Hi Phinda Homestead team

Thanks for an awesome stay. You went out of your way to make us feel special. The atmosphere and class at the lodge is incredible, Amy your cuisine was superb and the effort you all put into the "small stuff" is a treat. These include dinner in different areas, surprise drinks in the bush a la Brett, the cheese, bacon and egg mix morning toasties with syrup, Mandla arriving in ghostly silence with another tray of ice-cold Castle Lites (possibly one of the best and most regular sightings of the weekend), White Balance, rooms continuously tidied by "invisible" staff, beautiful boma dinner, the stories in the camp and Mark's witty story-telling on the drives, homemade onion bread and willingness to share recipes, the sand forest, the beautiful sightings we had - giraffe drinking, up close and personal with lions, cheetahs and their cubs, rhino baby and of course the uncanny spot of that leopard by Prince on Sunday night. Finding new bottles of Pimms. Repeatedly. And to top it all - Brett's elephant whistle to bring the whole camp alive for drinks at the pool. It's an experience we'll never forget!!

I've included some photos which top our highlights of the game viewing - not necessarily match winners. Just some incredible photos that highlight the immense value of spending time in a personalized environment in an upmarket reserve. As regular Umfolozi tourists, I don't reckon we'd get close to the same photos and experiences in another 30 years of visits!!

Just click on the image to expand (take note of download speed before full picture clarity).

Mark I need your help though - which ones should I send through your e-mail address in high resolution format to enter for the competition? Be brutally honest on this!! The photo of our group at camp with the elephants, the leopard shot at night, the shot of lioness looking back over her shoulder, maybe one of the cheetah cub shots, one of the cheetah yawning??

Take care and we hope we get to spend some time with you guys again someday.

Cheers

Grant and Debs