Lion Sands River Lodge
Rooms and suites in four categories along the Sabie River · Southern sector, served by Shaws Gate. Part of the Lion Sands group, listed under the Sabi Sand Wildtuin's own southern-sector gate list. Rates are published directly in US dollars rather than rand. · Lion Sands Game Reserve (MORE Collection)
A drawing, because nobody has sent us a photograph of Lion Sands River Lodge yet. Send five and this page changes the same week.
High-end
Inside the park
Group-owned (Lion Sands)
River Lodge is Lion Sands' entry-level property on the Sabie River in the southern sector, and the one lodge in this whole reserve that prices directly in dollars rather than rand. From-prices per person sharing run $1,722 for a Luxury Room up to $2,213 for the Family River Suite, though the site's full seasonal breakdown could not be retrieved. Lion Sands describes its reserve-wide traverse at 12,400 hectares spanning both Sabi Sand and Kruger National Park, a figure shared across all four of its lodges rather than broken out per property. No conservation levy amount is published.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Entry-level Lion Sands property, 18 rooms across four categories
- Family River Suite sleeps 4, with its own private pool
- Rates quoted directly in dollars, no currency conversion needed
- Solo travellers pay no single supplement, peak exclusions apply
- Traverses 12,400 hectares spanning Sabi Sand and Kruger
Cons
- Minimum age 10, with half rate for ages 10 to 15
- No wifi, transfer time or self-drive details published
- No conservation levy amount published on the lodge's site
Rates at Lion Sands River Lodge
From $1,722 pppn. Unlike every other lodge in this reserve, Lion Sands publishes its rates directly in US dollars rather than rand, so no currency conversion is applied here. From-prices per person sharing, with no season dates captured from the site: Luxury Room $1,722, Superior Luxury Room $1,893, River Suite $2,049, Family River Suite $2,213. A separate rates page with a full 2026/2027 season breakdown exists but renders dynamically and could not be captured. No conservation levy amount is published.
What the rate covers is not confirmed. We do not know yet whether meals, drinks and activities are included, so read this as the bed only.
Every figure on this page is in US dollars.
Rates and fees come from each lodge's own website, read 16 September 2026, cross-checked against the Sabi Sand Wildtuin's own published Guest Conservation Contribution and access fees at sabisand.co.za (the landowners' association, spelled without an 's') and against a reserve overview compiled the same day. Two booking-agent microsites, sabisands.com and sabisands.co.za (both spelled with an 's', unrelated to the association), were checked for cross-reference only and are not used as a source for any rate or levy figure. Ulusaba's own site quotes no nightly rate for its three lodges, so those are recorded as rates on request. Sabi Sabi and MalaMala are not on the Sabi Sand Wildtuin's own lodge list, and neither states whether the reserve's own conservation contribution applies to a stay there; both maintain their own separate levy or none at all, as noted lodge by lodge.
Questions about Lion Sands River Lodge
Is Lion Sands River Lodge good for families?
Yes, with conditions. The lodge accepts children from age 10, who pay half the adult sharing rate; we found nothing on whether younger children can stay at all, so check when you enquire. The Family River Suite sleeps 4 and has its own private pool and outdoor shower.
Can you self-drive to Lion Sands River Lodge?
Lion Sands sits inside the private Sabi Sand and Kruger traversing area, so you cannot self-drive around the reserve itself, only to your own booked lodge. The operator's site does not publish a self-drive route, airstrip name or transfer time for River Lodge, so confirm access directly when you book.
What does it cost to stay at Lion Sands River Lodge?
Lion Sands prices directly in dollars rather than rand. From-rates per person sharing start at $1,722 for a Luxury Room, rising to $2,213 for the Family River Suite. A full seasonal breakdown exists on the operator's site but renders dynamically and could not be captured, so treat these as starting prices.