Wanted to take our two small children on a safari and found this place as one of few places that accept small children. It is a great experience, not only with children, but also without. Having been on safari before, I can say that this really is quite a unique place I believe with the river experience and the river running through the game reserve. It is a nice extra feature with the ride on the river to and from the camps and the game drives. The reserve is also very beautiful, lots of beatiful spots and scenery. You get very close to all the animals there. They do not have all the animals you may find in larger reserves. The lions are kept in their own space and are fed. The cheetah are kept in large cages you could say, you do not drive in to them, you watch them from outside a fence. They say they also have leopards, but we did not see them and I do not recall having read any review from this place saying they had seen them, but perhaps I am wrong. But the other animals you see plenty of and really up close. We staid in the river camp and the tents are really spacious and feel luxurious. Also loved the lounge area. The food was really good. Only thing we missed was a small pool. That would have been nice between the game drives. They said we could swim in the river, but the water and the bank was quite muddy so it was not tempting and we saw no one do it. As previous reviewers have said, one night is probably to little and three would be two much. We staid two and that was just perfect. I can recommend this place for a safari in the Eastern Cape, expecially with kids.

What an amazing 2 days!! We choose Sibuya as we were travelling with our 8 month old baby & wanted to stay clear of malarial areas. But what a great choice! The 45 minute boat ride to get to the resort meant a chance to see some stunning water birds & arrived chilled & relaxed. When we were taken to our "tent" there were a family (including a baby) of nyalas waiting for us. Which gave us a taste of what was to come. The "tent" itself was nothing short of stunning, very private (you can't see or hear your neighbours - which what I was concerned about), there is a nice outdoor seating area, & is beautifully decorated. You immediately get that "I'm on safari" feeling. The chef Ross did a great job, & we were able to try some local delights as well as game (we had impala one night & kudo the other) which was fun. You sit a a large table with the other guests (which we got to know during the game drives), & it was a lovely relaxed atmosphere to either socialise around the table or on one of the big comfy sofas near the bar.
Our ranger guide Brian was very knowledgable & hands on. He has seemed to know where to find the animals and was skilled at getting us very close (even had a rhino within arms reach of the car). Sibuya is a great place to see lots of animals in a short space of time, they have everything from giraffes, elephants, white rhino, zebra, buffalo, antalopes etc etc we came back with some awesome photos. Brian had amazing knowledge & confidently explained about each group of animals.
We choose to add a private game drive so we could take our son with us. We could pick the time we went & the animals that we wanted to see. It worked really well. My husband had our little boy in the baby bjorn carrier facing outwards & he (& the husband) thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm really glad that we took him. I would also recommend adding a private game drive if you are staying more then 2 nights.
We paid extra for baby sitting for the other game drives which worked out really well. The paths are all done as a board walk which made things so easy as we could get him to sleep in his pram wheel him in to the dining area & he would sleep whilst we ate & socialised. Then at the end of the night could wheel him back to our tent. It meant he slept comfortably, didn't disturb anyone else & we didn't have to deal with a single stair. I would definately recommend Sibuya to families & plan to return when my son is a little older.

Having visited many game reserves throughout South Africa and Africa, Sibuya was a unigue "river "experience in that it took a 45 minute boat ride to get to the Lodge. On the way we saw a variety of "water" birds which one doesn't normaly see in other game reserves.( We are avid Birders"). Most game drives started and ended with a boat trip.Great experience. The Forest Lodge tented accomodation was superb as was the food and staff. The game drives were also excellent. Varied game and eco systems.Thoroughly enjoyed our 3 days there.

We booked a 3 night stay at Sibuya last week and have to say we had a great experience.
All overtook our expectations by far. The in total 5 game drives with ranger Jaco were suberb, so was as well the stay in the luxury tent. Food and drinks were absolutely more then good.
Atmosphere was so relaxed that it felt like a 2 week stay.

We strongly recommend this game reserve for everybody who is looking for a more personal approach.