Hippos, history and happiness

The Elephant Coast is home to the world-famous for the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Reserve, the oldest game park in Africa, as well as the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, the country’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site.

If you want to be transported back in time to another world of sheer nature and peaceful surroundings, take a leisurely two-hour boating safari at St Lucia and cruise along the western coast of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park and remember to take your camera to capture the hippos, crocodiles, birds and dramatic scenery.

Take a leisurely two-hour boating safari at St Lucia and cruise along the western coast of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park

At the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, home to the Big Five, you can go on an organised game drive or on a self-drive. You can also stop off at some of the well-sited picnic spots.

Over at the Duma Zulu Traditional Village in Hluhluwe, you can watch daily cultural shows, taste Zulu beer and learn about the Zulu way of life, including how to shape a spear. And you can stay at the Gooderson Group’s two nearby resorts, the Duma Zulu Lodge and the Bushland Game Lodge, which are only offering self-catering services at the moment.

Hotels such as Anew Hluluwe offer great discounted prices and are also equipped with the latest technology to ensure that their guests are screened, temperatures are recorded. Staff are also monitored via unique app that tracks and records statistics in cases of Covid emergencies.

Zululand boasts a warm all-year-round climate so it an ideal family holiday destination. However, if you want to track turtles, you should visit between November and January. For whale-watching, go between June and November.