Big game in the Zulu Kingdom

Many people imagine that to experience the 'Big Five' you need to visit the likes of the Kruger Park! And whilst Kruger is undeniably a fantastic game experience, second time visitors to South Africa are quickly discovering that KwaZulu-Natal not only offers great culture, the biggest Mountain range in the country, year-round sunshine, and some of the best beaches - but also a wide range of safari options - from camping at £4/night to 5-star luxury safari lodges in private Big 5 reserves!

KwaZulu-Natal has always been known as an excellent beach destination – with some fascinating battlefields. But strangely enough, the fact that it boasts some of the best safari locations in Southern Africa is largely unknown. With its vast tracts of dramatic wilderness, The Zulu Kingdom is one of the most protected places on earth.

Not only does the province include two World Heritage sites (the Ukhahlamba-Drakensberg Park and the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park) … but at least a third of the province is under some form of private conservation. Most of this land is under the management of the internationally acclaimed conservation organisation, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, who have also, in their 100 years of operation, saved the white rhino from extinction!

KwaZulu-Natal boasts some of South Africa’s most awe-inspiring Wildlife Reserves - the true birthplace of game conservation on the African continent. The province also offers some of the most cost-effective options you will find anywhere in the country, including camping and self catering – making a safari a realistic option for even those with the smallest of budgets!

Stunning Game Reserves include:

Hluhluwe-Imfolozi - famous for it’s Operation Rhino programme which has seen the white rhino population grow to 12 times its size since its inception in 1960. Home to the ‘big five’, this reserve offers excellent game sightings. Accommodation at Hilltop Camp is in comfortable chalets where you can self-cater or eat at the restaurant. Best of all the camp offers guests a prime position within the game reserve with sweeping views over the game-dotted hills and valleys. The average rate is just R510 (£36) per person in the chalets, but can go as low as R250 (£17) for a basic hut!

Greater St Lucia Wetland Park – St Lucia offers guests the opportunity to explore pristine swamps, coastal forests, its amazing estuary and wetlands. Inhabited by abundant crocodiles and hippos, the st Lucia Wetlands also offers excellent bird life and smaller game. Elephants have been successfully reintroduced with plans on the cards for the area to one day boast all of the ‘Big 5’.

Tembe Elephant Park – This dense and rare Sand Forest is home to the Big Five, including over 160 indigenous elephants. The elephants in this untamed 4x4 terrain are magnificent and boast some of the largest tusks in South Africa. There is a private tented safari camp but rates start from as low as R545pp (£38) on a full board basis.

Mkhuzi - In addition to the amazing variety of birds and animals, Mkhuzi offers a unique walking experience through a patch of umbrella thorns and ilala palms, over a swing bridge and into the hush of 25-metre high very rare fig forest. Accommodation at the self-catering tented Mantuma Camp starts from just R250 (£18). Camping costs just R55 (£4)!

Ndumo - This beautiful reserve in Maputaland is best known for its prolific birdlife, featuring many migratory species at the southern limit of their range. It has amazing pans where one can enjoy hippo and crocodile sightings as well as other small animals.

Ithala - based in Northern KwaZulu-Natal, this reserve is home to species such as the Eland, Tsessebe and Red Hartebeest - which do not occur in the other Zululand reserves. The average rate is just R375 per person per night at Ntshondwe Camp.

For those with larger budgets, numerous private luxury safari lodges such as CC Africa’s Phinda Private Game Reserve are now attracting safari-goers away from the more traditional choices in Mpumalanga. Many new private game reserves have opened in recent years including Thanda, Amazulu (AmaKhosi), Nambiti, Thula Thula, Mkuze Falls, Pongola (White Elephant) and The Zululand Rhino Reserve (Leopard Mountain)

These, among other excellent reserves in the breathtaking Zulu Kingdom offer a safari experience you won’t easily forget!

For more information please visit Zulu.org.za.