Tag Archives: nature

Never miss an opportunity to go back to Lower Sabie and Olifants!

There was a reason I dedicated the previous two posts on de Wets Wild to Lower Sabie and Olifants, two of the most popular camps in the Kruger National Park. That is because I had the opportunity to visit both camps again earlier this week, and now that you have been introduced to both destinations we can all just sit back and enjoy some photos from this latest trip. Here’s hoping you enjoy the gallery as much as I enjoyed putting it together!

Sunrise on the road near Malelane

Chew with your mouth closed!

Lilac-breasted Roller

Kudu herd on the move

Verreaux’s Eagle Owl

Marching buffalo bulls

Ellie insists on having the right of way!

Reflections at a waterhole near Crocodile Bridge

Blue wildebeest too nervous to drink

Crocodile lazing on a rock in the Vurhami stream

Giraffe on the plains

Cheetah south of Lower Sabie

Bungalow 12 at Lower Sabie, May 2016

Nyala along the Sabie

Red-billed Oxpecker clinging to a kudu

Old timer slowly walking along the road

Kudu close-up

Great white egret in the Sabie

Sunset over the Sabie

Hooded Vulture silhouette

Lioness on buffalo kill

Klipspringer ewe on Nkumbe Mountain

Blue wildebeests near Tshokwane

Huge herd of nervous zebra at Mazithi Dam

Elephant showing zebras who’se the boss!

Big old bull north of Satara

Young hippo looking for something to eat

Pearl-spotted Owlet

Olifants bungalow 23, May 2016

The milky way above Olifants

Sunrise over the Olifants

Leopard seen near Olifants

Watchful lion near Olifants

Buffalo facing the rising sun

Wildebeest silhouette

Leopard hunting jackals

Zebras and marulas outside Satara

Impala on the run

Elephant bull on the way to Orpen

Olifants Rest Camp, Kruger National Park

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Olifants Rest Camp undoubtedly offers the best views of any of the Kruger National Park‘s camps, situated as it is on a cliff high above the Olifants River in the central regions of the Park. Many guests spend all day on their accommodation unit’s veranda, using their binoculars to scan the river below and the plains beyond for wildlife, or simply soaking in one of the grandest vistas in wild Africa.

Olifants was opened in June 1960, though it was closed for a 16 month period in the early 1970’s after a fire destroyed the reception, restaurant and shop. The cliff-top viewpoint near the restaurant is one of the most popular spots in the entire Park, and during the day is always packed with spectators enjoying the wildlife show along the river banks below. The camp offers guests a choice of 112 accommodation units, ranging from 2 and 3 bed bungalows to two luxurious and very exclusive guest houses that accommodate up to 8 guests each. Some of the accommodation units have been built right on the edge of the cliff, offering guests the most exquisite views, but you have to book a year in advance if you want to secure one of those. The two-bedroomed cottage number 14 is a personal favourite of ours. Olifants also offers guests a Mugg & Bean restaurant (itself with stunning views), a shop, filling station, small meeting room, swimming pool, picnic area for day visitors and guided activities.

Olifants’ clifftop location

Olifants entrance

Olifants viewpoint

Olifants restaurant

Olifants shop

Stunning views from some of Olifants’ units

Sweeping views over the Olifants

Olifants Rest Camp, unit 14, December 2015

There aren’t many places with a view like this!

2 Years old: August 2011. Joubert appreciating the view from unit 14 at Olifants

Female Red-winged Starling on her nest at our cottage

Wahlberg’s Eagle hunting from a perch near our cottage

Exclusive Lebombo Guest House

Olifants bungalows

Elephants in the river below Olifants

Hippo encountered on a night drive from Olifants

The Olifants makig its way through rugged rocks

Sunset over the Olifants

Night over the Olifants

Nearby, tiny Balule is a much more rustic camp offering accommodation in a small camping area and six very basic three-bed huts on the southern bank of the Olifants River. The huts were built in 1930 in the “Selby” style: a rondavel (round hut) without any windows, just a gap all around between the roof and wall for ventilation. The huts share a communal kitchen (with a paraffin freezer) and ablution block, and the same applies to the camping sites. Balule has no electricity and paraffin lamps are used to provide light at night. During the Apartheid years Balule was available only to non-white visitors.

