On Safari in Kwa-Zulu Natal, Part 1 - the far north

Zebra, Itala Game Reserve

Some time back, I guided a safari to the game reserves of northern Kwa-Zulu Natal (aka Maputaland and/or Zululand) for my good friends and clients, Dave & Jean. 

Here's the link to the post on that safari:- Zululand – from Zebras to Whales, Owls to Twinspots

Map of Northern Kwa-Zulu Natal

 I've longed to return ever since and when my cousins Simon & Diana asked me to put together another safari for their second visit to South Africa, I planned it following the same itinerary but with a few more days.



So, after much anticipation, we set off  from Johannesburg in mid-February, for our 12 day extended safari of Zululand.

Our itinerary took us to 1. Itala GR (2 nights) nestled in the dramatic foothills of the Great Escarpment, 2. north-east to the floodplains of the Maputo and Pongolo Rivers (Ndumo GR, 1 night), then south to the beautiful open plains, dense sand forests and wetlands east of the Lebombo Mountains, 3. Mkuze GR (2 nights), south again to the steep hills and deep valleys of the 4. Hluhluwe & iMfolozi Rivers (1 night at Hilltop, 2 nights at Mpila), and finally 3 nights on our stunning Indian Ocean coastline, at 5. Cape Vidal. On the way south to Durban, we also popped in to the Dlinza Forest aerial boardwalk in Eshowe.

Due to the number of photos I'd like to show you I've split the post about this safari into 2 and I will just cover Itala, Ndumo, Mkuze and Hluhluwe-iMfolozi in this first part. At the bottom of this post you will find the link to the 2nd part.......

Impala, Itala

1. Ithala Game Reserve

 With masses of plains game and fantastic birding (being a transition zone between high altitude wet grasslands and the lower, sub-tropical zones of KZN), there's always lots to see at Itala.

Their elephant, however, are very shy & generally hide in the Pongolo River hills.

Looking down towards the Pongolo River valley

Late summer in this part of South Africa tends to be warm and humid with long grass and lush vegetation. So although we saw a lot of animal life, good photographic opportunities were thin on the ground (not like the grass ;)).

I didn't mind that at all, as I so enjoyed just sitting back and watching everything going on...

Giraffe on the way into Ndumo

2. Ndumo Game Reserve

The main purpose of our 1 night at Ndumo was to do a morning birding walk and visit Nyamithi Pan.

Ndumo Rest Camp

Sadly for us, although always good for the bush, the whole region received over 6 inches of rain just a few days before we got there, so in all the reserves we visited, the guided bush walks had been cancelled due to the sogginess of the ground or localised flooding.

Never the less we had an absolutely amazing morning at the bird-hide on the Pan, with hundreds of Yellow-billed stork perched in the trees on the far bank, dozens of pink-backed pelican and many other water birds.

Nyamithi Pan

Pink-backed Pelican

an interesting spider

3. uMkhuze Game Reserve (iSimangaliso Wetland Park)

Next stop was uMkhuze. The western gate into the reserve is nestled in a valley at the foot of the Lebombo's and the road cris-crosses the river, by low level bridges(fords), many times before hitting the open plains. After all the weekend's rain, it was quite nerve-wracking to ease our way through the fast flowing water over each bridge.

Our game drives the next day were most notable for the birds that we saw. Firstly this Southern-masked weaver busy building his next right next to the bird-hide, and then the 30 minutes plus we spent in the middle of a massive Red-billed Quelea nesting colony with thousands of Quelea's building nests, feeding young and flying over and around us continuously. The racket was quite incredible and impossible to describe.

Red-billed Quelea

After a mostly wet & cloudy day, our last morning at uMkhuze dawned clear and turned into a stinking hot day..... The giraffe, zebra & other plains game gave us a really good showing on our way out.....

4. Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Game Reserve

This is Kwa-Zulu Natal's flagship "big 5" destination and our first afternoon in Hluhluwe lived up to it's reputation despite the scorching heat.

from Hilltop Camp

After a long, hot day game viewing in both uMkhuze and Hluhluwe, the view from our bungalow at Hilltop Camp, whilst sipping on our gin & tonics,  was "the best" ever!!


