Monday morning I joined a trip out to the Hluhluwe and Umfolozi National Parks - they are home to the largest population of black and white rhino in the world - established in 1895, these are the oldest game reserves in Africa. Set in the heart of Zululand, where Zulu kings such as Dingiswayo and Shaka hunted and then put in place the first conservation laws, the park contains an immense diversity of fauna and flora. The Big Five were all seen with two hours of entering the park, as well as cheetah, wild dog and giraffe. Hluhluwe was characterised by hilly topography, towards the northern section of the park we encountered a wide variety of birdlife - some 300 species have been recorded here.
I was back in St Lucia just in time to take the sundowner cruise on the nearby St Lucia Wetlands Reserve. A vast swampy area seperated from the Indian Ocean by huge sand dunes some two to three hundred feet high. Here a 'mosaic of landforms' (according to the brochure), 'have created breathtaking scenic vistas that stretch for as far as the eye can see'. It was superb. As we puttered around on our boat we encountered a variety of habitats ranging from the Ubombo Mountains to grasslands, forests, wetlands, mangroves and vegetated dunes, with magnificent beaches and coral reefs. We spied an abundance of Nile crocodile and hippo, as well as rhino, elephant, buffalo, giraffe, waterbuck, kudu, nyala, impala, duiker and reedbuck, amongst a host of other species.
The next day I headed back up the highway to Shakaland - lured there by another brochure that promised a traditional 'kraal experience' - a chance to soak up the true ways of Zulu life. I left after a couple of hours, it was incredibly commercialised. The chance to 'watch traditional dances, eat traditonal food and learn traditional ways could be rounded off by spending the night in an authentic Zulu hut - with WC, shower and mini-bar - no wonder they gave Michael Caine's guys a hammering! So I headed on inland to three historic battlefields of the Zulu Wars: Isandhlwana (where British forces were wiped out), Rorke's Drift (we all know this one, don't we?), and Ulundi, where the army of Ceteswayo was defeated. It was, as is often the way with battlefields, a series of unremarkable places - and I found it hard to imagine what fear and bloodshed took place here.
In the fading light of the day I drove south to Durban - along the N2 - with the Indian Ocean away to my left for most of the journey. I got a room in a motel just off the main highway on the edge of town and in the morning drove on into Durban, drove along the Golden Mile - where the hillside eventually rolls down into the ocean by way of wide sandy beaches. I parked up and walked past rickshaws and their owners touting for business and into the business district where the architecture had real feel of the sub-continent about it (later learnt that the majority of Durban's residents are of Indian descent). At the Indian market I bought a packet of 'hell fire curry powder', and got an omelette for breakfast. I rounded my brief sojourn in Durban with a meander through the beautiful botanic gardens with vast arrays of orchids, tropical ferns and vines.
Lunchtime and I was moving on, inland again and up into the Drakensberg Mountains - a spectacular drive. The Drakensberg Mountains are one of South Africa’s most amazing natural sights - in Afrikaans Drakensberg means 'Dragon Mountain', and the Zulus call the range uKhahlamba, or "barrier of spears". The Drakensberg stretches the entire length of KwaZulu-Natal's western border with Lesotho for hundreds of rugged kilometres. Here I spent a couple of wonderful days exploring the mountains, wandering down mountain trails, stopping to take in breathtaking views, discovering bushman rock paintings in caves or just feeling at one with nature. The second day here I drove over to Royal Natal Park - equally dramatic - where a wall of rock known as The Amphitheatre rises to 2,000m - imagine Mount Rushmore set atop Alpine foothills and you pretty much get the picture. Yesterday I headed south through a reserve called Giant’s Castle - the most spectacular section of the Drakensberg for wildlife viewing. Near the small town of Himeville is the Sani Pass, where you cross into Lesotho. The tips of the peaks were covered in snow - with clouds sailing high above in the blue sky - it was a beautiful spot.
Late yesterday afternoon I drove through the green hills of the central Transkei and fell with the highway steeply down to towards the Indian Ocean, through slopes covered with the dense sub-tropical forest. The area is relatively sparsely populated, with just a few small villages dotting the hilltops. Signs warned of antelope and monkeys - but I saw none. As I approached the coast again, by way of a wide estuary I passed colourful and exotic birds in the tree tops and beyond the mangrove swamps, you could see silver shoals of fish jumping and splashing in the shadows just off the beaches.
Coffee Bay, where I spent last night (and where I'm spending tonight) is situated on the beautiful Wild Coast. I've just been chilling out today, spent the morning with several coffees and a newspaper (learnt of George Best's death - very sad - bet the Liverpool and Leeds scum give vent to the petty hatred of a better team again by ruining the minute silence). Have had a late seafood lunch in a nice restaurant overlooking the ocean and spent the afternoon browsing around town, topping up what has become a bit of a tatty wardrobe and pausing for yet another coffee or two. Am now back at the hotel catching up on emails and stuff - later I might go for dinner at the restaurant across the street that advertises 32oz buffalo steaks. Or I may not.
Delx