Linda Nathan - A Dream Come True
A DREAM COME TRUE
LINDA NATHAN
"To celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary, we enjoyed a magical and memorable three days at Phinda Forest Lodge. From the time we arrived till the end, we were transported into another world."
The staff were amazing, the food superb, our tracker and ranger the BEST, our accommodation stunning and the setting unbelievable! The little touches did not go by unnoticed and the most special touch was the bush breakfast at the watering hole.
Thank you &Beyond and Wendy Bruens for going that extra mile to make our special anniversary a dream come true!
Laurie Fey - Cheetah Cubs Playing
CHEETAH CUBS PLAYING
LAURIE FEY
"On our last day at Phinda Vlei Lodge, we set out on the morning drive to find cheetah tracks. (My goal for the trip was to get pictures of the Big Five and their footprints.) Within a short distance from camp, our guide spotted an excellent print."
As we got out to take the photo, our tracker mentioned the tracks were very fresh, so fresh that the cheetahs that made them were less than 100 yards from our vehicle. Needless to say, we quickly got back in the vehicle and our guide positioned the truck for an amazing video clip. There were five cheetah cubs that had just woken up and were rather rambunctious (as you can see in the video). Besides the footage, the story behind one of the cubs was almost unbelievable. Apparently one of the five cubs was "adopted" by the cheetah family. The guides had found the cub was following the family around for some time, until they finally accepted it. It was not known if the cub had lost its mother or if its mother was killed, but it was a tragic story with a very happy ending. I had never heard of a mother cheetah "adopting" another cheetah's cub and it was a story that will stay with me forever!
Van Zyl, Ruth - Elephant charge
ELEPHANT CHARGE
VAN ZYL, RUTH
"To Kyle and Dan what a team, knowledge of trees and birds beyond. Saw a herd of elephants and we were charged by the smallest of all a baby!! "
Much to our Grandsons delight. Another treat? well I won't spoil the surprise for anyone going to The Forest but wow!! Thank you everyone, wonderful wonderful
Grant Gavin - Escape to Another World
ESCAPE TO ANOTHER WORLD
GRANT GAVIN
"We took my wife's family up to Phinda recently and stayed at Mountain Lodge. Being foreign, her family experienced something that they could never have experienced in their wildest dreams."
Luxury in the bush? Was it possible? Yes it was, luxury and a whole lot more. The moment of the weekend, however, came on one night drive, when we approached what appeared to be a bunch of fireflies (as per the ranger) ... however, as we got closer we discovered that the fireflies were, in fact, fairy lights and the staff had set up an outdoor dinner in the middle of the bush. It was an experience never to forget and I am sure to be told at many dinner tables around France by our relatives!
Dave Oosthuizen - Feline 40th
FELINE 40TH
DAVE OOSTHUIZEN
"For my 40th birthday we booked out Phinda Zuka Lodge for the weekend and took three other couples who were close friends with us. Hoping for an experience of a lifetime, we were not disappointed but, in fact, were blown away by the experience."
It started with a lone bull elephant drinking out of the swimming pool and breaking the umbrella in the process. The game drives were exceptional, with our guide, Nicki, making sure we saw all of the Big Five in abundance, plus plenty of other game and good bird sightings. The cuisine was superb, but was capped off by a bush dinner on top of a hill, with champagne to sip while watching the sunset. We were spoiled rotten in every respect and my birthday was the most special ever experienced and is now etched in my memory forever. By the final morning I thought we'd seen just about everything, so when Nicki asked us what we wanted to view I made the ridiculous request of cubs at a kill. Sure enough, within half an hour of going out she delivered and rounded off the weekend in spectacular style. Money cannot buy times like this and nothing can take them away from your soul once lived through. &Beyond is my favourite organisation and one I'm proud to be associated with. May they long continue to provide for the environment and the communities on a sustainable basis.
