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Fun And Adventurous Things To Do In Northern KZN

KZN is roughly the size of Portugal and northern KZN is mild, sunny and dry in winter and sub-tropical in summer with delicious rain storms and blazing beach weather. Replete with wild forests pulsating with bird and animal life, here are 21 fun and adventurous things to do around and along the elephant coast. Watch out for the Zebra crossing in Mtunzini!                                 Sleepy coastal town Mtunzini (meaning “a place in the shade” in Zulu) is a hidden gem on the North Coast. Don’t mind the zebras as they go about their business, it’s the crocs I would watch out for! Visit gentle giants at Tembe Elephant Park                           Right near the Mozambique border, in Maputaland these large tuskers roam among tiny Suni antelope.  Get away from it all at Rocktail Beach Camp                             Rocktail Beach, situated in a remote coastal forest area of the Isimangaliso Wetland Park, combines luxury and rusticity for a glorious beach/bush break where you really feel like you’ve escaped life’s stresses. There are 17 units, each with an open-air feel inside shower. The Honeymoon suite has uninterrupted views of the welcoming Indian Ocean.  Aquatic tigers in Jozini Dam                         Officially known as Pongolapoort Dam, prior to the dam’s construction this was Africa’s first formally recognized conservation area. In the reserves around the dam you’ll find elephant, leopard, nile crocodiles on the banks, pink and white backed pelicans, rhinos, buffalo, hippos, waterbuck as well as many others. A healthy tiger fish population makes this a prime fishing destination.  Take a Horse Ride through the old battle fields                             Ride in the ghostly paths of the Zulu and British soldiers on the battlefields.  Go on a photographic safari at Zimanga Private Nature Reserve                               Combine your passion for excellent photography with your love of wildlife and visit Zimanga Private Nature Reserve. Zimanga is based on the Zulu word for something unbelievable, and this is the first reserve in Africa to specialise in wildlife photography. The hides have been designed with the guidance of a BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year Winner and are unobtrusive ensure that the animals remain undisturbed by the photographers. Go Diving in Sodwana Bay                       Sodwana bay offers some of the best diving in the world with outstanding marine life and beautiful coral. Dive sites range from 20 to 40 metres, so if you’re an experienced diver you can go seeking out the hammerhead sharks. Water temperature varies from 28 degrees in summer to 20 in winter.  De-stress at rustic Mabibi beach camp                                 Wonderful rustic Mabibi Campsite is situated at Hulley Point on the Elephant Coast.  Spot Palm Nut Vultures at the Raffia Palm Monument in Mtunzini                           Declared a National Monument in 1942, the Raffia Palm grove in Mtunzini has a lovely boardwalk trail from where you can spot the distinguished palmnut vultures. The palms grow to an impressive 25 metres high with 18 metre long leaves! Valley Drive, Mtunzini.   Visit Lake Sibaya, the largest freshwater lake in SA                 This pristine freshwater lake is one of the 10 jewels of the Isimangaliso Wetland Park, is 70 square kilometres and thriving with animal and bird life. Watch out for the crocs and hippos on the banks! Lake Sibaya (also known as Sibhayi) was once the mouth of a powerful river but is now naturally separated from the sea by sand dunes. Stay at any of the luxury lodges in the surrounding area or at the Mabibi Beach camp (see above). Discover more at the Fort Nongqayi Museum Village                                 The Fort, built in Dlinza Forest in Eshowe in 1883 houses the Zululand Historical Museum. There is also an aboretum, the KZN papermakers, and an art gallery. At the museum you’ll learn about the construction of a Zulu hut, you’ll also see King Mpande’s wheelchair and see other artifacts such as the brass armbands worn by Zulu kings and soldiers. For more info contact the museum at +27(0)35 474 2281. Nongqayi Street, Eshowe, 3815, Zululand, KwaZulu Natal. Snorkeling at Lala Nek                         Lala Nek is a spot in Isimangaliso Wetland Park near Black Rock and Mabibi. Find it at -27.224025°S; 32.794733°E. Only 5 vehicles a day are allowed into Lala Nek but there is no beach permit required. Stop in at Gugulesizwe Cultural Village on the way. You’ll need a 4×4 to navigate the sand. Snorkeling is best at low tide. Bird Watching and Bush Baby spotting at Ongoye Forest Reserve                             This rare habitat of scarp forest hosts a plethora of birdlife and even some cycads. The Ongoye forest reserve is one of the oldest protected nature areas in the country and was first under the protection of the Zulu Royal household for the important medicinal plants found here. King Mpande first protected the area followed by his son, King Cetshhwayo, who prevented John Dunn from hunting in the forest. You’ll need a 4×4 to access this remote reserve and you’ll cross three streams to get there. There are no camping facilities so when you arrive you must contact the

