It seems that these little primates are becoming big fans of the night vision camera!
I was standing right in the window with a normal video camera for this one! They’re getting brave!
Tag Archive for hluhluwe-imfolozi
More bushbabies!
Category: Accommodation near game reserve, Activities, Bushwire, Hluhluwe Accommodation, Just for fun, KwaZulu Natal, KZN, Our animals /
Tags: accommodation near game reserve, african safari, bush accommodation, bush baby, Bush lodge, bush lodge in South Africa, bushbaby, cute animals, Extreme nature tour, hluhluwe, hluhluwe accommodation, hluhluwe-imfolozi, KwaZulu Natal, nagapie, nature tour, south africa, south africa accommodation, south african accommodation, south african animals, south african safari, stay in south africa, umkhumbi lodge, zululand
Here come the bushbabies!
Whilst the bushbabies love to hang out in our sandforest here in Hluhluwe, they tend to run off at the sight of humans.
But now winter is coming and they have suddenly got very confident…
Be prepared for regular updates from these cheeky little monkeys!!
Category: African Safari, Bushwire, Our animals /
Tags: accommodation near game reserve, accommodation near Mozambique, african safari, bush accommodation, bush baby, Bush lodge, bush lodge in South Africa, bushbaby, game lodge, gamelodge, hluhluwe, hluhluwe accommodation, hluhluwe-imfolozi, KwaZulu Natal, nagapie, nocturnal, primate, see bushbaby, south africa, south africa accommodation, south african accommodation, south african animals, stay in south africa, sweet tooth, umkhumbi lodge, zululand
Our Accommodation in Hluhluwe!
For those of you who haven’t found this post via the main website of our Hluhluwe accommodation, this is what you have to look forward to when you book at Umkhumbi Lodge.
First you are greeted by the Nyala family as you drive through the gate
A walk along a winding path (lit by fairy nights at light) leads to your home from home. And don’t worry about carrying your bags – we can do that for you!
All our rooms are located in the African bush
With their high ceilings and spacious size you’ll wish you lived here permanently!
Lounge on a luxurious kingsize bed!
Or choose one of our twin rooms and share the African experience
Don’t want to mingle with the other guests of an evening?
Each room has a private veranda to allow you to watch our animals roaming in the bush.
When you’re sitting on your veranda be sure to keep an eye out for our hand-reared impala. She is all grown up now, but still likes to stay close to the houses when she is not playing with the nyala babies.
Baby Bella was very demanding as a little one, she let you know when it was dinnertime by squeaking... loudly!
Of course there are other things to do; such as luxuriate in your ensuite bathroom.
All of our rooms are ensuite with bath and separate shower
When you do decide to venture to the lapa you wont be disappointed by the sunsets…
The lapa, for breakfast, dinner, sundowners and stories around the campfire
Pull up a pew and watch the sun paint the sky with colours
Nothing beats the colours in an African sunset
Time to snap a few pictures to show to those back home
Not interested in the breathtaking sunsets?
Relax at the bar and chat to Anton and Emma your hosts
Try one of our "canefire" cocktails - for the sweet toothed!
Or relax on the comfy chairs with a good book as the sun goes down
If you prefer, we can get the fire started before dinner so you can while away the hours there.
Nothing truly beats "African bush TV"
The lapa at night - also a good place to see the stars
Dinner is a 3 course meal with a choice of main dishes and includes table salad.
It's all so good, how to choose?
You can eat on your own or if you prefer, on one table with the other guests, or even your host.
Making new friends over fantastic food
After dinner retire to your room and dream of the over twenty different South African holiday activities within an hours drive of Umkhumbi Lodge, Hluhluwe.
Keep an eye out for the cute bushbabies who will come down to your veranda to eat the moths fluttering around the lights
See you soon!
