andBeyond Phinda Forest Lodge

•  Forest Lodge offer its famous ‘Zulu’Zen’ style and 360º forest views
•  Well-trained and knowledgeable rangers
•  Phinda is the original and largest private game reserve in KwaZulu Natal
•  Big Five game drives in 7 diverse eco-systems
•  Range of additional activities – coastal flights, beach excursions, deep sea fishing

Phinda Forest Lodge lies in the northern part of Phinda Game Reserve, a 28,555ha private game reserve in KwaZulu Natal. Forest Lodge was one of the first eco-designed lodges. Hand-built by local Zulu people to minimise its ecological impact on the forest, the lodge is set deep in the heart of a rare and beautiful dry sand forest.

Phinda Forest Lodge is a mass of exquisite contradiction. Floor-to-ceiling glass walls invite the forest inside, while the dense tree canopy shelters and provides privacy. Sixteen air-conditioned, glass-walled suites float on stilts above the forest floor while tiny duiker graze below and torchwood trees tower above. Forest Lodge has recently been refurbished with new beechwood floors and brand new bathrooms, enhancing the original "Zulu-Zen" feel. The stone and sand colours are accented with a soft Zulu orange and dark wood furniture is used throughout. Phinda Forest Lodge is an eco-sensitive lodge with a light footprint: not one tree was felled during the lodge's construction.

Outside, the forest is alive with wildlife, from the tiny red duiker and suni antelope to the narina trogon and rare red squirrel so it's not uncommon to wake up to the sight of a graceful duiker browsing by your window. The dining, lounge, viewing deck and shaded rimflow pool overlook a grassy vlei (wetland) where animals congregate in numbers. There is also a forest 'boma' where memorable evenings are spent dining under the stars, lit by myriad candles and lanterns.

Game viewing

Phinda Game Reserve offers a winning combination of soft adventure, thrilling Big Five game-viewing and inspired lodge design. Phinda boasts the diversity of seven contrasting ecosystems, including sand forest, mountain bushveld and wetlands. This diversity of habitat naturally attracts a variety of game including lion, elephant, cheetah, leopard, rhino, hippo and an abundance of general game.

Guests at Phinda enjoy game drives, nature walks as well as tracking black rhino. Phinda is particularly known for good cheetah sightings, and its prolific bird life (over 400 species recorded). Given its proximity to the Indian Ocean, Phinda Forest Lodge is able to offer optional extras such as Maputaland beach adventures, night turtle drives (seasonal), scuba safaris, or an incredible ocean safari that offers you a host of marine life sightings.