&Beyond Phinda Rock Lodge

Dramatically set into a cliff face overlooking spectacular Leopard Rock, &Beyond Phinda Rock Lodge is an architectural delight, combining Malian influences with pueblo panache. Its six suites are seemingly suspended over the deep valley below, providing breath-taking views. Each romantic suite, constructed from contoured stone and adobe, boasts an earthy, soft grey palette and solid wooden shutters and doors, which open onto a private plunge pool and viewing deck. Featuring spacious en-suite bathrooms, the suites also offer outdoor showers, providing some of the most scenic al fresco bathing on the African continent.

Decorated in hues of oatmeal, grey and stone, the lodge’s intimate and glamorous guest areas offer the perfect vantage point for viewing the reserve’s abundant birdlife in the surrounding trees, and the wildlife roaming the bush below. Immense French doors open onto an extended outdoor veranda, the perfect setting for al fresco meals, while a rooftop terrace provides a romantic venue for dining beneath the stars. Striking, fiery sunsets set the scene for bush banquets in bush clearings. Here, guests are treated like treasured family members and time is shared with fellow safari adventurers, who soon become friends.

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.