more.
Travel to the nearby village of Dixie, located nearby to Sabi Sands Gowrie Gate Entrance. Guests can take the opportunity to learn more about local communities and a different way of living. Dixie is partnered with Chitwa Chitwa through their community upliftment initiatives, and guests are able to see how their stay is having a positive impact on surrounding communities. Discover more about local customs and culture while meeting the people of rural South Africa.
Chitwa Chitwa Private Game Lodges Pizza Truck offers guests a chance to enjoy homely freshly made pizzas out in the pristine wilderness of the Sabi Sand Game Reserve. The truck, which was converted by the lodge’s owners, features a pizza oven and can take guests out into the heart of the bush, with gentle lighting, warm delicious pizza and entirely immersed in the natural world, guests can enjoy a peaceful meal that makes the most of its surrounding landscape.
The Chitwa Trust, founded in 2008, aims to support the local communities and improve education and employability, giving everyone the opportunities to learn new skills and use them to provide an income for themselves and their families. The Chitwa Trust is a non-profit organisation that provides aid and support to underdeveloped areas in Mpumalanga.
The Chitwa Trust is currently working to provide additional facilities that would improve the experience of children attending the Dixie and the Wisani Schools. This includes improving the school kitchens and providing groceries to create meals for the children, improving the schools’ bathroom facilities, developing play areas for children to enjoy during break time, providing educational resources and stationery for the children and offering basic medical supplies such as band-aids, antibacterial creams, and antibacterial hand wash.
Chitwa Chitwa Private Game Lodge has implemented a number of ‘green initiatives’ in order to ensure that the lodge continues to be sustainable and to reduce its impact on the surrounding environment. Chitwa Chitwa has reduced its energy consumption by using natural thatch roofs in the construction of the suites and lodge, which help to retain heat in the cooler months, and keep the heat out during the hot summer. All of the lodge’s air conditioning units feature an ‘Airco saver’ which ‘reduces the energy consumed by our air conditioners by between 20-35%’.
Chitwa House does not use any incandescent lights, featuring more energy-efficient alternatives such as led and compact fluorescent lighting which is also used for 75% of the lighting within the lodge. Chitwa House also features a solar water heating system, and all exposed piping is insulated to keep in as much heat as possible. All of the pool pumps at Chitwa Chitwa Private Game Lodge are “VF Intelliflow” variable speed pumps, designed to reduce power consumption by 90%.
All waste at Chitwa Chitwa Private Game Lodge is taken to an approved waste management site each week. A greywater recycling system has been installed in their laundry area, which reuses water for watering the garden with an irrigation system. Chitwa Chitwa also uses only eco-friendly detergents, washing powders and cleaning products, and ensures that they are all phosphate-free to minimise their impact and reduce pollution.
Children of all ages are welcome at Chitwa Chitwa Private Game Lodge. However, children under the age of 6 will not be permitted on game drives unless their parents have private use of the safari vehicle.