Bayala Private Safari Lodge & Camp

Bayala means "Never give in or give up" and was once a cattle farm and hunting concession before it was purchased and turned into a thriving game reserve, committed to wildlife conservation. For a complete KwaZulu experience, take a look at this awesome 8 Day Durban, Bayala & St Lucia safari.

Bayala is situated in the Southern part of the Munyawana Game Reserve, one of KZN’s premier private game reserve destinations which comprises of Phinda Private Game Reserve and Zuka Private Game Reserve. This incredibly diverse conservation area is close to 30,000 ha of unspoiled wilderness and borders the iSimangaliso Wetland Park which is a world heritage site. 

Bayala Private Safari Lodge and Camp is a newly renovated family-oriented lodge situated 3 hours’ drive north of Durban’s King Shaka airport. Bayala is nestled within a non-malaria, Big 5 private conservancy of close to 30,000 hectares of unspoiled wilderness. View lion, elephant, leopard, buffalo, and rhino amongst beautiful zebra, giraffe and various other plains game with one of our experienced rangers on an open safari vehicle. Bayala Safari Lodge and Camp are within a short drive of each other. Safari Lodge has recently been renovated and the Camp is undergoing renovations, both camps have 24 comfortable thatch-roofed en-suite rooms decorated with neutral bushveld colors throughout. Safari Lodge boasts a beautiful and restful lounge, a rustic bar and relaxed, informal dining inside or outside, where our chefs produce a line-up of dining experiences, from a traditional “braai” under the stars to delicious hot and cold full English breakfasts and lunches served in the lodge or on the veranda next to the pool.

Activities offered at Bayala include morning and afternoon game drives, bush walks and spa treatments. Spa treatments and babysitting need to be arranged prior to your arrival.

Bayala forms part of an upliftment program, supporting a local primary and high school and helps raise funds for Rhino Conservation in KwaZulu Natal. 

Kerry A's experience at Bayala

It’s mid-afternoon. The color of the bushveld sky is changing constantly as we drive. We’ve just seen a family of warthogs trotting away towards a waterhole, tails in the air, even cuter in real life than in The Lion King.

Suddenly our ranger, JR, tells us to listen carefully. I can hear distant snorting and blowing. JR says these are the warning calls of a herd of wildebeest, and they usually mean that a predator is nearby.

We pick up speed, and in just a minute or two we learn what’s upsetting the wildebeest. JR was right – a predator is nearby. A family of predators, actually – a sleek mother cheetah and her two precious, furry cubs. And they’ve just made a kill.

JR stops the vehicle, and we take it all in.

The adult cheetah is standing a few meters away keeping watch for threats, while her babies tuck into their meal, a small impala. This is a scene I’ve only ever seen in wildlife documentaries; being so close to it is absolutely surreal. It’s weirdly peaceful, and the cubs are just about the cutest thing I’ve seen.

We stay for about 10 minutes until the vultures start circling and the mother cheetah drags her kill into the bushes, away from the spying eyes of other predators and the scavengers flying above.

As the afternoon wears on, we see giraffes, zebras, waterbuck, and jackals. We hear an elephant crashing about in the trees. We’re treated to vista after vista. The hills in the area – a series of extinct volcanoes, I’m told – make for an exceptionally scenic experience.

Eventually, we come to a dam, where we notice a perky set of ears sticking out of the glassy water. Hippos! The silence here is broken only by birdsong and a little hippo snort every once in a while. One of the baby hippos climbs onto his mom’s back and bites her ears playfully. We watch them splashing around in the placid water for a while, and then drive up to the top of a koppie to watch the sunset.

As night falls we start heading back towards the lodge. But nature has one more treat for us: a small pride of lions lazing around in the dark, entirely unperturbed by our spotlights. I can feel my David Attenborough voice coming on.

We get back to the lodge to find a braai waiting for us – three kinds of meat, and all the traditional side dishes you can imagine. The cheetahs are not the only ones who’ll be eating well today.

It was a five-star day, for sure. But here’s the great part: we didn’t have to stay at a five-star lodge to enjoy it. The recently revamped Bayala Lodge – located right next to Phinda, with access to much of the same game habitat – offers a five-star experience at a price that local travelers, families, and young people can afford.

Bayala is an easy three-hour drive from Durban, so it’s just right for an overnight getaway if you live in KZN, and is easily reached from the airport if you’re flying in from elsewhere.