RESTORED PROTECTED PRESERVED WILD
Zuka Private Game Reserve is the cornerstone property of a pioneering land assembly founded by Tara and Jessica Getty in 2001. Today, this progressive rewilding project has thus far expanded to 10,300 hectares of environmentally restored and protected northern Zululand and stands as a beacon of light as to what is possible on our planet.
1990 – The Beginning of the Story
“Caring for wilderness, wildlife and people is multifaceted. There are many models. This is ours.”
~ TARA GETTY ~
“Caring for wilderness, wildlife and people is multifaceted. There are many models. This is ours.”
~ TARA GETTY ~
Where we are
Zuka Private Game Reserve is 10,300 hectares of the Munywana Conservancy, a formal Protected Area bordering a UNESCO World Heritage Site in northern KwaZulu Natal, South Africa.
Zuka Private Game Reserve’s proximity to the Indian Ocean, and the Lebombo Mountains creates dramatic topography with varied geology and soils from the ancient sea bed and historic volcanic activity; in turn supporting an array of habitats and vast biodiversity.
4 DAYS TO GO!
And this is what our Wildlife Ranger Challenge is all about!
Coordinated by @tusk.org teams of rangers and supporters are taking part in this endurance event throughout Africa, and we are thrilled to be joining in camaraderie for our fellow wildlife Rangers around the continent on Saturday, in this, our 5th Wildlife Ranger Challenge!
Over 250 of us are joining together to walk and run through Zuka Private Game Reserve while raising funds for @oceanswithoutborders
🩵🌍💚🥾🩵🌊🌍💚🥾🌊🌍💚🥾🩵
Fundraising is open until 30th September.
🔗 in our bio
🧡Siyabonga✨Thank you🧡
#ForWildlifeRangers
#WildlifeRangerChallenge
#Zuka25
#ThisisZuka
Sep 15
WILDLIFE GUARDIANS
Wild places and wildlife guardians.
Across land and ocean, wildlife rangers, marine rangers, safari guides and trackers are the people whose lives and work are closely connected to our landscapes and seascapes.
Their roles may differ, but each depends upon their learning, time in the field (or ocean!) relationships and their commitment to the environment - and what this means for humanity. This work is not easy.
Rangers patrol, protect and monitor wildlife and habitat. Marine rangers carry that guardianship into our oceans, safeguarding species, marine systems and coastlines.
They interpret the wild for us, turning understanding into care and protection and reminding us we are not separate to nature but wholly reliant on it.
Saturday 19th September, Zuka is taking part once again in @tusk_org Wildlife Ranger Challenge.
Fundraising is open until the end of September and the link is in our bio!
🧡Thank you!
🧡Siyabonga!
#WildlifeRangerChallenge
#ForWildlifeRangers
#Zuka25Years
Sep 11
A FIRST GLIMPSE
After twenty-five years, here’s a first look!
The trailer for A Wild Constellation, our anniversary film, telling the story of how Zuka came to be and what it means to us.
Premieres in full next Friday at the Wildlife Ranger Challenge.
#AWildConstellation
#Zuka25
Sep 9
THE FACE
Back in 1991, when Phinda Resource Reserve was newly formed, guests arrived eager to see cheetah roaming in this restored swathe of wilderness.
Cheetah became the iconic face of Phinda, appearing on the front cover of those early Phinda brochures.
During our twenty-five years of Zuka, we have worked to expand the original conservation landscape.
Today the greater Munywana Conservancy is 29,866 hectares of uninterrupted wild space, enabling cheetah and an abundance of wildlife to move freely.
Cheetahs still retain their iconic status - both within this expanded landscape and as an enduring highlight of the guest experience here.
#Cheetah
#AWildConstellation
#Zuka25
#ThisIsZuka
Sep 4
ALWAYS LEARNING
They didn’t arrive as experts.
They arrived willing to learn.
Twenty-five years on, co-founders Tara & Jess Getty are still letting the wild lead.
A Wild Constellation premieres on 18 September.
#AWildConstellation
#Zuka25
Sep 2
HERE WE GO!
Zuka Private Game Reserve is proudly taking part in Tusk’s Wildlife Ranger Challenge 2026!
