uMkhuze Game Reserve

Wildlife does not include all of the big five, but can be good for Black Rhino and especially good for Nyala.
This is a beautiful reserve with incredibly varying habitats, ranging from open savanna to sand forest to fever & fig forest. An added bonus is Nsumu Pan with it's hippos and fever tree-lined shore.
The bush vibe is good, you can really feel that you are out in the bush and away from it all, but can be quite busy at times.
This has to be one of the better birding spots in South Africa, with too many specials to list. This is mostly as a result of the incredible variation in habitats coupled to the warm sub-tropical climate.

On a downward curve

Having visited uMkhuze on several occasions previously I was somewhat concerned this year to see it looking somewhat shabbier than on previous visits. Signage was poor and some of the hides in a lamentable state of repair. Game viewing was also not what I had experienced on earlier visits.
That said, the accomodation was as good as I remember; comfortable, isolated chalets, a swimming pool all to me and my wife and father in law and babboon and impala right at the door. There is also cheap, decent food just a stone's throw away at the camp restaurant and nightly tours that are both reasonably priced and far from overcrowded. What game I did see was worth the trip; a pack of wild dogs (the rarest predator on the continent as I understand it), fantastic up-close views of a very impressive Kudu and plenty of bird life. On earlier trips I have seen rhino, both black and white, there, bush babies, hyena, civet, hippo, giraffe, zebra, untold impala and nyala and some of the rarer birds.
uMkhuze is a quiet reserve, perhaps due to it's current lack of maintenance, so there is no danger of encountering crowds and it has some lovely picnic spots by the pans where there was no one but myself, my family, and the monkeys to spoil the peace. With a bit more care uMkhuze could be a lovely, peaceful place to visit again and the staff are helpful and pleasant. It is also conveniently located for day trips to neighbouring Hluhluwe-Umfolozi and the St Lucia wetland park (now renamed iSimangaliso). A good destination for bird lovers but not as varied scenery wise as I might prfer, with a lot of thick, flat brush for the animals to lose themselves in.
Weather in early April was almost perfect, warm but not too hot, mosquito free (from what we saw) and suitable for Braais (BBQs) every night at the fixed Braai grills that are located outside each chalet, and cleaned at dawn each day. Just don't forget to take your own charcoal, lighters and food as the shop is a little sparse.
A little much needed work and uMkhuze could be, once again, a top destination, located as it is within easy travelling distance from Durban.

Primier destination for birding in KZN. The hides are well located and visited by the many species of birdlife, both migratory and resident species abound in this park.

Only drove around for a short period on the way to Hluhluwe-Umfolozi - so cannot possibly give a fair overview, the scenery was amazing though.

I visited uMkhuze many times and remember it as a photographer's paradise. There were three comfortable hides and game kept coming to drink without stop right through the day. The last time I went the hides were closed because of the rain and I was very disappointed. The bird life is very good though.

The best hides in Africa

uMkhuze Game Reserve is a little visit reserve with possibly the best hides in Africa. There is one particular hide that is in the middle of a water hole. Instead of driving all around on dusty roads looking for wildlife, you can relax at a comfortable hide and watch all the animals come to you. What was most interesting was listening to the wildlife. The hide allows you to be quiet and unseen so that you can observe more nuisances of the animal's behavior. We didn't stay in the park, however, the parks staff were very passionate about the park and took very good care of it.

I've only spent one day at uMkhuze, and didn't see much in terms of the big stuff. It is nice park, however, birding is very good, and the new facilites there, such as the new hides, are excellent!

My first visit to South Africa, my first Safari.

Just to put things in perspective my holiday was actually called "Butterflies of South Africa" it was a four centre holiday starting at Wakkerstroom then uMkhuze, Saint Lucia and finally eShowe, only 2 nights were actually spent in the game reserve.

The main entrance to the reserve was flooded due to recent heavy rain, so we made a detour to another gate. Even at this one there was plenty of water about. For the remainder of my visit we never had any problems with floods, and the tracks and roads around the reserve were dry and in good repair.

I was provided with a tent. It had all modern conveniences, shower, flush toilet, electricity. Beds had mosquito nets. Unfortunately I was never at ease in the tent and didn't have a minutes sleep on my first night. I missed having a solid door! There are chalets on the site so if I went back I would definitely stay in one of them.

Butterflies and birds were our main objective, but we still had plenty of time to drive around the reserve to see much larger wildlife. It is hard to explain just how thrilling it is to see antelope, rhino, giraffe, zebra in their natural surroundings. We were actually in two minibuses, window seats were at a premium. Generally, my fellow travellers were considerate to others needs, and there was much moving around within the vehicle so everyone had a chance to get a good view and take some photos.

I have to mention our guides: John Davies and Bert Palthe of Lawson's Birding Safaris. They were very friendly, resourceful, and had a totally awesome knowledge of the fauna and flora of the region. In short they were totally amazing, and this added greatly to an already amazing experience (please remember this was my first safari)!

Some highlights of my visit were:
An early morning walk in the reserve searching for butterflies. The chief warden with his rifle made this particularly memorable, it also proved very rewarding in terms of butterflies seen.
An early morning drive to a viewing tower in the reserve. John and Burt supplied tea and "rusks" while we gazed over a panorama of the reserve. Mainly zebra sighted, but still rewarding.
An evening barbeque, where John and Bert cooked the food. A bright light shone on a white sheet attracted many insects. Another member of the group was wearing a white shirt and a gigantic dragonfly landed on it and stayed their for quite a while.

Finally I would just like to mention the drive into the reserve. It was particularly striking due to the enormous number of vast spider's webs on view. Large Golden Orb spiders were clearly visible on many of the webs.

Once again its been a while since we visited and they have since introduced more wildlife. A wonderful memory is watching (from a distance) the hippo come out of the water after dark.

Great reserve with wonderful viewing hides