Zulu Nyala Private Game Reserve

Nice place to see African wildlife

The Zulu Nyala game lodge was a nice place to see many different African wildlife. One thing we noticed early on was that after going into the park a couple of days, we had pretty much seen all they had. We then needed to go to other parks and areas to see different wildlife. The food was excellent. The rooms were just ok, though I'm sure they were fine by African standards.

A small fences reserve. A great first safari.

Great option for your FIRST safari

Since South Africa has largely confined its large "safari" animals, there are three primary venues to see them.

Roadside Attractions - ranging from wineries to rehabilitation facilities these are very small, but intimate viewing options, but not pristine or very natural. We preferred the rehabilitation facilities since it seemed "less exploitive."

Small to Mid-sized Game Reserves - These offer a wider range of animals and relatively consistent viewing opportunities since the facility had a limited expanse of fenced-in land, along with a fairly natural environment. In terms of "seeing animals," these may offer the best "bang for the buck."

National Parks - These offer vast acres of land and the opportunity to see animals in their most natural setting. Of course, the large expanse may also mean less frequent sightings, but those sighting might be considered the "most authentic" of the three options.

Zulu-Nyala is a smaller game reserve, plenty of sightings, reasonably natural with enough other nearby options to keep the week fully occupied. We felt it offered what we wanted, a daily opportunity to regularly see the animals consistently, thus a solid "first-time" or "only" safari experience.