Balule seen from across the Olifants

Balule hut

Balule camping area

Just outside Balule, a low level causeway crosses the Olifants River. The pontoon-crossing that operated over the river since 1929 was replaced by the causeway in 1937, but the old bridge was extensively damaged in the massive floods of January 2012 and had to be rebuilt. The high-span bridge across the same river, on the main tarred H1 route through the Park, lies about 5km due west from Balule and affords visitors the opportunity to stop and stretch their legs while enjoying the views up- and downstream. Both bridges are very popular with guests to Olifants, as they allow close-up views of so many of the river’s denizens.

The old Balule causeway

Balule causeway after the 2012 flood

The rebuilt causeway

Hippo posturing at the Balule causeway

Yellow-billed Stork

Grey Heron

Wood Sandpiper

Egyptian Geese at the Balule causeway

Showing just how the waterbuck got its name!

Sunrise over the Olifants from the Balule causeway

High level bridge over the Olifants

Yellow-billed Kite in low level flypast

View over the Olifants from the high bridge before the 2012 flood

View over the Olifants from the high bridge after the 2012 flood – note how the river bed was scoured clean to the bedrock

South of Olifants, the roads initially follow the course of the river before leading down to the Satara-area. Nwamanzi offers more spectacular views over the Olifants, and the open plains south of the river host a huge number and variety of game and birds. Bangu waterhole and the Hlahleni stream crossing on the S90, as well as the Ngotso Weir on the S89, are especially rewarding spots to wait for the herds (and the predators that prey on them) to come and drink.

Just a sliver of light at the back of these kudus

Two very coy young hyenas

Temminck’s Courser

Martial Eagle surveying his landscape

Young kudu bull

Hippos from N’wamanzi Viewpoint

Pod of hippos in the bed of the Olifants

Three-banded Plover

Tattered old bull near Bangu

Lioness along the H1-4 just south of the Olifants River

Bangu waterhole

Giraffe walking away from Bangu in the Kruger Park

Herd of elephants on the dry plains south of Olifants

Ngotso weir

Another pod of hippos at the Ngotso weir

Waterhole at the Hlahleni crossing on the S90

Black-backed jackal

North of Olifants you enter the mopane-dominated northern plains of Kruger. There’s two general options of routes leading northwards from Olifants, both leading to Letaba Rest Camp. The quickest route follows the tarred H8 and H1-5 roads and is often very quiet game viewing-wise, especially once the road turns away from the river. The gravel S44, S93 and S46 roads follows the course of the Olifants and Letaba rivers through some very rocky terrain with several stream crossings and, apart from a lovely viewing point downstream from camp and the historic Von Wielligh’s Baobab, usually also offers lots more wildlife to see.

Hyenas always seem to be on the way to somewhere…

The hippo, the hyena and the waiting tourists

Bold, begging crocodile and terrapins near Olifants

Bold crocodile near Olifants

Begging Serrated terrapins near Olifants

Begging Serrated Terrapin near Olifants

Klipspringer ewe

Two kudu bulls in the bed of the Letaba

Klipspringer in typical habitat

Irritated young buffalo

Pensive baboon

Giraffe in the mopane

Elephant moving through Mopane scrub

Another old timer at Olifants

Here elephants have right of way!

Von Wielligh’s baobab, between Olifants and Letaba in the Kruger Park, in the dry season

Von Wielligh’s baobab in summer

Sunrise from the viewpoint along the S44

Sweeping views over the Olifants

Sunrises and sunsets at Olifants can be spectacular in the extreme

For scenic splendour alone, there’s no other camp in Kruger that can compete with Olifants. Combine that with the camp’s great facilities and excellent game viewing drives in the vicinity, and you’ll understand why it has become a firm favourite with many Kruger visitors.

