"Thanks to its coastal rainfall pattern, Phinda enjoys a lush green environment that contains seven distinct ecosystems - a magnificent tapestry of woodland, grassland, wetland and forest, interspersed with mountain ranges, rivercourses, marshes and pans.
This fascinating variety of landscape and vegetation shelters an abundance of wildlife, including not only the Big Five but many rarer and less easily spotted species, such as the elusive cheetah or the scarce black rhino."
We definitely enjoyed amazing animal action... 8 species of mammal just on the 20 minute drive in to the lodge, including a herd of buffalo crossing the road.
I didn't manage to capture the action on film when 2 young warthogs and their mother walked up and chased away two adult cheetah! But later on we saw these five cheetah resting before the four young ones dashed off...
taken with my phone camera.... not really the best for wildlife photography.
And then there were the tree lions...
Not TOO gainly... branches creaked, huge paws slipped....
but it held! And was a good spot to tease the wildebeest from.
On 3 game drives we saw 9 cheetah in 3 sightings, 14 lions in two sightings. One morning was spent watching three groups of a large lion pride reunite - including gorgeous young cubs and three sub-adults being chased back up towards us by 2 elephants.
Then there was the accommodations and surrounding scenery, amazing food and lovely people...
a typical suite at Phinda's Mountain Lodge comes with a private plunge pool and comfy everything. Nyala like hanging out in the bushes near the rooms and warthogs love the dining boma! &Beyond's new suites at Mountain Lodge were well beyond my expectations, as was my whole stay.
and just to prove I was there (with my Nokia camera phone)....
And 'there' in the three photos below was Phinda Rock Lodge which reminds me of Santa Fe, New Mexico - African adobe with beautiful rustic details...
'With only a handful of lodges sharing an area of 23 000 hectares (56 800 acres) and careful trained rangers and trackers in search of prime wildlife sightings, guests are assured an exclusive game viewing experience.'
PHINDA SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
My writer friend, Julie & I were shown some of the great projects and initiatives that &Beyond is involved with or sponsors in the communities around Phinda. The school, clinic and the delightful Baba Ndlazi's EXCELLENT diet/general health/life skills education were especially impressive.
ZULULAND BEACHES & COASTAL ACTIVITIES
Not far from Phinda are some wonderful coastal lodges on unspoilt, empty beaches - and these offer rare experiences such as watching turtles lay eggs or hatch at night turtle watching (see June 2003), diving, snorkelling, birding, and cultural experiences. One can also fly from Phinda for a daytrip - beach excursion.
Access is from Phinda's airstrip, Richard's Bay Airport or Durban.
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