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Tala Half Day Tour
I met the same clients off the Oceana Nautica and collected a repeat client from Durban for this Tala game reserve half day tour. A Durban safari is always a great thing to do as we have so much choice in big and smaller game reserves.
It would be a half day tour jam packed with great sightings!
As we entered Tala game reserve we spotted the Rhino being protected by the Anti-Poaching team and after a few minutes with them something caught my eye and it was a Black Backed Jackal. I was so excited I raced off to show my clients as you hardly ever see them.
St Lucia Wetlands Tour
We began our St Lucia Wetlands tour later than normal at 10:30 am in Durban and made our way up to St Lucia aka Isimangaliso Wetland park. I had been collecting my clients off the cruise ship the Oceana Nautica in Durban and we began our trek to St Lucia stopping for lunch on the road.
St Lucia wetlands
We began our St Lucia wetlands tour in Durban where I collected my clients and we ventured in KwaZulu Natal my favourite province to tour!
I covered the history of the area and tried to ensure my clients felt that they understood South Africa and its people from many perspectives.
We arrived in St Lucia wetlands or as its known now as Isimangaliso wetland park and began a 2 hour boat cruise on the St Lucia estuary which is a World heritage site and home to 4 of the big 5 as well as Hippos, Crocodiles and Sharks to name but a few.
I am truly blessed to live in such an amazing country and honoured to show off what we have to clients from all over the world.
Tala game reserve
We began our Durban safari tour by collecting my clients off the Oceana Insignia in Durban. Here we began our Tala game reserve and valley of 1000 hills tour.
It was a pleasant drive up into the Valley of 1000 hills and before you knew it with all the chat about the history of Durban and KwaZulu Natal we had arrived at Phezulu early so we began with a tour around the Reptile park.
The Valley of 1000 hills is a stunning area and home to the Zulu people who have lived here for a couple hundred years. The Zulus took over many other smaller tribe like the AmaDebe people by chasing them into these hills and starving them to death.
Hluhluwe game reserve 4 day safari
We began our 4 day Hluhluwe Imfolozi game reserve safari in Durban on the 23rd November 2015 and made our way to a Cat rehabilitation center to interact with Cheetah hands on.
This project releases and breeds endangered wild cats in order to increase the numbers in the wild in game reserves like Hluhluwe Imfolozi.
I covered the usual history of Durban and KwaZulu Natal before we arrived in Hluhluwe and our tour began.
Durban Safari To Remember
I met my clients for their Durban safari off the Ocean Nautica ship that docked in Durban. We were to visit Tala game reserve and Phezulu safari park. At Phezulu we would be entertained by the Zulu dancers and singers at the Zulu Cultural village and then enter their huts to learn more about the Zulus culture! I also took my clients for a tour around the reptile park before the Zulu cultural village tour.
African Overnight Safari Tours
It was to be quite an interesting African overnight safari tour! Right from the outset my clients which were arriving on a cruise ship were forced into being late due to bad weather off the coast and this could have been a big problem had we had other clients on the same tour. Fortunately it was just this couple and we could be very flexible enabling what turned out to be a great African overnight safari tour.
We departed Durban a little later and decided to skip visiting the Cat rehabilitation center to give us more time in the game reserve of Hluhluwe Imfolozi.
The Zulu kingdom, the Zulu nation
This brief write up is my understanding of the forming of the Zulu nation into a great kingdom over the years. We have to always keep in mind that almost all that is written on the Zulu nation is from word of mouth of Oral history and this could mean that it has been twisted over the years.
The Zulu nation like any other in its early days was illiterate and it took the missionaries which came to South Africa in the 1840’s to begin with educating the Zulu people about God and Jesus as well as the other western ways.
Tala game reserve
I was collecting my clients of the Ocean Princess cruise ship which was docking in Durban for the Tala game reserve and Zulu culture tour.
As we were expecting some bad weather the ships was more than 2 hours late which meant we would need to adjust the tour slightly to maximize the time for the clients in Tala game reserve and on the Zulu culture tour.
We left Durban harbor at 11:30 and made our way straight to Tala game reserve, it was here we began our Safari part of the tour and tried in 2.5 hours to find as many of the animals as we could.
Tala game reserve being very small has a very high density of animals which made things easier for me to find all the animals the clients wishes to see.
We found Rhino, Giraffe, Zebra, Hippo, Wildebeest, Ostrich, Impala, Nyala, Warthog, Blessbok and much more…
African safari tours
African safari tours are always amazing but this African safari tour would be extra special as we would see so many amazing animals in Hluhluwe Imfolozi game reserve.
I had met my client in Umhlanga near Durban for their Durban day safari and we began what turned out to be a very short 2.5 hours drive to Hluhluwe game reserve. It would be the boarder between the two sections that we would enter and first head briefly into the Hluhluwe game reserve section.
