South Africa : KwaZulu Natal

Inland from the local capital of Durban are the spectacular Drakensberg Mountains with peaks soaring over 12,000 feet and a huge area for walking, horseriding and fishing. The area is also renowned for the sites of Rorkes Drift and Isandlwana, the battlefields marked as a reminder of the bloody Anglo-Zulu Wars. Everything that South Africa is famous for can be found in this province, the area is exiting and diverse, within miles you can view wildlife, meet the Zulu King, learn about the battlefields, walk in the Drakensburg Mountains and go scuba diving. It is possible to spend weeks in KwaZulu Natal and still find new things to see and do.

Quick links:
Thonga Beach Lodge	Wendy's Country Lodge
Rocktail Bay	Milimani Game Reserve
Fugitives Drift Lodge	Phinda Mountain Lodge
Ndumo Lodge

Thonga Beach Lodge
Thonga Beach Lodge is set on the pristine shores of the Maputuland coast, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. This 22-bed luxury lodge is the ideal place to discover one of the most unspoilt wilderness beaches left on the African continent. Mabibi is a magical place of coastal forests, grasslands, bush, shimmering lakes and exquisite sandy beaches. Its crystal clear, warm waters offer South Africa's best snorkeling and fantastic off-shore scuba diving.

Set above a secluded bay, Thonga Beach Lodge is nestled into beautiful coastal dune forest with sweeping views of the stunning beach below. The thatched bush suites provide guests with complete privacy and were carefully constructed to ensure minimal impact on the environment. The lodge offers luxurious accommodation, delicious meals and one of the best dive sites in the South Africa.

Thonga Beach Lodge is situated only metres from the beach and a 10 minute drive from Lake Sibiya (Southern Africa's largest freshwater lake), which is part of the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park, now internationally recognised as a World Heritage Site. The ensuite rooms are beautifully constructed with large double baths and twin sinks. There is plenty to keep you busy at thonga or you can just relax on the beach or by the pool. Activities include snorkelling just off the beach, nature walks, boats trips on Lake Sibiya, bird watching, diving, fishing and miles and miles of pristine beach to walk along. From Dec to February turtles lay their eggs on the beach, its an amazing experience to watch a huge leatherhead turtle heave herself up the beach, laboriously dig the perfect hole to lay her eggs, cover them up then make dummy nests to confuse any predators then drag herself exhausted back to the ocean. If you are lucky you can see the eggs hatching and hundreds of tiny turtles racing to the sea.

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beach	diving	Lake Sybia

coast	bedroom view	bathroom



Leatherback turtle	Loggerhead turtle	turtle eggs

Rocktail Bay
Rocktail Bay Lodge is situated on the northern coast of Natal in the Maputaland Coastal Forest Reserve, a proclaimed World Heritage Site. The lodge is set within the forest and only metres from the Indian Ocean with 40 miles of private pristine beaches to explore. Rocktail Bay Lodge has 10 'tree house' rooms, all of which have en-suite bathrooms with additional outdoor showers, for bathing under the stars. The activities here include excellent snorkelling and scuba diving in the Indian Ocean, surfing and fly fishing can be done from the lodge, nature walks take you through the grasslands and forest reserves and during the summer months nocturnal walks and drives along the beach take you in search of egg laying sea turtles.

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the coast	a framed room	sitting area

plunge pool	on the beach	dive boat

Fugitives Drift Lodge
Fugitives Drift Lodge is situated near the historical battlefields of Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift, and provides comfortable accommodation with a unique historical experience in an area of outstanding beauty. David Rattery, an expert military historian who grew up in the area and had first hand contact with some of the old warriors takes tours of the battle fields and will captivate you with moving stories of the victories and defeats of the British army. Peaceful and rustic this charming lodge has 6 attractive en suite cottages each with a stunning view. A natural heritage site, there is an abundance of rare flora and game including giraffe, zebra, wildebeest and Kudu and huge array of birds. A visit to Rorke's Drift and a tour and stories of the battles and battlefields are a truly memorable experience.

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lodge	Rorke's Drift	pool

Ndumo Lodge
Ndumo Wilderness Camp is located in a private concession within the Ndumo Game Reserve, this small wilderness area is nestled between the southern border of Mozambique and Swaziland. There are 8 raised en-suite tented rooms, overlooking the Pan and all simply yet tastefully decorated. All the public areas of the camp; the dining area, swimming pool and the rooms are linked together by wooden walkways. There is a wide range of activities from walking through the rich forest often providing opportunity to track Rhino, learn about the tracks and signs of the bush, game drives, boating on the Pans, bird watching from purpose built hides and tiger fishing are all possible.

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terrace	tented room	the lodge

Ndumo	rhino	game viewing

Wendy's Country Lodge
The private home of Wendy and Tony is located in a private setting not far from Hluhluwe National Park and St Lucia Wetlands. The rooms are either in the main house or scattered amongst the gardens, which have been cultivated over the last forty years. There is a small swimming pool and a large open area with a bar and plenty of reference books. Your hosts will go out of their way to ensure that you make the most of your stay, their local knowledge and warmth is invaluable. There is plenty to keep you busy with over 20 activities in the immediate area, the St Lucia wetlands, craft markets, beaches, national parks teeming with game, cheetah breeding, deep sea fishing, kayaking, horse riding, golf to name a few.

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pool	main house	gardens

Milimani Game Reserve
This is a private home, with a comfortable lodge, plenty of hand reared friends and 10,000 acres of pristine wilderness. Milimani is successfully owner run by Ken and Lois Kuhle, both are active conservationists and aim to preserve the endangered species of African wildlife. As well as housing many orphaned and saved animals the reserve has healthy populations of wildlife and the walking, game drives and bird watching are all very rewarding. The lodge has 9 thatched rooms, a central dining room, 3 swimming pools and a game viewing sitting area. Milimani would suit anyone with a genuine interest in Africa, whether you are on honeymoon, anniversaries or a special holiday away.

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Phinda Mountain Lodge
Phinda Mountain Lodge is one of 4 lodges in the Phinda Game Reserve, in KwaZulu Natal area. This area has brilliant wildlife and over 400 species of birds, all the large mammals as well as dolphins and turtles. The lodge is well built and decorated with a local ethnic theme, there are stunning views of the Lebombo Mountains. Other than game viewing, there are plenty of activities to keep you busy, the lodge will organise moonlit bush dinners, trips to local community school and clinic, Zulu cultural lectures, canoeing or boat cruises, white rhino tracking, deep-sea fishing, horse riding, scuba diving and small plane flights over the coast.

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bedroom	main lodge	pool