#iMfolozi | Emdoneni Lodge

The Wildlife of Hluhluwe | Imfolozi The Game Reserve that Saved the White Rhino

Famed as the wildlife park that saved the White Rhino from extinction, today Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Reserve in KwaZulu Natal is home to a large population of Rhino and is a must-see destination while visiting South Africa. The game reserve that saved the White Rhino – Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Located on 96 00 hectares of land, Hluhluwe-Imfolozi is approximately 3 hours from Durban and is considered one of the highlights of any visit to South Africa’s KwaZulu Natal province. Home to over 96 species of mammals and more than 330 species of birds, visitors to Hluhluwe-Imfolozi can look forward to spotting at least one or all of the Big Five while exploring the reserve. The Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Viewing Experience The nature park is home to the second largest population of White Rhinos in the world, after the Kruger National Park and also has a large population of Black Rhino and growing populations of Elephant and other African wildlife. Visitors should aim to spend a few hours in one of the hides overlooking a water point as it is here that one will see game sauntering down to the water for a refreshing drink or to wallow in the mud on the banks. Nile Crocodiles, Water and Rock Monitor Lizards can all be found in the rivers. There are 31 species of snake in the game reserve including the venomous Black-necked Spitting Cobra and Puff adders, both of which frequent the camps and visitors should be weary of where they are walking. Up at the Hilltop Camp one can look forward to seeing Red Duiker and Blue Duiker in the scarp forest surrounding the camp and Buffalo and other game can regularly be found grazing right outside the camp’s main entrance. Although the large carnivores such as Lion, Leopard, Cheetah, Wild Dog and Spotted Hyaena are found in the reserve they are more likely to be heard, calling at night, than seen. A great destination for the avid birder Today the reserve is flourishing and visitors can look forward to excellent game viewing opportunities in a beautiful setting. A top bird watching destination, Hluhluwe-Imfolozi is home to a wide array of bird species from residents to migrants and regularly visitors. Some of the special species include the African Finfoot that can be seennear Memorial Gate from the Gontshi stream crossing. The Southern Bald Ibis, Striped Pipit and the Mocking Chat are all regularly spotted on a cliff viewed from the Siwasamakhosikazi picnic spot to the south of the Hluhluwe River. Heading out along the Mbhombe self-guided walking trail at the Hilltop Camp will provide sightings of some of the scarp forest birds including the Crested Guinea fowl, Olive Bush Shrike, Lemon Dove and Green Twinspot. Along the river, especially in fruit season, one will find a wide variety of fruit-eating birds including Crowned and Trumpeter Hornbills and Purple-crested Turacos. Visitors should also not forget to spend time at one or more of the many bird hides as any time spent there is always fruitful. The History of the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Reserve Split into two sections, the hilly Hluhluwe Section in the north and the iMfolozi section with its rugged hills and wide jagged valleys towards the south, the first evidence of human occupation is iron smelting and metal-working sites from about 1 500 years ago during the Iron Age. More recently the land was occupied by Dingiswayo and his Mthethwa tribe and later still by Shaka and his mighty Zulu warriors. Shaka and his tribesmen used to hunt in the area and later, from the mid- 1800s white hunters and ivory traders discovered the wildlife populations and severely hunted the game. A remains of the White Rhino population in the area in 1895 led to the establishment of the Hluhluwe and iMfolozi game reserves in 1895 however the arrival of the tsetse fly borne nagana disease in the local cattle saw farmers calling for a de-proclamation of the reserves and the start of an extreme hunting spree over a 10 year period that saw over 100 000 heads of game slaughtered. During this hunting spree only the Rhinos were sparred and in 1952 the sparse remaining wildlife was again protected. In 1989 the Corridor separating the two reserves was opened, incorporating them into one. Habitats The reserve has 3 distinct vegetation types; the most widespread is the Zululand lowveld, while the higher areas are dominated by the Zululand sourveld and the rest of the reserve has patched of scarp forest. The extreme north and south of the reserve are particularly hilly with the landscape being carved out and cut through by three major rivers which then split into a number of small streams. Source: nature-reserves.co.za

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Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park: Game for something different

