KwaZulu Natal - a self-drive safari

by Marco Monteiro-Silva, 8 April 2008

I got on the bush-wagon late in life. My folks weren't the type to go camping or hiking much. The romantic South African boyhood of running barefoot on open farms, hunting snakes and swimming in dams was not my story.

I grew up on penny arcades, Saturday morning cartoons and visits to my European roots - a place more of espressos and fresh bread than buffalo dung and bushveld.

And yet, somewhere in my adulthood, I fell in love with the bush - my 20s have been a whirlwind romance of safaris. It seemed fitting then, that a little safari tornado called KwaZulu-Natal began bleeping on my safari radar.

Growing rapidly as a safari destination and close to Kruger National Park for an absolute killer wildlife combination, I launched into a KwaZulu Natal Safari self-drive. Seven days of game drives, loads of activities and a strange ritual in a fever tree forest made the trip my best safari yet....

Welcome to Pongola

Africa's first proclaimed reserve, Pongola has, ironically, been a bit of a late-bloomer; only recently have private land owners pooled their resources; the result is an incredible and unique reserve.

Hill-studded fields of golden savannah push against the deep blue waters of Lake Jozini. Across the lake, the stark brown Lebombo Mountains of the Great Rift Valley create a heart-stopping contrast.

While we sit watching a black rhino browsing, I stare up at the Lebombos; the grave of infamous Zulu King Dingaan - the Shaka killer - looms sinisterly above us from some dark and hidden place. I remind myself - this is Zululand - an area rich in raw and bloody African history.

On my next KwaZulu Natal Safari I may just have to take on a Battlefields visit.

Crouching Tiger fish, Hidden Monkey

We spend the next day tiger fishing, bush-walkin' and game drivin'. It's a flurry of wildlife activities - full of black rhino, hippo and crocodile sightings.

Falling into bed exhausted after an exotic and somewhat morally challenging dinner (I finally got to sink my teeth into some warthog), I drift off to sleep with a large satisfied grin plastered on my face. If there's an eco-activity out there it's available at White Elephant Lodge.

I'm woken to the sounds of something violent happening on the roof of my tent. A quick succession of thuds gives way to the sounds of shaking branches and what seems like a foreign couple fighting.

At breakfast the mystery is solved; vervet monkeys have developed a penchant for sliding along the tent roofs as they jump from tree to tree.

In Hiding

I can't believe it's taken me so long to discover that some lodges have hides. There's surely no better way to spend some time relaxing and viewing wildlife. The White Elephant hide is a traditional Zulu structure with a tree-fenced perimeter.

Inside the hide we find a table with fresh flowers, three carefully packed bags (which we quickly discover hold every tasty treat and drink imaginable), blankets and chairs. We quickly settle into our new home for the next few hours.

The day is a soft blur of bird sounds; eating; writing in my journal and watching various animals drink at the waterhole only 10 metres away.

If you're going on a South African safari, try to find out if the lodge has a hide - although they're not very common at lodges, those that do have hides don't seem to market them, making them a kind of best kept secret.

Forget about whizzing around chasing ticks on lists. Sitting in a quiet spot, taking the time to be still and letting the surrounding wildlife go about its business, is in many ways, what a bush experience should really be about.

It's a bitter-sweet goodbye to White Elephant. The lodge has successfully achieved what so many have been unable to: A solid focus on the environment and wildlife, while maintaining an incredible standard of comfort and luxury.

Things Get Weird in Amazulu

Our ranger in the Amazulu Reserve is temporarily dumbstruck: Seeing the big five in a single drive is something usually restricted to the Sabi Sands. Nevertheless, although highly unusual at Amazulu, we've just viewed the big five as well as a massive python, and we're all a little floored.

At some bizarre point in our stay at Amakhosi Lodge, It's been decided that we need to experience frogging - a surreal exercise in which you hunt for rare frogs in the bush in the middle of the night.

The frogging quickly turns into a bit of a fiasco - armed with an unloaded rifle, gumboots full of mud and water, and head torches, we unsuccessfully catch and drop a variety of slippery frogs in crocodile and hippo-infested water.

We end off the frogging in complete style - muddy and barefoot we enjoy a moonlit meal in the dark, croaking night.

Another Wild Wild Wake-Up Call

I'm woken up at 4am by local wildlife (it's becoming a bit of a habit on this trip). A bush baby was creeping down my bedside when I startled him and sent him scampering for the rafters.

The next hour was spent trying to bargain, then coax and eventually threaten those big round eyes out of my room with a solitary piece of dried mango; my hunting is unsuccessful at best - it seems a lot easier to catch a frog than a bush baby...

Phinda

The itinerary was well planned: as it gathered momentum, sightings got progressively better and by day six I arrived at what a few safari connoisseurs consider to be the definitive South African game reserve - Phinda.

Want to see the big five on a KwaZulu-Natal Safari? Head to Phinda. Although leopards are predictably hard to find, Phinda has the added luxury of black rhino and consistently fantastic cheetah sightings - something even the mighty Kruger struggles to claim.

A Kiss Goodbye

Whenever you stay at a remarkable safari lodge, the game drives - no matter how long - always feel too short and the visit just never long enough. Our Phinda stay makes way for yet another bitter-sweet goodbye.

On our last game drive we stop in a fever tree forest and observe a moment's silence with steaming cups of cocoa. Once believed to be the tree that brought the deadly fever (malaria), the Zulu name - umhlosinga 'the tree that shines from afar' - couldn't be more appropriate.

Zulu people believe that if you sip a potion of boiled fever tree bits, you'll shine like the tree, making you stand out and be blessed with good fortune.

Under a vaulted canopy of golden boughs... something stirs ... and a strange urge overtakes...a hypnotic call of the wild. I pulled myself towards a nearby fever tree, buried my face in its branches and gave it a long, slow lick.

With a tongue caked in fever dust, I swallowed, eyes tightly shut. The fever-kiss swarmed through my insides; filling me with a warm realisation: our Phinda trip had been a blessing - a secret safari like no other, and one we had to kiss goodbye.

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