Affordable luxury safari in South Africa.
South Africa. Wow. South Africa is known as the Cradle of Humanity. There really aren’t any words to describe this amazing country. South Africa is a vast and diverse place not just geographically, but culturally as well. It is much like many large countries where there is desert, mountains, oceans, plains and of course, wine country.
Our journey found the people of South Africa to be very kind, welcoming, graceful and fascinating. If you have an abundance of time you will have an opportunity to explore many of the different places. However, if you have just a couple of weeks, well, you may need to pare it down to a few. That’s what we did!
The cost of living in South Africa is very affordable (by American standards). The USD does still go a long way. The exchange rate varies, but for example, it is currently $1.00 is equal to 19 Rand.
We began this journey as a time to connect with our youngest daughter, Sarah, who had joined the Peace Corp in Botswana. We understood that she would have days off, but definitely not enough time off to come home, at least for a couple of years (or so we thought) so we decided to go to her. Her preference was to meet with us in South Africa.
From there the trip planning took some interesting twists and turns. During the time she was preparing to leave for the Peace Corp, our oldest daughter entered a photo contest. The contest was to promote the movie Family Vacation. She won with the picture and the story she submitted! With her winnings she dedicated that amount to buying airline tickets for three of us to go to South Africa to meet Sarah.
We planned our journey for May. I booked the airfare for myself, Tom and Emily (our eldest). We were then informed 5 months later that our Botswana daughter, Sarah would be returning home to Bend, Oregon. There were many reasons for her decision to leave, but that is her story to tell.
Well…we had these non refundable tickets to South Africa, and just because our daughter wasn’t in Africa any longer didn’t mean we couldn’t go. So we did! We just needed one additional ticket. Thank you Capital One Venture miles. Our banked miles paid for the extra ticket.
So begins our family boomer and millenial journey to South Africa. Planning a safari in South Africa, for boomers and really for anyone really is a highlight of the journey. South Africa is a very large country and they host many locations within the country in which to experience a safari.
What many people think of safari in South Africa, Kruger National Park is the first that comes to mind. Kruger National Park is the jewel of South Africa as far as how incredibly vast it is. The amount of diverse wildlife but also the complexities of its landscape. As per usual with the girls, they left all the planning to us. Well, me actually.
I focused much of my research on Kruger to begin and through my research learned of the different ways to go as far as planning for a safari experience. Kruger has concessions on the borders of the park, near certain entrances. They have luxurious private safari companies that have their lodges inside the park along with all types of amenities. Which leaves the actual options for game drives to self drive, escorted drives, private tours and lastly private safari companies. Self driving and even the escorted drives usually require the cars stay on the roads. That can definitely limit what you may see.
Posed with that information I decided to focus on the amount of time we had. Simply put, time was not on our side. The more I looked into private versus not, I realized that we would get the most bang by going with a private safari company. However, there is no guarantees no matter how or with whom you decide to safari that you will see your bucket list animals. As boomer we also chose to go with a private company because of the choices of lodging and catering. Our desire to enjoy the luxury and amenities along with the safari won out. The private safaris are also very accomplished at providing a top notch experience through their experienced trackers and guides as well.
Through research and reviews we reached out to a couple of companies and ultimately chose to go with &Beyond. &Beyond has their own private reserves in South Africa along with many others and in other countries. They do have a private concession in Kruger as well. We looked at all the options that were in South Africa and ultimately chose their private reserve at Phinda. Their lodging in Phinda is gorgeous and luxurious. I contacted them and was connected with our specialist, Cleo Aries. What an invaluable source and what an incredible person. She was a great source of information for not just our safari journey, but also of South Africa itself.
We had a l6 days plus one travel day (you lose a day going). Our journey would include a safari and then explore Cape Town. The girls and Tom wanted to do a shark cage dive. I was invested in all but the shark dive. But, I’m a good sport. I did add a stop in the wine country for a couple nights (Stellenbosch). After all, it was on the way as we journeyed to Gansbaii for the shark cage diving.
Our plan of two weeks were split almost half and half. Six days on the east coast for our safari and one night in Johannesburg before flying home. We then had a full week to spend in Cape Town and day trips. Getting in a car and driving is one of the best ways to actually see and experience a place. Just know that they drive on the left hand side of the road. If you don’t want to or can’t, there are always drivers that would love to do that.
