A journey into wonder where the wild moves you quietly and completely
7 Wonders in 7 Days
at Phinda Private Game Reserve | South Africa
This isn’t a safari that races the clock. It’s a chance to slow it down.
To trade pace for presence. To feel, not just see.
At &Beyond Phinda Private Game Reserve, each moment carries meaning. From the hush of first light over the Lebombo Mountains to the quiet thrill of tracking black rhino on foot, the wilderness reveals itself with intention. Sometimes through stillness. Sometimes in a rush of adrenaline. Always on its own terms.
Your days might lead you deep into the bush with expert guides or into the heart of conservation efforts that leave a legacy. And when the sun slips away, connection takes centre stage—by lantern light, around the fire, in the company of good food and kindred spirits. In between it all, there is space. To breathe. To reflect. To remember what matters.
7 nights at &Beyond Phinda Private Game Reserve
One destination, deeper experience
Spend seven unhurried nights in a single, spectacular reserve. No repacking. No rushing. Just immersion.
A safari crafted for connection
Travel with those who matter most. Six guests. Your own expert guide. Complete privacy throughout.
Luxury that gives back
Your journey supports conservation and community. From rare wildlife to Zulu cultural heritage.
Choose your own pace
With more than 20 optional experiences, each day unfolds the way you want it to. Purposeful journeys, effortlessly planned.
TAILORMAKE YOUR STAY
Talk to one of our travel specialists to tailormake your stay to any of our destinations
A taste of the 7 wonders
From fully private sanctuaries to intimate shared moments, these are just some of the unforgettable moments that lie ahead.
1. Private safari, untamed and unshared
Explore Big Five territory in total seclusion with your own expert guide and vehicle.
After being welcomed off your flight on the Phinda Private Game Reserve airstrip, your dedicated private guide, who will accompany you on every step of your 7-day safari, will escort you to the lodge of your choice. An introduction to your safari adventure over an appetising lunch will be followed by a siesta in preparation for a never-to-be-forgotten evening spent tracking the Big Five on your private safari game drive.
Phinda is home to a magnificent variety of wildlife, including the Big Five, but is best known for its large population of cheetah and black rhino. The sand forest is home to the shy suni and the rare red duiker, two tiny antelope that are seldom encountered elsewhere.
29 866 hectares (73 800 acres) of private traversing across seven distinct habitats allows for a great diversity of landscapes and exclusive game viewing. Limited number of vehicles at sightings and sensitive off-roading practices affords close-up sightings of Big Five and other rare and iconic wildlife.
Included in your private adventure rate.
2. Walk where the wild things are
Step into nature’s rhythm on foot and feel the bush come alive around you.
Accompanied by the dawn chorus of Phinda’s abundant array of birdlife, set off for the day on foot to explore the reserve on a Walking Safari. Nature Walks and Big Game Viewing Walks are included in your rate, and offer the opportunity to experience Africa at its wildest and most personal, in a world where each sound, scent and bent blade of grass has a meaning.
Led by an expertly-trained ranger and tracker team, walks offer the chance to not only track and view certain Big Five animals on foot, but also to discover the often-overlooked aspects of the natural world. Watch birds, explore a dry river bed, walk in the footsteps of zebra or giraffe, sit in stillness in the shade of an ancient tree, unravel the stories behind animal tracks, or simply stretch the legs.
Nature walks and big game viewing walks are included in your private adventure rate. Full day walking safaris are available at an additional cost and are subject to the availability of a qualified specialist guide.
3. Cycle through the sand forest
Ride silently along sandy trails beneath the canopy of rare, ancient trees.
Glide through the stillness of Phinda’s rare Sand Forest on a quiet, battery-assisted e-bike—where every turn in the trail opens up new layers of discovery. This isn’t just a ride; it’s a slow, sensory journey through one of the region’s most distinctive and fragile landscapes.
Easy to ride and designed for all fitness levels, these e-bikes offer just the right amount of pedal assist, allowing you to move freely and comfortably along winding forest paths. As you cycle beneath a cathedral of towering trees, your ranger and specialist biking guide will introduce you to the intricate ecology of this hidden world. From the glint of a Phinda button spider’s web to the call of a crowned eagle overhead, each moment invites you to look closer, listen deeper, and feel more fully immersed.
