Damon’s epic Safari holiday
Damon escaped with a group of friends North to Hluhluwe this holiday. He was kind enough to share some exciting holiday details and pics with us. Take a here.
I was incredibly blessed to have had an unbelievably busy 2015.
Very late nights, early mornings and I'd worked right up until the night of the 24th of December so by the time my leave started, I was in desperate need of some R and R.
I spent Christmas Day with my family, just lazing around, eating and watching my young nieces and nephews playing with their Christmas presents.
It was a brilliant day.
Then, early on the morning of the 26th, a group of us headed North to Hluhluwe...
I'd visited Zulu Nyala before, but last time I was at the Safari Game Lodge which is a short drive from their other property - the Hemingway Tented Camp at the Heritage Safari Lodge. The Game Lodge was superb ... So this time, being booked in at the Heritage Safari Lodge, I was eager to see how it compared.
I guess because I live in South Africa, seeing a Zebra is almost taken for granted, so one thing this holiday did for me was make me realize how incredibly lucky I am to live in a country where I'm able to see these and many other animals on a regular basis.
I can take a fairly short drive and in a few hours be surrounded by the African bush where so many of the other guests I'd met had flown for about 15 hours to experience what we have, right here.
As we arrived and were being shown to our accommodation, we noticed the Zebra and Nyala walking around inside the camp. Literally meters away - and it was an unforgettable thing to witness the many overseas guests not only clicking away frantically on their cameras but also to hear the shrieks of delight being able to see animals within a few meters.
The Heritage Safari Lodge gives you that real African safari adventure, but with all the comforts of a luxury camp. The tents are elegant and spacious - with permanent bases and they're situated in the grounds of the Heritage Safari Lodge.
The added bonus was the aircon because it was baking hot.
I've been lucky to do a few game drives in the past but the two we took at Zulu Nyala were by far the best I've been on.
Our rangers were nothing short of superb. They were unbelievably knowledgeable and literally went out of their way to make our drives memorable - and it seems that everyone we chatted to had also had fantastic experiences. We did one game drive in the morning and one in the late afternoon and on both occasions saw everything we could have dreamed of - and more.
I love it that the team at Zulu Nyala are also doing every possible thing in their power to assist in the fight against Rhino poaching.
Everything here is about respect for the animals. We were in their territory and the rangers ensured that we understood that. So many times we'd stop and whether it was an elephant crossing the road in front of us or a tiny rock rabbit - it was all about them.
The food was amazing. Buffet style meals in the restaurant with plenty of choice although two nights we had dinner in the nearby Boma which was also fantastic.
There has to be nothing better than sitting outside under the stars on a hot summer's night, eating, having a few drinks with friends and listening to the sounds of nature that surround you.
There are two sparkling blue pools at the Heritage Safari Lodge and most of the day for me was spent lazing around in the intense heat of the Zululand sun.
After the incredible feast at breakfast, I was indeed the human form of a hippo. I'd slump into the pool and not move, other than to occasionally move onto a lounger for a few minutes and then retreat into the water again.
The team at Zulu Nyala also put on a really terrific African themed New Year’s Eve Party complete with Sangoma's and Zulu Dancing so it was an really memorable start to 2016 sharing it with special friends in the Country I love so much.
A wonderful experience, with every day packed with as much or as little activity as I chose.
Here are contact details and if you have a week, or a weekend off - take the quick 2 and a half hour journey from Durban and pay Veena, Chaya and the team at Zulu Nyala a visit.
You'll love it as much as I did.
Reservations: 011 702 9300 or 035 562 0177
Email: [email protected]