ENCOUNTERSAFRICA
6-Day Phinda Forest Lodge Safari

South Africa - Fly-in safari

6-Day Phinda Forest Lodge Safari

Duration
6 days
Countries
South Africa
Suited to
2-8 guests
Pricing
From USD 6,280

The journey

Updated on 23 August 2026

Phinda Forest Lodge is the building that made andBeyond's name: sixteen glass-walled suites raised on stilts inside a rare dry sand forest, designed so lightly that the torchwood trees grow within arm's reach of your bed. Zulu craftsmen built it without felling the canopy, and thirty years on the forest has closed back around it, red duiker stepping past the glass at dawn. The reserve outside is Phinda's whole seven-habitat spread: open marsh where cheetah hunt in daylight, palmveld, mountain bush, wetlands, and the thicket country where a healthy black rhino population browses. Drives cross all of it, and the specialist adventures, rhino tracking on foot, the Mzinene River by boat, sand forest walks under a birding guide, fill the hours between. At this price point nothing else in South Africa offers glass-suite architecture, Big Five density and this degree of habitat variety together. Winter, May to September, is driest and best for rhino; midsummer adds turtle-nesting excursions to the Maputaland beaches an hour away. Five nights is enough to do all of it without hurry.

Your camps, day by day

Stay 1

Into the Glass Forest

From Johannesburg the Federal Airlines flight reaches Phinda's airstrip in about 1 hour 40 minutes, and the drive to Forest Lodge ends under the canopy, your suite a glass box among the torchwoods with red duiker in residence outside. The afternoon drive crosses to the marsh, where the cheetah usually open proceedings.

Stay 2

Marsh Mornings

The open grasslands are Phinda's stage and the morning drive takes front-row seats: cheetah scanning from termite mounds, and if the stalk begins, the fastest thing you will ever watch unfold. Brunch, then the forest on foot with a guide unpacking its strange botany. The evening drive finds elephant against the Ubombo backdrop.

Stay 3

Rhino in the Thickets

Black rhino before breakfast: your guide works the thicket lines by vehicle and, where the wind allows, closes the last stretch on foot, a heart-rate exercise disguised as natural history. The Mzinene cruise cools the afternoon, crocodiles on the banks and malachite kingfishers threading the reeds, before a night drive home.

Stay 4

Seven Habitats

A long morning drive strings the reserve's habitats together, sand forest to marsh to mountain bush, with the species list changing at each seam; few African drives cover this much variety before brunch. The afternoon is yours: the pool deck in the canopy, a birding walk, or in midsummer, booking the night's turtle excursion to the coast.

Stay 5

Lions and Last Light

The northern grassland prides get the final full morning, big cats on open ground with the marsh birds lifting around them. After brunch the forest deck does its quiet work one more time. The last drive ends on a rise with sundowners, the reserve laid out below, and the boma dinner afterwards comes with the Zulu choir in voice.

Stay 6

Forest to Johannesburg

Wake once more inside the glass, nyala at the window, then take breakfast and the short drive to the airstrip for the late-morning flight to Johannesburg, connecting to evening international departures. Five nights in a building that changed African lodge design, and a reserve that still outruns its own reputation.

Safari highlights

  • Five nights in a glass suite inside the sand forest
  • Africa's rarest woodland at arm's length
  • Cheetah hunting in daylight on the marsh
  • Black rhino tracking on foot
  • Mzinene River boat cruise
  • Turtle-nesting excursions in midsummer

What is included

Included

  • 5 nights accommodation, per person sharing
  • Return scheduled flights Johannesburg-Phinda airstrip
  • Road transfers between the airstrip and Forest Lodge
  • All meals, house wines, local spirits, beers and soft drinks
  • Twice-daily game drives and guided sand forest walks
  • A Mzinene River boat cruise, water levels permitting
  • Phinda conservation levies, government taxes and VAT
  • Laundry and emergency medical evacuation cover

Not included

  • International flights to and from Africa
  • Visas and entry permits
  • Comprehensive travel and medical insurance
  • Premium spirits, champagne and imported wines
  • Turtle-nesting and specialist conservation excursions
  • Gratuities for guides, trackers and lodge staff
  • Items of a personal nature, curios and telephone calls

Frequently asked questions

How much does a 6-day Phinda Forest Lodge safari cost?

From USD 6,280 per person sharing, rising to about USD 6,680 in peak season, which for a glass-suite andBeyond lodge with the Big Five is close to unbeatable value. The price covers five nights, all meals and house drinks, game drives, forest walks, a river cruise and the return Johannesburg-Phinda flights. International flights to Africa are excluded and quoted separately.

What makes Forest Lodge's architecture famous?

It was built in 1993 inside a rare sand forest without cutting down a single mature tree: sixteen suites of floor-to-ceiling glass on stilts, threaded between torchwood and false tamboti trunks. The design won global awards and set the template for light-touch lodge building across Africa. In practice it means waking inside the forest, nyala grazing a metre beyond the glass.

How good is Phinda's game viewing?

Full Big Five, and strong on the two hardest tickets: cheetah, which hunt Phinda's open marsh in daylight, and black rhino, tracked in the thickets on drives and sometimes on foot. Lion, elephant and buffalo are all resident, leopard viewing improves year on year, and the seven habitats keep every drive different from the last.

How do you get to Phinda?

Federal Airlines flies from Johannesburg direct to Phinda's own airstrip in about 1 hour 40 minutes, and both directions are included, with a 20 kg soft-bag luggage limit. Driving from Durban takes about 3 hours 30 minutes if you prefer the road. The lodge transfer from the airstrip doubles as your first game drive.

When should you go, and what about the turtles?

May to September is dry, mild and best for rhino and general game. November to February is turtle season: Phinda runs night excursions to the Maputaland coast, about an hour away, where loggerhead and leatherback females haul out to nest, one of only a handful of places on earth you can watch it guided. Birding peaks in the same green months.

Is Phinda a malaria area?

Phinda is a low-risk malaria zone. Clinics generally recommend prophylaxis for the warm wet months, November to April, and simple repellent precautions otherwise. Suites are sealed and air-conditioned. A yellow fever certificate is required only if you arrive from a country with transmission risk.