Lower Sabie Rest Camp, Kruger National Park

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Lower Sabie must be the most popular destination in the Kruger National Park. It is exceedingly hard to get a booking here if you don’t book a year in advance. In peak season, even just finding parking to visit the shop or restaurant can be a challenge, as visitors from all over the the southern sections of the Park flock to the camp. The camp’s location on the banks of the Sabie River, in an area of exceptionally high-quality grazing in the south-eastern corner of the Park, ensures that its surrounds is frequented by an astounding variety and number of herbivores and their attending predators, making for game-viewing heaven!

The Sabie River got its name from the Shangaan word “saba” meaning fear, probably due to the large number of enormous crocodiles that call the river home. The dam in front of the camp came about after the causeway across the river was built in 1987 (it had to be rebuilt higher after the floods in February 2000).

The first tourist accommodation at Lower Sabie was a 5-bedroom house converted from ranger Tom Duke’s quarters in 1930, but this was demolished again just two years later after becoming dilapidated. The only access to Lower Sabie was via Gomondwane from Crocodile Bridge until the road from Skukuza reached it in 1931. The next attempt at providing guest accommodation at Lower Sabie then commenced in 1936, when three buildings, built in a u-shape and each housing six bedrooms, were erected – these units are still used as accommodation to this day, but has been extensively renovated since. Over the years, more accommodation and a camping site was added to the camp, leading up to an extensive project to revamp and enlarge Lower Sabie in the early 2000’s. Today the camp provides overnight accommodation in 117 huts, bungalows, cottages and safari tents and has space for 34 caravans and tents in its camping area. Lower Sabie’s restaurant (Mugg & Bean), with its deck overlooking the Sabie River, is especially popular. The camp has a well stocked shop for groceries and curios, a fuel station, swimming pool for overnight guests and a day visitors picnic area near the gate. Along the river, in front of the bungalows south of the restaurant, lush lawns and deep shade provided by enormous trees is just the place to spend a lazy afternoon, surrounded by Lower Sabie’s prolific birdlife.

Lower Sabie’s restaurant sen from across the river

The deck at Lower Sabie’s restaurant

Lower Sabie restaurant

Lower Sabie shop

Lower Sabie swimming pool

Lower Sabie picnic area

Lower Sabie cottage 93, December 2015

Lower Sabie bungalows

Lower Sabie bungalows and gardens

Lower Sabie Tent 26, July 2015

Lower Sabie safari tents

Lower Sabie huts

Lower Sabie camping area

Beauty in Lower Sabie

Well camouflaged agama

Cape Glossy Starling

Arrow-marked Babbler

Southern Masked Weaver

Spectacled Weaver

Blue waxbill

White-Browed Robin-Chat

Grey Go-away-bird hiding from the heat in a shady Lower Sabie tree

Elephants and impalas mingle on the bank of the Sabie

Crossing the Sabie

Elephant passing right in front of our cottage

Elephant next to the fence

A family of Greater Greater Cane-rat

Night time view from our tent’s deck

We can certainly recommend joining at least one of the guided activities on offer from Lower Sabie, as excellent sightings are almost guaranteed.

All aboard!

Night drive scorpion

The guides are expert at seeing chameleons in the spotlight

African wildcat seen on a night drive from Lower Sabie

Verreaux’s Eagle Owl

Sunset Dam is a brilliant spot just a kilometer from Lower Sabie, and as its name suggests is very popular with visitors whiling away the last minutes before they have to get back to camp in the evening. You can park your vehicle right on the water’s edge, allowing excellent photographic opportunities of hippos, crocodiles, wading birds and herds of game coming to quench their thirst.

Sunset Dam, in daylight

Hippo returning to the water

Yaaaawwwwwnnnnn!

Common sandpiper at Sunset Dam

Yellow-billed Stork at Sunset Dam

Guineafowl hoping for a morsel – don’t be tempted!

Wood sandpiper at Sunset Dam

This crocodile may seem fast asleep, but if anything ventures into the water he’ll be quick to react.

