Kwazulu-Natal
Welcome to Kwazulu-Natal
The insider's travel guide to Kwazulu-NatalCentred on the beach bum surf city of Durban, the huge, and hugely diverse, province of KwaZulu-Natal on South Africa’s east coast doesn’t have the stellar international wildlife reputation of other parts of South Africa.
And yet, with its rich ocean currents, soaring mountain plateau, searing savannahs and swampy shorelines, sub-tropical KwaZulu-Natal is actually one of the more rewarding wildlife-watching areas of the country.
Drag yourself off the beach towel and you might find yourself having thrilling face-to-face encounters with lumbering hippo, ancient turtles, racing cheetah, breaching whales, growling lions and heavy-footed elephants.
Although there is great wildlife watching in many parts of the region, the largest concentration of protected areas is in the northeastern coastal areas a few hours’ drive north of Durban. Spinning away from the massive Lake St Lucia is a number of interconnecting public and private game reserves which together encompass everything from windblown beaches to Big Five-filled grasslands. It’s a wonderful region to explore and one that, for the moment at least, is mainly the preserve of in-the-know South African wildlife watchers.
The density of big ticket wildlife is a little lower than in the Kruger area, but thanks to the diversity of habitats the range of animal species is exceptional. All the normal big hitters are here including elephant, lion, buffalo, rhino (both black and white), leopard and wild dogs. Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park and surrounding conservation areas are the best bet for a classic Big Five safari and many an experienced safari goer actually rates Hluhluwe-iMfolozi over the more famous Kruger.
Where to go in Kwazulu-Natal
Highlights & hidden gems
The Kwazulu-Natal atlas
2 picks Places & Experiences You Won't Find Elsewhere-
Kwazulu-Natal is South Africa’s cultural heartland, an essential immersion for those seeking to understand this glorious country in all its complexity. Networks of private reserves, plus big-ticket Hluhluwe-iMfolozi range across habitats and landscapes that are quintessentially South African. Second only to Kruger National Park, the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park is a nearly thousand square kilometre slab of wilderness surrounded by private game reserves. With its soaring hills and mountains, Hluhluwe-iMfolozi is scenically much more inspiring than the sometimes drab scrub-scape of Kruger. It is thanks to an innovative and wildly successful breeding programme here that the southern white rhino exists at all, and rhinos from Hluhluwe-iMfolozi have been used to re-populate parks and reserves across southern Africa. Today, it would be a rare game drive that didn’t bump into at least one of these prehistoric looking creatures. Elephants are common as are buffalo, zebra, giraffe and wildebeest. Much harder to find are the big cats. Hluhluwe-iMfolozi is easily accessible and has great facilities for people on all budgets. This makes it a good family-safari destination, but it also means it’s the most popular park in KwaZulu-Natal and during the holidays it can get very busy with holidaying locals.
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Of all the private reserves of KwaZulu-Natal, it’s Phinda that most rivals Sabi Sands and the other world-famous reserves that fringe Kruger. With its winning combination of attractive scenery, large numbers of mammals (including all the big five), more than 400 bird species, stupendously beautiful accommodation and a real sense of exclusivity, a range of exciting visitor activities and a forward-looking conservation and community programme, it’s easy to see how it garners endless accolades. I'd say this is perhaps the best place in South Africa to see the cheetah, and sightings here are consistently excellent. And to combine safari with marine wildlife watching, visit the Sodwana coast which rivals the Great Barrier Reef for marine birds. Fabulous accommodation adds to the appeal, visitor numbers are far fewer than in the Kruger reserves. A stay here doesn’t come cheap and you can only enter the reserve as a guest of one of the six very upmarket lodges. But if your budget stretches to it then, in our opinion, Phinda is one of the very best places for a short safari and you’re almost guaranteed to see all the flagship animals.
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My favourite Kruger alternative
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Phinda Game Reserve
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