Phinda Homestead
Phinda Homestead is a sole-use safari villa for families and groups. Breathtakingly stylish and sophisticated yet refreshingly simple, the Homestead provides the ideal venue to reconnect with friends and family. With the warm, friendly faces and helping hands of a full complement of staff ready to welcome you on arrival, you will instantly feel as though this is your second home.
Inviting rooms designed around retro trinkets, Zulu crafts and sleek, contemporary touches reinforce the impression that this private safari villa is designed for comfort and ease.
A focus on stylish comfort, coupled with genuine hospitality from your personal chef and butler, will have you feeling at ease in this private villa. An interactive kitchen awaits your instructions, whether it’s the simple joy of having your favourite meals prepared for you or the pure pleasure of being surprised at meal time. Enjoy meals shared with special people around a spacious table or savour a delectable picnic on an extended game drive.
While away a quiet afternoon drinking in the views from the open viewing decks or give in to the seduction of plump cushions around the sparkling swimming pool. If you're feeling more active, enjoy a workout in a gym that boasts incredible view of the wilderness outside. As night closes in, admire the glorious colours of an African sunset steal over the skies as the warm light of dozens of lanterns creates an intimate dining space in the private outdoor boma.
Early, early morningsDon’t worry. Even if you are one of those who struggles to leave the sanctuary of your bed before the sun is almost overhead, you will not regret getting up early on safari. It’s the best time for game viewing.
As soon as the sky streaks with the first rays of dawn, it’s time to get up, grab a coffee, tea or hot chocolate, a muffin, croissant or local biscuit (like the delicious dunking rusks of Southern Africa) and head out for a day’s game viewing, usually by foot or by open safari vehicle.
In the summer months, this can be as early as 5 am, or around 6 am in the cooler winter months.
Why so Early?
The animals follow the natural movements of the sun and its seasons. As soon as there’s a hint of daybreak, they’re up and going about their daily business. If you’re early enough, you may be lucky to see some of the nocturnal animals returning from their night’s forage for food, or bloodied lions fresh from a kill looking for a comfy spot to rest for the day. Most of the animals are more active in the early mornings, before the day heats up. Depending on the game viewing, the morning’s activity usually lasts about 3 – 4 hours.
Back in time for breakfast/brunch
When you get back to camp, you’ll enjoy a hearty breakfast buffet with all the trimmings. Or perhaps you may enjoy a pre-arranged breakfast picnic at a stop along the way, especially if a full day’s game viewing is on the cards.
Only “Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun” Noël Coward
The heat of the day (roughly 11 am to 3 pm) is not the best time for game viewing. During the hot months, the animals will be lying low, seeking out any available shade to rest in. That said, as with anything to do with nature, expect the unexpected. No two days or two game drives are ever the same. Sometimes the most spectacular sightings can be seen midday – a cheetah on the hunt, for example.
This is the time to relax and read your book, look up information about an animal, insect, bird or plant you’ve seen, enjoy a refreshing swim in the pool, laze on the deck with a cool cocktail in hand or simply enjoy the alternating silence and sounds of the bush. If your lodge overlooks a waterhole, you may be lucky enough to do some game viewing from the comfort of the shady deck. Depending on what time you had breakfast/brunch, a light lunch might hit the spot. With a full stomach, both humans and animals alike enjoy a siesta.
Action in the afternoon
Once the day starts to cool, around 3 pm to 4 pm, it’s time for some tea and snacks before heading out for the afternoon/sunset game drive. In national parks, this could be earlier to allow enough time before gate closing, which is seasonal. In Kruger Park, for example, camp gates open between 4:30 am and 6 am in the morning, and close between 5:30 pm and 6:30 pm in the evening. In the late afternoon, animals are once again on the move. Predators are out looking for their supper. Anything can happen and often does!
Sunset sundowners
In private reserves where your game vehicle is allowed off road and to make bush stops, your guide will find a nice (and safe) vantage point where you can stop, enjoy sundowners and snacks and watch the sunset – a special and spectacular sight! After that, you make your way back to camp, trying to spot the more elusive nocturnal animals with spotlights. At the very least, you’re bound to see a few nightjars, scrub hares and springhares. At best, you may spot those shy, rare species like anteaters, civets, aardwolves and the like. Leopards are also quite active at night.
Delectable dinners
If you’re back early enough, you may get a chance to freshen up before dinner – which is always a sumptuous affair. Dinner may be served in the lodge’s dining area, on the deck, in the open-air boma or at a romantic, intimate setting for honeymoon couples or by special request. Some lodges also offer dinner entertainment by local musicians and/or dancers or nature talks.
Campfire tales
If you’re not completely worn out by then, an inviting campfire is never far away. Join your fellow safari goers and guides to chat about the day’s highlights, safari anecdotes and the possibilities that await you tomorrow. The African night skies (weather permitting) are a sight to behold!
