&Beyond Phinda Mountain Lodge - May 2025

  

 This is a trip that we had planned to take in late November 2024, coinciding with turtle nesting season in KwaZulu-Natal, the Indian ocean coastal region of South Africa. But due to a pet health emergency (one of our dogs was diagnosed with GME following a seizure that happened a couple of days before we were due to leave), we had to reschedule it to May 2025. Too late in the year to watch turtles nesting on the shores of Sodwana Bay unfortunately, but a great time weather-wise in the Fall season of the Southern hemisphere. 

 

Located on a former pineapple plantation, Phinda is a private game reserve that successfully reintroduced wildlife in the 1990s. Spread over 29 866 hectares (73 800 acres), it boasts a variety of landscapes (marshland, lakes, grassland and forest) housing not only the Big Five (elephant, rhinoceros, leopard, lion and buffalo) but also an array of smaller mammals and birds. We stayed at the Mountain Lodge, one of six lodges located within the Phinda Game Reserve, in cottage number 22.

Instead of driving from Johannesburg (a 7-to-9 hour drive depending on traffic and pit stops), we flew from Johannesburg's OR Tambo airport to Richard's Bay with Airlink (a 50-minute flight). We then rented a SUV with AVIS to drive the 125 kilometers to Phinda, on a major road dotted with roadworks and bordered with numerous planted forests for timber.

 

 

Upon arrival, we were offered a hot towel and refreshments while being quickly briefed about our stay at Phinda Mountain Lodge. We were then shown to our cottage, where our luggage had already been brought from the car. As this was only our second stay in a luxury lodge in South Africa, we couldn't help comparing our experience with our previous one at Madikwe Safari Lodge in September 2023. 

 

    

  

The cottage looked beautiful with its thatched roof, its local features like the ceramics on the wall, a private plunge pool, an outdoor shower, a fully-stocked minibar with a choice of premium liquors included in the package, but so did our Madikwe cottage. Upon closer inspection however, we started to notice the worn wooden floor, the stained couch and the absence of a lock on the door (we could lock ourselves in from the inside, but we couldn't lock the door from the outside when we left the cottage). The latter made no sense to us considering the fact that we were warned earlier on the risk of leaving any door or window open because of the vervet monkeys, who will rip through your luggage and leave feces on your bed if given the chance. We previously saw these adorable creatures in Livingstone, Zambia, operate window locks, so a doorknob didn't seem like it would be enough to stop them. 

 

 

Maybe I am being a bit picky here, but at the price they charge (even if you are a member of the Bateleur Club), it seems only fair to expect nothing but the best. 

As we experienced at the Royal Livingstone Hotel in Zambia, the true luxury lies in the level of service and attentiveness of the staff, literally at your beck and call whatever you need. The &Beyond Phinda Mountain Lodge also has a spa with an array of treatments, but more on that later.

 The following day, we got up just before sunrise for the first game drive of the day. After grabbing a coffee in the dining area, we were introduced to the team that would be driving us around for the next couple of days, Nthabi (our tracker) and Sibu (our driver). It was a cold morning, so we were provided with blankets and hot water bottles. Sibu also handed out binoculars to each couple aboard the vehicle (to be returned after the game drive). Then we were on our way to look for a pride of young lions, and not only did we find it, we got way more than we expected.

 

 

 It didn't take long to find the young lions, as they were following a trail amidst the tall grass, in complete silence. The young lions went into a small thicket off the side of the trail and a few minutes later, we heard an animal cry. Our driver immediately started the engine and drove through bushes and brambles to approach the source of the commotion. Two of the young lions had attacked a bush pig, an animal larger than a warthog who would normally be able to outrun its predators had it not been surprised at sunrise in the woods. We then spent nearly 45 minutes watching the agonizing creature, still alive but without a chance to escape as a lion was slowly choking the pig, its powerful jaws crushing its victim's windpipe. According to Sibu, the lions were not likely to eat the bush pig. They were merely honing their skills.

 

 

 Even though this was a spectacle that most people going on safaris dream of, it made us uneasy and we couldn't wait to move on from the kill and explore more of the wildlife. Thankfully, our next encounter was nothing short of magical. Sibu headed up a hill where a cheetah and its young cubs had been spotted by another driver.

    

 

 Then it was time to stop for coffee, tea or hot chocolate, the latter with a nice dash of Amarula liquor - a chocomarula (a full breakfast would be served upon our return to the lodge around 9:30). 

 

          

When we returned to the lodge, it was almost 10:00. We sat in the dining area for a copious breakfast (a lavish buffet with a choice of savoury and sweet offerings: scones, fresh fruits, champagne, etc.) and ordered eggs from the hot dish menu.

