Selati Game Reserve

Selati Game Reserve

Selati Game Reserve lies on roughly 30 000 hectares of land west of the Kruger National Park, between the towns of Gravelotte and Mica, north of Nelspruit. Proclaimed as a conservancy in 2003, Selati is a partnership between neighbouring families who have pooled former farm land to preserve and sustain the biodiversity of this region in the heart of the bushveld, characterised by six different veld types and a rich variety of animals.

Selati is an excellent game reserve in which to view lion, white rhino and elephant. Camps in the reserve remain unfenced, which can occasionally result in unannounced wakings as animals wander through the camp sites, which only adds to excitement of the bush experience. Expect sightings of baboon, zebra, giraffe, caracal, African wild cat, bushbaby (if you enjoy a night drive), spring hare, jackal, honey badger, mongoose, hyrax, wildebeest, and any number of antelope.

Selati lies to the north of the Olifants River looking out onto the Drakensberg escarpment with accompanying granite hills that tower over the bush, endemic cycads and a rather impressive range of savannah trees. The reserve covers a lot of ground mapped across by roads with unique names like ‘rhino crib’, ‘thankerton cutline’ and ‘sunrise boulevard’, which the reserve’s rangers are happy to share with you as you make your way through the bush.

In June 2004 a pride of six lions was introduced into the reserve with an accompanying lion research project, helped along by a series of volunteers, to monitor not only their daily activities but their effect upon other animals in the reserve, and the fine balance between predator and prey.