Animal Magnitude

Safari trips are about more than merely the animals, says Hetty Lintell, who discovered how much has changed for the better on a recent trip to the African continent

- Hetty Lintell

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DEEP in the South African bush, the vast orange sun is setting, yet sleep is the furthest thing from our minds as the engine of our open-air vehicle dies and we fall silent. Five meters from the wheels lit up by the tracker’s infrared light, two magnificent lions—brothers—begin to stretch. They’re priming themselves for a busy evening. A roar rattles our bones and we can’t distinguish our own excitement from mild fear—we are at one with Nature at its most intoxicating.

Thankfully, we are in safe hands—&Beyond Phinda Private Game Reserve’s guides have lived outside for days on end with these animals, as part of their intensive training. Like the born and bred trackers, they can predict an animal’s mood before the animal acts.

&Beyond safaris are about more than ticking off the Big Five: they are a 360-degree journey. The company shares its focus equally between its six five-star, award-winning lodges (across three continents) and projects that benefit the community and environment.