Zulu Nyala Private Game Reserve

We saw all but the big game--Lions--up close and it was amazing.

We had won this safari trip at a fundraiser for Room to Read and when we got there we learned that all of the other guests had also come through winning a charity auction from a soccer league to a Providencetown gay support group. while this game reserve was on a much smaller scale than the ones you hear about at Kreuger, Tanzania or Kenya, it was spectacular nonetheless.

Our guides were great in taking us out and finding all sorts of wildlife up close including the buffalos, elephants, wildebeest, zebra herds, giraffes, rhinos, nyalas and other type of antelopes. The waterholes were teeming with all types of animals and birds. We were glad to be in the big safari trucks as a herd of elephants with their babies brushed against the vehicle.

We did a bit of a walkabout behind our guide with a loaded gun as we rousted out several rhinos who were hiding in the bush. Good thing they ran away from us rather than charging.

The lodge was in a beautiful setting with vistas over the entire jungle area. One of the help at the lodge removed a green snake from one of our deck chairs. He didn't say whether it was poisonous or not.

On one evening we had a group of Zulu performers provide dance and singing while we had dinner. The same group plus other were in a made up village like you would find in Disneyworld who showed us some of the activities of daily living including a visit to the shaman, crafts, and cooking, and a bone throwing fortune teller. they also had samples of typical huts you would find in the bush.