Durban is the first metropolis we have seen in some time with a population of about 3.5 million inhabitants. You know a city is big when it has a sports stadium that sits from 55,500 expandable to 75,000 spectators. Durban was one of the host cities for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. For us Durban is the drop off point for us to experience the Safari that we had booked back in 2019, for the 2020 World Cruise. So for us Durban was a quick drive through, that said there is a lot to see and do here including, right close to the ship, a huge water park and aquarium.
Durban is our first port in the country of, South Africa, which meant a face to face customs inspection upon arrival, great. We were also told that our ship would be late arriving due to wind (40 knot headwind) and waves (3 to 4 metres), great again. Are we ever going to be able to do this safari? Our captain did a great job in getting us here with only docking us 15 later than our slated arrival time, the crew also did an excellent job in getting us off the ship quickly. Thank you to Florin and the fantastic team on board.
Customs was a breeze and our driver was out waiting with our name on his clipboard, so wow, this is really happening… and away we go. Phinda is a good 3 1/2 drive from Northeast of Durban close to our cancelled port of Richard’s Bay. Phinda is an &Beyond Private Game Reserve. Described as “seven Worlds of Wonder”, &Beyond Phinda encompasses an impressive 28,555 hectares or 70,560 acres of prime Big Five wilderness in KwaZulu-Natal. This Reserve comprises seven distinct habitats- from dry sand forest to wetland systems and mountain ranges. You can catch a glimpse of the shy suni antelope, track rhino in the bush veld, observe breeding herds of elephant in the fever tree forests, hold your breath as a cheetah teaches her cubs to hunt, glide past hippo on the Mzinene River and Marvel at the gracious nyala. Phinda is home to more than 3,000 of these rare antelope.
There are several lodges within this reserve, we are staying at the wonderful, Phinda Mountain Lodge. This lodge is perched on a dramatic hill top with wraparound views of the spectacular Ubombo mountain range and the surrounding Zululand bush, &Beyond Phinda Mountain Lodge is a dramatic Safari destination. Boasting 16 suites, 3 family cottages and the exclusive family suite, they all offer raptor’s eye views of the Reserve below. All suites are roomy and luxurious boasting natural light through the expansive windows, all with elegant ensuite bathrooms inspired by Zulu basket ware designs, a beautiful appointed personal bar, private sitting area, sunken lounge (where I am writing this with screened French doors open listening to the wonderful birdsong as the wind rustles in the trees. At a comfortable 25 degrees) and a spacious veranda with a plunge pool and outdoor shower. We are in suite number 22. Our suite, like the others are like separate straw thatched houses, must be at least 1100 sq feet of opulent beauty. In the main lodge you will find the breakfast room and spacious bar which links the pool, spa and gym, there is also a yoga deck with a view. Dinner is served in the outdoor dining area that features an interactive kitchen and pizza oven, all under the amazing star studded sky, all contained within the traditional stone and reed Boma. This dining area is illuminated by dozens of candles and torch lanterns. The rim flow pool follows the contour of the hill offering magnificent views of the Lebombo foothills. There is also a Safari shop which showcases the best of regional basket and beadwork. There is also a spa here should you wish to have a massage between your game drives.
To keep things perfect here at the lodge, all your beverages from water to wine to hard bar are all included, I had a wonderful local pinotage last night with our included buffet style dinner. So yes, all meals and snacks are included as well your game drive (early morning and afternoon until after sunset (bring a light jacket or fleece) as well as a one hour guided nature walk. At night you must call for a guide to escort you to dinner and then back to your accommodation at night, this is an open reserve so it is possible to have a lion blocking your path on the way to your room - no seriously this could happen. So yes, we are in an amazing place for 3 nights.
Bonus for us. When we booked this in 2019 we gave them the information that this was for our 20th wedding anniversary, you may recall our 2020 20 world cruise. Well, they had a platter of chocolate covered everything with a notation of Happy Anniversary, how nice is that. I mentioned this to our guide last night at dinner and he told me that, yes, they try to make everyone’s experience special and make a point to really listen to our guests to ensure the best guest experience that they can all offer. We are all family here, he says and then states, the good family, lol.
Some pics of our fantastic first day. BTW, we arrived here at 3:40 pm, and were asked if we were interested in the 4pm game drive. So awesome, we hit the ground running as we said, the answer will always be, yes. Hope you enjoy…
Our guide Chris, also said after our night drive, that we did well, 3 out the 5 big game animals in the first few hours…
Quote of the day, “Traveling tends to magnify all human emotions.” - Peter Hoeg
We see all this and we haven’t even arrived yet.
A nice warm welcome
Mister fancy drink server.
Our home for the next three nights
They remembered why we booked this 2 1/2 years ago. Nice touch.
Fifteen minutes later and we are off.
Our tracker.
And our guide, Chris.
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