Opened in 2018
Urban sophistication in the bush. The ultimate sustainable safari experience in South Africa. Pioneering the silent safari and driving a singular approach to renewable energy in hospitality in the wild, Cheetah Plains is a carbon negative lodge, committed to delivering an exceptional eco-luxury safari experience of the highest standards.
Location
Cheetah Plains Private Game Reserve is positioned in the north-east corner of the Sabi Sand Nature Reserve. Our particular location is revered for its prime game viewing, and is especially well known for the iconic Big Five sightings. Mala Mala Airport is 27,6 km away from the hotel.
The Sabi Sand Nature Reserve shares a fenceless border to the east with the world famous Kruger National Park and a border with the Mala Mala Game Reserve. Cheetah Plains’ prime location delivers a prolific safari experience facilitated by the natural movement of wildlife over this vast land, fiercely protected under conservation.
Accomodation
With a maximum of 8 guests, each villa takes the same form, comprising two parts: a shared living space and private guest accommodation. Your shared space houses both a formal and entertainment lounge, living and dining room areas, swimming pool deck, outdoor boma for fireside dining, fine wine gallery and fully equipped chef’s kitchen. While each guest suite offers an expansive bedroom, lounge and fireplace, walk-in dressing room and dual vanity, WC, double rain shower and bath with bushveld views.
Karula villa
A tribute to a majestic female leopard. four luxurious PRIVATE guest suites. Each of the private guest suites accommodate a maximum of two guests per suite. Each villa essentially takes the same form, comprising two parts: A shared living space and private guest accommodation. Your shared space houses both a formal and entertainment lounge, living and dining room areas, swimming pool deck, outdoor boma for fireside dining, fine wine gallery and fully equipped chef’s kitchen. Each of the four private guest suites includes an open plan bedroom and lounge, walk-in dressing room and dual vanity, full bathroom, separate WC and deck.
Mapogo villa
Positioned on a productive waterhole, Mapogo villa occupies a unique vantage point. The raw masculinity of the structure and its inherent appointments embody the power and purpose that characterised the Mapogo brotherhood: a coalition of lions that reigned supreme in this area for years. four luxurious PRIVATE guest suites. Each of the Private Guest Suites accommodate a maximum of two guests per suite.
Each villa essentially takes the same form, comprising two parts: A shared living space and private guest accommodation. Your shared space houses both a formal and entertainment lounge, living and dining room areas, swimming pool deck, outdoor boma for fireside dining, fine wine gallery and fully equipped chef’s kitchen. Each of the four private guest suites includes an open plan bedroom and lounge, Walk-in dressing room and dual vanity, full bathroom, separate WC and deck.
Mvula villa
Dedicated to the once dominant male leopard whose home range was central to the Cheetah Plains Private Reserve. four luxurious PRIVATE guest suites.Each of the Private Guest Suites accommodate a maximum of two guests per suite. Each villa essentially takes the same form, comprising two parts: A shared living space and private guest accommodation. Your shared space houses both a formal and entertainment lounge, living and dining room areas, swimming pool deck, outdoor boma for fireside dining, fine wine gallery and fully equipped chef’s kitchen. Each of the four private guest suites includes an open plan bedroom and lounge, Walk-in dressing room and dual vanity, full bathroom, separate WC and deck.
Room Categories
Karula Villa Suite
Четырёхместный номер с завтраками, 130 кв. м.
по запросу
Mapogo Villa Suite
Четырёхместный номер с завтраками, 130 кв. м.
по запросу
Mvula Villa Suite
Четырёхместный номер с завтраками, 130 кв. м.
по запросу
Infrastructure
A complete hospitality team consisting of an accomplished host, butler, culinary team, spa therapist as well as expert field guide and tracker team are dedicated to your villa for the duration of your stay. Together, this talented group of professionals deliver a luxury safari experience of the highest standard, tailored to your individual preferences.
Multigenerational holiday and safari With Friends
Sharing a family safari with grandparents, parents and grandchildren is one of the most fascinating and pure experiences that extends beyond the fireside stories to become tales that leave a life long legacy. Extraordinary wildlife encounters met with fun and personalised service make for the ultimate luxury sojourn in the bushveld with friends. Splendid sunsets paired with exceptional cuisine and the sense of freedom that comes with being in the wild, immerses you in the magic of Africa.
Children on Safari
We love families and children of all ages are most welcome at Cheetah Plains. Our highly qualified, relatable field guides and trackers are eager to share their bush lore with young, inquisitive minds. Game drives of age appropriate duration and interpretive walks facilitate a child’s connection with Africa’s wilderness and love of nature. Our villas have ideal child-friendly features such as inter-leading suites and entertainment lounges with state-of-the-art audio-visual equipment, a games selection and Netflix.
