KZN Bush and Beach Safari

Enjoy early morning and late afternoon game drives that continue after nightfall. andBeyond’s professionally trained guides will ask you about your favourite wildlife and will do their best to ensure that your preferences are met, whether it is tracking a particular species or spending more time enjoying each sighting and getting to know the habits of the animals. They will also tell you about the vegetation of the region and will explain the behaviour of the animals that you come across. In some cases, the guides will be able to identify individual animals and let you know about their history and habits.

andBeyond Phinda Private Game Reserve is renowned for its exceptional sightings of the elusive cheetah and the rare black rhino, as well as the Big Five. There is also a number of resident lion prides and rangers will do their best to provide you with an exceptional sighting of all of these animals.

Accompanied by your ranger, enjoy an interpretive nature walk, around the lodge, where you learn more about the intricacies of the African bush, from discovering fascinating flora and reading animal tracks with your guide to meeting smaller wildlife up-close. Experience the thrill of tracking animals on foot, accompanied by an armed specialist ranger and tracker team. Engage all your sense as you discover a world where each sound, scent and bent blade of grass has a meaning.

Step into a private safari vehicle, specially equipped with high-definition thermal imaging and infrared cameras. As night falls across the reserve, live footage streams onto four screen monitors (one for each row), revealing the movements, interactions and surprises of the wild in real time — often invisible to the naked eye. Listen closely, too: wireless headsets amplify the sounds of the night, from the call of a distant hyena to the rustle of a foraging porcupine.
Guided by an expert ranger, a skilled tracker and a specialist cameraman, this after-dark experience offers a rare perspective on wildlife behaviour and conservation technology. It’s quiet, immersive, and deeply intimate — an entirely new way to experience the thrill of the wild after dark.

Beyond the senses Credit: andBeyond

Beyond the senses Credit: andBeyond

Beyond the senses Credit: andBeyond

Pangolins are the most poached mammal on the planet. They are animals in the shadowlands of extinction. Participate in our one-of-its-kind Pangolin conservation experience, and support us in this groundbreaking initiative to re-establish Temminck’s [ground] pangolin in a region where they have gone locally extinct. Intensive monitoring, using VHF and GSM/UHF tracking tags, is a core element of this project. Travel with our specialist conservation team as they locate the animal, replace the GSM/UHF tag, do general health checks, and gather crucial data.

Your Experience:
Participate in this privately guided pangolin research and monitoring experience at &Beyond Phinda Private Game Reserve, and you’ll be supporting the conservation of the world’s most trafficked mammal. In this interpretive and exclusive activity, guests will join a researcher as he (or she) locates one of the pangolins that has been reintroduced to the reserve. They will have the rare opportunity to observe the unique features and remarkable adaptations of these gentle creatures first hand as our researcher does a general health check, and downloads critical research data from the UHF tag attached to each pangolin.

This exclusive experience is available at an additional cost and is subject to availability. It will take place in the afternoon or evening in winter, or at night in summer. Guests need to be 16 years or older to participate. If less than 6 guests, a private vehicle needs to be booked. Guests will unfortunately not be allowed to touch or handle the animals.

The vast sandy beaches of the Maputaland coastline provide a beautiful setting for a half-day beach outing. Soak up the sun, splash in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean, relax with a good book, play beach games, take leisurely walks along the shoreline or snorkel alongside Jesser Point, a protected marine reserve.

Recognised as one of the top ten dive sites in the world, Sodwana Bay offers an abundance of fish and marine life throughout the year. The gullies, ledges and pinnacles of the coral reef are home to more than 1 200 fascinating fish species.

Slip on a pair of walking shoes and spend the morning with an expert ranger and tracker to find the rare and endangered black rhino on foot. Follow rhino tracks, recognise rhino middens and scratching posts, and read the signs of the bush in search of your quarry.

For four months during the southern hemisphere summer, the enormous leatherback and loggerhead turtles emerge from the Indian Ocean at Sodwana Bay to lay their precious eggs in the sand. As the moon rises over the ocean, excitement grows as you drive along the deserted coastline in search of fresh turtle tracks that emerge from the ocean and travel along the beach in search of a suitable nesting site. Watch as the female turtle digs her nest and lays her clutch of up to a hundred eggs.

