FAMILY COTTAGES, FAMILY SAFARIS, AND FUN, INTERACTIVE ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS.
DAY AND NIGHT SAFARIS WITH EXPERT GUIDES IN SEARCH OF BIG FIVE AND OTHER RARE ICONIC WILDLIFE ENCOUNTERS.
EXPLORE THE AFRICAN BUSH AND IT’S QUAINT FAUNA AND FLORA ON FOOT WITH AN EXPERIENCED GUIDE.
ASSIST OUR CONSERVATION TEAM WITH A SCHEDULED RHINO, ELEPHANT OR PANGOLIN RESEARCH EXPERIENCE.
VISIT NEARBY ZULU COMMUNITIES AND GAIN INSIGHT INTO THEIR DAILY LIVES.
Perched on a hilltop, with wraparound views of the lush Lebombo foothills, Phinda Mountain Lodge is the ultimate family safari destination in Phinda Private Game Reserve.
The iconic &BEYOND Phinda Private Game Reserve encompasses an impressive 28,555 hectares (70,560 acres) of protected wildlife land in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Showcasing one of the continent’s finest game viewing experiences, the reserve is home to Africa’s Big Five, as well as 436 bird species.
Phinda Mountain Lodge features three room types, with 16 suites, six cottages (that can be turned into three adjoining family cottages), and one family suite. Natural light streams through the expansive glass windows of the suites and cottages, while private decks provide breathtaking views of natural beauty. Each accommodation option features an outdoor shower, well-stocked personal bars and private plunge pools.
In the main area, guests can swap safari stories around the inviting bar and enjoy meals in the interactive kitchen, complete with a pizza oven (ideal fun for the kids to create their own dinner). A traditional stone and reed boma is illuminated by dozens of candles, and lanterns, and provides the ultimate setting for al fresco dinners. A sparkling lodge rim flow pool follows the natural curves of the mountain, while a new state-of-the-art gym is ideal for fitness fanatics, and a massage sala is available for those wanting to indulge in tranquil treatments.
Choose from a range of exciting Phinda Adventures such as a specialist walking and tracking safaris, a sleepout under the stars, and other participative conservation experiences such rhino notching, elephant collaring or pangolin tagging. Also on offer outside of the reserve, within easy access of the reserve are Zulu village tours, Africa Foundation community visits, a Maputaland exploration, Maputaland beach trip, night turtle drives (seasonal), scuba safaris, or an incredible ocean safari that offers you a host of marine life sightings. Specialist safaris can be arranged in advance and focus on special interests such as birding, photographic, family and private safaris.
&Beyond Phinda Mountain Lodge boasts 16 suites, each cresting the mountain’s edge, and offering breathtaking raptor’s eye views of the reserve below. All 16 luxurious suites boast a spacious room, with large expansive glass windows overlooking the reserve, and an elegant ensuite bathroom with the same magnificent view. Each bathroom has a gorgeous bath, and both a large indoor and outdoor shower. The suite also hosts a beautifully appointed personal bar, a private sitting area, and a spacious decked veranda with a private rim-flow plunge pool and outdoor lounge.
In addition to the 16 suites, &Beyond Phinda Mountain Lodge also offers six intimate cottages, each with a stylish ensuite bathroom, comfortable sitting area, well-stocked personal bar, as well as a wonderfully spacious decked veranda, private plunge pool and outdoor shower. From each cottage, you can enjoy a passing nyala antelope and magnificent birdlife.
&Beyond Phinda Mountain Lodge boasts three family cottages, comprised of two regular cottages that are interconnected with a door for easy access. Each cottage has its own ensuite bathroom, with indoor and outdoor showers, as well as a private plunge pool. The suites can accommodate two adults and up to three children. When booking a family cottage, you will have exclusive access to a dedicated private safari vehicle and private guide throughout your stay.
Spacious and comfortable, the beautiful family suite at &Beyond Phinda Mountain Lodge is designed to provide just the right balance of privacy and security for larger families travelling with children. The suite boasts a shared lounge area as well as two elegant adult bedrooms, each with an ensuite bathroom featuring indoor and alfresco showers, as well as two interleading children’s rooms, ensuring that parents can keep a watchful eye on younger children. A private veranda off the shared lounge offers the ideal setting for gathering and swapping tales of the day’s adventures, whilst a nearby pathway leads directly to the sunny deck around the lodge pool. Booking the family suite entitles you to a dedicated private safari vehicle and guide for your group, ensuring a tailor-made family safari experience for everyone. The family suite can accommodate up to four adults and four children.
An African Safari is an experience of a lifetime, and there is so much on offer at &Beyond Phinda Private Game Reserve – from twice-daily game drives, where you have the opportunity to encounter some of South Africa’s most prized wildlife, to a night safari offering incredible after-dark drives.
When booking a private vehicle and specialist guide, our safaris can be tailormade to suit a wide range of interests. These specialist safaris ensure an incomparable interpretive wilderness experience and range from private safaris, to birding, photographic and family safaris, each unique in their offering.
What’s more, you can even choose to spend the night sleeping directly beneath the stars in the heart of the bush on a thrilling overnight adventure, surrounded by Africa’s night sounds and kept safe by an armed guard. For those interested in exploring beyond the reserve, day trips can be arranged with a guide to take you deep into Maputaland to explore the World Heritage Site of iSimangaliso Wetland Park and its huge array of bird species.
Beginning with our ground-breaking conservation achievements during the original restocking of Phinda Private Game Reserve, &Beyond has continued to take part in a number of conservation successes. Our approach to the creation of this reserve, from the underlying conservation issues to its interaction with the community, has proven to be the foundation on which all our subsequent projects were to be built. Since then we have embarked on a variety of pioneering conservation initiatives, both in Africa and beyond. &Beyond’s conservation engine is driven by one thing only and that is creating extraordinary experiences for our guests. Without our guests, we simply cannot be successful in extending and sustaining green frontiers. To fund many of the projects that help us to continue our conservation of Phinda’s endangered species, guests are invited to join us in the routine monitoring or research projects that are essential to the survival of the reserves’ species’.
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 mesmerised by the morning sunlight as it dances in dewdrops 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!
For &Beyond, our involvement with Africa Foundation and the people in our local communities represents our core tenet of Care of the People. Through our close consultation with them, &Beyond Phinda Private Game Reserve facilitates insightful community visits and excursions for our guests that help you to not only experience and see firsthand the various projects that are being run by the Africa Foundation and &Beyond Phinda, but also for you to see how you can get involved and make a difference. In addition to these community visits, local Zulu villagers offer guests the opportunity to experience their daily lives and routines, and to gain a sneak peek into some of their traditional rituals and customs.
