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| ACCESS |
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| Q: | What method of transportation is recommended to reach Phinda? |
| A: | Phinda is easily accessible by self-drive, road transfer and air – we can pre-book and package all of your regional/internal flights and transfers.
- Daily scheduled flights from Johannesburg International Airport direct to Phinda airstrip
- There are also daily scheduled flights from Johannesburg to Richards Bay Airport followed by a two-hour road or 20-minute light-aircraft transfer to Phinda
- Phinda is easily accessible for self-drive guests on excellent roads– driving time is six hours from Johannesburg and three hours from Durban
- Three-hour road transfers from Durban International Airport to Phinda in an air-conditioned minibus are available
- Phinda Airwing can arrange private charters from anywhere in South Africa direct to
Phinda airstrip
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| AFRICAN WILDLIFE
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| Q: | What are the characteristic animal species of the area? |
| A: | Cheetah, lion, black and white rhino, elephant, buffalo, nyala, reedbuck, red squirrel, suni antelope, hippo, leopard, impala, hyena, porcupine, giraffe, 378 bird species, and extraordinary marine diversity on nearby east coast, to name a few. |
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| CHILDREN
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| Q: | Are children welcome? |
| A: | Yes, children under 11 are welcome at Phinda Forest, Vlei, Mountain and Zuka Lodges. Regrettably, for safety reasons, children under 11 cannot be accommodated at Phinda Rock Lodge.
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| Q: | Where do children sleep? |
| A: | An extra bed can be arranged for a child (11 and under) sharing the parents’ suite at Phinda Mountain Lodge. A triple suite is regretfully not possible at Phinda Forest and Vlei Lodges. Children 5 years and younger can share their parents’ cottage at Zuka Lodge, as sitting areas feature built-in sofas which double as beds.
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| Q: | What are the activities available for children? |
| A: | Activities depend on the age of the children, and may include the following:
- Special family game-drives (at the discretion of the lodge manager and subject to availability)
- Special one-hour children's bush walks within the camp perimeter
- Planet Manager activity books
- Special programmes can be compiled such as tracking for children, frog safaris and birding
- Children’s meals and menus available
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| Q: | Are childminding services offered? |
| A: | Phinda's housekeepers are available for childminding. |
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| FOOD |
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| Q: | What style and type of meals are on offer? |
| A: | All CC Africa Lodges are world-renowned for their delicious Pan-African cuisine – fresh ingredients, simply prepared with an African flavour.
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| Q: | Do you cater for specific diets? |
| A: | Yes, all dietary requirements will be catered for. When making your reservation, please advise
us of any specific dietary requirements that you may have, and these will be communicated immediately to the lodge. Should specific items such as kosher meals need to be flown in, there will be an additional charge, which will be quoted separately. Two weeks' notice is required for kosher meals. |
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| GUEST SAFETY |
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| Q: | Will I be safe? |
| A: | Guest safety is of paramount importance – fully trained uniformed security guards monitor animal activity within the Lodge areas, and will escort guests to/from their suites.
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| HEALTH |
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| Q: | What kind of medical precautions do I need to take? |
| A: | Please consult your physician or health department for the latest health and anti-malarial precautions. Some countries require advance inoculations (and certificates thereof) – we will advise you of these. Phinda is graded as a low risk malarial area.
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| Q: | How is emergency medical cover and travel insurance arranged? |
| A: | Emergency medical evacuation insurance is included in the rate at all CC Africa lodges. Please note that this is evacuation insurance only and does not replace normal travel insurance. Trained first-aiders are on standby at the Lodge at all times, and emergency evacuation by air is available.
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| INTERNET/TELEPHONE FACILITIES
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| Q: | Do you have Internet access? |
| A: | This is available on request at the Lodge. Phinda Rock and Vlei Lodge guests would need to transfer to Mountain and Forest Lodges respectively. Phinda Zuka Lodge has a library with Internet access.
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| Q: | Do you have laptop dial-up facility from the rooms? |
| A: | Suites at Phinda Mountain and Forest Lodge and Zuka Lodge’s cottages have standard telephone connections from which laptops are able to dial up.
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| LAUNDRY SERVICE
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| Q: | Do you have a laundry service? |
| A: | We offer a complimentary laundry service – no dry cleaning facilities available. All laundry is machine-washed and tumble-dried (unless otherwise specified). |
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| PACKING SUGGESTIONS |
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| Q: | What do I need to pack? |
| A: | Click here to see packing suggestions |
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| POWER |
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| Q: | Do you have electricity? |
| A: | 220v current is available 24 hours a day at Phinda Mountain, Rock, Vlei, Forest and Zuka Lodges, and international adapters can be supplied on request. Hairdryers are available in all rooms. Facilities for charging batteries are available. |
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| SAFARI ACTIVITIES |
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| Q: | What are the activities? |
| A: | Phinda offers a range of exciting safari activities, from twice-daily game-drives and
riverboat cruises along the Mzinene River at no extra cost, to optional adventures such as scuba diving and Flight of the Fish Eagle air
safaris.
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| Q: | What are the approximate starting times of the game-drives? |
| A: | Dependent upon the seasons, these are approximate times only:
- Spring and summer (September – March):
- Morning game-drive 5:30am
- Afternoon/evening game-drive 4:00pm
- Autumn and winter (April – August):
- Morning game-drive 6:00am
- Afternoon/evening game-drive 3:30pm
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| Q: | What is the length of the game-drives? |
| A: | Approximately three to four hours.
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| Q: | What is the maximum number of guests allowed on each game-drive vehicle? |
| A: | Usually six – occasionally up to eight.
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| Q: | How are CC Africa’s trackers and rangers trained? |
| A: | We employ over 200 full-time rangers, guides and trackers across the group who are trained at CC Africa’s Inkwazi Ranger Training School at Phinda, and are renowned for their heartfelt enthusiasm and excellent knowledge of the African bush and wildlife. Guest safety is paramount at all times. |
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| SAFARI SEASONS |
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| Q: | Which are the best months to visit Phinda? |
| A: | Phinda offers exceptional game viewing opportunities throughout the year. It has a subtropical climate with hot, humid, wet summers (September to April) and warm to cool, dry winters (May to August). Daytime summer temperatures may rise above 35ºC/95ºF, and winter nights rarely drop below 10ºC/50ºF.
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| Q: | When is the rainy season? |
| A: | Rainfall occurs predominantly in the summer months from September to April in the form of magnificent late afternoon/evening thundershowers. Along the coast, rainfall averages about
1 000mm (39 inches) per annum. Rain can be expected throughout the year.
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| WATER |
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| Q: | Can I drink the water? |
| A: | Tap water in the rooms has been purified however, should the water be salty to your taste, complimentary bottles of mineral water are supplied in the rooms and with meals. |
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