After the excitement of seeing whales in close proximity, the second leg of our journey, to Phinda Private Game Reserve, flew by in a haze of excitement. Upon arrival at Phinda Mountain Lodge our boisterous group was met with the warmest of smiles, a cooling drink and a towel to wash the journey away, before being shown to our rooms. Phinda Mountain Lodge was to be our home away from home for the next two nights, so when we laid eyes on our amazing rooms our smiles matched or outdid those we had been greeted with!
Each of the 25 luxurious rooms at Phinda Mountain Lodge features stylish interiors with sophisticated décor and all the trims and fittings one could ask for. Mountain Lodge as a whole is ideally situated to provide the most spectacular of views, looking out over the expanse of the reserve from all the main communal areas and the rooms all feature a similar spectacular view. Although in my room’s case, the view was blocked by a large male nyala and his harem grazing directly in front of our private viewing deck and private plunge pool. The ladies in our group particularly enjoyed the free standing bath from where one could relax and still take in the view. A spacious inside shower, along with the aforementioned bath, was paired with matching his and hers basins and an outside shower to complete the cleaning set! A quick freshening up and we headed up to the dining area for a tasty gourmet lunch which was wolfed down by all, hungry work educationals.
Our belly’s full (they remained that way throughout our stay) we met our guides, Lucky and Daryl, who probably didn’t quite know what they were getting themselves into. The two land cruisers headed out from Mountain Lodge but didn’t need to go too far as we stopped to have a look at Phinda Rock Lodge. Situated on a small hillside with a great view of the spectacular leopard rock across the small valley, Rock Lodge is constructed in such a fashion as to blend into its bushy surrounding. With only six luxurious rooms the feel at Rock Lodge is definitely an intimate and private one, something honeymooners and anyone seeking solace and serenity will enjoy. The rooms are beautifully decorated with their own private plunge pool, viewing deck and four of the rooms also have an outside shower. At Rock Lodge you aren’t just surrounded by wildlife, some of it shares the space with you. When we entered the intimate lounge and dining area, the local tree frogs growing fat on the insects attracted to the designer lighting were pointed out to us. And when we walked onto the attached veranda where most meals are served, we disturbed the resident spotted genet who was enjoying the superb view from his perch on the balustrade.
From the righteously rocking Rock Lodge (couldn’t resist! sorry David) we continued our game drive. Within minutes we had seen a pair of buffalo bulls and a lone elephant bull who posed for us in the fading evening light. We then pulled in at a lion kill where three lionesses had been feasting for the past two days, there wasn’t much left of their meal but we watched the sated satisfied females enjoying the very last of the unrecognizable wildebeest. Three out of the big five would be enough for one game drive one would think, but our evening wasn’t over. Not far away from the lions a rare sighting of a young male leopard, he let us watch him going about his evening for quite some time (it was worth missing the late sundowners for). Heading back toward Mountain Lodge, would you believe we came across three white rhino in the dark, Daryl quickly backed the vehicle up with some encouragement from the back seat and we completed our set all in under 2 hours!
Dinner was served in the Mountain Lodge boma, the décor of which reminds one of the Zimbabwe ruins with its stone walls and wooden trim. The can-can chicken went down extremely well, as did a few glasses of red wine. Much animated conversation about our exciting evenings game viewing, raucous laughter and a few choice jokes accompanied the delicious meal. After dessert, we were entertained by the song and dance of the Mountain Lodge choir, a perfect highlight to end a perfect day in Africa.
Read more about Phinda Mountain Lodge and Phinda Rock Lodge on our website and contact one of our consultants if you want to book your very own Kwa-zulu Natal safari.