Since we had a lot of time to kill until the afternoon game drive, and had no intention to sit down for another meal at lunchtime, we decided to look into the spa menu. Mark booked a facial, and a few minutes before the appointed time, we headed to the spa, located next to the gym, underneath the hilltop pool. His spa treatment was such a wonderful experience I booked myself a facial for the following day and Mark booked a foot massage as well.

After a little rest at the cottage, soaking my feet in the plunge pool while visited by a small herd of nyalas, it was time to get ready for the sunset game drive.

 

Sibu took us by a small lake where we saw a few hippos, a small herd of elephants and an African jacana (see below).

 

  

 

 

Then we headed back to the lodge for dinner.

 

 

 

 The next day, we got up early for our second morning game drive. Our driver went straight to the pride of young lions we had seen the day before and proceeded to follow them, for an hour and a half.  However amazing it is to witness these beautiful creatures in the wild, we felt that we were done with the lions and wished we had spent that time looking for other animals instead. 

Another young cheetah mother and her litter were spotted nearby by another vehicle, so our driver headed there. That turned out to be another magical encounter.

 

 

 

 

 Afterwards, we stopped for a coffee break by a small lake where a mother hippo was frolicking with her baby. We also spotted a couple of monitor lizards basking in the sun.

 

 

 

On our way back to the lodge, we drove by a small herd of Cape buffaloes grazing quietly, with herons on their back.

 

Back at the lodge, we had breakfast and chilled in our cottage until it was time for our treatments at the spa. Let me say it again: this spa was the real gem of Phinda Mountain Lodge. My facial was so soothing and relaxing that I actually dozed off for a few minutes. The plush towels, the soft lighting, the aromatherapy... every element contributed to create the perfect setting for a comfortable experience. 

 The afternoon game drive took us back too, you guessed it, the same pride of young lions we had been following earlier that day. It was time for a nap obviously, so we didn't linger for too long.

 

 

Another turn took us by a small lake where a goliath heron (one of the biggest birds we've ever seen) was stealthily looking for fish. The beautiful lily pads and the masked weavers' nests added charm to the setting.

 

 

     

    

            

    

 As the sun set on the horizon, we made a pit stop by another lake for a happy hour drink. The colors in the sky were just amazing.

 

 

   

 When it was dark, Sibu drove us to a thicket where some of the trackers had seen a leopard drag its prey (a young impala) up in a tree earlier that day. Sibu led the vehicle through brambles until we faced the tree and cut the engine, plunging us in complete darkness. Nthabi turned on a red spotlight and aimed it at the bushes in front of us, searching for signs of the leopard. We sat still for another 45 minutes until we heard a noise. The leopard had dropped the young impala's body from the tree, came down to the ground and approached stealthily until it stood a mere two yards from the front of the vehicle. All we could hear was its jaw breaking the young impala's bones as we watched the leopard in perfect stillness. I took a lot of pictures without flash and they all came out blurry, except for this one below, where the leopard's head can be seen through the brambles.

 

 

 

 After this one-of-a-kind spectacle, we headed back to the lodge, where a braai (South-African barbecue) was being set up for the guests in the boma (enclosure). Our table hosted the other couples who had been riding on the game drives with us, as well as Sibu. It was a great opportunity to chat while enjoying a delicious dinner together (the oxtail was particularly wonderful).

 

 

  

        

In conclusion, I would say that Phinda truly has an amazing variety of landscapes for a territory of its size. The fauna and flora are therefore as diverse as you would expect, with sun-beaten grasslands and shaded forests, marshes, lakes and rocky hills. 

The staff was very attentive, with a special mention to the spa ladies whose treatments made this stay memorable. The food was top notch, although some of the dishes we ordered for lunch were a bit disappointing (stay away from the tacos). 

In most lodges, you are expected to tip your driver/tracker at the end of your stay. We had of course anticipated that by taking out some cash out ahead of our trip. However, upon check-out, we didn't expect to be handed out a sheet with the recommended tipping amounts, which looked more like a full-on paycheck than a tip. Again, considering the total cost of this stay (inclusive of accommodation, full board and game drives), you wouldn't expect to have to pay the staff wages as well. Another negative is the fact that some of the activities offered by the lodge (visit of the local village, day excursion to the beach, etc.) are extras that must be booked in advance and paid for separately. And they are quite pricey. 

Overall, my partner and I enjoyed our experience at Phinda, but we felt that it fell short of our expectations. The cottage we stayed in could use an upgrade, which is also what a previous guest commented on (see Tripadvisor) while he stayed at another Phinda property (Rock Lodge). 

As for the game drives, we felt a bit let down by the short amount of time dedicated to tracking and watching birds and other mammals, compared to the long hours we spent following the pride of lions.