Scott Dunn: ANYTHING ELSE IS JUST A HOLIDAY

Samantha Gee (Staff)

Nestled in the ‘sand’ forest in the north of the Phinda Reserve, Forest Lodge provides a cool and leafy oasis. Each of the 16 rooms is carefully hidden for maximum privacy, styled a little like a Japanese ryokan from the outside (white glass with dark wood edging) with a private deck and all mod-cons inside. My one criticism is that room felt very slightly small but the large deck with big squashy sofa made up for this. We also loved the champagne bath that awaited us after our evening game drive! The food was some of the best I have had on safari. Both lunch and dinner are á la carte with a choice of two starters and two mains. Watch out for the monkeys though and don’t leave bread on your side plate for to long! Occasionally, candlelit dinners are served in the boma. Our guide was superb, not only delivering some great sightings (a male leopard, two lionesses on a kill) but imparting some fascinating facts about the bush. Did you know that male leopard wee smells like buttered popcorn? The sand floor of the forest makes tracking slightly easier here as one can follow their tracks.