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Hluhluwe KZN

Jozini dam and

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. It 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 can view wildlife from your boat and glow-flies light up the early evening shoreline, transforming the water into an incandescent array of fairy lights.     The main attraction in this area is the return of the elephant. But there are vast numbers of other game to be viewed, including: buffalo, wildebeest, giraffe, zebra, kudu, bushbuck, duiker, steenbok, hyena, cheetah, wild dog, serval cat, warthog and even the occasional sighting of leopard, which roam the Lebombo mountains. The dam’s muddy plains and reed banks are home to a vast array of birdlife, over 350 different species, including the whistling duck, yellow billed storks, Egyptian geese, herons, kingfishers and several fish eagles. Tiger fishing Tips at Jozini Dam Tiger fishing in Jozini has been a continuous learning experience from the first days where I spent days on Jozini Dam with poor results. Where to begin looking for Tiger fish in Jozini, and with what bait and tackle to use? As with any kind of fishing, in the beginning it was very frustrating, but then with time I got some tips and I learned some tiger fishing techniques which work consistently. I discuss different tiger fishing tips and techniques in more detail in the ‘Jozini Tiger fishing Techniques’ section of the site, but here are some basic tiger fishing tips and tricks I have learned, and that you will learn yourself, if you spend time tiger fishing at Jozini Dam. A list of Jozini Tiger fishing Tips: Weather Conditions Explore the whole of Jozini Dam, from the gorge to the northern tip of the dam and create your own fishing map, so that you know which areas are best to fish under different wind conditions. Weather conditions will always determine how and where you can fish on Jozini Dam, so get accurate weather forecasts for the Jozini area. There is always the option to launch at either the northern or southern part of Jozini. Don’t let a short drive prevent you from getting to the best fishing spots at Jozini. Take high spf sunscreen and a hat. Water Conditions Summer rains bring in dirty water in the spring and summer. During this time, the clearest water can be found in the southern tip of Jozini dam. Winds from the north make the water along the western shore very dirty. The water clears slowly when the wind dies or when the wind changes and blows from a southerly direction. Tiger fish prefer warmer water in the winter, so avoid areas of upwelling of cold water. Tiger fishing in Jozini is slightly slower in the winter, but we catch good size Tiger fish all year round at Jozini. Don’t believe those who tell you that you don’t catch Tiger fish in the winter! A good Jozini tiger fishing tip is to remember that Tigerfish do not mind discolored water. If you are struggling to find fish, try to fish in a dirty patch of water. You will read that Tiger fishing is best in clear water, but also bear in mind that hunting in clear water is difficult for Tiger fish, and off-coloured water makes hunting easier. This is why one often finds large numbers of Tiger fish concentrated in areas of dirty water. Wind creates strong currents in the Jozini Dam. Look for places where the fish can get out of the current. Good places to find Tiger fish hiding behind points along the southern shore. The bay at the Fish Eagle campsite is a good example of a sheltered bay. The water currents in Jozini also play a role in the transport of dirty water. Fishing Tackle Remove all the split rings from new tiger fishing lures and replace with strong ones. When a tiger fish jumps and shakes its head, the shaking lure causes those small split rings pull open without any excessive line tension. Also remember that when a Tiger fish is speeding off at 70-80 km/h, just the drag of the bow of line in the water is enough to pull rings and break line even with zero tension from the rod end. Replace all treble hooks with single hooks. Flattening the barbs on the hooks makes a clean release of your tiger fish much easier. Steel wire and nylon coated trace should always be in good condition and tiger fishing traces must be at least 50kg breaking strain. Replace wire traces with kinks immediately! Use braid only if you are well accustomed to fishing with braid. Braid plus a stiff rod offers little shock absorption, often resulting in mysterious braid breaks and hooks pulling out of the soft membranes in the inside of the Tiger fish’s mouth. A good tigerfishing tip for anybody fishing with braid is to keep your fingers well out of the way when a tiger fish attacks

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