Hluhluwe/iMfolozi Game Reserve

My previous post did not include any animals for a very good reason. I took over 300 photos and decided one blog would be about where we stayed and the next one would be more about the animals we saw, otherwise the blog would be too lengthy. Plus I had to decide which photos to choose. We were very lucky because on our way from the gate  entrance to Hilltop Campsite we saw quite a few animals. Before we had even reached our destination we saw warthog, rhino, elephant, zebra, water buffalo and buck.

Come on - let's get going

Our first rhino

Our first rhino then went on to join these three as they made their way deeper into the bush

Not much further on we came across this mother and baby crossing the road

They too headed off into the bush

This fella was our next "spot" after the elephants - slight difference in size!

I forgot about these guinea fowl - a bit out of focus but they were on the move

Zebra and buck - we saw a lot of these two animals

I love how each zebra has its own individual markings - no two are the same

Blue Wildebeest

Warthog

How Ciaran spotted this little chap on our way to the hide I don't know - must have good eyes

Turned out there were a whole lot more!

Ciaran at the entrance to the hide - we did wonder about where the wild animals were. Thought this would be a great ambush spot for them!

Luckily Chez didn't spot this guy sorry, gal, above us. The guy is the little fella next to her leg.

As we came around a corner we encountered these two in the middle of the road. The one on the left was not happy to see us. If you look at his back right foot you can see it is in the air. He did a stamp and a jump as we stopped. They look like they have just come from a mud bath. We watched them for a bit but could see they were very edgy. They started coming towards us. We reversed a bit but they kept coming. Kyle was driving and I was next to him. Chez said just drive past them but I said no - I did not fancy being charged by two rhino! Right move - they got tired of us and disappeared back into the bush.

Come on - I dare you!!!

...and off they go

.....only to be replaced by the next group!

A totally unperturbed giraffe. There were a whole lot of them munching away.

Don't you love the markings? Each giraffe is different. I thought his were quite unusual.

This little chap was not happy to see us and made his displeasure known

Happy now that he has let us know how he feels

This one's bright blue plumage really stood out

A hoopoe

Another of Caelen's shots - not too sure what it is though!

...and he's away

Our final stop before heading home was a waterhole but as we approached this big baboon came bounding down the road closely followed by the rest of the troop. Change of plan - skip the waterhole and head off home! It was getting late anyway and the gates close at 6pm. so we had to be out of there pretty soon if we were to make the deadline.

...and here they come

Well, I must say we thoroughly enjoyed our trip to the game reserve. I was glad that Emma got to see some of our wildlife. Something to talk about when she gets back home.

Mtwazi Lodge

Nearly there

Scenery on the way

For any visitor to South Africa a trip to a game reserve has to be on the itinery and with that in mind I did some research on the internet to find a place at Hluhluwe/iMfolozi that would accommodate 7 people. Mtwazi Lodge was then booked for an overnight stay on 31st March. We are very fortunate that  it is an easy drive from Durban. My brother Robin was going to come with us but at the last minute he had to work that weekend so he was unable to come which was a pity as he has never been to a game reserve. We decided at the last minute to hire a vehicle so that we could all travel together. When I say last minute, it really was last minute. We booked it at 6:04pm on Friday night and we were leaving on Saturday morning. There was a slight mix-up with the booking. When Chez and I went to pick it up from the Umhlanga branch, it was closed. Chez phoned the number on the sign outside and spoke to the agent. She did not see any bookings at 5:00 pm when she checked so did not come in to open up on Saturday. Anyway to cut a long story short she spoke to the depot and we picked up our vehicle from King Shaka Airport. It was a Hyundai H1 - a very nice vehicle that was high up so we would be able to see game nicely and very comfortable for travelling. However, this resulted in us leaving a bit later than we had intended but at least we were travelling in a reliable vehicle. I must confess I am not too happy with my car at the moment and was worried about it breaking down on a long trip, so peace of mind was an added bonus.