Goodnight!
Finally it’s off to sleep and perchance to dream, most likely beneath your swathed mosquito nets, in anticipation of waking to a bright new dawn and all the sights, sounds, smells and sensations you can look forward to.
Game Drives
Enjoy early morning and late afternoon game drives that continue after nightfall. &Beyond's professionally trained guides will ask you about your favorite 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 behavior 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. &Beyond 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.
Beyond twice-daily game drives, there are bush walks; Zulu village tours; night turtle drives (seasonal); scuba and ocean safaris; black rhino tracking on foot; participative conservation experiences; Cheetah, black and white rhino, lion, nyala! Additional costs apply to the following experiences:
Sleep Under the Stars
Enjoy a leisurely afternoon game drive around &Beyond Phinda Private Game reserve, awash with untamed wildlife and birdlife. Arrive at a romantic and magical setting in the middle of the bush, where comfortable beds with real duvets and warm blankets have been set up, draped with billowing mosquito nets. Inviting chairs surround a blazing campfire and twinkling lanterns hang from towering trees. On days when the weather turns dark, revel in the knowledge that a warm, comfortable room at a nearby lodge is ready and waiting in case you change your mind. Those who choose to persevere will be welcomed with sundowner drinks to toast the disappearing sun whilst your dedicated ranger prepares a delicious meal, celebrating African flavors on the open fire. Recreate the day’s adventures and encounters around the fireside, from the swift cheetah that raced past your open safari vehicle to the white rhinos and the more rare and endangered black rhino, as well as the elegant nyala antelope. Drink in the tranquillity of the bush and enjoy the distinct night sounds and songs of Africa. Fall asleep under an impossibly starry sky to the soothing sound of the hyena calling out in the distance, secure in the knowledge that an armed guard will patrol the site throughout the night.
Rhino Tracking on Foot
Slip on some comfortable walking shoes, grab your binoculars and camera, and spend the morning on foot with an expert ranger and tracker team in search of the rare and highly endangered black rhinoceros, also known as the hook-lipped rhinoceros. A walk through the bush is a far more intimate experience as, without the distracting hum of the safari vehicle, you will hear, smell, feel and see with heightened awareness, igniting your entire consciousness. As you slowly walk along tracks trodden by untamed wildlife, you will be humbled and left in awe of this magnificent natural site. Experience Phinda Private Game Reserve on foot, in awe of its untouched nature and allure. Tread along the very paths black rhinos roam free on and witness their lives from a careful distance. It is the perfect setting in which to appreciate the natural environment. The slow pace of the walk and the interpretive skills of the armed guides open your eyes to a new and fascinating world. Learn how to follow rhino tracks, recognize rhino middens and scratching posts, and follow the signs of the bent trees and broken grass blades, searching for rhino in the company of wildlife professionals. The safety of our guests is paramount and only the most highly trained and qualified &Beyond guides host these walks.
Elephant Collaring Experience
Guests will have the opportunity to participate in &Beyond Phinda’s elephant conservation project, witnessing an elephant capture and darting, and assisting in the changing of the sleeping pachyderm’s radio collar. Phinda is committed to ensuring the survival of Africa’s elephant herds and, as such, we implement best practice research and management practices. Seven elephant herds on the reserve have been collared to assist with monitoring and tracking their movements. The collars also play an essential part in Phinda’s immunocontraceptive program, aimed at managing the elephant population in the reserve to maintain optimum levels.
From time to time, one of the elephant collars utilized in this research will be in need of replacing and we invite groups of up to eight guests each (sharing one vehicle) to participate in this extraordinary experience. Guests will play an active role in the day’s adventure. As the veterinary team flies overhead in a helicopter in search of the elephant, guests will follow in hot pursuit with an expert ranger in an open 4×4 safari vehicle. Once the animal is located and darted, the helicopter will land, and guests will have the never-to-be-repeated opportunity to touch the anaesthetized elephant as they change its collar.
Dates for this exceptional adventure are dependent on whether there is elephant to collar, as well as on the availability of the vet and the helicopter pilot. Guests will need to spend a minimum of three nights at the reserve to allow for any unforeseen delays due to bad weather or any other factors beyond our control. All funds raised from guests go directly towards the costs of running Phinda’s elephant conservation and management project.
Guided Nature Walk KwaZulu-Natal
A guided nature walk is a magical alternative to a Big Five game drive in the wildlife parks of KwaZulu-Natal. This adventure makes full use of all your senses, allowing you a deeper connection with the African bush. Strap on your boots and feel the wild grasses crush beneath your boots as you follow your expert guide into the pristine, untamed landscapes of the region. Be mesmerized by the morning sunlight as it dances in dew drops delicately sprinkled on flourishing vegetation. Smell nature in its purest form and be enchanted by the chorus of wildlife surrounding you.
