PROPERTY HIGHLIGHTS:

  • Day and night game drives, walking safaris.
  • Secluded and romantic; light Asian inspired structures with warm African interiors
  • Phinda Adventures include Zulu village tours, Maputaland beach adventures, night turtle drives (seasonal), scuba
    safaris, an ocean safari, and black rhino tracking on foot.
  • Specialist Safaris – birding, photographic, rhino notching, tracking, walking, family and private safaris.
  • Perfect for Couples, wildlife enthusiasts, keen birders.
  • Situated between two habitats, the forest and the grasslands.

EXCLUSIVE LUXE VOYAGER VIP BENEFITS & BEST PRICE

We negotiate rates & benefits for our clients directly with the hotels’ senior management. Our rates match or in many cases are lower than the best online rate for the property. Our clients also enjoy a suite of extra VIP privileges and recognition while staying at a partner hotel.

  • Complimentary room upgrade on arrival.
  • Daily complimentary buffet breakfast for two.
  • Up to $100 dining or spa credit per stay, and or in-house dining / spa discounts.
  • Welcome amenities (wine/chocolates/fruit) and card from the GM.
  • Complimentary private airport transfers.
  • Complimentary roll-away bed if required.
  • Early check-in and late check-out.
  • Complimentary Wi-Fi.
  • Enhanced recognition through VIP status at all touch points in the guest experience.

A complete or partial suite of VIP benefits will be offered, subject to the property T&C, including availability, category of room & length of stay.

ACTIVITIES:


Game Drives

Enjoy early morning and late afternoon game drives that continue after nightfall. andBeyond’s professionally trained guides will ask you about your favourite wildlife and will do their best to ensure that your preferences are met, whether it is tracking a particular species or spending more time enjoying each sighting and getting to know the habits of the animals. They will also tell you about the vegetation of the region and will explain the behaviour of the animals that you come across. In some cases, the guides will be able to identify individual animals and let you know about their history and habits. AndBeyond Phinda Private Game Reserve is renowned for its exceptional sightings of the elusive cheetah and the rare black rhino, as well as the Big Five. There is also a number of resident lion prides and rangers will do their best to provide you with an exceptional sighting of all of these animals.



Luxury Walking Safari

For those looking for an active thrill beyond the excitement of Big Five sightings on a game drive vehicle, andBeyond’s Luxury Walking Safaris offer an opportunity to connect with the African bush, interacting with all its inhabitants, from largest to smallest. Embark on an adventure where your feet tread in the tracks of zebra and buffalo, your nostrils fill with the scent of crushed wild grasses as you push through the bush and all six senses re-awaken as Africa touches you and you touch Africa.



Black Rhino Tracking On Foot

Slip on a pair of walking shoes and spend the morning with an expert ranger and tracker to find the rare and endangered black rhino on foot. Follow rhino tracks, recognise rhino middens and scratching posts, and read the signs of the bush in search of your quarry.



Indian Ocean Scuba Safari

Recognised as one of the top ten dive sites in the world, Sodwana Bay offers an abundance of fish and marine life throughout the year. The gullies, ledges and pinnacles of the coral reef are home to more than 1 200 fascinating fish species.


Turtle Nesting Adventure

For four months during the southern hemisphere summer, the enormous leatherback and loggerhead turtles emerge from the Indian Ocean at Sodwana Bay to lay their precious eggs in the sand. As the moon rises over the ocean, excitement grows as you drive along the deserted coastline in search of fresh turtle tracks that emerge from the ocean and travel along the beach in search of a suitable nesting site. Watch as the female turtle digs her nest and lays her clutch of up to a hundred eggs.
Available November to February.



Zulu Village Tour

Be invited into an authentic Zulu homestead, visit the training school of a local sangoma, or traditional healer, and shop for exquisite handicrafts in the community surrounding andBeyond Phinda. Get a glimpse into the rituals of daily life and see how tribal culture and traditional affect rural Zulu villagers in the modern world.



Maputaland Beach Adventure

The vast sandy beaches of the Maputaland coastline provide a beautiful setting for a half-day beach outing. Soak up the sun, splash in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean, relax with a good book, play beach games, take leisurely walks along the shoreline or snorkel alongside Jesser Point, a protected marine reserve.



Tracking Adventure

Experience the thrill of tracking animals on foot, accompanied by an armed specialist ranger and tracker team. Engage all your sense as you discover a world where each sound, scent and bent blade of grass has a meaning.



Private Safari

Planned especially for you, this exclusive safari allows you to explore the bushveld with your very own dedicated ranger, tracker and vehicle. Game drives can be as long or as short as you wish. Meals can be enjoyed at the lodge, picnic-style outdoors or enjoyed under the shade of the trees. Your specific areas of interest can be covered, from the insect kingdom to great herds of buffalo or prides of lion.



Photographic Safari

Photographic enthusiasts, from beginners to advanced, can now capture the wondrous landscapes and magical creatures of andBeyond’s Phinda Private Game Reserves, by taking advantage of a fully-equipped photographic safari vehicle. The vehicle has been fitted with state-of-the-art camera mounts and cater for a maximum of four guests, ensuring exclusivity during your safari experience.



Family Safari

Designed for families with children who are wanting to experience the wonders of the African bush together, each safari is planned with the guide taking into account the children’s ages, their interests, the family’s preferences and fun seasonal activities available.



Specialist Birding Safari

Accompanied by a specialist birding ranger, set out in search of nearly 415 bird species that inhabit Phinda’s seven diverse habitats. Leaving the lodge in the pre-dawn dusk, you will have the best chance of seeing as many of Phinda’s most well-known species, from the Rudd’s Apalis to Neergard’s Sunbird or Narina Trogon.



