Returning to Umlalazi Nature Reserve

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Our December holidays kicked off with a five night stay at Umlalazi Nature Reserve on the north coast of Kwazulu-Natal Province and conveniently right on the outskirts of the small holiday town of Mtunzini. It is quite a drive from Pretoria, and by the time we arrived in stifling heat and humidity we were thankful for being allowed to check in a bit earlier than the “official” 14:00 time.

Umlalazi Log Cabin #1, December 2018

Of course we can’t sit still for long and with the relative coolness of the evening setting in we decided to go for a walk through the mangrove swamp and then through the forest to the beach before returning to our cottage.

A quiet spot in the mangrove swamp
Beautiful bloom of the Powder-puff Tree at Umlalazi
Water berry bloom at Umlalazi
CMR Blister Beetles
Channel in the mangrove swamp at Umlalazi
Mangrove Tree
African Mudhopper
White-breasted Cormorant
Crabs abound in the mangrove swamp
Grasshopper
Dune Forest road at Umlalazi
Sunset at the beach
Forest canopy at Umlalazi
Common Tropical House Gecko

After the previous day’s long drive Marilize and Joubert were a little late to wake for my liking, so I set off on a hike while they lay in. Upon returning to the cottage they were thankfully already up and ready, so we could set about exploring Umlalazi and surrounds as a family for the remainder of the day.

Yellow-billed Kite
Common Bush Brown
Vervet Monkey female with baby
Crabs abound in the mangrove swamp
Hadedas
Fallen Powder-puff Tree flower at Umlalazi
Kosi Raphia Palms and Joubert
Three-banded Plover
Plains Zebra
Yellow-bellied Greenbul
African Hoopoe
Violet-backed Starling (female)
Bronze Mannikin
Beautiful blooms at Umlalazi
Immature Fish Eagle in flight
Egyptian Goose
Wood Sandpiper
Common Ringed Plover
Vervet Monkey
Red-capped Robin-Chat
Gravel road through the dune forest at Umlalazi
Umlalazi’s lawnmower working in the campsite!
Common Tropical House Gecko
Diverse White
Red Duiker ram
Red Duiker ewe
Eastern Natal Green Snake
Guttural Toad

Early on Sunday morning we set off inland to Eshowe and the Dlinza Forest – we’ll tell you more about Dlinza in our next post. Just after returning to Umlalazi and a quick lunch, I set off on the longest trail in the reserve – the one leading to the mouth of the Mlalazi River where it meets the Indian Ocean. In retrospect starting the trail in the heat of the day was probably not the best idea, but the further I walked the more intrigued I became by what scenes were still waiting around the next corner, and by the time I started questioning my sanity it was too late to turn around anyway. This particular trail leads through the forested dunes and along the river course to the mouth and one can then choose to return to the camp along the same way or along the beach – all in all a round trip of around 9km or so. I chose to return along the flat beach with the cool waves lapping my overheated feet… 😀

Epiphytic plant on a tree at Umlalazi
Mlalazi River
Eastern Coastal Skink
Trail to the Mlalazi River mouth
Trail to the Mlalazi River mouth
Common Dotted Border
Near the Mlalazi River mouth
Mlalazi River mouth
Ospreys flying above the mouth of the Mlalazi
Huge schools of small fish swim in the mouth of the Mlalazi River
Mouth of the Mlalazi River
Common and Lesser Crested Terns on the beach at Umlalazi
Waves at Umlalazi
Flock of Sanderlings
White-fronted Plover
Dead dragonfly being buried by the sand on the beach at Umlalazi
Grey-headed Gull

With Monday the 17th of December being a public holiday, we expected that the beach would soon be packed with throngs of sun-seekers, and with sunrise coming so early in summer, we were out the door by 04:20 to first enjoy the emergence of the sun over the horizon of the Indian Ocean and then have a bit of beach fun-and-games. By the time the day started heating up around 08:00, with a steady stream of people heading for the beach, we had our fill of seaside-fun and headed back to the cottage. In the afternoon the mangrove swamp and Mlalazi river begged further exploration.

Early morning fun on the beach
Sunrise over the Indian Ocean at Umlalazi
Sunrise over the Indian Ocean
Crab along the shore on the beach at Umlalazi
Main beach at Umlalazi
African Pied Wagtail
Lesser Swamp Warbler
Purple Heron
Beautiful flowering plant growing on a beach dune at Umlalazi
Fever Tree
Boardwalk through Umlalazi’s mangrove swamp
Mlalazi River
Channel through the swamps at Umlalazi
Great White Pelicans
Little Stints
Woolly-necked Stork
Mlalazi River
Violet-backed Starling (male)

Joubert and I got an early start to our final full day at Umlalazi to go looking for interesting birds, and we were certainly not disappointed. A rain shower in the afternoon cancelled any plans we had of spending more time in Umlalazi’s forests, but brought welcome respite from the oppressive heat and humidity. The next morning we were moving to Mpila in the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park and of course we’re going to tell you about that part of our trip soon!

Black-backed Puffback
Pink-backed Pelican in flight over Umlalazi Nature Reserve
Trumpeter Hornbill
Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird
Red Duiker lamb that hung around our cottage at Umlalazi
African Wattled Lapwings
Yellow-throated Longclaw
Common Ringed Plover
Purple-crested Turaco
White-eared Barbets

This was our second visit to the Umlalazi Nature Reserve. After our first visit in 2016, we blogged about the reserve, the mangrove swamps, the beach, the forests and the Mlalazi River – follow the links if you’d like to learn more about this beautiful and underrated destination.

How to reach Umlalazi

34 thoughts on “Returning to Umlalazi Nature Reserve”

    1. de Wets Wild Post author

      Many, many people still do that! I’m horrified at the number of children being allowed to swim and play in the river though despite the warnings about crocodiles… And they are there – one family very excitedly and animatedly told me about the one they encountered on an early morning walk through the mangroves.

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  3. Jane Lurie

    Truly wonderful array of creatures and nature moments, Dries. Wishing you and your family a fantastic 2019 filled with more adventures. Looking forward to seeing more of your incredible experiences.

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  7. naturebackin

    What a fabulous collection of diverse photos – the sand forests are fantastic. Definitely inspires me to visit Umlalazi, which I have not been to for some time. Thank you.
    Btw, I think the fallen flower is from the powderpuff tree (Barringtonia racemosa) that you also feature in your first gallery.

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    1. de Wets Wild Post author

      Great that I now know someone else familiar with Umlalazi, Carol – it is such an underrated and unknown reserve and really is very special place!
      Thanks also for helping out with the fallen flower – it had me stumped because there wasn’t a single tree visible in that particular area that still had the blooms on the branch!

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  11. travel460

    Dankie dat jy jul wegbreek so met ons gedeel het, de Wet. Pragtige fotos. Ons kom redelik dikwels in die area omdat ons een seun in R’baai bly, maar jy het my weereens nuwe spesies laat raaksien deur jou lens.

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  12. Rainsinn

    Wow… what a delightful treat for the eyes. ❤ I am so so inspired to stay in a place surrounded by all these wonderful animals and birds. Thanks for sharing this 🙂 I loved reading the post and watching these amazing pictures. 🙂

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  16. John

    Incredibly beautiful photos (as always)😊 and your knowledge about all, and what a good mix of animals and nature! The tall palms are amazing, you see how tall they are when your son stands next to them.

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