The Timbavati Private Reserve is one of South Africa’s undiscovered wilderness jewels. Home to Africa’s big five and in an area renowned for its biodiversity, the Timbavati landscape ranges from savannah woodlands to grasslands and riverine glades and is known as a leader in conservation initiatives.
The reserve was established in 1956 by like-minded landowners. Today, it forms part of one of the largest game reserves in the world, the Kruger National Park. In 1993, in recognition of the importance of the area, the fences between the Kruger National Park and the Timbavati Reserve were removed to encourage natural species migration. As a result, a South African safari game drive in the Timbavati lends way to incredible wildlife sightings.
African safaris in the Timbavati Private Reserve are exceptional, with an abundance of the big five as well as hyena, honey badger, kudu, wildebeest, zebra, giraffe, waterbuck, impala and warthog. The larger and more rare antelopes like Roan, Eland and Tsessebe have been slow to return to the area, but the critically endangered African wild dog is a regular visitor. The Timbavati is also home to over 360 bird species, 79 species of reptile, 49 species of fish and 85 listed species of tree.
Special to the area, as well, are the famous Timbavati white lions. When the White Lions of the Timbavati were discovered in the mid-1970s they became the subject of much interest and debate. The lions carry a recessive gene causing the coats to be snow white (though not albino) reappeared in the Timbavati in 2006, after an absence of many years, and may be seen today on an African safari to the reserve.
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