Game Reserves

Maputaland has the highest concentration of public and private conservation areas in Southern Africa, ranging from KZN Wildlife Reserves and destinations such as, Hluhluwe, Mfolozi and Ndumo game reserves, Tembe Elephant Park, and the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park, a World heritage Site renowned for its conservation successes and cultural historical significance. Besides the estuary and the extensive lake complex, the northern part of this spectacular park contains the Kosi lakes and estuarine system, Bhanga Nek, Black Rock, Rocktail bay, Lala Nek, Mabibi, Lake Sibaya,  Sileza Forest Reserve. The southern part of the park contains such jewels as Sodwana Bay National Park, Mapelane, Cape Vidal, False Bay Park, Fanies Island and the Coastal Forest Reserve. Examples of public and private game reserves within Maputaland are as follows:

Abu Madi Game Ranch

Accommodation is offered in a lodge, and in a rustic bush camp. The Lodge is fully serviced and comprises 3 fully equipped stone and thatch cottages - a total of 5 rooms sleep 15 people. All linen and cooking utensils are supplied, as are modern electrical conveniences. A swimming pool on the front lawn affords a panoramic view of the Ghost Mountain - a good place to rest in the middle of the day, while a reed boma creates a magical atmosphere to gather for fireside evenings under the stars. The Bush camp is self-catering and consists of 3 cottages with a total of 8 beds, hot water shower and flush toilets. Gas appliances are supplied in an open-air kitchen or cooking can be at around a campfire in the boma and paraffin lantern lights up the night. Campsite has hot water shower & flush toilets. Game drives in an open safari vehicle, are offered to guests at suitable times. Our game is approachable and easily photographed. Meals are available at the lodge, by prior arrangement with the manager. Located 6km from Mkuze Village and within an hours drive of Hluhluwe, Umfolozi & Mkuze Game Reserves.

Bayala Game Lodge

The reserve is located at the foot of the Ubombo Mountains and comprises boulder strewn mountain slopes together with bushveld and grassland. There are guided walks, open vehicle game drives, visits to a waterhole hide and evening visits to the summit of the Ubombo Mountains to watch the sunset, picking out nocturnal animals after dark on the return. There is traditional South African cuisine with lots of venison dishes. Hunting is allowed on a small scale and there are slaughtering and skinning facilities. Impala, kudu, reedbuck, nyala, giraffe, leopard, monkey, warthog and waterbuck. There are eight two bed fully equipped, serviced, en suite rondavels with a lounge, dining room, bar and pool.

Bushlands Game Lodge

Centrally situated in Zululand within 300 acres of bush and game area and surrounded by over 300 000 acres of national parks, Bushlands Game Lodge offers clients the ultimate African bush experience. The lodge offers exclusivity at reasonable rates, due to the small and personal nature of the lodge where focus is on personalised attention and service excellence.

Luxurious wooden chalets built on stilts are elevated above a sand forest where many local game species can be found. Each chalet is en-suite and includes a telephone, air-conditioner, radio and tea/coffee making facilities and is beautifully decorated in ethnic style fabrics, offset by wooden furniture and trimmings. The chalets are connected by raised wooden walkways which lead to the main dining room, bar, swimming pool and Boma where guests can enjoy drinks around the campfire before dinner. The resident chef prepares mouth-watering meals and specialises in succulent venison and other game dishes. Self catering rooms are also available. These rooms are elegantly furnished and include the same facilities as the chalets, as well as a television and small kitchen. These rooms can be configured to cater for 2 to 6 people. Rates are available on request.

Small game such as zebra, warthog, giraffe, nyala and impala can be found on the property either during an exhilarating walk on the Nyala trail, or whilst enjoying refreshments in the viewing lounge, which overlooks the watering hole. Bushlands Game Lodge also has an abundance of birdlife and is featured on the Zululand birding route. The convenient location of Bushlands Game Lodge makes it a popular base from which to visit the nearby attractions and Game Parks to spot "The Big Five" (Elephant, rhino, buffalo, lion and leopard). Full and half day game drives are available in Bushlands Game Lodge open game viewing vehicles.