A Night Under the Stars

Spend the night sleeping directly beneath the stars in the heart of the bush on this thrilling overnight adventure. As the sun sets at the end of your afternoon game drive, you will arrive at a beautiful clearing in the midst of the bush, where com¬fortable beds with warm duvets and blankets, as well as billowing mosquito nets, are set up for you. Pull your chair up to the blazing campfire and toast the sunset as darkness deepens. Enjoy a delicious meal prepared on the open fire and fall asleep in utter tranquility, surrounded by Africa’s night sounds and kept safe by an armed guard.


Ocean Safari

Whilst enjoying the exceptional Big Five &Beyond Phinda Private Game Reserve, why not treat yourself to an Ocean Safari that offers a wonderful opportunity to encounter some of South Africa’s beautiful marine life. This exciting adventure, aboard an inflatable vessel and in the company of a certified dive master, offers the prospect of encountering and swimming with wild dolphins, snorkelling amidst flourishing reefs and the chance to view humpback and southern right whales (seasonal).


Rhino Notching – Black Rhino

Enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get up close and personal with rhino at andBeyond Phinda Private Game Reserve while assisting in the conservation of this endangered species. This adventure allows guests to witness the capture and darting of either a black or a white rhino. A wildlife vet will locate and dart the rhino from the vantage point of a helicopter, while the guests and ground crew will follow in open 4×4 safari vehicles. Once darted, the veterinary team will notch the sleeping animal’s ear for research and security monitoring, as well as insert a microchip into the horn, enabling researchers to correctly identify different rhino on the reserve. Groups of up to eight guests can participate in this conservation initiative and have the never-to-be-repeated opportunity of touching the anaesthetised giant during the notching procedure. Guests will need to spend a minimum of three nights at Phinda.


Scuba Dive Refresher

A refresher course is necessary for fully certified divers who have not participated in diving for 6 months or more.
Max 8 guests, cost is per person.


Private Vehicle

With a dedicated game ranger and tracker, as well as a private game drive vehicle, guests have the luxury of tailor-making their own safari experience; choosing their own game drive times and spending as much time as they want at sightings.


Interpretative nature walks

Accompanied by your ranger, enjoy an interpretive nature walk, around the lodge, where you learn more about the intricacies of the African bush, from discovering fascinating flora and reading animal tracks with your guide to meeting smaller wildlife up-close.

Chat with one of our expert travel designers today to begin planning your perfect vacation

Call: +852 9465 4577

Email: travel@theluxevoyager.com

OVERVIEW

Phinda forest lodge sleepout

Set deep in the heart of a rare and beautiful dry sand forest, the spectacular Forest Lodge at andBeyond Phinda Private Game Reserve fuses architectural design and conservation. The creation of this award-winning safari lodge was an exemplary exercise in building eco-sensitive structures with a light footprint (not one tree was felled during construction). Inventively designed in Zulu Zen style, each handcrafted, glass-encased suite is a combination of glass, wood and minimalist design incorporating high-gloss wooden floors, richly tactile fabrics and crimson Zulu artefacts. These 16 private stilted suites each feature luxurious ensuite bathrooms and private viewing decks. Unwind in the lodge’s sparkling rim-flow swimming pool, or relax in the guest sitting areas with expansive viewing decks affording panoramic views of the game-filled plains. Visit the Safari Shop with its unique and colourful local Zulu artefacts. Dine in the traditional African boma, under a romantic canvas of stars, candles and lanterns.

ROOMS

Phinda Forest Lodge offers 16 suites which are exceptionally luxurious. They all feature air-conditioning, en-suite bathrooms featuring large freestanding baths, a large shower and also slate basins and expansive views overlooking the rare sand forest.

Andbeyond Phinda Forest Lodge Room
Andbeyond Phinda Forest Lodge Bedroom

Suite

Air-conditioned glass suites built on stilts and appear to float between the rare Sand Forest foor and the towering torchwood trees. The suites are situated to ensure absolute privacy and each suite has a personal bar on their private veranda.

DINING

The guests’ stay is fully inclusive of all meals and drinks. Pan-African dinners by one of the best chefs in the industry can be enjoyed alfresco on the deck, privately or in a group, in the bush, or in the traditional boma for open air dining. At breakfast a continental buffet will be served from our interactive kitchen with hot dishes available à la carte. Lunch is served on the main deck with individual tables and guests can order from the menu.

AndBeyond Phinda Forest Restaurant
AndBeyond Phinda Forest Lodge Restaurant
Andbeyond Phinda Forest Lodge Private Dining

Restaurant

Phinda Forest Lodge will treat you to spicy Pan-African cuisine which can be taken on the deck overlooking the grasslands or around the fire in the boma. The lodge’s renowned bush banquets include breakfast and dinner and are enjoyed in a beautiful forest clearing.

FACILITIES

The is a large rim flow inviting swimming pool as well as a ell stocked curio shop which also has wifi access on site. There is a boma area where you will be served your delicious dinner a couple of times a week. Phinda Forest Lodge also offer in room massages.

Spa

Massages are available in-room or from the deck of the rim-flow swimming pool at the edge of the forest.

AndBeyond Phinda Forest Lodge pool

Pool

Pool area perfect for midday relaxation between game drives.

Yoga

Area & Location

Area, Country
Kwazulu Natal, South Africa
Nearest Airport
Durban International Airport, Durban
Local Currency
South African Rand (ZAR)
Time Change
GMT +2:00
Language
Afrikaans, English
Best time to go
Best visited between September through May.

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