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South Africa Safari Camps-andBeyond Phinda Vlei Lodge

10/23/2016

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One stop during my trip to South Africa was the Phinda Private Game Reserve, in the KwaZulu-Natal area.  The reserve had four options for accommodations, and we chose the Vlei Lodge.  The Vlei Lodge was in fact a camp set up, not a large lodge.  The thatch roofed chalets were separated from each other by bushes and trees, which created a nice sense of privacy.  The rooms and the large bathrooms were beautiful.  The main building was at the center of the camp, just a two minute walk down a path.  The main building had a nice sitting area and shady deck looking out over the vlei (grassy area) in addition to dining tables.  Lunch and breakfast were served outside on the deck, which was lovely and warm mid-day.  
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One day we had lunch on our own porch, but ended up running inside with our trays to get away from the little monkeys that constantly scampered around the camp!  At the main building, the monkeys still tried to take food, but they were afraid of the employees and a little less bold about jumping right on your table.
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To me, the highlight of the game viewing at Phinda was the number of rhino sightings. Rhinos are hunted illegally for their horns throughout Africa, and the poachers are hard to stop in some areas.  Phinda has done an amazing job keeping the poachers at bay, largely due to their good relationship with the local community.  The reserve's land is actually leased from the local community and they have a mutually beneficial financial partnership.  People in the community alert their friends on the anti-poaching force if they see someone new or suspicious in the area. We saw rhino each day we went on game drives, and were lucky enough to spot this baby rhino at the water hole with his mother. 
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Other sightings included elephants, giraffe, buffalo, hippos, a group of three cheetah brothers, and two prides of lions.  As you can see above, the one pride had several young lions that were a riot to watch.  At times, you had to drive a bit between good sightings, but overall there was a good variety of game in the reserve and the trackers did an excellent job of finding the animals.  We had at most six people per open topped vehicle, so nobody sat in the dreaded middle seat where the view is not good.  
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Another note about Phinda Vlei Lodge-the food was out of this world.  A woman named Happiness was the chef, and she was an incredible cook.  Homemade bread and desserts, imaginative and varied menus, and lots of fresh fruit and produce from the area all made for memorable meals.  She was sure to make a vegetarian option for me at each meal, and they were all exceptional.
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We reached Phinda by flying from Cape Town to the Durban airport, where an andBeyond driver met us.  It was about a three hour drive on good roads with sugarcane and pineapple fields and a few villages along the way.  We left from the Phinda airstrip to fly onto the airstrip at Ngala, our next safari camp.

It was too chilly in June to use the private plunge pool, but the animals made very good use of the fresh water!  An elephant came to drink out of the pool next door, but sadly, passed right by ours.

For more information, visit 
www.andbeyond.com/phinda-vlei-lodge/
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Planning a trip to Africa

10/12/2016

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Do you want to go to Africa but don't know where to start?  It is definitely a trip that needs to be planned far in advance.  The first time, I thought it was going to be a once in a lifetime experience.  How wrong I was!  I was lucky enough to return three more times, and am excited to be planning a trip for next summer.  The animals are always the focus for me, but that does not mean there aren't other amazing experiences and activities. Culture, art, spas, and history can be a part of your trip along with the wildlife.
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Initial Planning
I strongly feel this is a journey to plan with a professional travel planner who is either based in Africa, or has been there A LOT.  You need someone who can deal with the ins and outs of the camp transfers and local logistics.  They can help you decide which area of Africa to concentrate on and then send you safari camp suggestions based on your budget.  (If you want to do gorilla trekking in Uganda or Rwanda, please note that everything else about your trip depends on the days you are given your gorilla permits. Do that first!)

One of the most frequent questions I get is, "Did it take forever to get there?" If you have miles for upgrading to business class, this is the time to use them.  Being able to stretch out and sleep on at least one of the legs will help you be ready to hit the ground running on arrival.  Depending on how long it takes you to get there, you may want to plan more than one day in Nairobi or Johannesburg to adjust before beginning the safari portion of your trip.  When traveling to South Africa, a few days in Cape Town is a great way to start.


Getting There-South Africa

There are several ways to get to South Africa from the United States, and yes, they are all long.  On my most recent trip, I used British Airways miles to book the tickets so we flew through London.  I actually liked having a break between the two flights, but some people prefer the long South African Airways flights from the US to Johannesburg so they don't have to change planes.  Flying the Middle Eastern carriers is getting more popular and they do sometimes offer competitive fares.
Getting There-Kenya

There are a few ways to get to Kenya, but there is no direct flight option from the US.  You will need to change in Europe or the Middle East.  
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Accommodation
There are three main types of accommodations in the safari areas-lodges, tented camps, and mobile tented camping.  Lodges are generally larger, with the rooms in one building or a few smaller buildings.  Tented camps are permanent tents, with real floors and full ensuite bathrooms.  Sometimes, the camps have a small chalet rather than a canvas tent, but they are stand alone rather than grouped in a building.  Mobile tented camping is just how it sounds-the safari operator may set up the camp for a whole season, but it is not a permanent camp.  Each type of lodging has its advantages, and I have liked doing a mix of camps and lodges.  While some are quite luxurious and I know there are amazing experiences to be had at the mobile tented camps, that style is just not for me!

Some will be found in or adjoining national parks, some will be in private reserves.  Trip Advisor reviews and each place's website will help you determine this.  Something else to find out is what type of vehicle is used, and how many people per vehicle.  

I will highlight some of my favorite camps and lodges in upcoming posts.
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