This Big 5, luxury private game reserve, situated 4hours drive north of Durban,is a special peice of African bush. Luxury accommodation, fine cuisine & fantastic animal sightings. EXCELLENT VALUE
Overall operator rating 10.0/10 from 7 trip reviews
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Michelle provided us with exemplary service. I would highly recommend her company to everyone considering traveling to Africa. She planned our trip perfectly and as each day passed and we moved on to a new lodge, the experience just got better and better.
We booked our holiday last minute and she was able to get us in to all the best places, arrange our air travel and was awaiting us at the airport. She was always early to pick us up and ensured we were always safe and secure.
We have nothing but positive memories on what was the journey of a lifetime! Do not hesitate to book with them, you will not be disappointed.
My holiday was excellent, did so much in such a relatively short time!
The Itinerary, accomodation and car hire Michele arranged was ideal for me. Her communication and assistance before and during my holiday was informative, prompt and friendly. Would definitely use her services again.
South Africa,f or many reasons, has captivated me and i will be back!
3
Client:
Conrado Schlochauer - from Brazil
Trip:
currently unavailable
Rating:
rating 10/10
Comment:
The experience of dive and safari together is great. You can have a deep contact with nature with the excellent help and knowledge of Michelle and the whole crew!
4
Client:
Lisa Chelton - from Cayman Islands
Trip:
currently unavailable
Rating:
rating 10/10
Comment:
Our trip was everything that we had hoped for. We had booked the trip planning to experience the sardine run, however it was suggested by the operator that we also add on a land safari in case we missed the sardines, as obviously you cannot guarantee the movements of fish!
As a result, we saw both the sardines together with all their accompanying dolphins, whales, sharks, birds and also had an excellent safari seeing all the large game animals and we were thrilled with the services provided.
They could not do enough for us, they drove us everywhere including dropping us off for dinner and picking us up afterwards.
We will be recommending the company to any of our friends who are interested in travelling to South Africa.
We would like to advise that we received outstanding service from the operator who paid meticulous attention to detail including our complicated dietary requirements. This ensured that our holiday ran without incident and was definitely a trip of a lifetime.
The itinerary was tailored to our specific interests which ensured that all the activities that we were interested in were covered.
Particular highlights included the hot air ballooning and elephant back safari.
Kind Regards Sue-Ann Ind
6
Client:
Kenneth Swift - from New Zealand
Trip:
currently unavailable
Rating:
rating 10/10
Comment:
Thanks to the operator for taking care to organize a great itinerary over 10 days for our 1st visit to South Africa.
Where else in the world could one experience in one day all within a matter of a few hours being close-by the largest sea mammal, the largest land mammal, the tallest land mammal and then the fastest land mammal. Humpback whales leaping completely out of the water, bull elephants, giraffe and then cheetah all on one day!!
The standard of accommodation service and food at Sodwana Bay Lodge, Phinda and Le Mays B+B for our trips out to Aliwai Shoal was excellent.
We have been fortunate enough to travel the world, both on business and holiday. Our recent trip to South Africa stacks up overall as the best we have experienced, anywhere! That includes Argentina, Australia, Canada, the Caribbean, Europe, Hawaii, Japan, Malaysia, and a host of other wonderful places, so this is high praise indeed. We are still dazzled by South Africa's people and its hopes for the future, its amazing land and sea scapes, the animals (!), the plants, the food, and my wife tells me, the wine. Even the very early Spring weather--which ranged from frost to gorgeous--cooperated and not a bug bite was had the whole trip.
We sent an enquiry through The Africa Guide listing our preliminary thoughts. In a nutshell, our Internet and literature research convinced me to try a "luxury combined with adventure" trip, centered in KwaZulu Natal, but also including Capetown and, it turned out, Bushman's Kloof. Michele actually listened to my hopes to see and experience a lot of SA in less than three weeks. I decided to go with this operator primarily as a result of her personal touch. The fact that every one of our complex air reservations, transfers, lodges, hotels, and events worked without a hitch is testimony to Michele's attention to detail, and her personal interest in our comfort, safety and enjoyment.
We recommend this operator without reservation.
Itinerary
This package can be custom made to suit your needs FLY-IN OPTION AVAILABLE ON REQUEST
I T I N E R A R Y
Start and ends in Durban
Day 1 After breakfast your qualified guide/driver will pick you up from you hotel and your journey will start. Your guide will tell you about the history of the areas that you pass through and the local Zulu people. You will travel north, through rolling hills of sugar cane, into Zululand arriving at Phinda Private Game Reserve in time for lunch. After lunch you will have time to relax before afternoon tea is served in the main Lodge. After tea, you will meet your ranger who will give you a brief orientation and then it’s off on your first safari, in open vehicles with a qualified tracker and ranger. The accommodation is absolute luxury and the food excellent. Your stay at Phinda Private Game Reseve will be an unforgettable experience.
Phinda has an excellent track record when it comes to sightings of Lion, Cheetah, Elephants and the ellusive Leopard. This reserve has over 16 Black Rhino which were introduced onto their property, as part of a breeding programme to save the Black Rhino. Your game drive will finish at approximately 19H00. You will have time to freshen up before dinner. This is your ultimate safari experience.
Day 2/3/4 Your morning wake up call will be followed by tea/coffee at the main lodge where your ranger & tracker will meet you. Breakfast will be served at the Lodge on your return. The rest of the morning is yours to relax and enjoy your surroundings. Take a walk with your ranger, sit at the pool or simply enjoy the quiet of the bush from the balcony of your room. Lunch. You will be met by your ranger in the main Lodge for afternoon tea, followed by your afternoon/evening game drive. You will also have the opportunity to take a boat trip within the boundary of Phinda, enjoying a game drive to and from the boat. You will return to the Lodge at approximately 19H00. Freshen up for dinner.
Day 5 Your morning wake up call will be followed by tea/coffee at the main lodge. Your ranger will meet you at the Lodge to take you on your last game drive. After breakfast your guide/driver will meet you at main entrance. From here you will be driven to the small town of St.Lucia, which is situated in the middle of a World Heritage Site. At St.Lucia you will embark on a 1½-hour boat cruise on the St.Lucia Estuary that will bring you up-close to hippos, crocs and a variety of birds that live in this estuarine system. A cash bar is available on the boat.
After the cruise, your guide will drive you back to Durban. End of Service
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Package Includes 4 nights at Phinda Private Game Reserve - either Mountain Lodge or Forest Lodge All meals & teas/cakes daily All local drinks, including wines/beers 2 game drives per day in open safari vehicles Guided Walks Laundry Boat cruise on the St.Lucia Estuary Transport in air-conditioned vehicle from Durban return Qualified guide/driver
R22500.00 PP VALID for October end November 2009 & 21 - 31 December.High Season R15650.00pp Aug, Sept & 1 - 20 December 2009 Low Season Self drive & fly-in options are available on request. Please advise dates when booking. Specials are available at certain times of the year, please ask on booking for any specials. Obtion to fly to Johannesburg from Phinda after your stay is also available.
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