When it comes to diversity of fauna and flora, the northern KwaZulu-Natal coastal stretch must surely be one of the most glittering jewels in the South African crown.
Here you find yourself on the southern boundary of the sub-tropics and with that come many plants, birds, reptiles and mammals which swell the numbers of the already-bountiful temperate menu on display.
As for habitats… dry sand forests, vegetated dune systems, salty estuaries, fresh-water lakes, palm forests, beaches, mountains… you name it, it’s there. Plus this region is telescoped into a relatively small area, so precious days aren’t wasted on the road.
This is a holiday zone made for nature-lovers. You can easily squeeze in a big-five safari, a few special nights in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park viewing some of the highest concentrations of hippos and crocs in the world (skinny dipping not encouraged… actually dipping full stop is not a good idea); and some time soaking up the African sun on the beach; or even get your scuba ticket.
All you need now is somewhere to call home. And that’s where the Greenwood Guide is at your service. Try one of the following superb places to stay while exploring.
Bushwillow
Hluhluwe, 035 562 0473
Game reserves can be an expensive stop-over, so for visitors on a tighter budget we’ve uncovered some more affordable gems that still offer access to local highlights.
Bushwillow – more of a passion than a business to Julian and Liz – is one. Set in the Kuleni Game Park with 170 hectares to explore (on foot) you’ll spot plenty of wildebeest, zebra, warthog and giraffe, setting the mood for the Big 5 at Hluhluwe-Umfolozi or the Isimangaliso Wetland Park just half an hour away.
It’s hidden in the sand forest and while it can be reserved for your exclusive use, here you will always find an interesting array of people with whom to spend your time.
I arrived on a blisteringly hot day and, passing a greedy “sounder” of warthogs, was only too glad when Julian shepherded me inside to the cool of the fans. The three forest-green chalets blend into the bush perfectly, cunningly positioned a stone’s throw from a small water-hole so you needn’t go further than the deck (or plunge pool) to spot the local wildlife.
The air-conditioned bedrooms are peaceful and private with basins set in jacaranda trunks.
Hluhluwe River Lodge
iSimangaliso Wetland Park, Hluhluwe
035 562 0246/7
I was greeted by a beaming Zulu smile and a wheelbarrow taxi for my luggage before being whisked off to have an ice-cold lager and some orientation with Gavin in a bar that wouldn’t be out of place in trendy Soho.
After being shown my fabulous wood-and-thatch chalet, I headed back to the massive deck to drink in the view across the Hluhluwe River flood plain. There’s a plunge pool lost in the trees, but most will want to make full use of the all-seeing, all-knowing guides and exploring this remarkable region.
For the saddle-hardened, Garth leads horseback safaris among rhino, buffalo, giraffe and antelope. Otherwise, there are drives through the Wetland Park sandforests, or to Cape Vidal National Park, but I visited nearby Umfolozi-Hluhluwe Park. And what a trip – my first real game drive – and we spotted a leopard.
You can also go mountain-biking, horse-riding through False Bay Park, on canoe trips and boat cruises on the Hluhluwe River or take botanical trips and guided walks to the old fossil banks.
Plus, there’s the fabulous food. I feasted on artichoke samoosas and False Bay salmon served with a caper salsa and delicious home-made bread.
Whatever you choose to get up to, this is an intimate, sociable place with knowledgeable guides making the experience personal and rewarding.
Makakatana Bay Lodge
iSimangaliso Wetland Park, 035 550 4189
Makakatana Bay Lodge is sensational, with its gleaming wooden interiors, walkways through the forest and earthy African colours. The pool is encased in decking and raised above the grasses of the wetlands looking over extraordinary St Lucia waterways.
Guests are taken on drives into the wetlands to search for birds (360 species), crocodiles and hippos. You can also go snorkelling and swimming or out on a game drive before returning to a sumptuous dinner with your hosts in the outdoor boma.
The family’s old “Crab House” is the only part of the lodge not raised above the tall grasses. Huge sliding doors throughout the lodge open onto wooden decks, and the absence of railings just adds to the feeling of openness to nature. The lodge is beautifully welded to its environment. An absolute treat.
African Ambience
124 Pelikaan Street, St Lucia
035590 1212
Having brushed through lush, rain-shiny jungle foliage, I finally banged on the enormous door to African Ambience, which opened to reveal two large wooden elephants and a beaming John ready to show me round.
