Phinda Mountain Lodge is one of the luxury &beyond resorts which are spread across Africa and India. Owned by the Getty family, a stay at any of them will set you back a pretty penny. A good excuse was needed to get us there...
So we put our thinking caps on and came up with the closest date of note - wouldn't you know it, it was my birthday? Go figure.
So we put our thinking caps on and came up with the closest date of note - wouldn't you know it, it was my birthday? Go figure.
http://www.andbeyond.com/journey/africa/where-to-go/south-africa/destinations/phinda-private-game-reserve/accommodation/beyond-phinda-mountain-lodge/
First stop after checking in was to take a dip in our plunge pool! We shared the serenity with some friendly nyala and vervet monkeys looking on.
After settling in, we took off on our first game drive - the usual zebra, giraffe, buffalo and elephant, but the highlight was a lovely pride of lion, including this male below who's mane was starting to grow. He reminded us so much of A Lion Called Christian, one of the many wildlife books we have read over here.
Our game ranger, Toby took William under his wing and made his safari experience a memorable one. Before every game drive, William would help Toby collect his gun before we took off. The boys were suitably impressed and even went off shooting for a morning.
Firepower on a game reserve is a little more than your standard .22 with each ranger taking along a .375 with solid metal bullets (the only thing that will penetrate an elephants' skull). They pack quite a punch, so thankfully, they have a less powerful number for the kids to do target practice with!
After lunch on Saturday, the clouds started to build, and we could feel we were in for a big storm that afternoon. We weren't disappointed, and with thunder rumbling in the distance for hours, it finally hit around 4pm.
While the massive storm meant that we couldn't get out for our evening game drive, we made the most of the all inclusive bar, and hunkered down with the rest of the guests in the open air lounge to watch the show. The excitement was all a bit too much for one of the staff however, who managed to faint when lightning struck the lodge.
First stop after checking in was to take a dip in our plunge pool! We shared the serenity with some friendly nyala and vervet monkeys looking on.
After settling in, we took off on our first game drive - the usual zebra, giraffe, buffalo and elephant, but the highlight was a lovely pride of lion, including this male below who's mane was starting to grow. He reminded us so much of A Lion Called Christian, one of the many wildlife books we have read over here.
Way back in the 70s, two hip, hop and happening Australian dudes purchased Christian as a cub from Harrods (in the days when Harrods sold anything). The story follows his life and the realisation that cute Christian was starting to grow a mane (just like this fellow above), and would eventually become somewhat difficult to keep in a London flat. It's an amazing read which follows Christian's successful release into the wild in Kenya. One year later, the Australians venture back to Kenya to check on Christian's welfare - the following youtube clip explains it all (have a tissue on hand).
But back to Phinda, which actually prides (sorry…) itself on its cheetah sightings. In this regard, we were not disappointed, as we saw cheetah on all 3 days. As luck would have it, we watched a mother leave her 18 month old cubs for good with the young brother and sister hanging around near our camp crying and waiting for her return.
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| Keeping a lookout for Mum. |
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| The Cheetah are real pussies, and actually don't roar - in fact, the little squeaks made by these two for their mother were hardly distinguishable from a bird call. They are also the only big cats with NON-retractable claws. |
As well as the game drives, a highlight of this place is the food. Delicious offerings were available morning, noon and night and what a view!
Our 'game drive refreshments' were something to behold and included a fully stocked spirits bar that got set up on the little camp table.
Pat was our spotter - a local guy who has been at Phinda since the gates opened some 21 years ago. As well as an incredible knowledge of the animals and the bush, he doubled as a pretty handy porter, barman and general dogsbody. Here he is setting up for our morning cup of tea and treats. His special menu item is the moccachocarula, a mocha with amarula that can be consumed at any time of the day or night. Yummo.
Pat was our spotter - a local guy who has been at Phinda since the gates opened some 21 years ago. As well as an incredible knowledge of the animals and the bush, he doubled as a pretty handy porter, barman and general dogsbody. Here he is setting up for our morning cup of tea and treats. His special menu item is the moccachocarula, a mocha with amarula that can be consumed at any time of the day or night. Yummo.
Our game ranger, Toby took William under his wing and made his safari experience a memorable one. Before every game drive, William would help Toby collect his gun before we took off. The boys were suitably impressed and even went off shooting for a morning.
Firepower on a game reserve is a little more than your standard .22 with each ranger taking along a .375 with solid metal bullets (the only thing that will penetrate an elephants' skull). They pack quite a punch, so thankfully, they have a less powerful number for the kids to do target practice with!
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| William proved a better shot than either Simon OR Toby! |
After lunch on Saturday, the clouds started to build, and we could feel we were in for a big storm that afternoon. We weren't disappointed, and with thunder rumbling in the distance for hours, it finally hit around 4pm.While the massive storm meant that we couldn't get out for our evening game drive, we made the most of the all inclusive bar, and hunkered down with the rest of the guests in the open air lounge to watch the show. The excitement was all a bit too much for one of the staff however, who managed to faint when lightning struck the lodge.
William entertained himself by beating Toby in his favourite card game, and we even pulled out the South African monopoly to check out the real estate. To my surprise, Soweto property is quite expensive.
The next day, we rose to blue skies and an adventurous game drive ahead. The amount of water dropped by the storm was amazing - about 100mL over night, and every creek, stream and water hole in the place was inundated. We had great fun traversing many water crossings, and had to rescue one of the other vehicles stuck in a water crossing. Poor guy who got stuck was the head ranger - who would no doubt be buying drinks for everyone that night!
And so…
…what an awesome place. Phinda has been our BEST safari experience since our arrival. With only three of us in the family, we are going to have to search a little harder for the next "special event" that warrants another visit….I think I'm up to it.