Nothing quite encapsulates the feeling of viewing wildlife on foot. Encounter a variety of plains game from a safe distance and be enchanted by the reserve’s smaller inhabitants. This activity is also fantastic for keen birders and photographic enthusiasts. Your guides have a wealth of experience under their belts and will not only introduce you to the region’s fantastic fauna but its kaleidoscopic array of flora too. For any safari addict, this is definitely a bucket list adventure that will keep you coming back for more!
Horseback Riding in False Bay
Set off to explore the picturesque False Bay Nature Reserve, part of the renowned Simangaliso Wetland Park, on a scenic two-hour horseback ride. Swing into the saddle of a gentle steed, trained for every age and level of riding expertise. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999, the Simangaliso Wetland Park offers extraordinary habitats for you to discover as you ride through a diverse landscape of dense woodlands, azure lakes that feed into an aquamarine ocean, gilded sand dunes alongside and vast grasslands.
Your journey will take you through the shady sand forests of the park before reaching the pristine shoreline of False Bay, which stretches into the horizon. Enroute, you may encounter a plethora of bird species, as well as sightings of crocodiles sunning themselves along the shoreline, curious zebra cantering alongside your horse, wary impala twitching their ears at every sound and plump hippopotamus wallowing in the lakes. As you make your way along this beautiful stretch of coastline, be sure to keep an eye out for crisp white shells that echo the secrets of the sea, as well as delicate ammonite fossils, extinct marine mollusks dating back millions of years.
Sodwana Bay Diving
Diving the reefs off South Africa’s east coast at Sodwana Bay allows you to experience a portrait of marine diversity, with over 1 200 species of fish and spectacular coral formations set in warm and clear tropical waters. Ideal for divers of all abilities, dives can be tailored for all guests who hold an Open Water 1 NAUI or PADI dive qualification have dived in the last six months. The tropical waters of Sodwana Bay are home to an abundance of marine life, boasting more than 80% of all the world’s marine classes. Swim past lemony yellow butterflyfish, powder blue triggerfish and citron-spotted whale sharks.
Renowned as one of the top five diving destinations in the world, dives at Sodwana Bay reveal just a taste of the wide-ranging biodiversity found here. With the aquamarine water as the perfect canvas, watch in awe as variety of rainbow-colored fish dart in and around healthy coral reefs, creating a vivid visual masterpiece. The Maputaland coast is unique in that it is the only site in the world that attracts prevalent South African, tropical Indo-Pacific, Southern Ocean, circum-global, deep-sea, and European fish, which filter down along the west coast of Africa coast. This vast range of species includes predators like the ragged-tooth shark and the silvery dolphins, as well as easy-going turtles and streamlined rays.
Village Community Experience
A community excursion offers a fantastic opportunity to learn more about the wonderfully diverse communities of KwaZulu-Natal. Embark on an insightful tour with Africa Foundation, &Beyond’s community development partner, which has been active within the rural communities surrounding &Beyond Phinda Private Game Reserve for 25 years. Gain first-hand knowledge of the Foundation’s various projects, aimed at improving education, healthcare and access to water, as well as the development of local businesses in the area. You will have the opportunity to visit projects in the Mduku and Mnqobokazi communities, including the Khulani Special School, a community crèche, the Mduku Clinic, the Nkomo Full Service Primary School, the Mbhedula Craft Market or the Dongwelethu Poultry Project.
These tours offer insight into the everyday lives of community members as well as the difficulties they may face. For instance, the Khulani Special School was created by two concerned community members to meet the needs of children with disabilities living within the communities of Mduku, Mnqobokazi and Nibela, who previously had to travel over 150 kilometres to the nearest formal special needs school. The Mduku Clinic was built by Africa Foundation in 1995, before which the closest hospital was 70 kilometres away and the only access to a nurse was a mobile clinic that visited the community once a fortnight. Now up to 42 000 patients visit the clinic annually and the facility provides emergency care, treatment of chronic diseases and a wing dedicated to the healthcare of women and children. Nkomo Full Service Primary School was formed in 1997 by stalwart teacher Nomusa Zikhali, who used to teach 60 children under the shade of trees. Now, Nkomo is a full service primary school with more than 20 classrooms and over 1 000 pupils.
Snorkel Trip
While enjoying the exceptional Big Five at &Beyond Phinda Private Game Reserve, why not treat yourself to an Ocean Safari that offers the opportunity to encounter some of South Africa’s most beautiful marine life? Set off on board a semi-rigid inflatable boat in the company of a certified Dive Master and enjoy the prospect of encountering and swimming with sleek, silvery dolphins. Snorkel among some of South Africa most magnificent coral reef, viewing a bevy of iridescent tropical fish. Marvel at the colossal forms of humpback and southern right whales. The temperate waters are awash with a plethora of diverse aquatic life, including the ancient walnut-hued leatherback and the white-bellied loggerhead turtles, the slow-moving, yellow-spotted whale shark, a variety of shy eels and hundreds of minute, kaleidoscopic fish that flit in and around the corals.
