Zulu Nyala: South African Safari Lodge

These activities take place in the area surrounding the Zulu Nyala Private Game Reserve and will incur an additional cost. Booking is essential - please enquire at Zulu Nyala reception.

1. Zulu Nyala Cultural Village
2. KwaZulu-Natal Sardine Migration
3. Tembe Elephant Park
4. Hluhluwe Umfolozi Park
5. St Lucia Wetland Park
6. Boat Cruise
7. Whale Watching
8. Turtle Tour
9. The Crocodile Centre
10. Fishing
11. Snorkelling - Cape Vidal
12. Bird Watching
13. Visit to Rural South African Areas
14. Scuba Diving & Snorkelling
15. Horseback Trails
16. Tiger Fishing

Experience authentic Zulu culture and traditions in our Zulu village. Get a taste of Africa with beer making and try your hand at stick fighting or spear-making. This is a real, live Zulu village and it is definitely a memorable experience you don't want to miss. With the addition of the Zulu village, Zulu Nyala has stepped into a new and dynamic position as being the only venue in South Africa to offer game viewing, river boat cruises and a cultural experience all in one!

The annual migration of millions of sardines that move up the coast in a northerly direction, is the most important biological occurrence that takes place in the waters of KwaZulu-Natal. Every year around June / July, the sardine shoals leave their home on the Aghulas Banks and move up the coast, towards Mozambique. This phenomenon is thought to be brought about when the 'colder water' from the Aghulas Banks 'creeps' up the southern coast of KwaZulu-Natal.

Approximately 23 000 dolphins, 100 000 Cape Gannets and thousands of sharks and game fish follow the shoals northwards, providing anglers with a bountiful harvest. Occasionally shoals come close inshore and can be netted from the beach. During the migration the shark nets are removed from beaches along the coast so as not to interfere with this unique natural phenomenon.

Tembe is the third largest game reserve in KwaZulu-Natal and home to the province's biggest African elephant herd in the world and four of the Big Five. You can also spot black and white rhino (more than 65 in total), buffalo, leopard, hippo, serval cat, zebra, giraffe, hyena, jackal, wildebeest, nyala, kudu, waterbuck, reedbuck, red duiker and warthog. Tembe is a bird-watching paradise, with more than 340 species recorded in the park - including the rare Rudd’s Apalis, the Rufous-bellied Night Heron, the Natal Nightjar and the Woodward's Batis.

The magnificent African elephants, massive full-grown adults to juveniles and numbering more than 140, are Tembe's main attraction and make for spectacular viewing. The larger adults are physically the biggest in South Africa and signs of their presence are everywhere, clearly evident through the broken branches and foliage left behind from their voracious foraging. Tembe's mosaic of sand forest, woodland, grassland and swampland comprises an ideal habitat for highly-visible elephant spotting - watch them at close-quarters from game-drive vehicles or from the discreetly-located hides which overlook their watering holes.

Hluhluwe Umfolozi Park is Africa's oldest proclaimed reserve and is undoubtedly one of Southern Africa's most beautiful Parks. It is ½ hour drive from Zulu Nyala, comprises 96 000 ha and boasts population figures of 350 elephant, 1 500 white rhino, 560 black rhino, 140 lions, 35 wild dog, 100 leopard and 4 000 buffalo. A variety of over 300 bird species can also be found in the park and is a birder's paradise. Guests will explore this natural treasure in the comfort of an open Landrover, with our knowledgeable guides. Enjoy sundowners and snacks overlooking the beautiful rolling hills of old Zululand. Full or Half Day Activity

St Lucia Wetland Park is situated about 80km south of Zulu Nyala and was given World Heritage Site status in 2001. It is home to more than 1 500 hippopotami, 2 400 Nile crocodiles and about 100 fish eagles (16 breeding pairs included).

Take a two-hour boat trip on the Narrows - a 20km long tidal channel that links Lake St Lucia to the sea. The tour leaves at 9.00am, 12.00 noon and 4.00pm (3.00pm during the winter months). Weather permitting.