Planning ahead as far as lodging, food and activities is totally up to you as you go along. We started our South African adventure by flying into Johannesburg and taking a flight to Durban. Durban in on the eastern coast. It is the third populous city in South Africa. It is the largest city of Kwazulu-Natal province. Durban is the closest city to drive to Phinda private reserve, which we chose for our safari experience. The other transportation choices were to drive from Johannesburg (approximately 7 hours), of on a charter flight and then transfer or add a flight through the safari company we were using for the safari. We chose to go to Durban and drive. There are so many options for safari in South Africa. The most famous of them all is Krueger National Park which encompasses nearly 2 million hectares! I really spent a lot of time researching Krueger along with other locations, such as Sabi Sands, Phinda, there are even some locations outside of Cape Town and Johannesburg.
Ultimately I decided to narrow it down to go with Phinda Reserve with &Beyond.
&Beyond. Phinda Forest Lodge.
Within Phinda there are 6 choices for lodges. We chose the Forest Lodge. This is located within the last remaining African Dry Sand Forest. Accommodations are all set apart into stand alone glass suites/houses. They are beautiful and amazing. There is a family lodge in addition to 16 suites. Each suite is fully contained and luxurious and contains a living area with couch, TV and bathroom with a tub and outdoor covered and private shower. There is an outdoor deck with couch and the mini bar (I called it the maxi bar), which is fully stocked and restocked daily with all kinds of drinks and mixers, snacks, fresh fruit, candy, trail mix…you get the drift. All of this is kept locked in order to keep the monkeys out! Naughty monkeys. We thought the monkeys that hung around our glass suite to be cute and we didn’t have any issue sitting on our deck to enjoy the view. However, the girls had a completely different experience. They had a stalker monkey for a time and he did intimidate them during the day. We found the staff with &Beyond did not know the word, no, when it came to service.
Phinda is in northern KwaZulu-Natal part of South Africa. Approximately 3 1/2 hours northwest of Durbin. Phinda is a private game preserve which encompasses 29,800 hectares (73,800 acres) &Beyond is deeply committed to preserving wildlife and conservation. They not only commit themselves with the wildlife and environment, but they are also invested in providing jobs and education for the nearby villages. They have a program of grinding down the rhinos horn in order to deter poachers. They do have an experience where for an additional fee you can participate in that. They are very secretive about when and where this happens and for good reasons. Poachers are the biggest threat to these magnificent animals, along with the elephants.
How did we get there? Flew into Johannesburg transferred and flew to Durban. Then we rented a car and drove to Phinda. You could also charter a flight to an airstrip near Phinda and add a transfer or add a flight to your &Beyond package from Johannesburg. They have their own airstrip so transfers to your lodge would be included. So, boomers if you want to save a few days and have the extra dough, the charter options would be appealing. We did do that on our second safari. But for this journey there was four of us. For our budget, we had to delegate where we would focus on luxury.
We picked up our rental car in Durban and drove to Phinda. The driving directions were very easy to follow and we arrived at the gates of the reserve. Checking in at the gate we were told that getting out of our rental car while driving to the lodge is forbidden for safety reasons. The reserve is free range for all the wildlife that resides there. The perimeter of the reserve, which I mentioned earlier is BIG, and it is completely enclosed and contained with electric wire fencing. There are signs after entry to remind guests to stay within their vehicles with the windows closed.
Our first sighting after about 5 minutes into our drive to the lodge of wildlife was a large male elephant in our rental car. Wow! And no, we did not get out of the car to take pictures.
We arrived at the Phinda’s main lodge and was greeted warmly by the staff and management. We were then whisked off to our lodges to change clothes. There are two sessions for game drives. Morning (early) and evening (early) It would be the evening safari when our first game drive was to begin. We were met by our guide and tracker. We would be joining a couple and their 10 year old daughter from the west coast of South Africa. The rover is an open air vehicle with stacked 3 rows of seating, which allows for 10 people. The stacked seating allows for unobstructed views for everyone. Our Zulu tracker sits on the very front of the rover in a type of jump seat on the attached to the front bumper. That is so that he can see tracks, scat and other signs of wildlife. The first thing the guide discusses before we take off, besides the do’s and don’ts while out on the drive, is to find out our wish list of what we want to see. Everything of course!!
