Review about South Africa by Mark Ratcliffe
It offers a diversity of experience unmatched anywhere in the world. In a short vacation you can fit in a wildlife experience, visits to historical locations, play gold on some of the world's finest courses, drink some top grade wines and lie on white sandy beaches.
A special place where the best of African nature is coupled with luxury and personal hospitality
My wife and I were born in Zimbabwe/South Africa and have been fortunate enough to have had exposure to African wildlife and scenery from a very early age. We now live overseas and every year when we return we fit in a short break and Phinda has been our recurring preference. Each time we have stayed in the Forest Lodge camp, as our experiences have been nothing short of spectacular, and whils the temptation is to try something different, I also subscrive to when you find the best in class there is no need to change.
There are a number of things that make up a good wildlife experience and Phinda more than meets all of these criteria:
- the scenery is diverse, the multitudes of ecosystems at Phinda make it somewhat unique with the Sand Forests, the Grass plains, the rocky hills and the dense scrub in the north.
- The guides are superb, knowledgeable and engaging and I am continually staggered by the diversity of their knowledge and understanding of the animals, plants, behavioural patterns and local traditions. EVERY time we go, we learn something different...every time...I love that!
- The accomodations and the touch of personalisation and luxury of the camp. As I said, we live overseas now and have travelled a fair deal, what Phinda offers is a touch of class. The glass bungalows in the forest, the restuarant and bar areas, the infinity pool are all phenomemal
- The "unique" experiences. The evening bush dinners and mid game drive stops for drinks are fantastic. We also did the "Flight of the Fish Eagle" which took us north of the reserve and across to Sodwana Bay and back down the coastline whilst spotting whale sharks, turtles, hammerhead sharts and dolphins....superb
- The animals!!! By far the most impressive part of any trip. A lot of people write off the fact that a small piece of land has the big 5 all on hand, but at Phinda you certainly don't feel like it is a confined space. For visitors with a short amount of time it is fantastic that within a few game drives you can see what you hoped, and in our case we even got lucky with a daytime leopard sighting
One last comment.... I think one of the success factors of Phinda is that the pre-agreed rate and the lack of cash exchanging hands at dinners or on game-drives or at the bar ADD massively to the whole experience. The staff and guides seem to have a unwavering focus on making your stay as memorable and spectacular as possible. I think the absence of paying for things continually support this and guests can tip everyone at the end on departure.
Overall I can not speak highly enough of what Phinda offers. It is a special place, a chance to de-stress and take in the sounds, sights and smell of nature in it's finest. I have referred many people who have without exception had a fantastic time. It's a real gem!
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about South Africa by rpgold
South Africa is easily reached from just about anywhere. Internal transportation is very well organized and efficient. It is also convenient to have a world class city like Cape Town to enjoy between safaris to recharge before heading back into the bush.
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Luxury Accommodation and Terrific Wildlife
We stayed at Phinda Vlei for three nights in Oct 2007. The accommodations were very luxurious and very comfortable. We were very happy with the game drives taken and enjoyed abundant wildlife sightings. Although a private reserve, it is still large enough with varied terrain to avoid redundancy when staying multiple nights. We'd certainly recommend it.
An amazing Safari experince in a beautiful and comfortable setting
When we arrived at the Lion Sands lodge, we were immediately greeted by a heard of wild elephants grazing in the dry riverbed right next to the common part of the lodge. That amazing sight was just a taste for what we had in store. Over the next few days, we were able to see all of the "Big 5" thanks to our knowledgeable guides and trackers, all from the relative comfort of our jeep.
The facilities are all top notch and everything worked quite efficiently, which is not always the case in the middle of the jungle. the food was wonderful and the staff working there are all very friendly and helpful.
All in all, I can HIGHLY recommend the Lion sands game reserve to anyone thinking of going. While there are cheaper game reserves in the Kruger park, there are few better.
video of our safari: https://vimeo.com/14495537
Pictures of our Safari: http://www.flickr.com/photos/downeym/sets/72157624700900975/
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good for being pampered while seeing the animals in all cycles of life and routing. Quite Amazing
Ulusaba has great attention to detail and care. From the arrival with a cocktail to the lodges which have free laundry, stocked mini-bar (all part of the cost of the lodge), welcome gift, etc. The rooms are large and very comfortable while still feeling part of the environment. Food, wine, etc well prepared though for lunch good use with a few more selections. The snack breaks while on the Drive are something! Love that in the early AM drives; waiting for me on the seat was a hot water bottle and thick blanket. Enjoyed the breakfast out on the Reserve as well as the outdooor BBQ -- giving you more of a outdoor enjoyment. Simply staying at the lodge itself is a great experience.