....and we're in the Game Reserve

A bit about the history of the camp. The original directions are written on the rock

Chez had invested in a gold Rhino card before we left. This entitles you to free entry for 1 vehicle for a maximum of 8 people. The price of the card was less than the entry for the six of us and it is valid for a year for any Parks board venue in SA. We arrived at the main gate with plenty time to get to our accommodation and view game along the way. We saw rhino walking along the road, an elephant mother and baby crossing the road, zebra in the bush, a water buffalo and some buck all before we had reached the campsite. Mtwazi is situated within the main Hilltop campsite which is fenced to keep out the wild animals. The lodge was the original home of the first Game Ranger and it is a huge place filled with memorabilia. It is self-catering but comes with a chef  who cooks your food for you - no complaints about that! After we had settled in we drove to the reception area of the campsite where we sat and had a drink whilst looking out over the reserve. There is a dining room and curio shop there. You can go on game drives but at R300 per person we decided we would do our own driving! Ideally this would be the right way to go but unfortunately not for our budget.

Not the best photo - first thing in the morning with no make-up!

Mtwazi Lodge

Looking in towards the dining room

Chez under the huge Natal Fig Tree in front of the house

The front entrance hall

Yathi, our chef

Time for a group photo

Back to the fig tree

The visitors - human variety

The following photos are some of the items found inside Mtwazi Lodge. I loved the Zulu basketwork . Yougot a real sense of history in the lodge. In the study there were old books and I noticed in the Visitors Book that the American Consul had stayed there quite recently and loved it.



...........and to end off 

Sundowners at Hilltop

uShaka

The Beach Promenade in front of uShaka

I can't believe that another week has passed already. We have had a busy time with Kyle and Emma being here so there hasn't really been time to blog. It didn't help that our internet bundle was capped on Thursday morning and we had to wait till 1st April before the new bundle kicked in. Mind you, we could have topped it up but we were going to the Game Reserve on Saturday so there wasn't really much point. I think a lot is to do with the boys' online gaming.They say it doesn't use much but with the amount of time they spend on it, I'm sure it mounts up quickly.

Looking back

The sign at the entrance to uShaka

What have we done this week? Well, on Tuesday I really was not feeling well and ended up sleeping the whole morning. We had a quiet day which I really needed as I am still feeling quite weak and really not myself. On Wednesday Kyle, Emma and I took a trip to uShaka Marine World. No one else wanted to come but seeing as the tickets cost R150 per person, maybe that was a blessing in disguise. When we got there we found that they only sell a combined ticket which is for the Wet ' n Wild water park and the Marine World. Very clever because even if you are not going to one you still end up paying for it.

Performing for the crowd

The dolphins showing the audience what to do with litter on the beaches

 First we went to watch the Dolphin Show. I have seen it before when we took the school children there on an excursion. I just love watching the dolphins - they are such magnificent creatures and so graceful.

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Impressing the crowd

After the dolphin show our next stop was Marine World which is inside this old cargo ship

Watching the fish

This brindle bass is enormous

 Mean looking shark

Kyle and Emma

The aquarium is housed inside an old ship. It is fascinating watching the fish swimming in large shoals but never bumping into each other.There are so many different shapes, sizes and colours. You get to see fish and sea creatures that you don't normally get exposed to. The sharks are particularly menacing and you feel as if they are staring straight at you. I also love the turtles - they swim so effortlessly and just glide slowly past as people stare in at them and they stare out at you.



The seal show

Next on the agenda was watching the penguins being fed. I must say they are very cute. A trainer explained different things about them and tried to be funny but was actually more embarrassing than funny. It was a bit of a disappointment. I didn't take any penguin pictures. From there we rushed over to watch the seal show. I did not know what to expect. It was actually quite entertaining. There was a bit of a story line with one poor unsuspecting member of the audience being roped in. The man they chose was actually very funny. He was from KwaMashu and appeared very nervous but he was a good sport. By the time it was finished we were feeling a bit peckish as it was after 2 o'clock. We were also tired from all the walking around from place to place so we headed off for something to eat before heading for home. All in all something different for Kyle and Emma.

The seal waiting for its signal to jump