The adventure began with our evening game drive. We were welcomed with the sights, sounds and smells of wildlife. There were so many zebra, giraffe, warthogs, birds, and all the hoofed animals such as 
Impala, Nyla, Kudu, Springbok, Eland, etc., so many. We were able to see all of those on our first drive with the sighting of a black rhino, which still had its horn intact near the end of our evening drive.
During each drive there is a stop for getting out of the vehicle, in the evening they call that the sundowner. Stretching the legs, maybe a find a private spot for a bathroom break. (yes, right out there in the wild) The locations are chosen knowing that there is very little danger of predators around. They provide lovely drink(s) and snacks all set up with tables and table cloths, candles all done by our guide and tracker. Then onward for the remainder of the drive and more viewings and pictures!
We arrive back to the lodge after our first drive in time to shower and change and are accompanied by a guide to the lodge for cocktail hour and dinner. The dinner menu offers a somewhat limited menu, although it did change daily and usually offers local protein option. This was a great opportunity to try something completely different. We enjoyed Springbok and Ostrich and both were delightful. Very lean meats and prepared beautifully.
Note: The suites are located in such a way to maximize privacy and at night a guide is provided to walk guests to and from their suites as a matter of safety. We did not see any predators in our vicinity. We had many monkeys and Zudu, and Nyla’s. During the day it was recommended, but not required.
The next day would be our first full day of our journey, Early wake up (5:00 am ). We call for our escort. The meet up point for all guests is at the main lodge. We are greeted by our guide, who gives us the word on the street (lingo for the feedback from trackers regarding what and where wildlife was spotted. Particular emphasis on the big five). We are provided with a snack style breakfast of juice, rolls, breakfast bars, coffee, tea. You get the idea.
The day begins. Our guide goes over what we have conveyed as a wish list and then they strive to get make that happen. The morning drive starts with tracking a pride of lionesses with their young and watching as they scope for a nice place to nap. Not in the hunting mode. Then we move on to find others. The morning is broke up with a break as well. Again set up with coffee, tea, snacks, fruit and Amarula liqueur. Amarula is a South African liqueur. Reminds me of Kahlua. After that break we continue with the drive. We were not disappointed. We were fortunate to find a mother cheetah with her five babies. We spent the rest of the morning watching and following them at a distance. These babies were still very young and our guide was not about to scare or startle them. It could really cost them their lives.
The morning drive was concluded and we were dropped off at the lodge in time for breakfast. Menu choices included many choices and a daily chef special. We really weren’t super famished but you could have the choice of ordering one of everything! It is all inclusive. The rest of the day until the evening drive we are on our own. Choices of activities included a bush walk with a guide, visit a nearby Zulu village, indulge in the pool or hang out at the lodge or suite. Those are the main activities that are included in the stay. There are other options for a fee. Many of those need to be set up prior to arrival. Such as the rhino de-horning, beach day adventure. You get the drift. I didn’t add any extra activities and for us and was happy I didn’t. Napping, lunch and reading were on the agenda for us. The girls enjoyed the pool, reading, napping and dealing with their naughty monkey.
We had two more morning and two early evening drives. The highlights of those included a large herd of elephants with their young at a large watering hole. They were joined by a large hippo lounging in the middle. Our last full day our tracker spotted prints belonging to Wild Dogs. This information went viral among all the guides out that day. There are not Wild Dogs in Phinda. They dug their way in from an adjoining reserver. We were there just after they took down an impala. That was…surreal.
Everything we experienced after was just icing on the cake. Including tracking a pride with their male in the middle of the deep brush. Crazy getting in there, but happy to see all of them with their bloated bellies and sleepy behavior.
We ended our last night with a South African candle lit dinner buffet. Twinkle lights, tablecloths, table set beautifully and the food choices were authentic African delicacies. Our guide joined us and we had so much to talk about. The other groups guests were also there with their guides. All the guides could not stop talking about the Wild Dogs.
The end of our safari journey arrived and it was a sweet and sad farewell to our guide and tracker. So these boomers and millenials were sad to have it conclude, but feeling so fortunate to have had the experience and share it with our millennial daughters.