Bonamanzi Game Park

Bonamanzi Game Park, a Natural Heritage site, is one of the largest private wildlife and birding parks in Zululand. With over 4000 hectares of pristine bush to explore, each day is different whether you are sighting rare African birds, tracking elephants or joining in with the Zulu dancers around the campfire. Local Zulu guides will introduce you to animals big and small and some of the most endangered and rare bird species in South Africa. Bonamanzi is a Zulu name which means: "Look Water!" Take advantage of water-based activities like a bird cruise down the Hluhluwe River and see flamingo, pelican, hippos and crocodiles at the adjoining World Heritage site of Lake St Lucia.

Ghost Mountain

Ghost Mountain is a conspicuous peak in the Ubombo Mountains located a few kilometres south east of the town of Mkuze. It was the site of the last Zulu vs. Zulu battle on 5 June 1884 (see The Battle of Etshaneni and the Fulfilment of a Promise). However, the origin of the name stems from events that took place more that sixty years earlier. In 1818 the Ndwandwe tribe, whose chief Zwide kaLanga ruled that part of the Ndwandwe tribe that lived in the area of the Ubombo Mountains, made a bid to dominate the whole of the region from the Phongolo River to the Thukela River by attacking the Zulu tribe led by Shaka kaSenzangakhona. The Ndwandwe army were defeated. In a second encounter in 1819, the Ndwandwe army was led by a prince, Soshangane, a resplendent figure with a headdress of ox-hide and a crane feather, and a false beard made of ox- tail hair. They clashed with the Zulus in the Mhlatuze valley about 20 miles from Eshowe and were again routed in a two-day battle. Soshangane first fled back to his Ubombo lands, but knowing that Shaka would want vengeance, he drove on with a few hundred followers north across the Phongolo River and into Portuguese Territory were his trained men smashed the unregimented tribes they met. When chief Zwide died in 1856 his body was brought back to the ancestral Ubombo Mountains and secretly buried by night. The local tribes named the rocky peak Tshaneni - 'the place of stones'eTshaneni (see Neighbouring Attractions - Mkuze and Ubombo caves). In later years other chiefs were also interred there and until the early part of the 20th century, the white farmers reported that tribesmen left offerings of food and beer on the sacred peak purportedly for the spirits of the dead chiefs.. The name Ghost Mountain is said to originate from the early white travellers and farmers who saw ghostly flames flickering about the mountain's rocky peak at night. These flames were investigated by a resident British Commissioner in 1895 but he is reported to have broken his lantern in a fall on the way up the rocky mountain and was unable to continue his search. These flickering flames were last reportedly seen in 1914. The eTshaneni peak rises to a height of 1,700metres above sea level.

Leeukop Game Ranch

Northern Zululand, bordering on the Pongolo River and Jozini (Pongolapoort) dam. Situated in the Northern Zululand Bushveld on the Pongolo River and Jozini dam, this reserve contains riverine trees, thicket and scrub and acacia-dominated grassveld with open woodland and bush clumps. The topography and vegetation types are similar to the low-lying flats in Mkuzi Game Reserve and adjoining Pongola Public Resort Nature Reserve and Pongolwane Private Nature Reserve.