Category: Activities, African Safari, KwaZulu Natal, KZN, Our animals, Roger De La Harpe, Wetland Park Group /
Tags: accommodation near game reserve, african experience, african safari, bush accommodation, bushbaby, campfire, experience africa, fantastic food, game reserve, hluhl, hluhluwe-imfolozi, hluhluwe-umfolozi, holiday accommodation, holiday to remember, imfolozi, Nyala, safari, south africa, south africa accommodation, south african accommodation, south african animals, umfolozi, umkhumbi lodge
Did You Know – Flat Lizard
Category: Albizia camp, Did you know?, Environmental Awareness Course /
Tags: accommodation near game reserve, Albizia camp, animal factsheet, educational, Environmental awareness course, Flat Lizard, flat lizard factsheet, hluhl, hluhluwe-imfolozi, hluhluwe-umfolozi, holiday accommodation, learn about lebombo flat lizard, learn about lizards, lizard, lizard factsheet, platysaurus lebomboensis, school trips, south africa, south african accommodation, south african animals, south african lizards, umkhumbi lodge
Did You Know – Narina Trogon
Narina Trogon factsheet is this weeks factsheet, see below
Category: Albizia camp, Birding, Did you know?, Environmental Awareness Course /
Tags: accommodation near game reserve, Albizia camp, animal factsheet, apaloderma narina, birdwatching, educational, Environmental awareness course, hluhl, hluhluwe-imfolozi, hluhluwe-umfolozi, holiday accommodation, learn about narina trogon, Narina Trogon, narina trogon factsheet, school trips, south africa, south african accommodation, south african animals, south african birds, umkhumbi lodge
Day 8 – uMkhuze
The bird hunting continues!
A fantastic days sightings at uMkhuze, even whilst loading the car with our cameras, telescope, binoculars, bird books and most importantly breakfast we could hear the birds whistling around us.
No sooner had we pulled out of Umkhumbi Lodge gate than we see 2 Burchells Coucals sitting on a fence post, how could it possibly be a bad day after that!?
The bird list for today is:
- plover
- sandpipers
- swift
- moorhen
- lilac breasted roller
- nesting black-bellied starling pair
- white-faced whistling ducks
- 3 purple gallinule heron
- 2 heron
- bulbul
- barn swallow
- violet-back starling
- barbet
- collared dove
- 3 crested frankolin
- 2 rudds apalis
- mousebird
- crowned hornbill
- cardinal woodpecker
- tawny flanked prinia
- nobbeaked duck female
- jacan (adult and juvenile)
- glossy ibis
- sacred ibis
- emerald spotted dove
- cape dove
- gold-tailed woodpecker
- open billed stork
- red-breasted cuckoo
- broad billed roller !!
- eagle with nesting material
- dusky flycatcher
- golden breasted bunting
- nob-billed ducks
- egyptian goose
- broad billed roller
- black-bellied korhaan
- bustard
- european bee-eater
- bluecheeked bee-eater
- european bee-eater
- blue-cheeked bee eater
- red-backed shrike (again the most common bird of the day!)
- 2 blue waxbill/ cordon bleu
- broad-billed roller
- chinspot batis
- weaver
- black-shouldered kite
- purple-crested turaco/ lourie
- red-breasted swallow
- lesser striped swallow
- pie-tailed swallow
- swallow
- white-tailed swallow
- bulbul
- mystery bird
- cisticola
- red-cheeked mousebird
- stint
- canary
- unidentified bird of prey
- eagle
- cattle egret
- spurwing
- 4 red bishop
- 2 burchells coucal
- 3 trumpeter hornbill
- 5 yellow-billed hornbill
- stuffed buzzard
- woodland kingfisher
- 2 pied kingfisher
- 2 malachite kingfisher
- kingfisher
- masked weaver
- golden weaver
- pells weaver
- crested guinea fowl
- helmeted /crowned guinea fowl
- foamnest frog
- hippo
- dragonfly
- natal hinged tortoise
- forest cobra
Category: Activities, Birding, Extreme Nature Tour, Jason and Adam /
Tags: african safari, bird safari, bird sightings, birding holiday in south africa, birding safari, Extreme nature tour, game drive, hluhluwe accommodation, hluhluwe-imfolozi, KwaZulu Natal, kwazulu natal travel base, rare south african birds, safari, south african birds, twitcher holidays, twitching
Day 6 – Tembe Elephant Reserve
Time to say good bye to Kosi Bay as the boys set out at 6:30 am to head once more to their Hluhluwe accommodation at Umkhumbi Lodge.
But whilst we’re driving past Tembe Elephant Reserve, it would be wrong not to go in… wouldn’t it? 
