Phinda Forest Lodge, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

When considering a safari-type holiday in South Africa many people think immediately of Kruger National Park or perhaps one of the private reserves like Sabi Sand, both of which are located in the provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga and both of which offer outstanding game viewing.

The stunning Drakensberg Mountain range and Howick Falls, KwaZulu-Natal.

However, to focus solely on these well-known areas is to overlook the options available in KwaZulu-Natal province, home to more than 50 private and provincial reserves including the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, which is the oldest proclaimed nature reserve in South Africa and is known for its rhinos, and the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, which is one of the most diverse conservation areas on the continent and was South Africa’s first UNESCO World Heritage site.

Then there is Phinda Private Game Reserve, which is one of the most prestigious concessions in the province and offers great close-up sightings in open vehicles of all of the Big Five and more. It is here that conservation-led luxury travel company andBeyond has reopened one of its most iconic lodges in South Africa – Phinda Forest Lodge – after an extensive rebuild.

Phinda Reserve started as an amalgamation of denuded farmlands in 1991 and has since grown into an extensive reserve at the cutting edge of conservation, combining care of the land, its people and wildlife. The Forest Lodge property was lauded as one of the first true eco-lodges at the time of its original construction in the early 1990s.

Nestled inside 1,000 hectares (2,471 acres) of Africa’s last remaining dry sand forest in the north of KwaZulu-Natal, the lodge embodies a commitment to minimise the impact on the environment. Due to the sensitivity of the habitat, the lodge refurbishment has utilised existing lodge and room structures to avoid the impact of an entire rebuild, while also updating the architectural design but retaining its original ‘Zulu-zen’ concept.

New features

Elements of the natural forest and Zulu culture have been brought into the rooms through the use of tactile textures and natural materials such as woven matting, textured grass cloth wallpaper and hardwood floors, with natural stone tiling in the bathrooms. The rooms have been reconfigured, creating a more comfortable layout that better utilises the existing space, while maximising the connection to the forest through wide open views.

Pathways to and from the rooms have been redirected and reduced in number, creating a greater feeling of connection with the sand forest. To assist with the rehabilitation of the old pathways, the company has established a nursery to cultivate sand forest tree species that have been planted along the trails.

Major structural additions include a family suite with a newly built second bedroom, a library and lounge, a wooden walkway with central fire pit linking the main area to the library, a newly reshaped and tiered pool and significant upgrades to the main dining and bar areas.

A new purpose-built building contains the library and sitting room, centred around a reading table and double-sided fireplace with surrounding areas for guests to relax. Timber sliding doors lead to an outdoor deck with its own shaded spaces, nestled among the trees with views over the forest and wetland areas.

According to andBeyond the sand forest is one of Phinda’s most distinctive and delicate habitats, occurring on deep sands that are the leftover fossilised dunes of an earlier coastline. Much of the flora and fauna encountered in sand forest can be found nowhere else on Earth. Normally shy mammals such as the red duiker, suni and Tonga red squirrel are often encountered in sand forest, together with many of the more familiar kind.

Phinda is also uniquely positioned to offer other adventurous activities like diving or ocean safaris at nearby Sodwana Bay. Depending on the season, guests may also be able to enjoy expeditions to view turtles nesting along the Indian Ocean coastline.

Getting there

If you’re going to arrive at Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport to get to KwaZulu-Natal, and assuming you don’t want to go into the city, I recommend a night or two at The Safari Club, a delightful hotel in the suburb of Kempton Park, just five or six minutes from the airport. However, if you’re a first-time visitor and would like a more in-depth look at Johannesburg, see my earlier article on the city here.

If you’re planning to get a rental car and drive, the best ways to get to Phinda are to take either the N17 to Ermelo and then get onto the N2, which is a coastal route that goes pretty close to the reserve, or the N11 from Ermelo and then the N3, which is probably a bit faster. The distance between Johannesburg and the reserve is approximately 586 kilometres and the drive will take about six-and-a-half hours.

Above: Durban, KwaZulu-Natal’s largest city (top) and Pietermaritzburg, its capital.

If you prefer to fly most of the way, you can take a connecting flight from Johannesburg or Cape Town to King Shaka International Airport in Durban and drive the much shorter route from there. You can also take a flight to Richards Bay Airport – which is closer to the reserve than Durban – from either Johannesburg or Durban, followed by a transfer to the lodge. The road transfer takes about one-and-a-half hours.

But by far the most convenient way to get to Phinda is with Federal Airlines, which operates daily scheduled flights from Johannesburg and Kruger to Phinda’s private airstrip.