Whale watching is on offer during the month of May to November. Tours are approximately 2 hours long and they watch as the whales pass KwaZulu-Natal on a migration route between the Antarctic, Northern Mozambique and Madagascar, where they breed. According to world authority, Eric Hoyt, South Africa is the fifth largest whale watching country in the world behind Taiwan, Iceland, Italy and Spain.

Turtle tours are available during December to February. Leatherback and Loggerhead Sea Turtles return each year to lay their eggs on these beaches.
Leatherback: A giant sea turtle that can weigh over 800kg. Females will lay approximately 1 000 eggs in a season, laying a batch of 120 eggs every 9 to 15 days. They return to the coast every 1 to 5 years. The leatherback turtle has been undergoing dangerous declines from 115 000 in 1980 to just 35 000 in 1995.
Loggerhead: This is a smaller sea turtle weighing up to 138kg. Females emerge at night in late spring to lay about 500 eggs in batches of 100, at 15 days intervals. Most return to nest after 2 to 3 years.

Lake St Lucia is home to the largest breeding population of crocodiles in South Africa and at the Crocodile Centre, you will learn many aspects of the life of this ancient reptile. The Crocodile Centre is one of only four permit holders that are allowed to keep the impressive Gaboon Adder in captivity. The greater St Lucia Wetland Park has more than 109 species of reptile.

St Lucia is known as a fishing Mecca, with bottom fishing, deep-sea fishing and game fishing being very popular for local and foreign guests.

Renowned for its sport fishing and snorkelling, this scenic coastal camp is situated in the north of the Eastern Shores area of the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park. There is a relatively safe area for swimming and wildlife and birdlife is abundant in this region. Self-guided trails enable visitors to see some of the surrounding wetlands and Lake Bhangazi. Cape Vidal falls within the St Lucia Marine Reserve and is situated northeast of St Lucia.

Cape Vidal Bay has a designated launch site for ski boats and deep-sea fishing and spear fishing are popular sports. It is sheltered and superb for snorkelling at a low tide. Cape Vidal is near the site of the Dorothea shipwreck, a wooded barque that was lost in heavy weather on 31 January 1898. She was said to be carrying gold from the Transvaal. The whereabouts of the Dorothea is unknown however snorkellers may come across a chain in the bay that is said to have come from the wreck.

Cape Vidal has the best of both worlds with access to the eastern shores of Lake St Lucia and is on the route used by humpback whales on their northerly migration to Mozambique to calve. Other "big game" includes migratory marlin, sailfish and dolphins and in December the loggerheads and leatherback turtles come onto the beach to lay eggs. Schools based at St Lucia can make arrangements through the Crocodile Centre to visit Cape Vidal for the day or small groups can stay there overnight. Malaria precautions are advised.

Visit rural schools in the area, interact with the native people and learn about their rich and diverse culture.

Sodwana Bay is situated about 80km east of Zulu Nyala and is a main dive site on the KwaZulu-Natal coast. Sodwana Bay's reef complex is one of the world's top 10 dive sites and is the only one on the KwaZulu-Natal coast that falls within a conservation area - the St Lucia Marine Reserve - one of the biggest and most diverse marine reserves in Africa. This is part of the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park - a World Heritage Site.

Because Sodwana Bay is the only KZN Wildlife dive site, all the information that follows pertains specifically to this dive destination. It is home to some of the world's most southerly coral reefs - the perfect breeding ground for a variety of marine creatures. The coral heads and overhangs here abound with a variety of other invertebrates and fish. Eighty percent of South Africa's 1 200 species of fish occur here! Ragged-toothed sharks, whale sharks, humpback whales black marlin and turtles are just some of the sights to be seen on and around the reefs.

The Pongolapoort biosphere reserve is at the foot of the Lebombo Mountains, on the western shoreline of the Jozini dam. There are magical views across the water and birdlife is prolific, especially the aquatic species. Here you can angle for the highly-prized tiger fish, a species renowned for putting up a spectacular fight! Boats and tackle can be hired.