Category Archives: Kwazulu Natal Province

Our experiences in the reserves of Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa

Oribi Gorge

The deep valley of the Umzimkulwana River is one of the most spectacularly scenic areas of Kwazulu-Natal. Known as the Oribi Gorge, this haven for nature lovers and thrill seekers is located just over 20 km inland from Port Shepstone, on the Natal South Coast.

Oribi Gorge

The Oribi Gorge Nature Reserve, under the auspices of Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, the provincial conservation authority, was proclaimed on the 1^st of April 1950 (having been protected as the Umzimkulwana State Forest since 1928). The reserve covers 1,917 hectares, the majority of which lies inside the valley of the Umzimkulwana, which meanders for a distance of almost 27km through the reserve. The gorge itself varies in width from a half to one kilometer and is up to 400 meters deep in places. Habitats in the reserve comprises mostly coastal forests, with grasslands covering the plains around the gorge, providing a safe home to a wide variety of flora, with over 500 species of plant identified, and fauna, which includes rarities like the samango monkey and blue duiker, and over 250 species of birds. Some lucky visitors even encounter leopard from time to time, or caracal like we did. Accommodation and camping is available in a small rest camp, complete with a reservoir swimming pool, while there are numerous beautiful picnic spots and view-sites along the tar road that travels down into the gorge along an old elephant path. The reserve is best explored along the many hiking trails that radiate through the gorge.

Caracal

Samango monkey

Oribi Gorge

Road through the Oribi Gorge

Oribi Gorge

Road through the Oribi Gorge

Oribi Gorge

The little rest camp at Oribi Gorge

Oribi Gorge

On the property of the Oribi Gorge Hotel are a number of sites, accessible for a small fee, offering spectacular views over the gorge and the river far below. It is also home base to Wild 5 Adventures, a company specialising in outdoor adventure activities. Thrill-seekers can enjoy abseiling down a cliff next to a waterfall or white-water rafting, a zipline crossing a portion of the gorge, or the highest swing in the world, at 165 meters!

Scenery at Oribi Gorge Hotel

View over the Oribi Gorge Nature Reserve from Oribi Gorge Hotel

Zipping across the Oribi Gorge

Scenery at Oribi Gorge Hotel

At the privately owned Lake Eland Game Reserve, where accommodation and camping, and a restaurant, is available, visitors can enjoy picnics, self-drive or guided game and bird viewing, cycling, horse riding and fishing. The 80 meter long suspension bridge over a section of the gorge gets the heart racing, while the 4.5 km zipline tour, the longest in Africa, of which one section crosses 300 m across the gorge, is probably not for the faint-of-heart…

Lake Eland Game Reserve

Eland at Lake Eland Game Reserve

Giraffe at Lake Eland Game Reserve

Lake Eland Game Reserve

Blue wildebeest at Lake Eland Game Reserve

Oribi at Lake Eland Game Reserve

With the beaches of the South Coast less than half-an-hour’s drive away, and offering such a variety of leisure and adventure activities while surrounded by natural beauty, the Oribi Gorge definitely is an attractive holiday destination for the whole family.

Midmar Dam Nature Reserve

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Near the town of Howick in the Natal Midlands, and conveniently close to the N3-freeway, you will find one of Kwazulu-Natal Province’s most popular playgrounds, the Midmar Dam Nature Reserve.

Midmar Dam

Most of the visitor activity is centred on the large Midmar Dam. Being the venue for the world’s biggest open-water swimming event, the Midmar Mile, held annually in February, the public resort with its well-kept lawns is especially geared to the enjoyment of a wide variety of water sports. Along the 15km of developed shoreline are zones set aside for picnics, fishing, powerboating and yachting, and a restaurant is located near the entrance. Accommodation options ranges from camping sites to fully equipped chalets.

Midmar Dam chalets

Midmar Misty Morning

Midmar Dam

Midmar Dam chalets

Midmar Dam picnic area

Midmar Dam camping

At full capacity the Midmar Dam covers over 1,800ha, with the land area of the reserve covering an additional 2,844ha. A section of the reserve is set aside as a game park hosting a selection of non-dangerous mammals, including the rare oribi antelope, and a wide variety of birds, including the majestic fish eagle, in natural surroundings where visitors are allowed to walk, cycle or drive around in their own vehicles.

Fish eagle being followed by a pied crow

Tranquil nature scene at Midmar

Midmar Dam Game Park

Plains zebra in the game park at Midmar

Black-winged lapwing

Huge flock of red-knobbed coot at Midmar

Red hartebeest in the game park at Midmar

Red hartebeest on burnt grassland in the game park at Midmar

African Fish Eagle in low-level flight over Midmar

Common duiker in the game park at Midmar

Plains zebra in the game park at Midmar

Kittlitz’s Plover at Midmar

Black wildebeest

Midmar Misty Morning

We found Midmar an excellent base from which to explore some other wild places in the area, particularly the Queen Elizabeth Park Nature Reserve, Karkloof Conservancy and Umgeni Valley Nature Reserve, as well as the many country stalls, farms, art galleries and eateries that make up the “Midlands Meander”.

Umgeni Valley Nature Reserve

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Umgeni Valley Nature Reserve

The Umgeni Valley Nature Reserve was established in 1976 by the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa. To this day it remains one of our country’s foremost environmental education centres and thousands of learners participate in a variety of courses presented here annually.