With a bit of luck and a quiet approach, you may spot the elusive suni or nyala hiding among the undergrowth, or glimpse shy birdlife flitting through shafts of sunlight. Each route has its own rhythm—whether you’re seeking a relaxed family ride or a more skillful forest loop.
Much like the forest itself, this experience is layered with meaning. In partnership with the nearby Makhasa and Mnqobokazi communities, &Beyond leases these e-bikes directly from community members. All proceeds go toward education, skills training, and employment—ensuring your ride gives back, in every sense.
Available at an additional cost (excluding accommodation), and subject to weather and guide availability.
4. Sleep out under the stars
Fall asleep to the calls of the wild with nothing between you and the stars.
Enjoy an early morning game drive, followed by a delicious breakfast, lunch and early siesta. Enjoy a splash in the pool, or a relaxing massage. After a leisurely afternoon safari, arrive at a romantic and magical setting in the middle of the bush for your sleepout under the stars– comfortable beds with full duvets and warm blankets draped with billowing mosquito nets, inviting chairs surrounding a blazing campfire and twinkling lanterns hanging from the trees.
You will be welcomed with sundowner drinks that toast the sunset and your guide will prepare a delicious meal on the fire. Recreate the day’s adventures around the fireside, drink in the tranquility of the bush and enjoy the distinct night sounds of Africa. Fall asleep under an impossibly starry sky to the sound of hyena calling in the distance, secure in the knowledge that an armed guard will patrol the site throughout the night.
Available at an additional cost and at a supplement in addition to accommodation booked. Subject to availability of a guide and vehicle. Only for children 12 years and older.
5. Be part of something lasting
Join hands-on conservation efforts that make a real, lasting impact.
To fund many of the projects that help us to continue our conservation of Phinda’s endangered species, you are invited to join the conservation team in the routine monitoring or research projects that are essential to the survival of the species on the reserve.
Today, choose to witness the darting of a rhino, while assisting the veterinary team in notching the sleeping rhino’s ear for research and security monitoring, before releasing it back into the wild. Alternatively, the team may choose to instead de-horn a rhino in order to ensure its safety and survival against potential poaching. Depending on which research activity is available at the time, you may instead choose to participate in either an elephant contraception or an elephant collaring.
If small creatures are more your thing, participate in our one-of-its-kind Pangolin conservation experience, and support us in this ground-breaking initiative to re-establish Temminck’s ground pangolin (the most trafficked mammal on earth) in a region where they have gone locally extinct.
Available at an additional cost (excluding accommodation), and subject to the availability of the wildlife veterinarian and a helicopter pilot.
6. Zulu culture, shared with pride
Connect with the traditions, language and spirit of the people who call this land home.
For &Beyond, our involvement with Wild Impact and the people in our local communities represents our core tenet of the Care of People. Through our close consultation with them, Phinda facilitates insightful community visits and excursions for our guests that help you to not only experience and see first-hand the various projects that are being run by the Wild Impact and &Beyond Phinda, but also for you to see how you can get involved and make a difference.
In addition to these community visits, local Zulu villagers offer guests the opportunity to experience their daily lives and routines, and to gain a sneak peek into some of their traditional rituals and customs.
Zulu Village visits are available at an additional cost. Wild Impact visits are offered at no cost, but are subject to the availability of the local Wild Impact Community Development Officer.
7. Adventure where the bush meets the sea
Snorkel, dive or cruise the coastline in search of dolphins, turtles and seasonal whales.
Not only is Phinda’s unique location known for its abundant wildlife, diversity of habitats and wide range of safari activities, it is also set within easy reach of the Indian Ocean coastline and the famous iSimangaliso / Greater St Lucia Wetland Park. Adding to Phinda’s wildlife charms, the marine diversity of nearby Sodwana Bay is easily accessible, with exceptional scuba diving, fishing and even turtle watching listed as some of its main attractions. Choose from a variety of seasonal activities to explore the Maputaland region and it’s ocean adventures.