But of course its about the animals while here. Our guide and trekker were exceptional -- in their knowledge and skills. They tried to be sensitive to the things we wanted to see and if we wanted to stay and watch a particular scene longer; they always accomodated. They taught us about the behaviour, imitiated the sounds and described, as they were happening, the chase of kill.
Just driving around the reserve was gorgeous; somehow the light and smell were different and just more clear and crisp. We were fortunate to see all the Big 5 and 2 rather gnarly feeds -- what doesnt come across in documentary footage is the smell and smaller sounds of the crunching of bones when being eaten. Lions, hyenas, lepards, elephants, zebras, rhinos, buffalo, hippos, giraffes, diakers, monkeys...we really got to see it all and in wonderful life scenes.
To be able to view such incredible wildlife from the brids, trees, landscape to the various large animals in itself is a once in a lifetime experience. To have the caring staff, exceptional guides and the Diva-attentioned lodges simply made it truly incredible.
So many great memories: from watching the cheetah eat his daiker kill to then bring it up a tree for later feeding, almost dropping it from the precarious branch. And once safelty held, cllimb down. Or the Lion eating, while his 2 borthers would slowly inch for want of some only to have the big brother "growl" back a negative. This Try and Decline of the lions for food and being angrily denied by its brother was such an interesting thing to watch - that it wasnt simply watching a lion eating its feed. Or coming in my lodge after lunch only to have a leopard on the balcony, slowly walking by!
CA
Review about South Africa by Neal D
The safari experience is great, but in South Africa you can combine it with the wonderful Cape area and enjoy so much more (beaches, wineries, etc.)
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about South Africa by Steve Gray from York
Thoroughly enjoyed South Africa. Awesome customer service. Very positive spirit.
CA
Exceeded Our Expectations
My wife and I had always wanted to go on a safari in Africa. We had high expectations as we flew from Capetown to Mpumalanga to begin our adventure. Those expectaions were more than met during our stay at the Lions Sands River Lodge. Just on the drive from the gate to the lodge we got a taste of what was to come as we saw Impala, Bushbuck and a Kudu on the bushveld. Upon arrival we were greeted by the friendly and helpful staff and offered a welcome drink as we waited for our orientation talk. That talk had to be delayed as a herd of Elephants chose that time to pass by on the dry river bed in front of the deck. It was a magnificant sight and my wife was thrilled because elephants were what she had most wanted to see. Needless to say, it only got better from there. On our first game drive we came upon a pride of lions at dusk and were amazed at how close we were able to be to these beautiful creatures. During our stay we saw all of the "Big Five" as well as giraffe, zebra, warthogs, hippos, African wild dogs and many many more. We had nothing but memorable moments during our stay, but in addition to the welcome parade of elephant on the first day, a couple did stand out. We watched two hynea stalked a pack of African wild dogs. Observing the actions of the pack as they moved to protect their young was fascinating. And then there was my close encounter with a lioness. We had come across a pride of lions on one of the roads and stopped to watch as they passed our land rover. I was snapping picture after picture with my telephoto lens and as one lioness' head seemed to fill the viewfinder I took the camera away from my eye to find out that she was right beside the truck. I am sure I could have reached out and touched her. When I later looked at the photo, I saw that the fur on her face was red with blood from the morning kill. It was quite an experience. I would highly recommend the Sabi Sands Game Reserve to anyone who wants a great safari experience. The staff at the Lions Sands River Lodge were attentitive to our every need. The rangers and trackers are experienced and extremely knowledgeable and made sure we saw everything that was possible to see. The accomodations are spacious and comfortable and the food was great. Our time was much too short and we are hopeful we can return one day to this beautiful place.
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about South Africa by muchas641
Perfect National-Parks - and perfect Nature Reserve Parks