Maputo - Nkumbe Wildlife Estate is outside the small resort village of Ponta Malongane in Mozambique, a five-and-a-half-hour drive north of Durban.
This is not your average beach getaway. A 247ha game reserve is set behind the first dune off the beach, close enough for you to hear the ocean.
Accommodation on the reserve is a mix of privately owned residences and upmarket self-catering chalets nestling in the coastal bush and overlooking several floodplains.
Zebra, red duiker, bush pig, mongoose, impala, nyala, bushbuck and reedbuck roam freely.
Chalets, all serviced daily, range from two-bedroom units ideal for a romantic getaway to a larger family unit with four double bedrooms. Mozambique accommodation can be rustic, but these chalets are tastefully decorated.
Owner Graham Levy’s wife Ricky carefully selected modern furniture and finishes, such as a kitchen with granite tops and a gas stove in the large family unit. The design themes are carried through to the bedrooms, which have luxurious bedding and en suite bathrooms plus outdoor showers.
Facilities at Nkumbe Lodge are being extended. A luxury tented camp with en suite bathrooms has just been completed and Durban restaurateur Billy Budd is hard at work on a Bohemian-style restaurant.
The beach at Ponta Malongane, a long stretch of white, unspoilt sand overlooked by a sprinkling of houses and a dive camp, is a five-minute drive away.
Strictly speaking, there is no public access. The trick is to talk nicely to the man at the dive camp. The people are friendly and Ponta Malongane has a lot to offer.
There’s a local market with bits and bobs and curios, scuba diving at the local dive camp, surfing, kite surfing, surf, fly and deep sea fishing, quad bike hire (watch out for over-enthusiastic riders) and many restaurants and local bars and taverns, each with their own speciality.
It seems as if every second house is a raffia palm thatched bar, some of which are open only in high season.
Directly opposite Nkumbe’s gate is the 360 Degrees Restaurant. As its name suggests, the restaurant offers great views as well as Vodacom and MTN coverage.
The Come See Restaurant overlooks Lake Sugi and is a great spot to sit back, relax and enjoy sunsets over the lake while you sip a local beer.
You cannot go wrong with any of the food available – the area is known for its chicken and seafood dishes and, of course, the famous R&R’s (rum and raspberry).
It’s not cheap though, which makes self-catering a good option. While we recommend you take most of your own supplies, you can also get some from nearby Ponta da Ouro.
But be warned, once you’re at Nkumbe, you won’t want to leave.
If You Go...
All roads from the Kosi Bay border control are beach sand, so a four-wheel-drive vehicle is recommended, although a carefully driven 2x4 with difflock will make it.
There are two routes, but the detour to Ponta da Ouro allows for a stop-and-drive along the coast. You will need: a passport (SA residents do not require visas), SA driver’s licence, vehicle registration documents, valid temporary vehicle import papers available at the border (DA341 form), and a compulsory third party liability insurance certificate.
Rates for two-bedroom units start at R1 000 per unit per night (eight-sleeper from R2 000).
Nkumbe Lodge is proudly represented by African Insignia Hotels.
Contact Graham Levy at 083 251 9727, [email protected], or visit www.nkumbe.co.za - Sunday Tribune