Category Archives: iSimangaliso Wetland Park

Our experiences in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, South Africa

In the pound seats at Kumasinga

The fantastic Kumasinga Hide is one of the uMkhuze Game Reserve‘s major attractions. The hide is built in the middle of a natural-looking waterhole and offers uninterrupted views and excellent photographic opportunities right around. During our visit to uMkhuze in December 2014 we spent several hours every day at the hide, enthralled by the spectacle of literally hundreds of animals and birds making their way to the water to slake their thirst in the oppressive summer heat.

Best to look over your shoulder every now and then while walking to the hide!

uMkhuze’s Kumasinga Hide

Spectator

Even beneath the hide there’s action!

Rush hour at Kumasinga

Nervous impala

Nyalas are very common patrons at Kumasinga

Nyala bulls coming for a drink

Nyalas are very common patrons at Kumasinga

Nyalas drinking

Red-billed quelea

Fork-tailed drongo dropping in for a drink

Emerald-spotted wood dove

Warthog spa treatment

Blue wildebeests slaking their thirst

Zebr and wildebeest sharing the waterhole

Thirsty zebra

New to the waterhole

Zebra reflections

Marsh Terrapins basking in the sun

We have lots more to share from our uMkhuze visit, so please join us again next week!

The magic of Nsumo Pan

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uMkhuze Game Reserve, in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, has a lot to offer any nature lover, no matter where their interests lie. One of the reserve’s biggest drawcards is the Nsumo Pan, a large body of water fed by the Mkuzi River. Nsumo is home to breeding pink-backed and great white pelicans, hippos and crocodiles, among the huge variety of birds and animals that live along its reed and fever-tree lined shores. The reserve authorities have made it really easy to enjoy Nsumo’s magic: a tar road skirts a part of its northern banks, there are two bird-viewing platforms at the water’s edge and a beautiful picnic site with clean ablutions and braai (barbeque) facilities.

The vast expanse of Nsumo Pan

Goliath heron

Pink-backed Pelican at dawn

Pink-backed Pelican in flight

Hippos at rest in Nsumo Pan

Hippo highway leading from the water

Crocodile lurking in the water

the road along Nsumo Pan

One of the bird-viewing hides at Nsumo

Nsumo picnic site

Nsumo magic

We have lots more to share in upcoming posts about our December visit to uMkhuze Game Reserve 😀

New

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To this little plains zebra in the uMkhuze Game Reserve, the waterhole was a fascinating new experience.

New to the waterhole

“New” is the theme for the WordPress Photo Challenge of 02/01/2015

It’s the end of our summer in the bush…

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We arrived back home in Pretoria after our epic 21-night summer holiday in the bush. We’ll soon start wrapping up with a weekly trip report of the beautiful wild places we visited. Today we’re simply compiling a gallery of the photos we posted on a daily basis while we were away.

Chelmsford 13122014

Chelmsford sunset 14122014

Ithala 15122014

Ithala 16122014

Ithala 17122014

Lions at uMkhuze (18122014)

uMkhuze’s Kumasinga Hide

uMkhuze 20122014

iSimangaliso 21122014

Vervet monkeys hiding from the wet weather (iSimangaliso 22122014)

Western Osprey taking flight (iSimangaliso 23122014)

Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Christmas Eve

Chistmas sunrise over Hluhluwe-Imfolozi

Cubs in the tree (Hluhluwe-Imfolozi 26122014)

Wild dogs on the hunt (Hluhluwe-Imfolozi 27122014)

Hluhluwe-Imfolozi 28122014

Midmar 29122014

Golden Gate 30122014

Golden Gate 31122014

Golden Gate 01012015

Golden Gate Highlands National Park

Our 2014 in pictures

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Looking back at the fantastic places we stayed at while exploring South Africa’s wild places in 2014…

Pafuri River Camp, February 2014

Letaba, Kruger National Park, February 2014

Swadini, Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve, February 2014

Glen Reenen, Golden Gate Highlands National Park, March 2014

Giant’s Castle Game Reserve, April 2014

Shingwedzi, Kruger National Park, April 2014

Orpen, Kruger National Park, April 2014

Berg-en-Dal, Kruger National Park, May 2014

Skukuza, Kruger National Park, August 2014

Satara, Kruger National Park, August 2014

Shipandani Hide, Kruger National Park, September 2014

Shingwedzi, Kruger National Park, September 2014

Glen Reenen, Golden Gate Highlands National Park, November 2014

Skukuza, Kruger National Park, November 2014

Chelmsford Nature Reserve, December 2014

Ntshondwe, Ithala, December 2014

Mantuma, uMkhuze, December 2014

Chane Cheese Farm, December 2014

Mpila, Hluhluwe-Imfolozi, December 2014

Midmar, December 2014

Glen Reenen, Golden Gate Highlands National Park, December 2014

Summer in the bush: iSimangaliso, 23 December 2014

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An osprey takes flight over the Western Shores of Lake St. Lucia

iSimangaliso 23122014

Summer in the bush: iSimangaliso, 22 December 2014

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Inclement weather put an early end to our plans to walk the Ligwalagwala Trail in St. Lucia this morning. We were as disappointed as this vervet monkey mother and her baby seemed to be.

iSimangaliso 22122014

Summer in the bush: iSimangaliso, 21 December 2014

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We moved base again today, this time to Chane Cheese Farm, from where we’ll be exploring the southern reaches of Lake St. Lucia and the iSimangaliso Wetlands Park. The farm is surrounded by bluegum plantations, huge swathes of which have already been removed and rehabilitated after the proclamation of iSimangaliso as a World Heritage Site in order to restore a natural ecological balance to this diverse area.

iSimangaliso 21122014