MalaMala Game Reserve

A leader in conservation, MalaMala’s 15,000 hectares is packed with wildlife, including the Big Five, all able to roam between neighbouring renowned Sabi Sands Game Reserve and Kruger National Park.

Topography & history

Occupying the far eastern corner of South Africa, and lying along the majority of its border with Mozambique, the vast Kruger National Park was formally established in 1926. Just a year later, a section of land bordering the park to the west was set aside for conservation and MalaMala, in its infancy, was born. The 19-kilometre border between the two is now unfenced, and the reserve covers 15,000 hectares. The Sand River meanders lazily through it, providing 20 kilometres of river frontage and after a century of preservation, the reserve is well respected and well known.

MalaMala’s wildlife

MalaMala’s three camps are located in the western part of the reserve, overlooking the Sand River. Vast tracts of wilderness are found in the east, without a hint of human habitation, providing refuge to predators such as lion, leopard, cheetah, wild dog and spotted hyena, in addition to other members of the Big Five and a bewildering variety of creatures from duiker to damselfly and mongoose to moths. Over 300 bird species have been recorded, and October – April sees the return of summer migrants with kingfishers, rollers, cuckoos and raptors present.  

Wildlife watching at MalaMala

The reserve is not open to the public, so the lack of day trippers and self-drivers ensures an uncrowded and intimate experience. Step back into a bygone, elegant era at one of the three camps on the reserve. Each have their own traversing areas with guide and tracker teams who can take you out in an open sided 4x4 vehicle. Seats are tiered to give everyone a good view, and vehicle occupancy ranges from four to six. Being a privately owned reserve, it's possible to go off-road if necessary and to partake in night drives and bush walks.

How to get to MalaMala

MalaMala can be incorporated into a tailormade self-drive holiday, with Johannesburg being 5–6 hours away (450 kilometres). Most clients, however, fly in utilising scheduled services from Johannesburg and Cape Town to Kruger Mpumalanga Airport which serves the town of Nelspruit, now known as Mbombela. To start planning your tailormade holiday, contact our expert team.

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