Umgeni Valley Nature Reserve

The reserve lies on the outskirts of the town of Howick in the Natal Midlands and is easily accessible from the main N3-highway. It covers an area of just 759 hectares stretching along the course of the Umgeni River below the Howick Falls (in itself worth a visit). Umgeni Valley Nature Reserve protects a variety of habitats including dense riverine thickets, open woodland, thorn-veld, grasslands and towering cliffs. Giraffe, monkeys, zebras and numerous antelope have found a home in the Umgeni Valley, and among the 270 bird species that have been recorded in the reserve are to be found raptors like the Crowned, Fish and Verreaux’s Eagles.

Reedbuck

Zebra and Blesbok in Umgeni Valley

Zebra in Umgeni Valley

Visitors can enjoy a picnic or tackle one of the seven different walking trails of varying difficulty, fly-fishing (strictly on a catch-and-release basis), mountain biking or rock-climbing. Guided game-viewing drives are available while a gravel road (negotiable, slowly and carefully, in a standard sedan vehicle), five kilometres in length, stretches from the reserve entrance along the edge of the gorge, offering scenic views of the valley and the river below. Accommodation in the reserve ranges from the dormitories used by visiting school groups to rustic bush camps, cottages and self-catering chalets.

Umgeni Valley Nature Reserve

Howick Falls

Point of view

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Our little wildlife photographer working hard for a warthog portrait at Mpila, in the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park

Unusual PoV

“An unusual point of view” is this week’s photo challenge from WordPress

Karkloof Conservation Centre

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The Karkloof has a long and rich history. Having once been on the main wagon trail linking Natal and the old Transvaal it is named for an overturned ox-wagon that became a landmark along the route in the mid-1800’s.

Karkloof Conservation Centre

In modern times, local farmers, foresters and other landowners have joined hands to manage this beautiful piece of land in harmony with nature, establishing the Karkloof Conservancy in 1998.The conservancy covers an area of 40,000 hectares and protects wetlands, grasslands and natural forests and all manner of associated wildlife, including all three of South Africa’s endangered crane species, among a patchwork of scenic farmlands and plantations.

Karkloof Conservation Centre

The farmers here pride themselves on their environmentally friendly farming practices and, realising the need for and value in greater public awareness of the work of the Karkloof Conservancy, a centre dedicated to the message of conservation, education and tourism was created and officially opened in October 2007. The Karkloof Conservation Centre is located at the entrance to Gartmore Farm, 15km to the north of Howick in the Natal Midlands. Gartmore and neighbouring Loskop are working dairy farms and here, among the beautiful green pastures, two bird-viewing hides overlook natural wetlands frequented by over 180 bird species (including the blue, crowned and wattled cranes) and a variety of naturally occurring small game animals. A small picnic site is available at the entrance, from where it is a short walk along a tree-lined path to the two hides.

Gartmore Hide

Loskop Hide

Loskop Hide: pied kingfisher

Loskop Hide: sacred ibis, spoonbill and yellow-billed ducks

Even a short visit to the Karkloof Conservation Centre will have you excited in the realisation that humans and nature can co-exist to the benefit of both, and perhaps you will be lucky, as we have, to get a glimpse of some of South Africa’s rarest birds as a bonus.

Crowned Cranes in a patch of long grass

Queen Elizabeth Park Nature Reserve

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Queen Elizabeth Park Nature Reserve is located in the hills in the northern suburbs of the city of Pietermaritzburg, the capital of KwaZulu-Natal Province, and about eight kilometres from the city centre. It serves as the location for the head office of the provincial conservation agency, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, world renowned especially for their achievements in saving the white rhinoceros from extinction.

Queen Elizabeth Park

Entrance is free and a short drive into the reserve provides access to three shady picnic areas and the self-guided iDube trail. There’s no accommodation available inside the reserve.

The road through the reserve

One of the picnic spots

iDube Trail

Several game species (including plains zebra, bushbuck, dassie and the rare blue duiker) and a wide variety of birds occur in this small nature reserve, established in 1960 and only 93 hectares in extent, which protects a surprising diversity of habitats ranging from grassland to forest surrounded by a sea of urbanisation.

Chorister Robin-Chat

Bushbuck

Drongo

Forest patch

Aloes

Bushbuck ewe

The Queen Elizabeth Park Nature Reserve is a fantastic asset to the people of Pietermaritzburg and especially those in search of some respite from the hustle and bustle of city life. It is a good thing though that we aren’t employed at the Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife headquarters, because we won’t ever be in the office!

Carefree

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Carefree… Exploring the dunes at Cape Vidal, in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park.

Carefree

Carefree is the theme for this week’s photo challenge from WordPress

Midmar, 11 August 2013

Natal Midlands, 9 August 2013

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We’re spending the Women’s Day long weekend in the Natal Midlands. It is cold, rainy, misty and wet.

And utterly beautiful!

This picture was taken on our way to the Swissland Cheese Farm earlier today.

Swissland

We are now relaxing in our chalet at the Midmar Public Resort and Nature Reserve, our base for the next couple of days.

The Golden Hour

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Not only is the first and last hours of daylight – the “Golden Hours” – the best for photography, but it is also the best time to be out searching for the big cats in South Africa’s wild places, like this leopard we encountered near Cape Vidal, in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park.

Isimangaliso_Leopard_7038