Where even the antelope are chilled

Published Jul 7, 2015

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Durban - Chill. Fever. When or where are those ever a good combination? On the balcony of my elevated wooden unit at the Zululand Tree Lodge in Ubizane Wildlife Reserve, gazing over natural forest where fever trees dominate – such a lovely place to chill, so tranquil.

It would take a far better photographer than me to capture the changing aspects of these trees. On a late afternoon game drive others were snapping the cantering wildebeest, antelope and giraffe– while I gave up trying to get a bouncy representation of both the beautiful sunset as well as the trees glowing green, yellow, ghostly white in the gathering darkness. And in the day, on a forest walk, the effect they create in a breeze can be mesmerising.

Ubizane Wildlife Reserve is just off the Hluhluwe turn-off and only 15 minutes from Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park. Ubizane has two rather different offerings. Tree Lodge, with raised wooden units, is all-inclusive while Safari Lodge, with cottages on the ground, is largely self-catering, with kitchens, individual braais as well as a communal braai/boma. It has a huge swimming pool and open grounds whereas Tree Lodge is, well, what the name implies. (Safari Lodge guests can eat at Tree Lodge).

Tree Lodge also has a pool, a boma and a lounge-cum bar-cum-dining area – a lovely place to be where Chloe, the goat, often makes an appearance for a head scratch. She, the rabbits and several other animals are on the property for kids to get acquainted with, while ostriches are just up the road. At meal times, it’s Game Of Monkeys, with a dedicated monkey chaser preventing the blighters from pilfering the grub. Most entertaining.

You can get up close to the vervets but even closer to the antelope. With no large predators on the reserve they are really chilled and I have never stood so close to a kudu – one that was picking leaves off a raised walkway as I approached. There are always reedbuck, nyala and kudu around the lodge, with impala and duiker nibbling near the cars among other game on the 1 200 hectare reserve.

Being the closest lodge to Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Reserve, South Africa’s oldest, early morning and afternoon departures to see the Big 5 are the general rule, but there is a lot else to do. Lodge Manager Wayne Matthews sent me off to Zulu Croc on the road to Sodwana Bay.

Lawrence Moyo was the host for the tour, which lasted about 90 minutes. Most educational, interactive and not what I was expecting. I am happy to say this is no “croc farm”. I learned a lot about the snakes, the crocodiles, the environment and Nguni history.

If you have the time, Lawrence is passionate about all these things and warms to questions to which he knows just about all the answers.

After a cuppa in the Zulu Croc restaurant I headed down to nearby False Bay Park, within the iSimangaliso Wetland Park on the western edge of False Bay. Its 2 247ha comprises sand forest, woodland, thornveld and open savannah and mixed patches of open shoreline of Lake St Lucia.

It’s beautiful, untamed, with plentiful game and birdlife. There are self-guided hiking trails, or you could explore on horseback.

Birders flock to spot African broadbills and to see one of the country’s few remaining pink-backed pelican colonies. Most of the wildlife is shy and retreating, so I was delighted to see the unusual and rare little suni.

I’d missed high tea at Ubizane, which is pretty much any time you are in camp between forays, though officially at 2pm, so my drive towards the sunset was in rumbling anticipation of drinks (they have an excellent wine list) and another tummy-stretching buffet dinner under the stars in the boma.

Food highlights were delicious risotto starters, mutton and tomato bredie, mini-lemon meringues, Amarula malva pudding, the breakfast muesli, Hluhluwe pineapples, while I loved the chatter of birds around sunset and the quiet of the night with my doors wide open.

Call 035 5621020 or visit www.ubizane.co.za

Adrian Rorvik, Saturday Star

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