After 4 great days at Ndumo we headed for the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Game Reserve.
The Hluhluwe-iMfolozi is Africa’s oldest established protected area and was once the exclusive royal hunting grounds of King Shaka. It also won world recognition in the 1950’s for its White Rhino conservation and its specialised Game Capture unit.
We bought a comprehensive KZN map at the Kosi Bay park office when we were at Kosi Bay, and according to that we could camp at the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi’s Mpila Camp so we were quite relaxed (even though everyone we spoke to thought that there was no camping in the park). We did not have a booking but it is low-season so all we needed was to get to the camp before the gate closed at 19h00.
We entered the park at the Memorial Gate on the Hluhluwe side. Besides being a long way the road had so many potholes that it was very slow going, in fact there was more pothole than tar! We probably averaged 15Km per hour. The reserve is exceptionally hilly, with steep climbs and descents all the way up to Mpila camp on the iMfolozi side.
The surrounds were beautiful and the trip to the camp produced Buffalo, Rhino, Elephant and Lion, besides many other antelope and birds. Not too shabby…
We got to Mpila Camp just before 18h30 to find out that our map information was incorrect and there is indeed no camping facility in the Park! It was too late to leave the Park as we would not get to the gate in time, besides the fact that it was rapidly getting dark. Luckily they had an available Safari Tent for us. We made use of the kitchen, bathroom and braai but still preferred to sleep in our own bed in Ufudu! It turned out to be a pleasant, although costly, evening. The camp is not fenced so wild animals can come and go freely. A hyena came to patrol while we were having wine and waiting for the fire to be ready for our braai. Quite different and exciting when they are not behind a fence!
This is probably the first time that we became bored with all the White Rhino we saw. The next day we stopped counting. For instance at one spot we saw eight of them just parking off in the mud under the trees. I know we have posted many Rhino pictures but I couldn’t resist showing you a mother and calf…
We visited the Centenary Centre to find out more about the history of the game capture unit that saved the White Rhino from extinction, before leaving the Park, heading for St Lucia.
After settling in at Sugar Loaf camp site at St Lucia we went for a walk along the boardwalk which skirts the estuary and meanders down to the beach. It was a stunning late afternoon and a pleasant walk, albeit a bit slow thanks to me.
That evening we discovered a cute little frog that lives in a wash basin in the ladies ablution facility where he catches insects that are attracted to the light. As soon as he feels threatened he disappears down the overflow!
The next morning saw us up early and after some shopping and refuelling we were on our way to Cape Vidal. This has been on our bucket list for a long time. Although we’ve been there before for a day visit we were now going to spend a few days camping!
The drive from St Lucia to Cape Vidal was very beautiful. The road meanders through the Eastern Shores Nature Reserve so the scenery is great and the wild-life abundant. The high coastal dunes rank amongst the highest vegetated dunes in the world.
After settling in we made a bee-line for the beach. It is so beautiful and unspoilt, with no 4x4s, very few people and large numbers of Ghost Crabs. Roger had a lot of fun running after the crabs to try and catch one. They are very clever in avoidance tactics but he eventually managed to get one, which of course was released again after we had a good look at it!
Even though I said we were bored with Rhino, we just had to show you this one. Its sabre-like horn is the longest we have ever seen!
Cape Vidal and the Eastern Shores have a lot to offer any visitor. We spent time on the beach, Roger went angling (note that I did not say fishing…), we went on loop roads for the scenery and the birds and visited most of the hides. It really is a magic place. The other campers were talking about a leopard that regularly patrols the area at dusk but we were not fortunate enough to get a glimpse of him.
The hide was the most interesting we have seen to date. It consisted of a number of lookout areas at different levels and angles, each one with seating for a small number of people. It almost had a maze-like feel to it.
In camp there were regular visits by Red Duiker, Bush Buck, Vervet Monkeys, Banded Mongoose and we even watched a Samango Monkey from our ‘bedroom’ window.
On our way out of the Reserve we spotted a Yellow-billed Kite on top of a telephone pole, feeding on what looked like a small bird.
We also got a lucky shot of the very secretive Burchell’s Coucal.
Next stop is on a farm in the Empangeni district, but more about that in the next post…
We also loved Cape Vidal and St Lucia and have put them back on our new bucket list. Let us know when you hit Jhb, we will be here until Feb5 ish…