Need a break from the Kruger? go! suggests the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park in northern KwaZulu-Natal for a totally different game-viewing experience. You might even see the elusive black rhino… Hluhluwe and Imfolozi were proclaimed in 1895, and since 1989 they have been managed as one park. Their history goes back even further. Before 1895, this was the hunting territory of Dingiswayo and Shaka. Hunting was limited to royals and was only permitted in winter. The two reserves are quite different. Hluhluwe has densely grown, green hills and is said to be the best place to see elephants. Imfolozi is flat and open. You’ll see plains game like impala, kudu, blue wildebeest and zebra. And predators like wild dog and lion, if you’re lucky. Rhinos and Hluhluwe-Imfolozi are synonymous. After all, this is where the massively successful Operation Rhino kicked off in the 1960s, with the aim of saving the white rhino from extinction. Black rhino, however, are seldom seen. They’re shy creatures and there are lots of places to hide. You have to have an eye for detail to distinguish a black rhino from a white rhino. Don’t be fooled by the names; both species are the same shade of grey. The most obvious difference is that a black rhino has a pointed upper lip and a white rhino has a wide, square upper lip. The name “white” rhino is apparently a mistranslation of the Afrikaans word for wide – “wyd” – in reference to the lip. A black rhino also has a concave back, whereas a white rhino has a flattish back. And although white rhinos are bigger, black rhinos are more aggressive. At the reception at Hilltop Camp there’s a map of the reserve where visitors can indicate their sightings. Set out early, because it’s a bit of a drive to the Imfolozi game-viewing routes: about 50km of tar road to Mpila Camp (the main camp in Imfolozi) and then another 12km to the lookout over the Black Mfolozi. The last remaining lion in the reserve was shot in the early 1900s. Then, in 1958, game rangers were astounded to see a huge male. He was believed to have walked south from Mozambique, dodging hunters out to bag “the last lion in Zululand”. Safe and sound in the reserve, he spent a few lonely years checking out his new territory until a few lionesses magically appeared – apparently smuggled in by conservation-minded staff. The rest, as they say, is history. Certain prides in Imfolozi have developed an unusual habit – the lions climb trees. Reserve ecologists aren’t entirely sure why they do this. The most plausible theory is that the extra elevation allows them to cool down more easily. They might even do it for fun. Maybe they’re hiding from the black rhinos? Rhino poaching has escalated dramatically in the past few years and Hluhluwe-Imfolozi’s population has been targeted too. Rhinos have been killed, despite the best efforts of the reserve authorities to curb the scourge. To spend time with a rhino in the wild – white or black – is yet another reminder of how fragile our natural heritage is, and how important it is to preserve it. Source: network24

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Area Attractions, Emdoneni News

