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We recommend that you book a self-drive car for this Elephant Coast Active Escape. Contact us for our competitive car hire rates. However, we can also arrange road transfers from Durban – details on request.
Day 1:
Depart from Durban and drive (approximately 3 ½ hours) north, through the scenically beautiful Zululand area, and arrive at Hluhluwe village. Your lodge is located on the outskirts of this small town, which acts as a hub for safari and wilderness exploration in the area. Your lodge is set amidst the trees in a sandforest, and many species of birds can be seen from your own private terrace. The Red Duiker, a shy small red antelope, can often be seen picking its way across the forest floor. Other small animals can also be seen around the waterholes.
Dinner and overnight: Umkhumbi Lodge (or similar). (D)
Day 2:
Your guide will wake you before sunrise, and you set off for Hluhluwe-Imfolozi National Park. This is the oldest of the National Parks in South Africa, and is famous for being the park where the “Save the White Rhino from Extinction” programme was carried out. The abundance of white rhino, not only in this park but elsewhere in southern Africa, bears testimony to the success of this project. Hluhluwe/Imfolozi Park is the oldest game reserve in Africa proclaimed in 1895. The park covers some 96 000 ha and an immense diversity of fauna and flora occurs in this region. Larger mammals to be seen include buffalo, blue wildebeest, zebra, giraffe, elephant, and large numbers of impala, waterbuck, common and mountain reedbuck, nyala, kudu, bushbuck, steenbuck, duiker, warthog, black rhino, lion, leopard, cheetah, hyena and jackal. In excess of 300 species of birds have been recorded. This is not a ‘zoo’ so we never know what can be seen. Often, elephants or buffalos block the road, other times lions and other predators are seen. We stop for a picnic lunch in the park. Return to your lodge in the late afternoon.
Dinner and overnight: Umkhumbi Lodge (or similar). (B,L,D)
Day 3:
Today, a full-day trip to Sodwana Bay. Only 45 minutes away, Sodwana is the ultimate outdoor sporting haven. A definite must for snorkelers, anglers and divers alike, this reserve lies adjacent to Africa’s southernmost coral reefs. Enjoy the beach and the warm Indian Ocean, a picnic lunch is prepared on the beach! For scuba divers, Sodwana Bay is on the list of the World’s Best 10 Dive Sites! For those enjoying snorkling – colourful fish and other marine creatures are waiting for you!
• During the season (November – March), optional turtle tours are available: Turtles may not be as fierce as lions or as graceful as a fish eagles, but their fascinating way of life are fast becoming a popular tourist attraction. Generally secretive animals by nature, the stretch known as ‘Turtle Country’ – from St Lucia to Kosi Bay, offers the unique opportunity to view the magnificent Loggerhead and Leatherback turtles. Especially at high tides during the summer ‘turtle’ season from November to March when the females come ashore to nest. Booking a night-time tour with a local community guide to witness this rare and awe-inspiring event with your own eyes is truly something not to be missed.
Dinner and overnight: Umkhumbi Lodge (or similar). (B,L,D)
Day 4:
Leave Hluhluwe and head back to Durban, or alternatively continue with other Active Escapes in KwaZulu-Natal. (B)
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