Don’t let the cost put you off, &Beyond Phinda Zuka (formerly CC Africa) is worth every cent and once you have stayed there, you will want to go back again and again!
With 4 double bedrooms &Beyond’s Phinda Zuka Lodge is ideal for an itimate group of friends of family wanting privacy and exclusivity. Phinda Zuka is only sold on a private basis, so there are no irritating, loud tourists to spoil your safari!
Mandy, the lodge manager at Phinda Zuka Lodge, is a dynamo. Cold drinks are ready for you at the pool, baths are drawn for you after your evening safari. Whatever you could possible want, they will have thought of it before you did. It becomes a bit of a game to try and catch them out! We didn’t manage, but let me know if you do.
Since you are alone at the lodge, guests at Phinda Zuka have a private ranger, tracker and 4×4 vehicle. This means one thing: you don’t have to get up early in the morning and trundle off on game drive with other sour and tired guests, you can do your safari any time you like and for as long as you like. Bonus for those of us who like our sleep. At a normal safari lodge, if you miss the morning drive you have to wait until the evening one before you get to see the animals.
The kids won’t get bored here either. If they aren’t on safari or kicking a ball with the ranger, they could be tiring out the chef over early dinner preparations or cake baking. The pool is a major drawcard for the kids, but then, so is the TV!
Since we all love our friends and family, but like to get away from them once in a while, the rooms at Phinda Zuka all have private verandas and huge romantic bathtubs. Leave the kids with the staff and indulge!
Since I have been harping on about the lodge itself, I should probably mention that the Phinda Game Reserve is one of the best in South Africa. With 23 000 hectares of unspoilt wilderness, Phinda Game Reserve contains seven different ecosystems. This means that game viewing is utterly superb. You will see the big five, but also the rarer species such as black rhino and cheetah. The rangers and trackers at Phinda are particularly well trained and the reserve regularly wins awards for its conservation work.
Okay, so what is honeymoonish about Phinda Zuka I can hear you all shouting. Well nothing really! Except that it is perfect for smaller weddings. If you have more than 6 guests, then the rest of your party can stay at one of the other lodges on the Phinda Game Reserve. Imagine an exclusive wedding, in the bush, with only your closest friends and family sharing your magnificent day.