Lurking crocodile

Sunset Dam, at sunset…

Heading north from Lower Sabie along the H10 tarred route to Tshokwane, you’ll encounter the first highlight of this route just minutes after leaving camp. The causeway across the Sabie River is a favourite spot for many visitors, who flock here to enjoy glorious sunsets and an abundance of game and bird species attracted to the water. The plains between Lower Sabie and Tshokwane is home to incredible herds of zebra and wildebeest at the end of winter, and is also an excellent place to look for reedbuck, one of the rarer antelope that occurs in Kruger. Of course, with so many herbivores roaming around it stands to reason that the predators are not far behind. If you, like us, enjoy your game viewing with as little other traffic as possible, try the gravel S29, S122 and S128 loops that turn off the main road as alternatives to explore this area. Two other beautiful places not to be missed is Mlondozi Picnic Spot, overlooking a large dam from Muntshe mountain, and Nkumbe Viewpoint, which offers an exceptional view over the open plains of Kruger.

H10 Causeway at Lower Sabie

Making waves!

Tigerfish in the Sabie River

Giant Kingfisher hunting from the bridge

Green-backed heron

White-crowned Lapwing on the bridge

Warthogs drinking from the Sabie

Hippo jaw on a Sabie sandbank

Lion love at Lower Sabie

Warthog

Reedbuck are often seen between Lower Sabie and Tshokwane

Muntshe mountain seen from the north

Hyena on the S29 to Mlondozii

Elephant bull with Muntshe in the background

Mlondozi picnic spot

Zebra crossing a very wet road

Giraffe under heavy skies

African Rock Python just north of Muntshe Mountain

Black-bellied Bustard

Plains zebra

Pearl-spotted Owlet at Mlondozi

Giraffe, with Nkumbe in th background

Klipspringer ewe enjoying the drizzle

Klipspringer ram on Nkumbe

Wet waterbuck

Nkumbe viewpoint

Herd of wildebeest far below Nkumbe viewpoint

Waterbuck at the Mapilini stream just north of Nkumbe

Lower Sabie sunset

The tarred H4-2 Gomondwane Road leading south to Crocodile Bridge is another very productive route for game viewing, though we personally prefer taking the gravel loops running roughly parallel to the main road (S28 Nhlowa Road, S82 Mativuhlungu Loop, S130 Gomondwane Loop and S137 past Duke’s waterhole) as these carry a little less vehicle traffic.

Lower Sabie sunrise

Scrub hares are often seen in the early morning

Kudu crossing the road

Passing close-by!

Leopard tortoise feeding on fresh shoots next to the road

African Green Pigeon

Plains zebra are plentiful along the roads south of Lower Sabie

Kori bustard, one of the biggest flying birds on earth

Impalas are a regular sight around these parts

Side-striped Jackal

Spotted hyena mother

Excited young elephant

White rhinoceros

Landmark on the S130

Swainson’s Spurfowl

Warthog cooling off in the midday heat

Fight for dominance

Crested Francolin chick

Blue wildebeest

The H4-1 road between Lower Sabie and Skukuza carries more traffic than any other road in Kruger, and not without reason. There’s an excellent chance of seeing all the “big 5” game animals and so much more along this route, which follows the course of the Sabie River, on just one drive. The vegetation along the portion of this road nearer Lower Sabie is much more open than the stretch between Nkuhlu and Skukuza, making for even better game viewing. Keep your eyes open for lions and leopards at the rocks at the Lubyelubye stream crossing about 5km from Lower Sabie, as this is one of their most reliable haunts. Also, don’t miss the short S79 gravel loop that crosses the Nwatimhiri causeway, which is another favourite spot for feline predators. Nkuhlu Picnic Spot is a great place to get out, stretch the legs and have a bite to eat (though beware the monkeys and baboons that hang around here, as they will attempt to steal your picnic if they get even the slightest chance!). The gravel S30 Salitje Road along the northern bank of the river is a wonderful alternative route back to Lower Sabie.

Elephants on the move in the Sabie

Leopard lying in the bed of the Nwatimhiri near Skukuza in the Kruger Park

Buffalo crossing the H4-1

Nkuhlu Picnic Site

Arrow-marked babbler at Nkuhlu

Water Monitor at Nkuhlu

Saddle-billed Stork fishing at Nkuhlu

Elephant cow and calf

Common Duiker ewe

Brown-hooded Kingfisher

Baboon

Kudu bull

Lion greeting near Lubyelubye

Rocks at Lubyelubye

If all these photos did not convince you, allow us to reiterate: Lower Sabie IS game-viewing heaven! Remember to book early if you also want to enjoy all it has to offer.

