Sibuya Game Reserve is a charming family-owned and run game reserve in the lush riverine vegetation of the Kariega River. Our visit started with a gloriously picturesque the river cruise up from the seaside village of Kenton. We actually started the safari from there with our knowledgeable guide pointing out various birds en route. (Sibuya is a birding mecca with nearly 400 species ranging from coastal birds to forest dwellers.) Lions are kept in a separate part of the reserve as they are not allowed to have lions close to the public Kariega river (which makes sense!)
I was pleasantly surprised by the standard of the stylish family suites at River Camp. In fact I actually slightly preferred the intimate little river camp to the larger forest camp, though both were charming.
If you had time, it would be great to combine Sibuya with another Eastern Cape lodge such as Lalibela, Samara or Pumba which offered more open game-viewing.