Don’t let the name fool you, Tembe Elephant reserve is about much more than just Elephants! There are countless bird species as well as many different game animals. Although saying that, it is also fantastic for elephants, after turning a corner in the park whilst tracking down a bird they came across about 14 elephants just loitering on and to the side of the road.
They certainly had fun as they stayed in the park from gate open to gate close and arrived back at Umkhumbi Lodge just in time for a fantastic 3 course dinner under the stars.
Category: Activities, Extreme Nature Tour, Jason and Adam, New friends /
Tags: african safari, bird safari, bird sightings, birding holiday in south africa, birding safari, Extreme nature tour, game drive, hluhluwe accommodation, hluhluwe-imfolozi, KwaZulu Natal, kwazulu natal travel base, rare south african birds, safari, south african birds, twitcher holidays, twitching
Day 2 – Hluhluwe Imfolozi
Day 2 – Hluhluwe-Imfolozi
Thankfully it was not a baking hot day in the park today! The sun was out, there was no chill on the breeze (except at 5 o’clock in the morning maybe) and the bird sightings were fantastic!
hamerkop
woolynecked stork
hadeda ibis
african white backed-vulture
lappet faced vulture
white headed vulture
yellow billed kite
wahlbergs eagle
african hawk eagle
martial eagle
brown snake eagle
steppe buzzard
forest buzzard
natal francolin
three-banded plover
blacksmith plover
wattled plover
wood sandpiper
water dikkop
bronze-winged courser
cape turtle (ring necked) dove
laughing dove
green (emerald) spotted dove
*purplecrested turaco
burchells coucal
mozambique nightjar
horus swift
speckled mouse bird
redfaced mousebird
malachite kingfisher
little bee-eater
african woodhoopoe
red-billed woodhoopoe
trumpeter hornbill
cardinal woodpecker
bearded woodpecker
rufous naped lark
sabota lark
eurasian swallow
greater striped swallow
lesser striped swallow
fork-tailed drongo
black-eyed bulbbul (common)
fantailed (zitting) cisticola
cloud cisticola
levaillants cisticola
lazy cisticola
neddicky
spotted flycatcher
african dusky fly catcher
african paradise fly catcher
yellow-throated longclaw
fiscal shrike
red-backed shrike – this rare bird turned out to be the most common bird in the park today!
southern boubou
brubru
southern tchagra
(three-streaked) brown crowned tchagra
wattled starling
(cape) glossy starling
red-winged starling
red-billed oxpecker
white bellied sunbird
scarlet chested sunbird
house sparrow
southern-grey headed sparrow
spotted backed (village) weaver
redcollared widow
blue waxbill (blue-breasted cordon-bleu)
pintailed whydah
long-tailed (eastern) paradise whydah
dusky indigobird (black widowfinch)
yellow fronted canary
streaky headed seedeater
golden breasted bunting
(cinnamon-breasted) rock bunting
There may also be one or two that have been forgotten on the list, Jason will find out when he goes through the pictures.
And then of course, as a sidenote they also spotted some non-avian species too, such;
chacma baboon
vervet monkey
african elephant
white rhino
warthog
burchells zebra
giraffe
blue wildebeest
impala
buffalo
nyala
leopard tortoise
bells hinged tortoise
All in all, not a bad days game viewing!
As with all the best days, no day would be complete without the telling of stories over a beer in the lappa before dinner.
Stories and bragging rights exchanged at the bar
Category: Activities, Birding, Extreme Nature Tour, Hluhluwe-Imfolozi, Jason and Adam, New friends /
Tags: african safari, bird safari, birding holiday in south africa, birding safari, Extreme nature tour, game drive, hluhluwe accommodation, hluhluwe-imfolozi, KwaZulu Natal, kwazulu natal travel base, safari, south african birds, twitcher holidays
Rain at last!
Finally the rain has come to Umkhumbi Lodge. The Nyala, Impala and Duiker have (like us) been standing out enjoying the rain. As much as we love the sun, there are few people who can resist the kiss of the rain on their cheeks.
With it we have also had some amazing lightning storms on the mountains opposite our lappa;
Already everything is looking even more green and luscious than it was.
In The News – Snakes Alive!
We have been featured in the news once more! See the article on the IOL website here.