Ndumo Game Reserve

Ndumo Game Reserve is perhaps best known for its magnificent bird life with the highest bird count in South Africa, some 430 species.
Situated near next the Tembe Elephant Park on the Mozambique border, the Usuthu River forms its northern boundary and the Pongola River flows through to its confluence with Usutu. Ndumo boasts many beautiful pans set about with yellow fever trees and extensive wetlands and reedbeds as well as acacia savannah and sand forest.
This varied habitat hosts an astonishing range of aquatic birdlife such as black egret, pygmy geese and flocks of pelicans. The prolific birdlife includes many tropical East African forms at the southern limit of their range. Special ticks for birders include Pell's fishing owl, the broadbill, and southern banded snake eagle. With game species such as nyala, bushbuck, impala, red duiker, suni, black and white rhino, hippopotamus and a very large population of crocodiles, Ndumo is a most rewarding area to view wildlife with its wetlands and pans, thick bush and savannah and extensive forests. Ndumo is of particular interest to entomologists with a very interesting array of insects including 66 recorded species of mosquito.  Visitors may drive through certain areas of the reserve in their own cars, or participate in landrover tours to interesting areas in the company of a tour guide. Depending on the demand, morning and afternoon tours are conducted and arrangements to participate in these tours are made at the reception office. For the more energetic, day walks in the reserve may be taken in the company of a guide and, here too, arrangements to participate in these walks should be made at the reception office the day before the intended walk.

Phinda Resource Reserve

Cradled between the Ubombo Mountains to the west and the Indian Ocean to the east, Phinda is in one of Africa's most diverse regions. Zululand has an extraordinary range of ecosystems and wildlife. Situated next to to Kube Yini with access from the Sodwana road this Private Reserve opened in 1991 and was a huge event on the wildlife calendar. Pristine beaches have been the breeding ground of giant leatherback and rare loggerhead turtles for millions of years, whilst coral reefs rival the splendour of Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Freshwater lakes and river floodplains are the domain of prehistoric crocodile, hippo, pelicans and flamingos, whilst the bush is the domain of the rare and endangered Black Rhino, as well as Africa's great predators. There are seven distinct ecosystems in the reserve with palm savannah and montane bush to rare sand forest and dense thornveld. Each has its own flora and fauna with a wide diversity of wildlife and birds. Phinda is acclaimed, as South Africa's most responsible wildlife tourism project, with goals of wilderness restoration and community participation. This ethnically named reserve means 'return to the wild', which is precisely what they have done with the largest wildlife restoration project ever launched on private land.

Pongola Private Game Reserve

The main gate to the Pongola Game Reserve is situated between Mkuze and Pongola and well signposted from the turn-off to the Pongolapoort dam. The Pongola Game Reserve forms the core conservation area for the Pongolapoort Bioshere Reserve that includes and surrounds the Pongolapoort dam along the majestic Ubombo Moutains. Game experience includes elephant, buffalo, rhino, leopard, hippo, crocodile & antelope and the dam is renowned for Tiger fishing.

Pongola Nature Reserve

This beautiful reserve is situated close to the border of Swaziland and is one of the oldest game reserves in the world. It is a region of remarkable scenic beauty. The wide Pongolo River meanders through mountains, forests and runs into the large lake. The reserve measures 310km² and not surprisingly, this diverse and varied landscape is home to rich fauna and flora. Apart from four of the "big five" (no lion), the reserve has hippo, crocodile, giraffe, wildebeest, zebra, impala and hyena. There are also more than 350 bird species. Of particular interest among plant species are the abundant cycads in the mountains. There are at least 25 indigenous fish species, 60 species of mammals and close to 100 species of reptiles and amphibia. Rare or endangered animals include honey badger and wild dog.

Pongolapoort Public Resort Nature Reserve

The Reserve measures 11,000ha and has been linked with neighbouring private game ranches to an extent of 31000ha. This size is capable of supporting elephant and rhino. The setting of the reserve is very scenic with a backdrop of the Lebombo Mountains and fishing for tiger fish on the dam is very popular. There are currently no permanent facilities. The Jozini dam was constructed to aid the irrigation of the tropical fruits grown in the area. The dam wall is 89m high and 500m long. More than 200 species of birds have been recorded here. The Pongola River is the major river of the region and supports a large population of crocodiles and hippos.

Pongolwane Private Nature Reserve

The Pongolwane Private Nature Reserve is situated at the foot of the Ubombo Mountains on the western shoreline of the Jozini dam, adjoining Leeukop Game Ranch. This nature reserve and the Nkwazi Lodge fall within the recently established Pongolapoort biosphere reserve. This is situated at the foot of the Ubombo Mountains on the western shore of the Jozini Dam. From the lodges there is good game viewing with white rhino, giraffe, kudu and plains game coming to the water's edge to drink. Bird life is prolific, especially aquatic species. During the summer months, fishing is very popular.

