Phinda Zuka Lodge
Bordered by lush green valleys and densely wooded hills studded with aloes, andBeyond Phinda Zuka Lodge sits in the west of Phinda Private Game Reserve. With just four thatched Zululand bush cottages, this intimate lodge is ideal for family gatherings and special occasion safaris and can be booked as an exclusive use lodge or for individual room bookings. Characterized by hues of blue and stone, with a strong emphasis on shape and texture, Zuka’s overall ambiance is that of cool, coastal bush style embodying the sophistication of simplicity. The charming cottages cluster around a busy waterhole where a diversity of wildlife is regularly seen and birdlife flourished. Each cottage boasts a luxurious ensuite bathroom, complete with a circular bath chamber, double showers and twin hand basins. Comfortable lounge chairs on private verandas allow for gentle contemplation or even an afternoon siesta. Guest areas include an interactive café-style kitchen, indoor sitting and dining areas, an intimate library with internet access and a swimming pool with an extended wooden deck overlooking the surrounding wilderness.
Suite(s)
Four charming cottages cluster around a busy waterhole where a diversity of wildlife is regularly seen and birdlife flourished. Each cottage boasts a luxurious ensuite bathroom, complete with a circular bath chamber, double showers and twin hand basins. Comfortable lounge chairs on private verandas allow for gentle contemplation or even an afternoon siesta
Villa(s)
With just four thatched Zululand bush cottages, the intimate andBeyond Phinda Zuka is ideal for family gatherings and special occasion safaris as it can be booked as an exclusive use lodge. Four charming cottages cluster around a busy waterhole where a diversity of wildlife is regularly seen and birdlife flourished. Each cottage boasts a luxurious ensuite bathroom, complete with a circular bath chamber, double showers and twin hand basins. Comfortable lounge chairs on private verandas allow for gentle contemplation or even an afternoon siesta.
Game Drives (included)
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.
Interpretive Nature Walks and Big Game Viewing Walk (included)
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.
Pangolin Conservation Experience (additional cost)
Pangolins are the most poached mammal on the planet. They are animals in the shadowlands of extinction. Participate in our one-of-its-kind Pangolin conservation experience, and support us in this groundbreaking initiative to re-establish Temminck’s [ground] pangolin in a region where they have gone locally extinct. Intensive monitoring, using VHF and GSM/UHF tracking tags, is a core element of this project. Travel with our specialist conservation team as they locate the animal, replace the GSM/UHF tag, do general health checks, and gather crucial data.
Your Experience:
Participate in this privately guided pangolin research and monitoring experience at &Beyond Phinda Private Game Reserve, and you’ll be supporting the conservation of the world’s most trafficked mammal. In this interpretive and exclusive activity, guests will join a researcher as he (or she) locates one of the pangolins that has been reintroduced to the reserve. They will have the rare opportunity to observe the unique features and remarkable adaptations of these gentle creatures first hand as our researcher does a general health check, and downloads critical research data from the UHF tag attached to each pangolin.
This exclusive experience is available at an additional cost and is subject to availability. It will take place in the afternoon or evening in winter, or at night in summer. Guests need to be 16 years or older to participate. If less than 6 guests, a private vehicle needs to be booked. Guests will unfortunately not be allowed to touch or handle the animals.
Maputaland Beach Adventure (additional cost)
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.
Indian Ocean Scuba Safari (additional cost)
Recognized 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.
Black Rhino Tracking On Foot (additional cost)
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, recognize rhino middens and scratching posts, and read the signs of the bush in search of your quarry.
Turtle Nesting Adventure (additional cost)
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. SEASONAL: Available November to February.
Zulu Village Tour (additional cost)
Visit a Zulu community just outside andBeyond Phinda Private Game Reserve and interact with the friendly Zulu people. An expert andBeyond guide will escort you through the community and share interesting insight into the Zulu culture and its fascinating customs, beliefs and traditions. You will be invited into a traditional homestead and given the rare opportunity to witness the daily routines and lifestyle of a rural Zulu family. Learn about the family structures, how the homes are built, why cattle are so highly revered, and much more. Later, you will spend time with the highly respected local sangoma (witch doctor/traditional healer) who will explain the wonders of Zulu ancestry and their spiritual beliefs. The adventure ends with a quick stop at the Mbhedula Craft Market, where the beautiful handiwork of 43 Zulu crafters is showcased. It’s a great place to find that perfect souvenir of your time spent with the Zulu people.
Specialist Walking Safari (additional cost)
For those looking for an active thrill beyond the excitement of Big Five sightings on a game drive vehicle, andBeyond’s Specialist Walking Safaris offer an opportunity to connect with the African bush, interacting with all its inhabitants, from largest to smallest. Embark on a full day adventure in your private vehicle 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.
Photographic Safari (additional cost)
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.
Guests can choose from the following two options:
1. Specialist Photographic Safari
• Have an expert photographic guide accompany you. Our expert guides will use their extensive experience in wildlife, birding and landscape photography to help you get the shot of a lifetime!
• A maximum of four guests.
2. Photographic Safari Vehicle
• Book the photographic safari vehicle only – maximum of four guests.
• Photographic enthusiasts will be driven and guided by an andBeyond safari guide.
A Night Under the Stars (additional cost)
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 comfortable 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 (additional cost)
While 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, snorkeling amidst flourishing reefs and the chance to view humpback and southern right whales (seasonal).
Private Safari (additional cost)
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.
Rhino Notching – Black Rhino (additional cost)
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 4x4 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 anesthetised giant during the notching procedure.
Available at an additional cost (excluding accommodation), Guests need to be 12 years and older to participate and is subject to the availability of the wildlife veterinarian and helicopter pilot. If less than 6 guests, a private vehicle will need to be booked. Minimum stay of 3 nights' stay required in order to guarantee favorable conditions for darting.
Scuba Dive Refresher (additional cost)
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
Elephant Conservation Experience (additional cost)
Be among four groups, of up to eight guests each, who will have the once in a lifetime opportunity to participate in andBeyond Phinda Private Game Reserve’s elephant conservation project. Here, you will have the opportunity to witness an elephant darting, and assist in the changing of the sleeping pachyderm’s radio collar. Four of the elephant collars utilised in Phinda’s research program are in need of replacing and guests are being invited to participate in this extraordinary experience.
Available at an additional cost (excluding accommodation), Guests need to be 12 years and older to participate and is subject to the availability of the wildlife veterinarian and helicopter pilot. If less than 6 guests, a private vehicle will need to be booked. Minimum stay of 3 nights' stay required in order to guarantee favorable conditions for darting.
Rhino Conservation Experience (additional cost)
Enjoy a once in a lifetime opportunity to get up close and personal with a rhino at andBeyond Phinda Private Game Reserve while assisting in the conservation of this rare species. This adventure allows guests to witness the capture and darting of a rhino and assist the veterinary team in notching the sleeping animals ear for research and security monitoring. Ear notches, as well as microchips placed in the horn, enable researchers to correctly identify different rhino on the reserve. Groups of up to eight guests each (sharing the same vehicle) can participate in the entire process, from locating and darting the rhino by helicopter to the never to be repeated opportunity to touch the anesthetised giant during the notching procedure. Guests will need to spend a minimum of three nights at andBeyond Phinda Private Game Reserve.
Private Vehicle (additional cost)
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.
For more information on Phinda Zuka, click HERE