It was in this section we located a massive male Warthog very early on in our African safari tour.
South African holidays – Kruger park vs Hluhluwe game reserve
South Africa has a wide range of wilderness safaris to choose from and it always boils down to what South African holiday or South African safari tours are best advertised!
I hope that this post will be able to clear up some of the many questions potential travelers to South Africa have when looking at wilderness safaris or African tours.
If you join us on your South African holiday you can expect an amazing experience from culture, culture to historical.
Hluhluwe Big 5 game reserve
Our Hluhluwe “Big 5” game reserve safari from Durban began in the city where I collected my clients. It was to be a Hluhluwe game reserve safari to remember!
Our day began at 06:30 and we made our way to the world famous Hluhluwe game reserve and the Umfolozi game reserve in the south. After covering the major history of Durban, KwaZulu Natal and South Africa we arrived at Hluhluwe game reserve and it was only 09:30. As it was a cool day I was really hoping we would find cats but as nature has it, you have to be at the right place at the right time.
Hluhluwe game reserve safari
After having a few days off from being on the road I began another Hluhluwe game reserve safari for a couple from America who were out in South Africa for a holiday.
An African safari is always the best way to see the best that Africa has to offer and Hluhluwe game reserve which is a Big 5 reserve is the best place to visit if you are in the Durban, KwaZulu Natal area.
Hluhluwe game reserve is the oldest protected reserve in Africa and home to the Big 5, the 5 most dangerous animals to hunt on foot. The Lion, Leopard, Buffalo, Elephant and Rhino. We are very fortunate to have the Hluhluwe game reserve on the door step of Durban.
Durban Safari Tour
I was blessed with a repeat client who brought a friend out from Australia to experience a Durban 3 day safari tour. We departed from Umhlanga and we were able to cover the history and new things that I hadn’t said the last time. It wasn’t long before we stopped and got some coffee and the continued on to the Cat rehabilitation center which was a real experience.
My clients loved it and after interacting with the Cheetah hands on the day was set up to be legendary!
Durban tour
Our Durban tour to Hluhluwe Imfolozi game reserve began in Durban where I met my clients and we made our way to the Cat rehabilitation to interact with Cheetah hands on.
Once we had experienced this amazing place we headed into Hluhluwe Imfolozi game reserve only 20 minutes away.
It was a hot day and the mercury crept up to 35 degrees, this of course meant game viewing was a little quiet at the start until the afternoon.
We stopped at a view point however overlooking the Hluhluwe river and spotted three different species the Buffalo, Nyala and Baboons.
Durban day safaris
Our Durban day safari began in Durban city where I met my clients and we headed off to Hluhluwe Imfolozi game reserve.
It was going to be a hot day and not only with the weather but with the game viewing as well. It was a bit of a Ferrari safari as I had some racing to do to get around Hluhluwe Imfolozi game reserve to maximize our safari time.
On route I covered some of the history of the area and the country of South Africa before we arrived at the gate just before 10 am.
Durban safari
We began our Durban safari in the city of Durban where I collected my four clients for what was to be a very successful 2 days of safari in Hluhluwe Imfolozi game reserve.
On route we chatted about the interesting history of the area as well as the crops and population groups. Before you knew it we were at the Cat rehabilitation centre for the 10:30 tour for interaction with Cheetah. We would also see Caracal, Serval and African wild cat.
The Cheetah was great fun and the one male was stalking Wildebeest up the fence line. Sadly for the Cheetah the Wildebeest was safe on the other side of the fence.
Durban mini Safari
We began our mini safari from Durban where I collected my 4 clients who where here for business and pleasure respectively. After covering the basic history of Durban and KwaZulu Natal we arrived at the world famous Hluhluwe Imfolozi game reserve by 09:30 and began with our Safari of the reserve.
We entered in the North east and tried our best to look for Elephant in the cool weather. I knew it would be difficult but had high hopes after getting them a couple days before.
Durban day tour
We began our Durban day tour to Hluhluwe Imfolozi game reserve in Durban city where I collected my clients. It would be a day to remember with great sightings.
I covered the usual history of Durban and KwaZulu Natal on route to the Hluhluwe Imfolozi big 5 game reserve and answered any questions my clients had.
We arrived before 10 am and had immediate luck as we spotted Zebra and Giraffe together!
Hluhluwe Safari 2015
I met my clients in Durban for our 3 day safari to the Big 5 Hluhluwe Imfolozi game reserve and we began our safari. I covered some of the major history of South Africa, KwaZulu Natal and Durban before we stopped for coffee and to stretch our legs.
Once we were done we made our way to the Cat rehabilitation center where we interacted with Cheetah and three other species of endangered or threatened cats.