SEASONAL: Available November to February.

Visit a Zulu community just outside andBeyond Phinda Private Game Reserve and interact with the friendly Zulu people. An expert andBeyond guide will escort you through the community and share interesting insight into the Zulu culture and its fascinating customs, beliefs and traditions. You will be invited into a traditional homestead and given the rare opportunity to witness the daily routines and lifestyle of a rural Zulu family. Learn about the family structures, how the homes are built, why cattle are so highly revered, and much more. Later, you will spend time with the highly respected local sangoma (witch doctor/traditional healer) who will explain the wonders of Zulu ancestry and their spiritual beliefs. The adventure ends with a quick stop at the Mbhedula Craft Market, where the beautiful handiwork of 43 Zulu crafters is showcased. It’s a great place to find that perfect souvenir of your time spent with the Zulu people.

For those looking for an active thrill beyond the excitement of Big Five sightings on a game drive vehicle, andBeyond’s Specialist Walking Safaris offer an opportunity to connect with the African bush, interacting with all its inhabitants, from largest to smallest. Embark on a full day adventure in your private vehicle where your feet tread in the tracks of zebra and buffalo, your nostrils fill with the scent of crushed wild grasses as you push through the bush and all six senses re-awaken as Africa touches you and you touch Africa.

Photographic enthusiasts, from beginners to advanced, can now capture the wondrous landscapes and magical creatures of andBeyond’s Phinda Private Game Reserves, by taking advantage of a fully-equipped photographic safari vehicle. The vehicle has been fitted with state-of-the-art camera mounts and cater for a maximum of four guests, ensuring exclusivity during your safari experience.

Guests can choose from the following two options:
1. Specialist Photographic Safari
• Have an expert photographic guide accompany you. Our expert guides will use their extensive experience in wildlife, birding and landscape photography to help you get the shot of a lifetime!
• A maximum of four guests.
2. Photographic Safari Vehicle
• Book the photographic safari vehicle only – maximum of four guests.
• Photographic enthusiasts will be driven and guided by an andBeyond safari guide.

Spend the night sleeping directly beneath the stars in the heart of the bush on this thrilling overnight adventure. As the sun sets at the end of your afternoon game drive, you will arrive at a beautiful clearing in the midst of the bush, where com¬fortable beds with warm duvets and blankets, as well as billowing mosquito nets, are set up for you. Pull your chair up to the blazing campfire and toast the sunset as darkness deepens. Enjoy a delicious meal prepared on the open fire and fall asleep in utter tranquility, surrounded by Africa’s night sounds and kept safe by an armed guard.

Whilst enjoying the exceptional Big Five &Beyond Phinda Private Game Reserve, why not treat yourself to an Ocean Safari that offers a wonderful opportunity to encounter some of South Africa’s beautiful marine life. This exciting adventure, aboard an inflatable vessel and in the company of a certified dive master, offers the prospect of encountering and swimming with wild dolphins, snorkelling amidst flourishing reefs and the chance to view humpback and southern right whales (seasonal).

Planned especially for you, this exclusive safari allows you to explore the bushveld with your very own dedicated ranger, tracker and vehicle. Game drives can be as long or as short as you wish. Meals can be enjoyed at the lodge, picnic-style outdoors or enjoyed under the shade of the trees. Your specific areas of interest can be covered, from the insect kingdom to great herds of buffalo or prides of lion.

Be among four groups, of up to eight guests each, who will have the once in a lifetime opportunity to participate in andBeyond Phinda Private Game Reserve’s elephant conservation project. Here, you will have the opportunity to witness an elephant darting, and assist in the changing of the sleeping pachyderm’s radio collar. Four of the elephant collars utilised in Phinda’s research programme are in need of replacing and guests are being invited to participate in this extraordinary experience. G

Available at an additional cost (excluding accommodation), Guests need to be 12 years and older to participate and is subject to the availability of the wildlife veterinarian and helicopter pilot. If less than 6 guests, a private vehicle will need to be booked. Minimum stay of 3 nights' stay required in order to guarantee favourable conditions for darting.

