Phinda Private Game Reserve (), formerly known as Phinda Resource Reserve, is a private game reserve situated in

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is locate ...

, South Africa, between the

Mkuze Game Reserve uMkhuze Game Reserve (also spelt Mkhuze or Mkuze) is a game reserve in northern Zululand, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.Atlas of National Parks and Reserves of South Africa. Mapstudio. 2004. It was proclaimed a protected area on 15 February 1912 ...

and the Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park. Designated in 1991, Phinda is a Zulu word meaning 'return', or more accurately 'repeat'. Phinda has seven distinct ecosystems ranging from palm savannah and mountain bush to rare sand forest and dense thornveld. In 1993 the reserve joined with two neighboring land owners to create the Mun-Ya-Wana Conservancy. Through various land expansion projects, acquisitions, and agreements with local communities, the conservancy has grown to . Martindale, G., and S. Naylor. "Mun-Ya-Wana Conservancy Management Plan." (2018

As of May 2020, the South African company WildEarth have broadcast drives from Phinda in collaboration with &Beyond.

Fauna

Wildlife Wildlife refers to undomesticated animal species, but has come to include all organisms that grow or live wild in an area without being introduced by humans. Wildlife was also synonymous to game: those birds and mammals that were hunted fo ...

inhabiting this reserve include

elephant Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae a ...

giraffe The giraffe is a large African hoofed mammal belonging to the genus ''Giraffa''. It is the tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant on Earth. Traditionally, giraffes were thought to be one species, ''Giraffa camelopardalis ...

zebra Zebras (, ) (subgenus ''Hippotigris'') are African equines with distinctive black-and-white striped coats. There are three living species: the Grévy's zebra (''Equus grevyi''), plains zebra (''E. quagga''), and the mountain zebra (''E. z ...

, lion,

African wild dog The African wild dog (''Lycaon pictus''), also called the painted dog or Cape hunting dog, is a wild canine which is a native species to sub-Saharan Africa. It is the largest wild canine in Africa, and the only extant member of the genus '' Lyc ...

blue wildebeest The blue wildebeest (''Connochaetes taurinus''), also called the common wildebeest, white-bearded gnu or brindled gnu, is a large antelope and one of the two species of wildebeest. It is placed in the genus '' Connochaetes'' and family Bovidae, ...

, Cape buffalo,

hippopotamus The hippopotamus ( ; : hippopotamuses or hippopotami; ''Hippopotamus amphibius''), also called the hippo, common hippopotamus, or river hippopotamus, is a large semiaquatic mammal native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is one of only two extant ...

southern white rhinoceros The southern white rhinoceros or southern white rhino (''Ceratotherium simum simum'') is one of the two subspecies of the white rhinoceros (the other being the much rarer northern white rhinoceros). It is the most common and widespread subspecie ...

black rhinoceros The black rhinoceros, black rhino or hook-lipped rhinoceros (''Diceros bicornis'') is a species of rhinoceros, native to eastern and southern Africa including Angola, Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Eswatini, Tanzania ...

spotted hyena The spotted hyena (''Crocuta crocuta''), also known as the laughing hyena, is a hyena species, currently classed as the sole extant member of the genus ''Crocuta'', native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is listed as being of least concern by the IUC ...

cheetah The cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus'') is a large cat native to Africa and central Iran. It is the fastest land animal, estimated to be capable of running at with the fastest reliably recorded speeds being , and as such has evolved specialize ...

and

leopard The leopard (''Panthera pardus'') is one of the five extant species in the genus ''Panthera'', a member of the cat family, Felidae. It occurs in a wide range in sub-Saharan Africa, in some parts of Western and Central Asia, Southern Russia, a ...

. Martindale, G., and S. Naylor. "Mun-Ya-Wana Conservancy Management Plan." (2018

Lodges

*Forest Lodge – sixteen stilted glass chalets . These chalets are hand built by local

Zulu people Zulu people (; zu, amaZulu) are a Nguni people, Nguni ethnic group native to Southern Africa. The Zulu people are the largest Ethnic groups in South Africa, ethnic group and nation in South Africa, with an estimated 10–12 million people, li ...

to minimize impact on the rare Sand Forest. They seem to float between the forest floor and the towering torchwood trees. *Mountain Lodge – twenty chalets and conference facilities situated at the top of a lavish bushveld world, with panoramas of the

Lebombo Mountains The Lebombo Mountains, also called Lubombo Mountains ( pt, Montes Libombos), are an , narrow range of mountains in Southern Africa. They stretch from Hluhluwe in KwaZulu-Natal in the south to Punda Maria in the Limpopo Province in South Africa in ...

and the Lake St. Lucia coastal plains. *Vlei Lodge – six stilted suites of thatch, teak and glass overlook Phinda's unique wetland system at the edge of the forest. *Rock Lodge – six chalets built into the rock face overlooking the Leopard Rock. *Zuka Lodge – situated in the western region of Phinda are four thatched Zululand bush cottages. The cottages are set 15 metres apart and feature verandas overlooking a busy waterhole. *Homestead – an exclusive use 4 bedroom villa.

References

External links

* Official website o
Phinda Private Game Reserve

andBeyond

Map of Phinda Private Game Reserve
{{Authority control Tourism in South Africa Protected areas of KwaZulu-Natal Tourist attractions in KwaZulu-Natal

Fauna

Lodges

See also

References

External links