The last full day at Phinda ends with a sumptuous bush banquet accompanied by perfectly matched wines – under a canopy of brilliant stars.
Available at additional cost and subject to availability. Please note that some activities are seasonal in nature.
What's included
- Global Concierge Service
- Welcome and assistance service at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg
- All scheduled flights:
- OR Tambo International Airport to &Beyond Phinda Private Game Reserve via Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport and vice versa
- All road transfers:
- Phinda airstrip to lodge
- Lodge to Phinda airstrip
- Meals as specified above
- Soft drinks, house wine, local brand spirits, local beer, teas and coffees (premium brands to own account)
- Laundry
- Game viewing activities as offered by the lodges
- Munywana Conservation fee
- Airport taxes and fuel surcharge
- Emergency medical evacuation insurance
- Administration fee
What's not included
- Telephone calls
- Safari shop purchases
- Gratuities
- All items of a personal nature
- Champagne, cognacs, fine wines, premium brand spirits and cigars
- All Healing Earth wellness treatments
- Government bed levy
- Conservancy or park fees
- Landing fees
- Phinda Adventures (additional experiences not mentioned above)
- Administration fee
- Travel Insurance - should you be interested we can introduce you to our recommended partners
Conditions
- All rates are inclusive of VAT and in South African Rand (ZAR).
- * This package is based on 6 guests, you will receive a private vehicle exclusively for your group. However, if your group consists of fewer or more than 6 guests, an additional private vehicle will need to be booked at a cost of ZAR 11,500 per vehicle per day.
- Accommodation rates are per person per night sharing in a Cottage at &Beyond Phinda Mountain Lodge. Rates exclude any park, conservancy, entrance, gate, and landing fees.
- Park and Conservancy Fees are subject to change - fees need to be pre-paid to &Beyond and cannot be paid on arrival.
- Single Supplements may apply
- &Beyond Phinda Rock Lodge, Phinda Vlei Lodge and Phinda Zuka Lodge:
- 11 Jan '26 - 10 Jan '27: A single supplement of 50% applies to all single rooms per booking.
- &Beyond Phinda Mountain Lodge and Phinda Forest Lodge:
- 11 Jan - 30 Apr and 01 Nov - 20 Dec '26: A single supplement of 50% is only charged from the third single room per booking.
- 01 May - 31 Oct and 21 Dec - 10 Jan '27: A single supplement of 50% applies to all single rooms.
- A single supplement will be charged when an adult is sharing with an infant under 6 years.
- &Beyond Phinda Rock Lodge, Phinda Vlei Lodge and Phinda Zuka Lodge:
- Private Vehicles: If paying for a Private Vehicle, children of any age may go on game drive, with access to sightings being at the discretion of the guide, based on the behaviour of both child and animals. Greater distances to animals may be adhered to, or certain sightings may be avoided, in order to ensure the safety of all.
- Unmanned Aerial Vehicles: Please be advised that the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (drones) is not allowed in any of the conservation areas we manage, until such time as their impact on wildlife and anti-poaching initiatives can be assessed. This rule will apply throughout Africa, as our partners in various countries and regions have adopted a similar stance.
- &Beyond Trading Terms apply.
LEAVING OUR WORLD A BETTER PLACE
It was at Phinda that &Beyond’s Care of the Land, Wildlife and People impact vision
was tested and shaped. Here, 29 866 ha (73 800 acres) of farming land was reclaimed for wildlife, including
790 hectares of critically endangered ancient sand forest. Cheetah, rhino and pangolin are actively
protected, with more than 30 years of pioneering wildlife victories behind us.
Along with Wild Impact, the reserve works closely with neighbouring communities,
employing locally and investing in community education and welfare.
Sustainability practices are a daily priority and include the elimination of plastic bottles
and a focus on energy-saving initiatives.
Make this your home for the journey
Choose your sanctuary—each lodge offers its own rhythm, its own story.
Go beyond the moment
Take part in experiences that stay with you long after you’ve returned.
I dream of travel that leaves our world a better place
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