After leaving the superb Phinda Private Game Reserve where we had spent the past two and a half days, we had one final stop to make before continuing on to Durban and our flight back to Cape Town. Our friends at Three Cities had invited us to view two lodges situated in the small Ubizane Wildlife Reserve, Zululand Tree Lodge and Zululand Safari Lodge.
Warmly greeted and a cooling fruit drink later we were shown the newly renovated rooms at Zululand Tree Lodge. Here amidst a magical fever tree forest the 24 rooms are raised on stilts to provide the best view of the forest and watering hole below. An assortment of antelope come to quench their thirst in the Zululand heat while you chill out on your balcony and watch them pass by. Another blessing in the sometimes stifling Zululand heat is the large swimming pool perfect for cooling off at midday. Just up the drag from Zululand Tree Lodge is the Zululand Safari Lodge. At Safari Lodge 20 African rondavels with stylish, spacious interiors, feature crisp, clean decor and a rather large bed! Perfect for families, large groups and those stopping over merely for a night. Safari Lodge features extensive views over the reserve and surrounds, as well as an awesome pool at the side of which you can catch up on your beach tan.
Meals at both Ubizane lodges are often served in the attached boma’s with their huge central fires and candlelit ambience. There are also dining areas at both Lodges for when the weather doesn’t allow for eating out under the stars. If you are lucky you can enjoy a meal in the fever tree forest alongside the river out under the African stars, lit by a hundred candles and a roaring bonfire. The pan-African cuisine is usually served buffet style, as it was when we sat down for lunch and more often than not one or more venison meats is on the menu, try the impala!
The two Zululand lodges offer ease of access to the renowned Hluhluwe / Umfolozi Game Reserve, the oldest in Africa, where the big-5 (lion, elephant, rhino, buffalo and leopard) roam the bush. Daily game drives launch from Safari Lodge and Tree Lodge into the reserve. If you extend your game drive in the park from a morning drive only, to an entire day safari, you will be far more likely to see all of the Big 5 including lion. Game drives within the Ubizane Wildlife Reserve itself allow guests to see several species of antelope as well as white rhino and many many birds. However Ubizane is not a Big 5 reserve.
Our hunger and curiosity sated we returned to the ‘wunderwagon’ to complete our trip to Durban. Of course we couldn’t climb into the plane without yet another delicious meal. So we headed to the wonderful, quirky, Bean Bag Bahia restuarant in Umdloti. Here our host Guy Woop made sure we completed our stay in Kwa-zulu Natal with a taste of some of the finest cuisine in the province. Open panini pizza’s, perfectly cooked and flavoured risotto as well as herbed slow cooked lamb shank were just some of the delights on offer. After dinner we relaxed on the verandah, toasted to our various hosts on our stay and watched the sun set on our final day in the beautiful Kwa-zulu Natal province.