Exploring Marakele

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A “Place of Sanctuary”; that Marakele National Park certainly is. As its Tswana name suggests, this Park of around 650km² in size offers protection not only to some of the most awe-inspiring scenery one could hope to find, but also to an impressive variety of fauna and flora. Humans too can find a safe and peaceful haven here in the malaria-free Waterberg range, as we were reminded again on our recent visit.

A public road splits Marakele into two sections. Kwaggasvlakte in the south-western corner is much smaller than the main portion of the Park lying to the east. Kwaggasvlakte is where the Park’s entrance gate and Bontle Camp is located, and is characterised by flat, sandy plains on which mixed bushveld is the main vegetation type.

Marakele scenery

Blue wildebeest

Plains zebra

You’ll often see troops of banded mongoose crossing roads in the Kwaggasvlakte section of Marakele National Park

Female ostrich

Acacia seedpods

Sickle Bush seedpods

Black-backed jackal

Black-backed jackals

Little sparrowhawk

Young impala

Young giraffe

Overlooking a waterhole in the northern corner of the Kwaggasvlakte section, Bollonoto Hide offers a great place from which to enjoy the constant stream of game and birdlife arriving to quench their thirst.

Well-hidden Bollonoto Hide

Impala ram near the hide

Young nyala bull near the hide

Bollonoto waterhole

Blue wildebeest drinking from Bollonoto

Blacksmith Lapwing at Bollonoto

This impala with a malformed right horn is a regular at Bollonoto

A subway connects Kwaggasvlakte to the bigger, eastern portion of the Park. It is in this more mountainous section of the Park where elephants, buffaloes and lions also occur, just some of the 91 species of mammals that the Park hosts. Tlopi Tented Camp is available to guests who’d like to overnight in this section of the Park, which is dominated by a wholly different type of vegetation, described as “Waterberg Moist Bushveld”. A good network of roads allows visitors to explore widely – some of Marakele’s roads are only accessible to 4×4 vehicles, but most of the Park’s 80km road network can easily and comfortably be traversed in a sedan.

Marakele scenery

Waterbuck bull

Tlopi Tented Camp in its waterside setting

Seen from Mbidi Loop, Tlopi far below seems tiny next to the grand mountain shadow

Marakele scenery

Kudu calf

Crested francolin

Kudu bull

Natal spurfowl

Impala bachelors

Plains zebra stallion

Roan antelope trying to hide

A very narrow tarred pass leads to Marakele’s most impressive attraction, the Lenong View Point on top of the Waterberg massif. Lenong lies at an altitude of 2050m, over a kilometer higher than Bontle on the Kwaggasvlakte below – a fact you become well aware of when your ears pop on the very steep and winding ascent. From the viewpoint you normally have fantastic views over the plains below and the mountains around, and perhaps get a close-up glimpse at Marakele’s prized colony of Cape Vultures soaring on the thermals. Unfortunately the weather didn’t play along when we went up to Lenong on our latest visit, the top of the mountain being cloaked in a thick and teeth-chatteringly cold fog. However, dipping below the clouds on our way down we did get glimpses of the wonderful views to be had from up there.

Lenong viewpoint is up there, at the towers, in Marakele National Park

Halfway up

Lenong shrouded in thick fog

Lenong viewpoint marker

Lenong shrouded in thick fog

Klipspringers are plentiful up at Lenong

Descending the pass

Our latest visit to Marakele was just 3 nights long, and honestly we found that too short to fully savour all the Park had to offer. The broken terrain does make game-viewing a little more challenging than in many other parks and reserves, especially if you are mostly after the “Big 5” (which we luckily aren’t, we just enjoy being “out there” and enjoy anything we find along the way), but as far as spectacular scenery and serenity is concerned Marakele has few equals.