Enjoy a once in a lifetime opportunity to get up close and personal with a rhino at andBeyond Phinda Private Game Reserve while assisting in the conservation of this rare species. This adventure allows guests to witness the capture and darting of a rhino and assist the veterinary team in notching the sleeping animals ear for research and security monitoring. Ear notches, as well as microchips placed in the horn, enable researchers to correctly identify different rhino on the reserve. Groups of up to eight guests each (sharing the same vehicle) can participate in the entire process, from locating and darting the rhino by helicopter to the never to be repeated opportunity to touch the anaesthetised giant during the notching procedure.

Available at an additional cost (excluding accommodation), Guests need to be 12 years and older to participate and is subject to the availability of the wildlife veterinarian and helicopter pilot. If less than 6 guests, a private vehicle will need to be booked. Minimum stay of 3 nights' stay required in order to guarantee favourable conditions for darting.

Cycle through the endangered Sand Forest at &Beyond Phinda Private Game Reserve on a battery power assisted e-bike that gives a boost via a throttle to make pedalling a little easier. There are three well-marked routes available (between 5 and 6 km / 3 and 3.7 mi), ranging in effort, skill and scenery. This experience is at an additional cost, and subject to availability and weather dependent.

You are required to create a personal affirmation to reclaim an unconditional acceptance and love for yourself and reconnect with your soul to release all negative energy from deep within. A unique blend of
aromatherapy and plant oils chosen specifically by you, combining deep tissue massage techniques to bring relaxation to tired, aching muscles allowing the body and soul to return to perfect equilibrium. Choose from a blend of aromatherapy oils to either destress, hydrate, relax or detox.

Full body: 90 min
Back and Neck only: 30 min

African Shea Butter has been long hailed for its powerful healing and nourishing effects. Relaxing nourishing and energizing this full body massage targets specific areas or tension and muscular discomfort employing deep tissue techniques where pain is dramatically alleviated.

Full Body and Scalp 75min
Back, Neck and Scalp 45min

Re-awaken your Soul with a combination of powerful African aromatherapy oils and botanical body balms combining traditional African Calabash and Bamboo tools with human touch and rhythmic movement in this indulgent ritual, the ultimate source of relaxation to bring balance to your mind, body and soul in the heart of Africa, the cradle of mankind, through touch and vibrational sound therapy using ancient sound tools and techniques.

Choose African Potato for its Ancient Healing powers, Marula Neroli for a Sensory Indulgence, Kalahari Melon for its Hydrating Properties, Mongongo Nut to Detox or Cinnamon and Orange to Firm and Tone

Full body and Scalp: 90min
Back and Scalp: 60min

Re-awaken your senses through gentle exfoliation and envelope your body with inspirational blends of natural African essential oils and botanicals. We start the treatment with a dry polish followed by a full body polish to alleviate tension and renew skin. We then do the wrap and an indulgent full body massage using our powerful collection of indigenous African oils and balms.

Choose African Potato for its Ancient Healing powers, Marula Neroli for a Sensory Indulgence, Kalahari Melon for its Hydrating Properties, Mongongo Nut to Detox or Cinnamon & Orange to Firm and Tone

90min

Melt away stress and rejuvenate your tired legs with this foot treatment which will leave your feet feeling hydrated, softened and silky smooth, ready to conquer the African bush. Your feet is soaked in an African Joy energizing salt soak, scrubbed with rejuvenating peppermint and eucalyptus scrub and embalmed in African Shea Butter. Relax as you receive a shoulder and scalp massage and finish the treatment with a cooling foot gel to put the final spring in your step

30min
60min

The ultimate hand ritual. Your hands are polished with a pure Peppermint & Aloe Vera polish and cuticles restored with indigenous healing oils. Your hands are then embalmed with African Shea Butter. Relax as you receive a shoulder and scalp massage and finish the treatment with a nourishing Pinotage hand oil massage, leaving your hands feeling soft and rejuvenated.

