Tourism awards won by sabi sabi

2010
Travel + Leisure - "Best in the World" - Sabi Sabi's Earth Lodge has been voted the 3rd Best Hotel in the world, and the 2nd Best on the African continent

2010
Travel + Leisure - "Worlds Best Service Awards" - Sabi Sabi was voted 4th Best Hotel in the world, and 2nd Best on the African continent

2009
Les Nouvelles Esthetiques South African Spa Awards - The new Amani Spa at Sabi Sabi's Earth Lodge came 1st in the prestigious Best Safari Spa category

2009
Travel + Leisure - "Best in the World" - Sabi Sabi's Earth Lodge has been voted the 3rd Best Hotel in the world, and the 2nd Best on the African continent

2009
Travel + Leisure - "Worlds Best Service Awards" - Sabi Sabi was voted 7th Best Hotel in the world, and 2nd Best on the African continent

2009
Conde Naste Traveler - Gold List

2008
Travel & Leisure - "100 Best Hotels" - Sabi Sabi was voted 8th Best Hotel in the World, 4th Best Hotel in Africa and the Middle East, & received a service rating in the Top 10 World Service Awards

2008
Africa World Travel Award - Sabi Sabi has been named as Africa's Leading Safari Lodge

2007
Travel & Leisure - "100 Best Hotels" - Sabi Sabi was voted 7th Best Hotel in the World & 2nd Best Hotel in Africa and the Middle East

2007
Luxury Link - Winner - World's Best Hotel

2007
Voted Best Lodge - By Resorts Web Magazine (Italy)

2006
The ASATA/Diners Club Travel Award - For the best Game Lodge in Southern Africa - This award is voted by the members of the Southern African Travel Industry

2006
Diners Club Platinum Winelist Award - In honour of an excellent selection of wines

2006
Professional Management Review Diamond Arrow Award - For the highest rated in the category "Executive Lodges (5 Star) in the Mpumulanga Province"

2006
Professional Management Review Golden Arrow Award - For the highest rated in the category "Private Game Farms and Parks in the Mpumulanga Province"

2006
Travel & Leisure - 4th in Africa & Middle East

2005
Travel & Leisure - Top 5 in Africa & Middle East and Top 35 in the world

2005
Tattler UK - Top 101 Hotels in the World

2005
Conde Naste Traveler - Gold List

2005
The ASATA/Diners Club Travel Award - For the best Game Lodge in Southern Africa - This award is voted by the members of the Southern African Travel Industry

2004
Travel & Leisure - World's Best Award

2004
Elite Traveller - Voted us as having one of the greatest suites in the world - Amber Suite at Earth Lodge

2004
Travel and Leisure - World's Best Award - In Top 100 Hotels in the World & In Top 10 Hotels in Africa & Asia

2004
Conde Naste Traveller - UK - One of the Top Health Spa's Hotels in the world

2004
The ASATA/Diners Club Travel Award - For the best Game Lodge in Southern Africa - This award is voted by the members of the Southern African Travel Industry

2004
AA Travel Guides Accommodation Awards - Hall Of Fame - Sabi Sabi Bush Lodge

2004
AA Travel Guides - Gold Achiever - Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge

2004
Conde Naste Traveller - The Gold List

2003
The ASATA/Diners Club Travel Award - For the best Game Lodge in Southern Africa - This award is voted by the members of the Southern African Travel Industry

2003
AA Travel Guides Accommodation Awards. Hall Of Fame.

2003
AA Travel Guides - Gold Achiever - Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge

2002
Venue Finders Conference Venue Awards Winner in the Game Lodge Category

2002
The ASATA/Diners Club Service Excellence Award - For the best Game Lodge in Southern Africa - This award is voted by the members of the Southern African Travel Industry

2002
Conde Nast Accolade Award for Earth Lodge 2002

2002
AA Travel Guides Award - For the Best Lodge in South Africa

2002
Rennies Travel Award - "Partner of the Year" - Voted by Rennies Incentive Department.

2001
AA Travel Guides Award - For the Best Lodge in South Africa

2001
Rennies Travel Award - Partner of the Year - Voted by Rennies Incentive Department

2001
The ASATA/Diners Club Service Excellence Award - For the best Game Lodge in Southern Africa - This award is voted by the members of the Southern African Travel Industry

2000
Rennies Travel Award - Partner of the Year - Voted by Rennies Incentive Department

2000
AA Travel Guides Award - For the Best Lodge in South Africa

Sabi Sabi's dedication to community empowerment

It is one of Sabi Sabi's core philosophies that in order for conservation to be successful in Africa, there needs to be an integral and participatory relationship between tourism operations and the neighbouring local communities. The reserve strives to promote 'People and Parks' issues by integrating conservation and community development as much as possible. As southern Africa and Africa as a whole tackles human population growth and the pressure of impoverished communities on the boundaries of its reserves, Community Based Natural Resource Management is increasingly becoming a priority in the Sabi Sabi management policies.