Pongola Bush Nature Reserve

The Pongola Bush nature Reserve is situated about 20 km west of Paulpietersburg travelling from Vryheid then via the road to Luneberg, and then via a district road to the reserve. This reserve lies on the Pongolo River and contains a valuable piece of mistbelt evergreen forest with some particularly fine yellowwoods and other trees and plants. There are more that 120 species of birds. The reserve can only be visited by prior arrangement with the Kwazulu- Natal Wildlife zone officer.

Pumalanga Nature Reserve

This reserve is situated in the southern foothills of the Ubombo Mountain range, bordering Kube Yini Game Reserve in the north east, Mkuzi Game Reserve in the north and the Phinda resource reserve in the south. This is an attractive area combining typical game country of high open grasslands, lower bushveld on the plains and riverine forest along the banks of the Munywana River. Game viewing drives and walks, bird watching, freshwater fishing and night drives with spotlights are available. Hunting can be arranged for local and overseas clients.

Sungulwane Game Lodge

Sungulwane is situated at the foot of the Ubombo Mountain Range and adjoining Kube Yini Game Reserve. Visitors to Kube Yini travel through Sungulwane to the Kube Yini gate. From the N2, the distance from the Hluhluwe interchange in the south to the Bayala off-ramp is 30 km, and from the north it is 20 km between Mkuze townsite and the Bayala turnoff. Take the Bayala turn-off, cross the railway line and take the road signposted to Kube Yini and Sungulwane. Follow this road for 1 km, and then turn off at the Sungulwane/Kube Yini turn-off. A further 3 km will bring you to the lodge and Kube Yini is located a further 1 km farther at the end of this district road. Guests may go on early morning guided walks, or on an early morning game drive in an open vehicle to watch the sun rise over the Ubombo Mountains. After breakfast they may go swimming or visit the hide overlooking the waterhole and watch or photograph animals and birds coming to drink. The reserve has a wide range of species including hippo and buffalo.

Tembe Elephant Park

Adjoining the Mozambique border, Tembe is home to the province's biggest African elephant herd and its only indigenous elephants. Tembe's African elephants used to be South Africa's last remaining free-ranging herd, at one time moving seasonally between Mozambique and Maputaland. In recent years they have sought refuge in the dense sand forests of Tembe to escape the depredations of border conflicts and landmines, and their continuous harassment by ivory poachers. The magnificent African elephants, more than 140 in number - from massive full-grown adults to juveniles - are Tembe's main attraction and make for spectacular viewing. The larger adults are physically the biggest in South Africa and signs of their presence are everywhere, clearly evident through the broken branches and foliage left behind from their voracious foraging. Tembe's mosaic of sand forest, woodland, grassland, and swampland, comprises an ideal habitat for highly-visible elephant spotting, enabling them to be observed at close-quarters from game-drive vehicles or from the discreetly-located hides which overlook their watering holes. At 300 square kilometres in extent (190 square miles),Tembe is the third largest game reserve in KwaZulu-Natal, home not only to the unique African elephant population but to a profusion of wildlife - including the Big Five. Black and white rhino (more than 65 in total), buffalo, leopard, hippo, serval, eland, zebra, giraffe, hyena, jackal, wildebeest, nyala, kudu, water buck, reed buck, red duiker, warthog, and other small mammals thrive in abundance. Tembe is also home to the rare and elusive suni antelope, one of the smallest and shyest species of buck in southern Africa, and the patient game-viewer is often rewarded with a sighting. Tembe is a bird-watching paradise, with more than 340 species recorded in the park - including the rare Rudd's apalis, the rufous-bellied night heron, the Natal nightjar and the Woodward's batis. The Tembe African Elephant Lodge and Conference Centre are privately managed under leasehold from the KwaZulu-Natal Nature Conservation Service. Guided tours of the park in open lodge vehicles are available to guests. The lodge comprises luxury and semi-luxury safari tents that blend unobtrusively with their natural surroundings and are tucked away in secluded areas behind a secure perimeter fence. A refreshing dip in the lodge's sparkling swimming pool provides welcome relief after a day's game viewing. This is an Africa that tourists seldom see, where an abundance of African elephants, game and rare species live in an environment unchanged by time.