Marakele National Park is managed by South African National Parks, and the access gate is located just 12km outside the town of Thabazimbi, which offers most of the modern conveniences. Thabazimbi is easily accessed from Gauteng along the N1 and R516 via Bela-Bela or via the R511 through Brits.

Marakele Monkey Business

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This troop of vervet monkeys kept us thoroughly entertained on the last morning of our recent visit to Marakele National Park. While the adults just wanted to warm their old bones in the first rays of golden sunshine, the boisterous youngsters had a lot of pent up energy to get rid of!

Warming up in the early morning

Family portrait

Squabbling family members

Peace made

Energetic youngsters

Beautiful Bontle

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It seems only fitting that we should start the report back on our recent visit to Marakele National Park at Bontle, the beautiful little bushveld campground set on the plains below the imposing Waterberg mountains, and that we called home during our three night stay.

Bontle actually means “beautiful” in Setswana, and surveying the place from beneath a shady tree you can’t help but agree. Just outside the camp a waterhole attracts a constant stream of birds and animals, with a range of low hills to the south forming a beautiful backdrop to the scene.

View from Bontle

Wildlife has open access to Bontle, which is unfenced. While you don’t have to be concerned about being trampled by an elephant or eaten by a lion (these species occur elsewhere in Marakele, but not in the Kwaggasvlakte-section where Bontle’s located) you may well find yourself at close quarters with a variety of birds, various species of antelope, warthogs, zebras, giraffes, monkeys, baboons, bushbabies, springhares, jackals, ostriches and even white rhinos when you pop your head out your tent!

Better safe than sorry

Female Golden Orb Web Spider

Warthogs at home in Bontle

Ostrich at home in Bontle, Marakele NP

Southern White-crowned Shrike

White-browed Sparrow-Weaver

Ostrich at home in Bontle, Marakele NP

Well camouflaged Agama

Bontle’s also home to other beauties – this is a Brown-veined White butterfly

Bontle’s also home to other beauties – this is a Wandering Donkey Acraea

Bontle’s also home to other beauties, like this African Monarch

Green, or Red-billed, Wood-Hoopoe

Warthogs at home in Bontle

The campground accommodates 36 tents and caravans (all the campsites have electric plugpoints) around three communal ablution blocks (one of which is accessible to campers in wheelchairs). Ten safari tents are fairly recent additions to the offering at Bontle. Four of them sleep 4 guests each and the others 2 each. One of the two-bed tents have also been built with the needs of guests in wheelchairs in mind. The little kiosk at the entrance gate and reception office, about 1.5km from Bontle, conveniently stocks firewood, ice, sweets and cold drinks. Stock up on fuel and groceries in the nearby town of Thabazimbi.

Our camping setup at Bontle, Marakele National Park – April 2016

Bontle Campground

Bontle ablution block

Bontle Safari Tent

This was our first stay at Bontle (managed by South African National Parks); on previous visits to Marakele we stayed at Tlopi Tented Camp in the bigger portion of the Park where the “Big-5” roam. But now that we’ve had a taste of Bontle’s beautiful tranquility it is hard to imagine that we’ll be able to resist the urge to return for very long.

Welcome to Bontle!

More on Marakele in upcoming editions of de Wets Wild!

Hiding from an ostrich, like an ostrich…

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Wildlife moves freely through the campsites at Bontle, in the Marakele National Park. Here Joubert demonstrates just how to hide from an inquisitive female ostrich…

Marakele_30Apr-2Mei2016 (2)

We’ve come to the end of our long weekend at Marakele, and will share some of this wonderful Park’s sights with you in upcoming editions of de Wets Wild – stay tuned!

Marakele breakaway

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It is the Workers’ Day long weekend in South Africa, and we’re spending it camping at peaceful Bontle Camp in the Marakele National Park.

