It’s January 1, 2023, and I’m sitting at the forest lodge at Phinda on the patio looking out at the wide open expense of the reserve. And I’m asking myself why I have returned. Why am I here? Hopefully my musings shed light on what makes this one of the special lodges at Phinda and why

During our stay in Cape Town at an Airbnb, we had a friend from Canada drop in and join us. She had never been on safari so we hunted around and found Sanbona Wildlife Reserve.

After a wonderful few days at andBeyond Kirkman’s Kamp we were transferred by road to the Ngala Safari Camp three hours north by road in the Timbavati area.

After being in the African bush for 10 days, Cathy and I headed to Cape Town, South Africa’s mother city, and stayed at the Belmond Mount Nelson hotel.

As our readers know, Cathy and I love to go on safari when we’re in Africa. On this long journey, we are heading to three camps: andBeyond Kirkman’s Kamp, andBeyond Ngala Safari Lodge and finally for New Year’s Eve, andBeyond Phinda Private Game Reserve.

On the way to safari at andBeyond Kirkman's Kamp, Cathy and I overnighted at the InterContinental Hotel at the O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa.

After a month in the United Kingdom, Cathy and I stopped off in Lisbon, one of our favourite cities, for a spell in the beautiful Portuguese capital.

Manchester, England; the first industrial city in the world and the one I remember as a child as being smoky, full of factories, and not exactly a pleasant city.

As part of our journey through Europe, Cathy and I decided to jump over to Ghent in Belgium.

I spent the day being a tourist in my own town and topped the event off with a stay at the charming, old-time, luxury hotel, the Wedgewood.