Originally Posted by cheltzel

+1

Especially the point about skipping South Africa if your main interest is seeing the gorillas. And there are several good lodges/camps in the Masai Mara as well as the Serengeti.

I have not visited the Tswalu reserve. But my wife and I have had several discussions with online friends who visits south Africa with a lot more frequency than most here. My impression is the Kalahari reserves have desert animals (like the meerkat) that you can't get anywhere else. But it is our impression the the overall species in that area is more limited than the Kruger Park area.

We have found that the Sabi Sands private reserves have flat out the best game viewing in our experience. And if you are looking to stay at one of the Tswalu camps (Loapi. Motse, etc), you are paying more than you would pay Londolozi or MalaMala Rattrays (including a private vehicle). We have stayed at both. Both offer a very high level of quality (room, food, beverage etc) and the wildlife viewing at both is simply overwhelming (it should be as their reserves shar something like a 12km border). In our first four days at Londolozi this past July we saw multiple leopards (including mothers with cubs/newborns), several cheetahs, two major lion prides, two smaller independent lion groups (coalitions being formed), multiple elephant herds, several groups of giraffes (herd/tower/journey of giraffes ??), this included a mother who had just given birth to a baby, multiple sightings of rhinos (with children), too many hippos to count, multiple crocs, two different wild dog packs, just about every prey species native to the Kruger Park area (all the antelopes, buffalo, etc), warthog, honey badger, hyena. And I am quite sure I am forgetting many more.