30min
60min

A WildChild needs pampering too

Soak those tired little feet in Healing Earth’s Lavender and Jasmine bubble bath, followed by a Mango Orange scrub, toe nail grooming and mini foot tickle and rub. To recharge your energy a 15min back, neck and shoulder massage with pure Aloe Vera Gel will guarantee to send our budding rangers off on their next adventure in the African Bush. Finish your treatment with an African Tribal Face Paint and if you choose to, leave with your own Beauties and Buddies Pamper Kit to remember your adventure in the wild and remind you of how important it is to Care for the Land, Wildlife and People of this world.

Treatment 30min
Beauties and Buddies Pamper Kit

Healing Earth has embodied the vibrant fusion of colourful beadwork preserving the Zulu culture of the past, present and future within the Shangaan Celebration Journey.

Our Journey starts with a Zulu Foot Ritual, where salt crystals infused with plant extracts are used to cleanse away outside elements, ensuring a positive and continual flow of energy within the client-therapist journey.

The journey continues with a beautiful body cleanse, using a refreshing Healing Earth Tanga-Orange Polish mixed with indigenous oil extracts to thoroughly cleanse the skin. A delightful, relaxation massage therapy follows with our Zulu Body Butter, enriched with African Shea Butter, Coconut Oil and a rich spice blend that leaves your body, mind and soul renewed and invigorated.
To end your Journey, we call on the Rain with our Ancient Zulu Thank You Celebration to signify the end of our signature therapy and as a symbol of the Zulu Culture where rain is symbolic as an essential life giving force of new beginnings, prosperity and rejuvenation.

Clients embrace the Zulu Culture and is gifted with a Jewel of Zulu beadwork which has been intuitively chosen thereby holding a lasting memory and deep-rooted connection with the African Soil and its people.

90min

SCUBA diving at Mabibi is phenomenal. Our professional lodge diving team can accommodate enthusiasts, from the beginner to the veteran. For those who don't dive, we have an Open Ocean Experience. An exciting launch through the surf in front of the lodge takes you beyond the breakers to a world of dolphins, whales and many other creatures. The warm Indian Ocean supports a myriad of fish and marine life.
Guests can sometimes swim with dolphins or whale sharks, or snorkel with Manta rays and giant turtles. Scuba Diving and ocean experience are at an extra cost.

Daily guided snorkeling is done a 5 minute walk away from the Lodge at low tide in our beautiful rock pools. Guided snorkelling is included in the rate.

In summer there are nocturnal walks and drives along the beach in search of pre-historic turtles laying their eggs. Witness the culmination of an incredible journey as giant Leatherback and Loggerhead turtles come ashore to lay their eggs in carefully prepared nests.

Turtle tracking is offered in the evening from November to end of February. The turtles lay their eggs from November to February. Hatchlings arrive from end December to end February.

Every precaution is taken to ensure these magnificent creatures are not disturbed during the laying process and data collected from the turtle drives is submitted to the Ezemvelo Turtle Monitoring program.
Turtle walks take place 3 times a week and are included in the rate.
Nightly turtle tracking in 4x4 vehicle is at an extra cost.

Open Ocean Experience. An exciting launch through the surf in front of the lodge takes you beyond the breakers to a world of dolphins, whales and many other creatures. The warm Indian Ocean supports a myriad of fish and marine life.

Guests can sometimes swim with dolphins or snorkel with Manta rays and giant turtles
Ocean Experience is an extra charge.

A leisurely drive along the lake shore looking for Hippo's , Birds and Crocodiles, then surrounded by the magical sounds of dusk settle with a drink to watch the sunset over the lake. Sundowners are Included in the rate, with either a glass of house wine, cider, local beer or soft drink per person.

Daily tours are on offer to visit the local rural Community of Mabibi. This includes a visit to the clinic and the school, as well as a homestead visit. Optional is to include a visit to the local Sangoma (witch doctor), which may incur a cost.

Standard tours are included in the rate.

Relax with a soothing treatment in the Sea Spa - extra charge.

Daily guided walks through the indigenous dune forest, where the local guides share their knowledge of the flora and fauna. This activity is included in the rate.

Take a fat bike out for a ride along the beach - great excercise and fun.