To the west Sabi Sabi borders the rural Shangaan villages of Huntington, Lillydale and Justicia in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. Many of Sabi Sabi's 200 staff live in these communities. With an average dependency ratio of 1:7 these people represent tangible 'benefits beyond boundaries' to over 1200 people. It should be noted that the relationship is reciprocal; the employees themselves provide a loyal service to the company in all aspects of the operation from the workshop and safari department to hospitality and marketing. The company in turn invests in its human resources, recognises talent and believes in promoting its employees on merit and accomplishment. An ongoing internal training programme is in place that promotes and encourages skills development.

Financial benefits through employment are but one aspect of benefits. Over the past several years, Sabi Sabi has been a major contributor to the Teach the Teachers and Reach and Teach Education Programmes.

This entailed workshops held on the reserve exposing rural teachers to the relationship between ecotourism, conservation and communities.
Another example of other aspects of the current involvement in community development is the 'Lillydale Environmental Education Centre'. This is a community-run project that is supported by Sabi Sabi. The centre serves as a multifunctional environmental education centre, promotes Shangaan knowledge and rural development tourism to the area and encourages local environmental conservation practices through training workshops.

In 2003, Sabi Sabi agreed with the Huntington community (adjacent to the Sabi Sabi reserve) to provide a three-year investment budget that would be owned by all members of the community and controlled through trustees voted for by the community on a democratic basis. The trustees exclude any representatives from Sabi Sabi.

In 2004 the community registered a trust, the 'Swi Ta Lunga Trust', for the purpose of investing in and managing the community's labour resources and to provide services locally. Translated from Shangaan, Swi Ta Lunga means 'Things Will Get Better'. This model has been noticed by government and is being used in the reformulation of local economic development.

Some of the priorities identified by the Trust include: improving access to water for daily consumption and gardening; creating jobs and work in the village; improving education and educational facilities (including subsidising transport costs for teachers) and facilitating easier access to education for school children through an innovative subsidised bicycle programme.

This wonderful project means that all high school children in the local community will receive a new bicycle, giving them more freedom and reducing the enormous amount of time spent walking the 7 to 11 kilometres to and from school each day. The project establishes a proper finance, ownership, insurance and maintenance cooperative through which the children learn so much about organisation, joint responsibility and management and finance.

Sabi Sabi's dedication to conservation

Unusual dedication and understanding is needed to manage our vast tracts of pristine bushveld in an ecologically sound manner. It is also important to maintain economically viable tourist lodges, as well as meet the needs of a widely differing range of staff and neighbours. Sabi Sabi Management believes that it is meeting the challenge, and achieving this fine balance.

Environmental control forms an integral part of the conservation process. Sabi Sabi has an extensive Habitat Management Plan in place that is continually reviewed. This encompasses concepts such as pumping water into pans, clearing encroached seeplines and grasslands, and correctly placing and maintaining roads. Other issues that constantly demand attention are the eradication of alien species, a sustainable fire management programme and waste-water disposal.

Aliens are plants from other continents that have taken hold by propagating prolifically and threatening to squeeze out indigenous species. They need to be removed, and as they are vigorous growers, Sabi Sabi keeps a constant watch for their reappearance.
Fire is a natural part of the ecosystem, control of runaway fires is vital, but correct burning is essential for the long-term health of the natural environment.
The continued presence of humans makes it imperative to deal with the problem of waste-water. At Sabi Sabi, waste-water is cleaned naturally through oxidization dams that create a wetland area, which is ideal habitat for waterfowl. The cleaned water runs back into drainage lines, which ultimately feed underground aquifers, thus creating a full natural water cycle. The success of our extensive wetland programme won Sabi Sabi the Imvelo Award for the Best Practice in Conservation.