Durban - Assorted distant bird twitterings. The soft, whirl-whir sound of a high ceiling fan. Then six loud, urgent, rhythmic calls from a Piet-My-Vrou…
Jump out of bed, fling open the bedroom curtains and a mere three metres away is a vervet monkey hopping between tree branches while, below it, an adult nyala nonchalantly munches on grass…
It was a great start to the first day of a recent weekend spent at Zulu Nyala Game Lodge, perched on a lush green hilltop in the 1 821-hectare Zulu Nyala Private Game Reserve in Hluhluwe, and offering spectacular views of the sprawling, hilly surrounds.
The lodge, bordering the Phinda Game Reserve, was acquired in the early ’90s by Trevor Shaw, a captain of the hospitality industry and also a noted international dealer in diamonds, who still holds the getaway close to his heart.
His peaceful retreat provides a unique bush experience in the heart of one of SA’s most diverse conservation regions, the lodge nestling between the wilderness reserves of Mkuze, Hluhluwe and St Lucia, a stretch of paradise that is home to a wide variety of game.
On our two daily game drives, both included in the daily rate, we got to see much of the 40 different species of animal and abundant birdlife with an amiable guide.
Highlights included getting up close and personal with a trio of large elephants stripping an acacia tree’s branches; a mother cheetah sauntering along with her two cubs; and a weary rhino and her son giving us dagger-stares that suggested they would prefer us to leave them alone.
Then there were the countless nyala, impala and warthog, as well as buffalo, hippo and many giraffe. Sadly, however, there was no sign of the ever-elusive leopards, but we were assured they are there.
Being a film fan, I found it interesting to learn the reserve is also a popular draw for film-makers, 10 movies and television shows having been filmed there over the past decade.
The first was the glossy Kim Basinger drama, I Dreamed of Africa.
Two sets of a home from that film – one depicting it dilapidated, the other spruced up – still stand on the reserve, 1km apart, each about 3km from the lodge.
Game drive visits to view them can be arranged. The sets are also popular for wedding party photo shoots.
Other shows filmed there include a French reality series called Celebrity Farm, similar to the UK’s I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, which Shaw said drew an audience of nine million viewers in France.
The most recent film shot there was a made-for-US-television drama starring Hilary Swank. It’s Mary and Martha, directed by Phillip Noyce and also featuring James Woods, is about two mothers who lose their sons to malaria.
The cast and crew spent two months on the reserve shooting the film, due for release early next year.
Rooms at the Zulu Nyala Safari Lodge are cosy, with ceiling fans and air-conditioners and, thankfully for me, if not my disappointed 18-year-old son, no TV sets.
All close to a tennis court and also a large pool with great views, many of the rooms are tucked away under canopies of fairylight-lit trees and are reached via snaking paved paths dotted with rockeries and indigenous plants.
Meals, included in the rate, are lavish buffet affairs in a large hilltop restaurant built of stone, thatch and wood, and featuring high ceilings and columns draped in fairylights.
Harmonies
A short stroll from the bedrooms, it is opposite a games room with two snooker tables and arcade games. Below the restaurant is a huge and very popular conference centre.
The restaurant entrance overlooks a large fountain where the nocturnal harmonies of frogs made for much excited pre-dinner chatter among a large group of American tourists visiting when we were there.
The restaurant features a sprawling balcony offering truly majestic views and overlooks a man-made pool where we watched nyala relax and warthogs play while enjoying sundowners.
Our Friday night supper spread was a sumptuous braai with some of the most delicious and tender chicken kebabs I’ve had in a while, and the Saturday spread was a roast with all the trimmings. Breakfasts on both days were memorable, while lunches were simple but plentiful and delicious.
The lodge also offers spa treatments, a library with a large TV set for those who simply have to watch their rugby, and a large curio shop with some novel, out-of-the-ordinary fare on sale.
Shaw also owns the nearby Zulu Nyala Heritage Safari Lodge and Zulu Nyala Tented Safari Camp and, together with Zulu Nyala Game Lodge, 185 rooms are offered.
The Zulu Nyala Heritage Safari Lodge, originally built in the 1940s at a famous watering hole along the Lourenço Marques (Maputo) route, was once a hotel. It was bought in 1997 and has been restored to its former colonial glory.
The hotel has 59 twin rooms, while the 42 luxury safari tents are also on the premises, which is ideally situated for access to many conservation sites in the region, which guests may explore privately.
Sites include the greater St Lucia estuary, the Hluhluwe, Umfolozi and Mkuzi game reserves, Sodwana Bay and Zulu cultural villages.
It’s worth noting that Zulu Nyala also has an attractive sister lodge in Gauteng – the Zulu Nyala Country Manor in Fourways, Joburg.
Charming, with lush grounds and with zebra, blesbok and springbok roaming freely, it is a sanctuary in the concrete jungle, just five minutes’ drive from Montecasino.
* Shaw now has two great specials aimed at attracting more locals to his Hluhluwe getaways, where it seems as if most of the guests are Americans.
The game lodge special of R599 includes dinner, bed and breakfast (game drives for own account). If you stay for three nights you get accommodation free for a fourth night, paying that day only for meals and game drives.
For bookings, or more details about the lodge, phone 035 562 0177 or contact [email protected] - Independent on Saturday