The fascinating world of Umlalazi’s Mangroves

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No other kinds of tree are as well adapted to an existence in salty, tidal estuaries as the mangroves. Their roots are specifically adapted to not only anchor them in the muddy substrate but also allow them to “breathe” by sticking up above the mud and prevents the tree from drowning. Known as “pneumatophores”, these roots look different in the various genera of mangroves – those of the white mangrove (Avicennia marina) look like pencils sticking straight up out of the mud, the black mangrove (Bruguiera gymnorrhiza) has knee-like structures protruding before going back into the mud, and the red mangrove (Rhizophora mucronata) grow “struts” straight from the trunk. They have to contend with excessive salt in their tissues, and concentrates this in old leaves that are continuously shed and replaced. Mangrove fruit are also very interesting; seeds germinate while still attached to the flower, and some, like the black and red mangroves, even grow a cigar-shaped “root”, or “hypocotyl”, that is designed to anchor the seed in the muddy substrate when it drops from the tree.

These adaptations of the mangroves benefit the entire ecosystem by trapping silt, stabilising the substrate, and feeding the food chain. Mangrove snails (Cerithidea decollata) cling to the trunks of the trees during high tide, safely out of reach of estuarine fish that move in with the tide. At low tide, they then descend to feed on the muddy surface. Crabs abound in the mangroves. Sesarma is a genus of land-based crab that digs holes up to 2m deep into the mud and avidly collects fallen leaves into their burrows. Fiddler crabs (Uca-species), known for the males having one enormous pincer which which they display to one another and to interested females, feed by rolling scoops of mud into balls in their mouths, with the discarded balls leaving tell-tale trails where the crab has moved. Mudskippers, those uniquely adapted amphibious fish that seem to be as at home out of the water as in it, must be among the most curious of the mangrove swamps’ denizens. Estuaries in general and mangrove stands in particular are extremely important refuges and nurseries for several kinds of fish and crustaceans, making their protection an economic imperative if fisheries are to be sustained into the future and highlighting the value of conserved areas like Umlalazi.

Many kinds of wading birds feed on the rich invertebrate fauna in a mangrove swamp, with the woolly-necked stork being the most obvious at Umlalazi. The reserve’s mangroves also forms an important winter habitat for the mangrove kingfisher. Mangrove swamps, with their dense stands of trees and muddy terrain, are difficult areas for large mammals, with the exception of monkeys, to utilise.

At Umlalazi, a boardwalk constructed through a mangrove swamp allows easy access to this fascinating world – if you have only a little bit of time to explore Umlalazi, this is undoubtedly where you should spend it!

Welcome to Umlalazi Mangroves

Excellent information boards explain the different habitats

Mangrove boardwalk at Umlalazi

Mangroves lining the lagoon at Umlalazi Nature Reserve

The aerial roots of white mangroves

Black mangrove fruit and hypocotyl

Black mangrove seedling embedded in the mud

Mangrove snails on the trunk of a mangrove tree during high tide

Mangrove snails feeding at low tide

Sesarma-crab at the entrance to its hole

Fiddler crab males

African Mudhopper

Male Mozambique Tilapia in breeding colours in a pool among the mangroves at Umlalazi

Woolly-necked stork feeding in the mangrove swamp

Vervet Monkey in a mangrove tree

Excellent information boards explain the different habitats

On the banks of the lazy Mlalazi

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The Mlalazi River is an excellent example of an estuary in good natural condition, and considered among the twenty most important in conservation terms in South Africa. It is also a focal point for many visitors to Umlalazi Nature Reserve, who come here to enjoy a variety of watersports, or just picnic on the banks (to the delight of the clever vervet monkeys who’ll quickly raid unprotected baskets!)

One of Umlalazi’s trails leads all the way from the parking area at the lagoon to the mouth of the Mlalazi River where it empties into the Indian Ocean. Hikers can then return along the same route, or along the beach – a total distance of 8 or so kilometers. Unfortunately when I attempted the trail on our recent stay about half-way to the mouth I encountered a washed-away stream crossing, probably following the good rainfall the week before we arrived. After the thought of hungry crocodiles eyeing me from somewhere unseen crossed my mind, there was no way I was going to try and wade through a muddy backwater, and unfortunately had to turn around. Oh well, next time we’re at Umlalazi I will give it another go (the trail I mean, I’ll still refuse to wade through a muddy backwater if the bridge isnt fixed by then…)