The next morning we spent a while on the trail around the inside edge of the camp, enjoying the views, birds, red duiker and Samango monkeys. A late breakfast & then we headed south to Mpila camp. The day was once again searingly hot and all the animals had disappeared into the shady thickets.




So we were very grateful to arrive in camp (Mpila) and spend what remained of the afternoon enjoying the Vervet monkeys, warthog and impala that grazed, rooted and scavenged around our chalet in a never-ending cycle..... whilst sipping on our G&T's of course!!

Vervet monkey

Please click on this link to get to Part 2 of our amazing KZN safari......  On safari in Kwa-Zulu Natal - Part 2 From hilltop to beach

On Safari in Kwa-Zulu Natal, Part 2 - from hilltop to beach

White-backed Vulture

4. Hluhluwe-iMfolozi, Part 2

for Part 1 of this safari please click on this link:- On safari in Kwa-Zulu Natal, Part 1


After 2 days of extreme heat, the expected frontal system arrived and we had a gloomy, damp day for our game drive in the iMfolozi section of this reserve.

The riverside loop, which usually has the best wildlife, was unfortunately closed due to flood damage, so we were restricted to the hills.

Not much wildlife showed up but we did have a great view of this vulture and wildebeest!

Blue Wildebeest

It was a welcome break from being in the car to spend the afternoon enjoying the wildlife around our chalet.

The next morning we left the hills of the Zululand interior and headed for the coast......

iMfolozi Game Reserve

5. Eastern Shores & Cape Vidal (iSimangaliso Wetland Park)

No trip to Kwa-Zulu Natal is complete without spending time on our magnificent Indian Ocean coast. Cape Vidal, our destination, is part of South Africa's first World Heritage Site, iSimangaliso. I can't describe it better than this quote from the iSimangaliso website:-

Cape Vidal

"The 332,000 hectare Park contains three major lake systems, eight interlinking ecosystems, 700 year old fishing traditions, most of South Africa’s remaining swamp forests, Africa’s largest estuarine system, 526 bird species and 25,000 year-old coastal dunes – among the highest in the world. The name iSimangaliso means miracle and wonder, which aptly describes this unique place.
Come and experience the diverse experiences in the 10 Jewels that make up the iSimangaliso Wetland Park. Enjoy the endless beaches that stretch 220 kilometers from Maphelane in the south to Kosi Bay on the Mozambique border, view game on self-guided or guided trails and routes on the foothills of the Lubombo mountains in uMkhuze or in the coastal forests and rolling grasslands of Lake St Lucia’s Eastern Shores. See the spectacular coral reefs and colourful underwater life whilst diving or snorkelling or embark on adventures ranging from kayak trips to horse rides."

We spent 3 nights at Cape Vidal and made the most of the beach, snorkelling in the small lagoon, game viewing in the Lake St. Lucia Eastern Shores and doing an estuarine boat cruise.

This destination really has almost everything one would want to experience on a South African holiday, and our chalet was just behind the sand dune from the beach.

Vervet Monkeys on my car

In camp......

Kudu bulls

Kudu females

Game viewing......

African buffalo

Sunrise over the Indian Ocean

Early launching for the sports fishermen

On the beach.....

Relaxing after a snorkel...

Hippo in the mangroves

and on the boat cruise......

Nile crocodile

The last day of our safari arrived, and probably just in time as my cousin, obviously bitten by a tick at Ithala, was now suffering from relatively mild (luckily) tick-bite fever.

So it was time to head south to Durban, a doctor, and a weekend spent with family, and the end of our amazing Kwa-Zulu Natal trip.










On the way, we diverted inland to the Dlinza Forest, hidden in the town of Eshowe.

Here, there is an aerial boardwalk which gives impressive views of the canopy forest.

6. Durban

After breakfast, a morning walk on one of Durban's beaches.........

View from our table at the entrance to Durban harbour

Blue-bottle or Portuguese Man-o-War

Durban

 Kwa-Zulu Natal is often overlooked by first time visitors to South Africa, who tend to naturally focus on Cape Town and Kruger National Park.

But once you have fallen in love with this amazing country, and can manage to visit again, then this province should definitely be in your plans.

Zululand – from Zebras to Whales, Owls to Twinspots

I've been meaning to post about Zululand for sometime now. For the last four years I have been fortunate enough to guide a safari each spring/early summer to this beautiful part of South Africa.