The Elephant Coast

KwaZulu Natal’s Elephant Coast stretches from the world heritage site of Lake St Lucia in the south to Kosi Bay, virtually on the Mozambique border. The Elephant Coast is an extraordinary, untamed area fast growing in popularity for its incredible variety of habitats and eco-systems that combine into an unforgettable blend of adventure, unspoilt scenery and unique experiences. Called the Elephant Coast after the country’s largest herd of indigenous African elephants that have lived in sand forests in this region for centuries, the Elephant Coast extends inland across to the Lubombo Mountains in the west, and includes the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Reserve, the oldest game park in Africa – home to the big five. It is not hard to understand why the Elephant Coast is regarded as the ecotourism mecca of the Zulu Kingdom. Sand dunes blend with swamps, coastal forests, rocky shores, coral reefs, mangrove swamps, woodlands, savanna grassland, and the largest protected wetland in southern Africa, iSimangaliso Wetland Park (the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park). Getaways to this coastline are rich in adventure, and if you’re not game viewing, birding, paddling, snorkelling, hiking, on a horse trail, or diving then you’re surely out on a boat to see dolphins and humpback whales, or watching turtles lay eggs on the beach. Highlights of the Elephant Coast include Cape Vidal (wonderful beaches for deep-sea fishing and famous for whale watching); Sodwana Bay Nature Reserve (the mainstay of scuba diving); Kosi Bay (one of the most unspoilt regions with numerous lakes where you can watch local fishermen); and of course both the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Reserve and the iSimangaliso Wetlands Park are highlights of the Elephant Coast, for obvious reasons. POPULAR TOWNS IN THE ELEPHANT COAST Hluhluwe The village of Hluhluwe is in the heart of Zululand on South Africa’s east coast, home to the Zulu kings Dingiswayo and Shaka, who allegedly prompted the very first conservation laws and the oldest game reserve in the country – the Hluhluwe and Umfolozi Game Reserve, established in 1895. Only a two hour drive from Durban and four hours from Johannesburg the entire area around the Hluhluwe Reserve, right down to the Greater St Lucia Wetlands Park, now a World Heritage Site, has been given over to animal conservation and game farms and visiting the region provides one with an abundance of Big Five viewing, over 350 species of bird and a variety of other wildlifeincluding rhino, giraffe, wildebeest and many antelope species. The main attraction of the area is without doubt the Hluhluwe Umfolozi Game Reserve. This low-risk malaria park is famous for rescuing the white rhino from the brink of extinction and its ongoing protection of both the white and black rhinoceros. The park covers about 96 000 ha and game aside, contains an incredible diversity of fauna and flora. The park provides a couple of self-guided auto trails over and above game viewing and guided walks are also available. The first Iron Age communities are reputed to have settled along the coast and in the lower-lying river valleys in Hluhluwe from 300 AD and there is evidence of metal working sites that date back to 1000 AD in the reserve itself. The Greater St Lucia Wetlands Park has five distinct eco-systems that range from sub-tropical seas, coral reefs, sandy beaches and lush forests to grassy plains, dry savannah and reed and papyrus wetlands. An aerial view of the Maputoland coastline gives one an indication of the amount of water and natural forest in the area. The inland lakes and estuaries are home to hippos, crocodile and fish and the beaches of St Lucia, Cape Vidal and Sodwana Bay are easily accessed from Hluhluwe, providing whale and dolphin spotting as well as scuba diving and other water activities. Ingwavuma Ingwavuma is a small rural town, nestled deep in the countryside of the KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa. Part of the Umkhanyakude District Municipality, Ingwavuma enjoys the hot, humid conditions typical of this part of South Africa for some of the year. However, being situated in the mountains and 700 metres above sea level, the climate can be cooler and more extreme than along the balmy coastline. As one scales the Lebombo Mountains to find Ingwavuma, it becomes clear that these scenic vistas are unrivalled in terms of their natural beauty, verdant lushness and enormous scale. This little town was established in 1850, and was burnt to the ground during the Second Boer War in 1899. It was re-established the following year. Thanks to the rich Zulu culture and the fascinating history of British and Boer settlers, Ingwavuma continues to be full of heritage; inviting visitors from South Africa and all over the world to come and learn about the people and the place. Ingwavuma occupies only 1.74 square kilometres and is home to about 1 500 people. It has a number of schools, a hospital and a small shopping centre. The entire area is rural, however, and the facilities and services remain compromised by a lack of funds. Jozini Jozini, a small town in North Eastern KwaZulu Natal on the main route to Mozambique, is synonymous with the dam of the same name – the Jozini or Pongolapoort Dam. This huge dam, on the Pongola River, provides a rather dramatic doorway into Maputaland and the river supports a massive population of fish, hippos and crocodiles as well as the people who live in the area. The Jozini Dam lies in between the majestic Ubombo and Lebombo mountains on the Elephant Coast and covers over 16 000 ha. The dam was originally designed to irrigate over 80 000 ha of farm land supporting products such as sugarcane, rice, coffee and various sub-tropical fruits. Many have compared it to Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe and it is fast becoming the mecca of many wild game seekers as farmers convert vast tracts of land around the dam back to their virgin bush in the bid to realise a dream to return this area to its former wild life kingdom. Lake Jozini, as the dam is now called, has become very popular as a Tiger fishing destination and because the dam borders with the Pongola Nature Reserve and Game Reserve, you

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Emdoneni News

Exciting Emdoneni

I discovered Emdoneni a few years ago. My sister was out from the USA and I wanted to give her a truly South African experience. And she wasn’t disappointed. By Tim Lombard. There’s something special about seeing a wild animal up-close. At Emdoneni, you get the chance. As part of the Cheetah Project, where they carefully rehabilitate wildlife and then release them into the wild, we get to experience monitored interaction with cheetah, caracal, serval and African wildcat. Emdoneni Lodge, with Cheetah Project, is a high quality lodge and is situated on a small game farm. It is accessible for any vistitor who still wants to experience the luxury of a bush environment and also be close to the main attractions such as Hluhluwe/iMfolozi Game Reserves and St Lucia World Heritage Park. This intimate, beautiful, multi-award wining lodge is the ideal location from which to explore the wildlife and coastal reserves in Zululand. We got to experience the abundance of our wildlife and the scenic splendors of this rich and diverse region during game drives offered at Hluhluwe/iMolozi Game Rerserves, guided and non-guided walks done at the lodge, cultural excursions close by and relaxing bot cruises at Lan St Lucia. The kids got to enjoy the facilities at the lodge too, with a swimming pool, jungle gym and play area. They even have their own kiddie’s menu, which was a real bonus for our fussy children. It’s now my third time and. And it won’t be my last. Do yourself a favour and experience Emdoneni’s owner-run lodge. You won’t regret it.

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