Uniting in support of Africa’s wildlife rangers, we are thrilled to be taking part for our fifth consecutive year, raising funds for rangers across Africa and their valued role as wildlife guardians.
Wildlife Ranger Challenge is organised by Tusk and the Game Rangers Association of Africa, with support from founding donor Mark Scheinberg.
🔗in our bio 🦏🌾🥾🫱🏾🫲🏼
Join us ! 🧡
#WildlifeRangerChallenge
#ForWildlifeRangers
#WildlifeGuardians
#ThisIsZuka
Aug 31
THE MAKING OF
Turns out making a film about Zuka’s first 25 years is a lot of fun!
Every frame took a team, plenty of planning and more than a few laughs.
Take a little look behind the lens – the long days, the good light and some moments in between.
A Wild Constellation premieres 18 September.
#AWildConstellation
#Zuka25
Aug 28
BIG FIVE
Coined in a long-gone era as the term for the biggest and most difficult wild animals to hunt, today, the “Big Five” are the incredible creatures everyone wants to see and experience on safari.
#ThisIsZuka
#BigFive
#Safari
#Zuka25
Aug 26
TWENTY-FIVE YEARS MEASURED
Numbers tell part of the story.
Swipe to the end for the part they can’t.
#AWildConstellation
#Zuka25
Aug 24
SHARED STEWARDSHIP
For Zuka, conservation has never been solely about the land and wildlife. It’s about people too.
A philosophy and a way, first defined decades ago and truly lived by @londolozi – care of the land, care of the wildlife and care of the people – rippled to become the strong heartbeat of @andbeyondtravel and the Phinda restoration story.
This DNA lives on through Zuka and our integrated model that extends far beyond our bounds here.
#AWildConstellation
#Zuka25
Aug 21
MEMORY LANE
Three decades ago, long before an idea or the germination of Zuka as it is today, a young man was carrying bags at a newly created Phinda Resource Reserve.
Co-founder Tara Getty spent his early years learning, hands on and feet in the field alongside ecotourism pioneer and conservation visionary Dave Varty.
This is how Zuka first took root.
#AWildConstellation
#Zuka25
Aug 19
LEOPARD
These elusive cats, move in mysterious ways but their presence tells us about the state of the environment.
As apex predators, leopards are an important marker of the health of the reserve and the natural systems within it.
This wasn’t always the case, but now in our third decade of restoring and protecting this swathe of wilderness, alongside collaborative conservation partnerships, the leopards bear testament to a fully balanced landscape.
#Leopard
#LeopardConservation
#LandRestoration
#ThisIsZuka
#Zuka25
Aug 17
THE START
Zuka’s co-founder Tara Getty traveled and worked in Africa in his early twenties. He fell in love with this wilderness area of Zululand in the northern reaches of Kwa-Zulu Natal and never looked back.
A Wild Constellation traces the story back to where it all began.
#AWildConstellation
#Zuka25Years
Aug 14
HAPPY WORLD ELEPHANT DAY!
#WorldElephantDay
#ThisIsZuka
#Zuka25
Aug 12
LION ENERGY
World Lion Day falls within this time known as the Lion’s Gate Portal, a period in the year when our planet Earth is aligned with the sun and the brightest star in the sky - Sirius, bathing us in extra light and energy!
Positioned in this Leo season is World Lion Day, which asks for a moment of awareness of these big cats, the importance of conserving them and, preserving their place in the natural system.
Today we hope our lions inspire your deepest courage with an invitation to dream your biggest!
✨🌞💫🦁♌️🦁🧡🦁♌️🦁💫🌞 ✨
#WorldLionDay
#LionsGate
#Courage
#DreamBig
#ThisIsZuka
Aug 10
GREEN FRONTIERS
Zuka is part of nearly 30,000 hectares of protected wilderness.
Zuka’s 10,000 hectares has helped this land assembly to expand and become the Munywana Conservancy.
Protecting, restoring and connecting wilderness - our endeavour from the beginning.
#AWildConstellation
#Zuka25
Aug 7
“Courage is the measure of our heartfelt participation with life, with another, with a community, a work; a future.”
~ DAVID WHYTE ~
“Courage is the measure of our heartfelt participation with life, with another, with a community, a work; a future.”