&Beyond Phinda Forest Lodge

Set deep in the heart of a rare and beautiful dry sand forest, the spectacular &Beyond Phinda Forest Lodge fuses spectacular architectural design with the ultimate in conservation principles. The creation of this award-winning safari lodge was an exemplary exercise in building eco-sensitive structures with a light environmental footprint (not one tree was felled during construction).

The 16 suites are built on stilts and appear to float between the forest floor and the towering torchwood trees. Inventively designed in a style affectionately known as Zulu Zen, each handcrafted, glass-encased suite boasts a minimalist flair that incorporates high-gloss wooden floors, richly tactile fabrics and brightly accented Zulu artefacts. The suites feature luxurious en-suite bathrooms with slate hand basins and viewing decks where guests can drink in the sight of graceful nyala and duiker in the dappled shade of the forest. The lodge’s sparkling rim-flow swimming pool, as well as the expansive decks in its seating area, looks out onto panoramic views of an open meadow where animals frequently graze. A traditional African boma is enclosed with a wooden fence and offers lantern-lit open-air dining beneath a canvas of stars.

About Phinda Private Game Reserve

&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, &Beyond Phinda is home to Africa’s Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino), as well as 436 bird species. The reserve is particularly well known for close-up sightings of the elegant yet elusive cheetah, as well as the rare black rhino.

With its seven distinct habitats, Phinda is often described as ‘Seven Worlds of Wonder’, a magnificent tapestry of woodland, grassland, wetland and forest, interspersed with mountain ranges, rivers, marshes and pans. Home to 1 000 hectares of Africa’s remaining rare dry sand forest, the reserve is situated in close proximity to the unspoiled beaches and spectacular coral reefs of the Indian Ocean, offering an unmatched combination of bush and beach adventures.

Guests at Phinda experience unforgettable interpretive game drives in open 4x4 safari vehicles, led by professionally trained &Beyond rangers and Zulu trackers, as well as a wide range of optional adventures in the bush and on the beach.