Wellness treatments
The restorative quality of your safari is luxuriously enhanced by personal pampering. We invite you to enjoy a selection of our touch therapies and beauty treatments, in the privacy and comfort of your private suite. With Africology as our wellness amenity brand partner, your private spa therapist expertly imparts the healing, restorative properties of select African botanicals, offering guests an immersive, calming wellness experience.
Private air travel
There is nothing quite like landing in the bushveld. Our guides welcome you as you come straight off your flight. Private and charter airplanes can travel directly to Arathusa Airstrip. The airstrip is within the reserve and only a 20 minute drive to the lodge.
The ultimate big 5 destination
Two rivers cross Sabi Sand Nature Reserve – the Sabi River in the south and the Sand River which flows from northwest to southeast. As a result, we see an abundance of lion, rhino, elephant, buffalo, cheetah, zebra, giraffe, hyena, and a wide variety of antelope species. While we are most famous for our spectacular leopard sightings, a number of endangered species have also made the reserve their home, and visitors to the area may catch a rare glimpse of honey badgers, ground hornbills and African wild dogs.
Immersive silent game drives
A personal journey of discovery amid an idyllic bushveld landscape. The best time of day to explore the bush is in the early morning and late afternoon. Our twice-daily game drives are led by our expert safari guide and tracker teams and taken in our Land Cruiser Electric Safari Vehicles. This bold advance toward zero-emission game viewing is what drives our sustainable safari experience at Cheetah Plains.
Bush walks
For the most immersive safari experience, we invite our guests to embark on guided, interpretive bush walks. Accompanied by our certified and experienced walking-trails field guide, the opportunity to explore certain parts of the Sabi Sand Nature Reserve on foot, is one not to be missed.
The duration of walks are easily customised to your requirements, taking number of guests, fitness levels, ages, weather conditions and your preferred game drive schedules into account. There is no more tangible way than this to surround yourself with nature.
Goodman Gallery
Goodman Gallery at Cheetah Plains provides guests with access to view and acquire work by leading artists alongside rising talent from the African continent and its diaspora. A presentation of new and historically significant work is hung across all three villas and introduces a top-tier cultural experience. Meet with a gallery expert to find out more about each artist and their work. Guests are able to visit the newly launched Goodman Gallery project space focused on art and sustainability.
Boutique
Embracing and supporting the local collectible design category in South Africa, Shari's offer the finest quality sourced and curated selection of fine gifts, jewellery, lodge wear, apparel, accessories and art produced by contemporary design makers and artists. Customised items can be shipped to a preferred destination, or hand delivered to Johannesburg or Cape Town before departure.
Cheetah Plains Signature Collection
Created by Shari van Niekerk, the Cheetah Plains Signature Diamond Jewellery Collection, is an evolving collection that embodies the luxurious style and memorable moments on safari. As is the experience in the wild, the collection is bold, delicate, and evokes the extraordinary.
Featuring neckpieces, bangles, bracelets, and earrings manufactured for Cheetah Plains by private jewelry designer, all Cheetah Plains’ diamonds are ethically sourced and carefully selected for each piece of jewellery, ensuring quality GH color, VS-SI clarity, and natural round brilliant diamonds. Pieces featuring diamonds are perfectly cut, individually calibrated, and set by hand to allow for the most sparkle.
Dining
Each villa features a dedicated private culinary team. Whether meals are enjoyed on your swimming pool deck, in your private boma area, formal dining room or even out in the bushveld, our accomplished chef team deliver imaginative, soulful meals that result in an elevated dining experience of the highest standards.
Each villa also boasts a custom-designed wine gallery comprising a purely South African wine selection, curated to reflect Cheetah Plains owner Japie van Niekerk’s, favourite estates and varietals. Only wines, whiskeys and spirits of the most discerning quality are stocked in your private, temperature-controlled wine gallery.
Outdoor dining
Dining al fresco, out in the wide-open peace and tranquility of the prolific bushveld expanse, is one of our most popular safari experiences at Cheetah Plains and we love to treat our guests to this special dining experience during their stay with us.
Safari Drives Sunrises and Sunsets
We pull out all the stops when it comes to our game drive coffee (morning drive) and sundowner (evening drive) bushveld breaks. Your field guide and tracker team will unpack a veritable feast of homemade snacks at the most scenic spots in the reserve. A coffee with Amarula is a customary morning drive indulgence, while a gin and tonic is known as the traditional safari tipple of choice, best enjoyed as the sun sets over the horizon.
Kosher Offering
We specifically cater to Kosher and Orthodox Jewish guests and have options available that suit individual requirements. Depending on guest preference our Kosher offering is either supervised by a Mashgiach or self-supervised and all arrangements can be made prior to arrival.
Suitable for
Experiencing a real African safari and seeing the "big five". For orthodox jews And also for guests with children, lovers of African art and diamond jewelry