Marvel at the iridescent colors of a variety of tropical fish as they streak through the aquamarine waters, from the bright yellow of the butterfly fish to the topaz triggerfish and the distinct shapes and vivid colors of a variety of wrasse. Marvel at the medley of colors of the flourishing marine species beneath the calm, azure surface as you swim amidst the infinite hues of blue that stipple the sky and sea.
Turtle Time
Each year, during the southern hemisphere summer, between November and January, enormous leatherback and loggerhead turtles emerge from the Indian Ocean at Sodwana Bay to lay their precious eggs in the sun-warmed sand, as they have done for hundreds of millions of years. Set out on a thrilling night-time adventure along a stretch of 16 kilometers of tranquil beach, set to the background of the harmonic sounds of foamy waves rushing in to shore. With only the beam of your flashlight, the cold light of the moon flitting between wispy clouds and the distant flash of the lighthouse to guide you, search for these gentle animals as they ride the waves to shore to dig their nests at one of Africa’s last key nesting sites.
Dig your bare feet into the cool, velvet sand and hold your breath as you wait for a ritual as old as time to once again take place. Watch in wonder as two of the ocean’s largest turtles – the walnut-hued leatherback ringing in at 700 kilograms and the white-bellied loggerhead touching 160 kilograms – breach the quiet shore, leaving behind a deep trail in the soft sand. Marvel at the silent concentration of the mother as she squats above a deep hole in the sand, laying scores of smooth, oval eggs, which she carefully covers with warm, loose sand before disappearing back into the inky waves.
NUMBER OF ROOMS
4
MAXIMUM GUESTS
8
NANNY’S ROOM
Available
CHILDREN
Yes; no children under 16 on Walking Safaris
CHILDMINDING
Available at an additional cost
TRIPLES
None
TWIN BEDS
All convertible to double
AIR CONDITIONING
Yes
OVERHEAD FANS
Yes
LODGE POOL
Yes
BATH
Yes
INDOOR AND OUTDOOR SHOWERS
Yes (outdoor showers only in two main suites)
SEPARATE W.C.
Yes
IN-ROOM SAFE
Yes
TELEPHONE
Yes
HAIRDRYER
Yes
LAUNDRY INCLUDED
Yes
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS
Yes, with assistance
KOSHER FOOD
Available with prior notice and at extra cost
POWER
220v AC
INTERNET ACCESS
Yes, wifi throughout
CREDIT CARDS
Visa, Diners, Amex, MasterCard
IN-ROOM MASSAGE
Yes
EXERCISE EQUIPMENT
Exercise room with treadmill, yoga mats, exercise ball and static weights
WEATHER
Subtropical climate with hot, humid and wet and summers from September to April and warm to cool and dry winters from May to August
RAINFALL
Rainfall averages 1 000mm / 39” per annum. Much of the rainfall comes in the form of short, intense afternoon thundershowers. Rain can be expected throughout the year
TEMPERATURE
Summer: daytime temperatures above 35˚C / 95˚F Winter: night-time temperature rarely drops below 10˚C / 50˚F
BEST TIME TO TRAVEL
All year round; best game viewing from March to end of September
MALARIA
The reserve is situated in a lowrisk malaria area
AIRSTRIP
The Phinda airstrip is not registered; coordinates are S27˚.51.36’ and E32˚.18.48’
LODGE CLOSURE
Open year round
Airlink operates daily scheduled flights directly from Johannesburg or Cape Town to Phinda Private Game Reserve‘s private airstrip. This convenient network of flights connects Phinda to many of Southern Africa’s iconic destinations including the Kruger National Park, the Sabi Sand, Victoria Falls, Mozambique, Vilanculos and Livingstone.
&Beyond guests flying via Airlink on this route have complimentary access to the VIP lounge at Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport in Nelspruit during their layovers to and from Phinda. This allows our guests all the creature comforts of home including a place to refresh and revitalize using the Executive Lounge shower facility. It also includes complimentary snacks and select beverages, VIP concierge service, complimentary newspapers, magazines, Wi-Fi, as well as access to premium beers wines and spirits, hot meals to orders and even private meeting rooms.
Scheduled domestic flights are available from Johannesburg to Durban International Airport or Richards Bay Airport. A seven-hour drive from Johannesburg on good roads in a two-wheel drive vehicle Three and a half-hour drive from Durban on good roads in a two-wheel drive vehicle.
Private charters from anywhere in South Africa can be arranged to &Beyond Phinda Private Game Reserve’s airstrip.
For more information on Phinda Homestead click HERE