Umziki Game Ranch

Umziki ranch is situated 35 km from Pongola in a beautiful setting with thatched lodges on the Mkuze River, and 14 km from the main road, so you have absolute peace and quiet. The ranch is 3 500 hectares in size. Half of the ranch is flat and the other half is hilly. It is a very scenic area. Game is abundant, with twenty-one species recorded. There are walking trails on the ranch, and other activities include swimming, fishing, game drives, night drives, etc. Rooms are air-conditioned, and the accommodation is either self-catering or fully catered. Umziki is close other game reserves, and is only two hours drive from the Indian Ocean. They have concessions to hunt on 18 000 ha.

Ubizane Game Ranch

Located close to the Hluhluwe Game Reserve entrance gate this reserve is one of the oldest established private reserves in Zululand and measures 1,200 ha. The terrain ranges from open savannah to bushveld and is well stocked with game. As with most reserves it has a wide range of bird species.

Zululand Tree Lodge

The Zululand Tree Lodge is situated within the Ubizane Game Reserve adjoining Hluhluwe. The elevated tree houses are set in the magnificent fever forest on the banks of the Mzinene River, and includes conference facilities. The facilities are situated within easy driving distance for a day trip to Ndumo, Mkuzi, Hluhluwe or Umfolozi Game Reserves and to the turtle nesting grounds along the coast.

Zulu Nyala Safaris

There are game viewing drives in an open Land Rover, night drives, game viewing hides for photographers, horse riding, clay pigeon shooting, excellent freshwater fishing in the dam and walks with an experienced guide. Excursions for big game fishing and scuba diving at Sodwana Bay, launch cruises on Lake St Lucia or game viewing trips to neighbouring game reserves can be arranged.

Zulu Nyala Game Lodge

Zulu Nyala private game reserve provides a unique and authentic taste of the African bush in the heart of South Africa's most diverse conservation regions. Nestled between Mkuze, Hluhluwe and St. Lucia reserves, this section of paradise is home to a wide variety of game from majestic elephant, rhino, buffalo and stealthy predators to abundant plains game and a wealth of bird life. The stunning stone and thatch hilltop lodge offers comfort and hospitality with tastefully decorated rooms and suites that pay tribute to the region's magnificent ethnic heritage. Personal attention is provided by a host ranger, who plans each guest's activities to squeeze the most out of every precious moment spent in the bush. Guests can seek out the unexpected on day or night game drives in an open land rover, follow in the footprints of the elephants along ancient riverbeds during guided walks, or relax with a sundowners. Zulu Nyala is highly regarded for its excellent cuisine, bush venues and amphitheatre.

St. Lucia World Heritage Site, Maputaland (including the Greater St Lucia Wetland Site)

St Lucia Marine Reserve

A huge expanse of water unfolds before you, stretching endlessly towards the distant horizon. This is Lake St Lucia, the largest estuarine body of water in South Africa. Around this shallow lake a complex body of vleis (wetlands), pans, swamp forests and grasslands is found. The park, which extends roughly from Sodwana in the north to Mapelane in the south, represents no less than five different ecosystems. These include the lake itself, a marine conservation area, a wilderness area known as Mfabeni and Tewati, the reed and papyrus wetland of the Mkuze swamps and western shores and a fossil shoreline more than 25,000 years old. Iron Age people once inhabited this vast wilderness. The ravages made by the white explorers and hunters on the wildlife of the area had a devastating effect. At one stage it seemed that the damage was irreversible but in 1897 forward-thinking conservationists stepped in and the area was proclaimed a game reserve. It was the first game reserve in South Africa. Today the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park stands as a beacon to the efforts for conservation on mankind's behalf.