In actual fact, the main reason I've just been back there is due to extolling its wonders to Dave and Jean, whilst they were on safari with me in Kruger in late 2009. So this year, they returned and asked me to guide them on an exhilarating 10 day exploration of this amazingly diverse province.

Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Game Reserve

Picture in your mind - steep, grassy mountain sides; dense cool shady forests; crashing Indian Ocean rollers; endless silver beaches; colourful coral reefs; glittering lakes, lazy rivers and reedy marshes; and in-between, around these carefully conserved wilderness areas, the scattered rural homesteads and settlements of the Zulu and Shangaan people and the extensive sugar, pineapple and eucalyptus plantations of “big” agriculture.

Nyamithi Pan, Ndumo Game Reserve

A province of contrasts, a modern melting-pot of the low-intensity but persistent competition for the rich, rain-endowed rolling landscape, between people and wildlife, big business and traditional practices, conservation and development.......

For many years, this part of South Africa has been little known except to South Africans themselves, but international visitors who want to experience Africa beyond the “big 5”, are growing in numbers.

Cape Vidal

The destinations roll off the tongue – the Elephant Coast, Maputaland, Ithala, Ndumo, Sodwana, uMkhuze, iSimangaliso, iMfolozi, Hluhluwe, St Lucia, Cape Vidal......

And so.... to the safari itself......

The rains came early this year, so for October the country side was unusually lush, with wild flowers scattering colour over every open grassland, and woodlands intensely green with the bright colours of new leaf. The pans, lakes and rivers were all full and muddy brown and the skies were mostly grey, black and white with mists and thunderstorms.

The mammals, birds, insects and reptiles, thriving on this early release from the privations of late winter could be seen anywhere you looked and we had some really memorable experiences. These are just a few of them:-

African Wood Owl

A Marsh Owl perched on a fence post next to the roadworks – a first sighting for all of us, and then the very next morning, another first, an African Wood Owl perched deep in a forested mountainside going down to the Phongola River;

 

We saw at least one (usually more) White Rhino on every day of this safari;

 

A tense, bumpy, slippery 20 kilometre drive, on deeply muddy roads into Ndumo, culminating in a wonderful sighting of giraffe soon after entering;

Zebra at uMkhuze

An hour, plus, sitting enraptured in the car park of an uMkhuze hide, watching Blue waxbills, Yellow-fronted canaries, Pink-throated twinspots, Golden-breasted buntings, Green-winged pytilias, White-browed scrub-robins, Fire finches..........;

A leopard dragging it's antelope kill away into the thickets close by;

Morning on the beach

Seeing hump-back whales breaching against the sun rising over the Indian Ocean;

Coming back to our log cabin after a long day out bird and animal watching to find all our bread and bananas scattered into crumbs by invading monkeys;

The agile bats whizzing around our heads, inside the cabin, catching insects attracted to the lights;

 

The magnificent, stately Kudu bulls of Lake St Lucia Eastern Shores;

Two large crocodiles patiently stalking warthog and bushbuck just in front of the hide (not successful whilst we were there);

On a rare sunny day, vultures, eagles, kites filling the skies above the rolling iMfolozi hills;

First hearing and then spotting a Gorgeous bush-shrike in a thicket right next to the road;

Picnic breakfast on the banks of the Hluhluwe River;

 

 First, one large family of elephants, youngsters digging holes, chasing each other whilst mothers calmly carry on demolishing bushes and pulling lush grass. 

Then as we carry on up the river valley, more and more groups, herds, families of elephant, young males sparring, youngsters flopping down on river banks, older males deep in the trees up the hill sides, stately matriarchs with babies hugging their flanks........

And our last morning, on the open grasslands of Ithala, seeing Secretary birds, Blue crane, Bald ibis, Ostriches, Lanner falcons, zebra, rhino, Tssessebee, Red hartebeest, warthog......

Tssessebee in the flowers

Blue Crane (our national bird)

Hartebeest and Wildebeest

A glorious finale to an unforgettable 10 days.

Thank you Jean and Dave!

PS. The company that organised this particular trip now offers 7 day Zululand Explorer packages, so if any of you are inspired to visit Zululand after reading this post, please contact me and I will put you in touch with them.