Doug and Kerry Hudson in Zululand, Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa

World Trip >> Africa >> Kwa-Zulu Natal >> Zululand

Our trip to Zululand proved to be one of the most exciting trips of our entire world trip. We had planned to visit a couple of the Zululand game reserves and then join Chris, Kerry's brother, for a spot of fishing off the beach at Cape Vidal. Zululand is an area to the north of Kwa-Zulu Natal, well known for its abundant snake population. We didn't know it, but we would see one or two over the next few days...

Our first destination was Umhlanga, a very classy seaside resort just north of Durban, right on the Indian Ocean. This was a convenient base to explore Durban and the surrounding area, where Kerry used to live. We also visited Shakaland, a reconstruction of a traditional Zulu village.

Well, we couldn't remain in the relative luxury of Umhlanga if we were still going to explore the wilds of Zululand, so after one day there we left bright and early for our next destination. We made excellent progress but it still took three hours to get there: the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve.

Hluhluwe-Umfolozi is renowned for its game, in particular the very successful rhinoceros breeding program. Even before we reached our accommodation at Hilltop Camp, we had seen buffalo (completing Doug’s Big Five) and several zebra and nyala. Over the next two days, we would have the rare treat of seeing a leopard, walking with a ranger to within metres of a white rhinoceros, and the pleasure of being burgled by thieving monkeys. Not mention being charged by a bull elephant.

After a well-deserved lie-in, we left Hluhluwe-Umfolozi to move on to our next stop: Mkhuze Game Reserve.

You are probably thinking right now that we looked at a map and chose the most unpronounceable places to visit. We promise this is not true!

We had nearly two days in Mkhuze Game Reserve, which we spent watching game from the hides. We were very lucky again to spot another leopard, pardon the pun. Doug also had the fortune, or misfortune, depending how you see it, to have a close encounter with a black mamba. He loves all wildlife, even snakes, but this was just too close for comfort!

We left Mkhuze for Cape Vidal, just north of St. Lucia. The only accommodation we could get there was a five-bed log cabin, so we had invited Kerry’s brother, Chris, to join us for a couple of days of fishing, swimming and snorkelling. The plan was to rendezvous there at midday. We received a text from Chris at 6:40 to say that he was on his way. His excitement was infectious.

Over the next couple of days, Doug acquired Chris' enthusiasm for fishing, and Kerry hardly saw them. This wasn't a problem, as she was quite absorbed by the book she was reading. We did take the opportunity to take a boat trip out on the St. Lucia Estuary, a UNESCO World Heritage site due to the fragile balance of the five different ecosystems that exist there.

World Trip >> Africa >> Kwa-Zulu Natal >> Zululand

Last updated: Sunday August 27, 2006