Sodwana Bay National Park

Named after an isolated stream known to the local tribes as Sodwana (little one on its own). This small park consists of a narrow coastal strip of forest covered sand dunes. It was proclaimed in 1950 and is an angler's paradise. It is a fairly remote area but people come from a long way to drive along the endless beaches in their 4X4 vehicles and to dive the fabulous coral reefs teaming with colourful fish and some giants of the sea such as whale sharks and manta rays. Camping out in the tropical hot humid summers and warm winters is a lovely way to spend a holiday. There are the occasional antelopes seen in the coastal forests and a wealth of birdlife.

Sileza Forest Nature Reserve

Access is off the N2 to Jozini, Mbazwana, and then Northwards to the turn-off to Manzengwenya forest station. Alternatively, off the N2 via the lower Mkuzi road to Mbazwana, then Northwards to the Manzengwenya forest station. The reserve comprises a large untouched and uninhabited area, mainly coastal grassland and palmveld. There are deep, as well as shallow, permanent pans with a variety of aquatic and marshland vegetation, and forest patches. The soils are sandy, and the area is generally quite flat.

Mabibi Coastal Camp

Situated within the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park, the clear water, an unspoilt beach, offshore reefs and tropical fish make Mabibi a paradise for snorkellers and scuba divers and underwater photography. It is also well known for its offshore angling and the profusion of life in the intertidal pools. The beach is reached through the coastal dune forest and then by means of a ladder.

Rocktail Bay Lodge

Situated within the Maputaland Coastal Forest Reserve and adjoining the Maputaland Marine Reserve, is Rocktail Bay Lodge. The lodge and its chalets on stilts nestle among the fringe of trees, just behind the first row of sand dunes. The beach is a five-minute stroll from your chalet. There aren't many spots along the coastline that are as secluded as this one. Rocktail Bay received its name after a trawling ship, the Rocktail, was wrecked off shore. This lodge lies within a proclaimed World Heritage Site and offers perhaps the most private beach experience in South Africa on 40 kilometres of unspoilt, undeveloped and pristine coastline. The chalets were built by the KwaZulu-Natal Bureau of Natural Resources in 1991 and were designed to be as ecologically friendly as possible. That's why the power supply is solar, and gas is used for cooking. The Leatherback and the Smaller Loggerhead Turtle have chosen this remote stretch of coast as their breeding ground. Each summer these giant creatures haul themselves from the surf and slog up the sloping sands to excavate nests and lay their eggs. Two months later hundreds of tiny turtles hatch out and begin their perilous scramble to the shelter of the waves. Keep your eye on the sea, too, and you may catch a glimpse of a Humpback whale or dolphin. This is not "Big Game" country, although we do have our own "Big Five": Leatherback Turtle, Loggerhead Turtle, Palmnut Vulture, Boutons Skink and Zululand Cycad. Two interesting antelope occur: Common Reedbuck in marshes and grasslands and Red Duiker in forest patches and Hippo are found in freshwater lakes. Whales and Dolphins are seen off shore. Birding is good and a number of rare coastal species occur, Green Twinspot, Green Coucal, Grey Waxbill, Purplecrested and Livingstone's Louries, Natal Robin and jewel-like Emerald Cuckoo in forests, and Pinkthroated Longclaw and Rufousbellied Heron in marshy areas.