He and Laura built the place from scratch and, after living in St Lucia for 23 years, they certainly knew what they wanted. The thatched roof is set high above the well-proportioned rooms with their cream walls and big log furniture, all built by a local carpenter.
“Are you child-friendly?” I asked. “You’d hope so, I’ve got at least six of my own,” he laughed.
There was indeed a real family feel to the house with guests and kids coming and going and everyone chatting around coffee mugs waiting for the rain to stop.
John’s passion is boat chartering and if you’re lucky he might have caught a fish or two to braai for your supper. This takes place in the garden – where John keeps an impressive collection of koi carp in a series of raised ponds. Whatever you get up to in St Lucia, African Ambience provides a lively base.
Birds of Paradise B&B
49 Ulundi Street, Eshowe, o35 474 4430
Delise’s friendly German shepherds were bounding about chasing butterflies on the royal palm-flanked drive when I arrived at Birds of Paradise.
Delise is a warm and caring former nurse who met husband Quentin at school in Eshowe, so they know the area backwards. We strolled past the trampoline, vegetable patch and tennis court and on to the charming bedrooms with their dark, wooden headboards and, of course, avian sketches.
This is a great base from which to explore the Zulu Kingdom. I went on a fascinating Zulu tour that brought home vividly the perils that faced both the Zulus and the British. Later, exhausted from a day of adventure, I retreated to the verandah that forms part of the main house. From here I looked out onto a lush garden.
A roaring lapa fire crackled around a traditional Afrikaans potjie cauldron. Cards were dealt and wine flowed. Good, old-fashioned, South African hospitality.
I dozed off to the calls of the bush-babies and awoke to the sound of the resident trumpeter hornbills – they were just jealous of my croissants, piping-hot fresh coffee and full English breakfast.
Chase Guest House
John Ross highway off R66, Eshowe
035 474 5491
Jane and Jonathan have so much to offer their guests that you hardly have to leave the premises. But leave the premises you must. Chase is in the heart of the Zulu kingdom and what better spot to catch up on the history of King Shaka or get tangled up in the Reed Dance.
The Dlinza Forest Aerial Boardwalk is another highlight.
Back at the ranch, the weather-boarded house is gargantuan (Mrs Chennells senior had a penchant for large, open spaces) with long views of the farm’s sugar cane plantations on overlapping mounds of distant hills. On clear days you can even see 90 degrees of sea.
They also have ducks, chickens and (Nguni) cows like a proper farm should, of course. Also a pair of resident spotted eagle owls. The garden is an orgy of barely controllable tropical growth, lush and colourful, its trees weighed down by ferns and creepers.
Birds are equally irrepressible and there are 80 species in the garden and 280 in the Eshowe area. Kids will love the walled-in swimming pool (13 metres long) where you can swim by floodlight at night too. A hammock swings from a tree, a trampoline is stretched at ground level and there is a hard tennis court.
Chase Guest House is an involving, very comfortable, good-value family home, with huge amounts of space inside and out.
One on Hely
1 Hely Hutchinson, Mtunzini
035 340 2498
Ann describes the Walters family’s relocation to Mtunzini as a “calling”. Swopping the industrial chimneys of Newcastle for the rolling Indian Ocean, they have much to teach about bravely following your instincts.
Mtunzini is an up-and-coming town on the tourist map. Its main street leads to the greenery of the Umlalazi Nature Reserve and on to miles and miles of virgin beach.
“Oh dear, it’s busy,” Ann remarked as we walked onto the white sands and counted five people between us and the horizon.
With its burgeoning independent café and shop scene, Mtunzini is a gem waiting to be discovered. Here you can fish, surf, bird-spot, wind-surf, walk and water-ski to your heart’s content – although if I were you I’d factor in some time flopping by the pool at One On Hely, which has been set in wooden decking high above a flood of greenery.
A stone’s throw from town, this modern guest-house is surrounded by its own lovely garden, but from upstairs views are out over forest, reserve and sea. Pictures of shells and wild flowers remind you that the sea and green of the reserve is just outside your private balcony.
As the Walters also own The Fat Cat in town, they frequently raid their own café for prawns, calamari, fresh fish and lamb. In fact you can dine on whatever your belly is rumbling for. Get there before everybody else does. - Sunday Tribune