Kosi Bay Nature Reserve

The Kosi Bay Nature Reserve lies on the coast in the northern part of KwaZulu-Natal and surrounds the unique and beautiful Kosi Bay lake system.
This system consists of four lakes and a series of inter connecting channels which eventually drain via a sandy estuary into the Indian Ocean. It is home to a large variety of birds and animals including hippos and crocs. The 11 000-hectare, 30-km-long reserve is a tropical paradise of limpid blue water and marshland, raffia, wild date and lala palm, mangrove swamp and sycamore fig forest that combine to provide a home for around 250 kinds of bird, among them fish eagle and palmnut vulture, whitebacked and night heron, and purple and reed kingfisher. Hippo and crocodile bask in and around the lakes; fish teem beneath their surfaces; and bush-buck, duiker and monkey inhabit the forested parts.Humpback whales can be seen off the beaches on their northerly migration to calve in Mozambique and in December and January loggerhead and leatherback turtles come onto the beaches to lay their eggs in carefully prepared nests.

Kosi Bay Lodge

Unique in its people, its resources and its ecology, the area epitomises the incredible splendour of untouched Africa at its most pristine. Stretching from Zilonde Lake on the Mozambique border in the north to Lake Amanzimnyama in the south, Kosi Bay's rich tapestry of barrier lakes is central to an area known as the "Jewel of Maputaland".  This 18 kilometre stretch of navigable estuary is protected by a sliver of dune from the Indian Ocean and has been home to the Tsonga people for more than 700 years. Home to the rare Palm Vulture and the breeding place of the Loggerhead and Leatherback turtles, this area is only one of two where Raphia Palms are to be found in South Africa. The Lodge is perfectly situated to really get the full benefit of what is on offer in this very special region.  Just 500m from the water's edge of Lake Nhlange (the 3rd Lake, and the largest), Kosi Bay Lodge offers everything an African Bush Lodge should ... and then some.
While Kosi Bay has such wonders as the two armed Mudskipper fish and the one-armed Fiddler crab, nearby Ndumo Game Reserve sports rather larger wonders of the animal kingdom - Rhino, Giraffe, Warthog, Zebra, Kudu, Nyala and Impala and over 400 species can be seen.  Adjacent, The Tembe Elephant Park, is home to four of the "Big Five".  Other day trips include Black Rock, Lala Neck and Bhanga Nek - home to Natal Parks Board's 30 year old Turtle Research Facility - are within easy reach. (4x4 vehicles are recommended) Enquire about deep sea fishing excursions to Mozambique. Self drive guests will require a permit to enter the Coastal Forest Reserve when journeying to the Mouth, Black Rock and, to Tembe Elephant Park (by road). Permits are available from The KwaZulu Department of Nature Conservation's Tourist office which is just 2kms away. Access to the Lodge - the road is tar until the last 14kms, most of which is graded dirt/sand.  The turn off to the Lodge is a well used sand track which is accessible to a normal saloon car.

Lala Nek

Lala Nek is one of the most exclusive beaches on the entire coastline. No vehicles are permitted on any section. It is a prime area for game fishing and for snorkelling and many record breaking catches have been made from the rocks here. To walk this beach at sunrise or at night is an unforgettable experience. From this point northwards to Kosi Bay, the water is clear and warm, with coral reefs, oyster and mussel beds and prolific sea life of every description. There are five species of turtle that are encountered offshore and whales and whale sharks pass up and down the coast.

Black Rock

Black Rock lies to the north of Lala Nek and just South of the Kosi Lakes and is home to the rare Bouton's snake-eyed skink (Cryptoblepharus boutoni). This evolutionary marvel has a relatively wide Indo-Pacific island distribution (including on Aldabra Atoll of the Galapagos), but Black Rock is the only locality in South Africa where it has been found to occur. At present, there is no accommodation open to the public at Black Rock.

Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Park

The Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Park is one of the oldest and most prestigious of the South African game parks. Located 280km north of Durban, this 960 square km wilderness has a warm and moist climate. Credited with bringing the white rhino from the brink of extinction to flourishing numbers, it is also home to the big five. The Umfolozi and Hluhluwe reserves were joined in 1989 through the Corridor Reserve and cover a vast and interestingly diverse landscape. It is also known as one of the sanctuaries of the black rhino. More than 400 bird species have been recorded here. Additional activities to game watching are wilderness trails, which offer the ultimate wildlife experience.