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Day 8 – Spearfishing! (and a Sandy Beach)

Duke of Edinburgh Participant 2012 / August 20, 2012 / No comments

Kosi Bay – Historic Fish Traps and Beach

After breakfast at our Kosi Bay accommodation we all walked down to the historic fish traps where we were introduced to Elmon a local fisherman. Elmon took us into the water and gave us a tour of the traps and showed us how they worked. Unfortunately the tide was too high in the morning to catch fish so we went to the beach for an hour or so.

At the beach we split into three groups – sunbathers, paddlers and ball gamers.

When we returned to the fish traps in the afternoon, Elmon took a few of us back out to the fish traps and Beth, Glyn, Alicia, Lottie, Becky and Adam went into the fish traps to try and spear fish. Three fish were caught, one each by Glyn, Lottie (stabbing it multiple times and getting covered in fish guts/blood) and Adam. The fish were carried to shore and given to Elmon to take home to his family.

Glyn

…..

Glyn told to spear fish.
Glyn spear fish.
Glyn happy.

…..

Category: Accommodation near game reserve, Activities, Amangwane Kosi Bay, Bushwire, DofE2012, Duke of Edinburgh Award, Environmental Awareness Course, Gold 2012, Wetland Park Group / Tags: accommodation near Mozambique, adventure, african culture, african holiday, animal holiday, culture, DofE2012, educational holidays, family holiday, fishing, holiday, Kosi Bay, learming holiday, once in a lifetime, safari, south africa, spearfishing, student trips, tradition

Day 4 and 5 – Wilderness Trail

Duke of Edinburgh Participant 2012 / August 17, 2012 / No comments

Day 5 – Wilderness Trail

The Nightwatch diary

Got up quite early and got ready for the over night wilderness trail. Not going to lie, sounded pretty scary, walking through the bush and then camping over night outside with people taking shifts to keep watch, but it was so cool!!!!! So the walk to the camp was quite long… we got a few breaks and a nice long lunch break (while Lottie went to the loo about 5 times!) but our guide, Joe, walked at quite a pace and seemed to have constant energy! But we got to camp early, and saw some hippos in the water near our camp, which was amazing! There were about 5 of them just there, staring at us. It was cool until we realized that we would be camping next to them and they could walk through our camp if they wanted, as could crocs, as could hyenas, as could ANY animal that wanted to, hence the night watch! Without even a sit down, we went straight into Croemalena clearing, which is an alien crop that kills some of the animals if they eat it. We were shown how to use the machetes and then we got to it. Anneka and me enjoyed it slightly too much I think! We proper went for it and got LOADS cleared away! We were pretty happy with it! Then we were finished for the day, I was really hot disgusting from the walk and the clearing… I hadn’t planned to shower, so I didn’t bring a towel or anything, but I went for an open air shower! It was AMAZINGG!!! Lots of hot water and a nice fire outside to keep my clothes warm. So good! Then we sat around the camp fire for a bit while it got dark and then…. it was BBQ time!!!! We had Nyala steaks, Wildebeest sausages, potato salad, beetroot salad and really yummy bread – an AWSOME bbq!! The we toasted marshmallows on the fire, which I’ve never done before! Smelt and tasted soooo good! Then people started going to bed and the night watch started for the first group. Nothing much came through the camp, but our night log became quite inventive, with a family of hippos scaring Beth near the toilet and me, Glyn and Alicia fighting off an alien invasion. The whole thing was a great experience. When else are we going to get the chance to sleep outside in the African bush?!!

Becky

Category: African Safari, DofE2012, Duke of Edinburgh Award, Environmental Awareness Course, Gold 2012, Wetland Park Group / Tags: adventure, african safari, african wildlife, animal holiday, bush holiday, campfire, camping, curriculum based holiday, DofE2012, educational holiday, Elephant, family holiday, fire watch, memories, nightwatch, safari, sleep under the stars, south africa, student trip, walking safari, wilderness trail, wildlife conservation

More bushbabies!

Lacey / June 8, 2012 / No comments

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!

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!

Lacey / May 25, 2012 / No comments

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!

Lacey / May 20, 2012 / No comments

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!

Cheap accommodation near game reserve, south africa

All our rooms are located in the African bush

With their high ceilings and spacious size you’ll wish you lived here permanently!

Educational family holiday accommodation

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.

hluhluwe accommodation conservation south africa, baby impala

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.

accommodation in south africa with ensuite bathroom near safari

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?

relaxing treetop bar, south africa, accommodation, hluhluwe

Relax at the bar and chat to Anton and Emma your hosts

pink cocktail with lemon on dark background

Try one of our "canefire" cocktails - for the sweet toothed!

relax on the comfortable seat in the lounge with a view, south africa, accommodation

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.

south african bush accommodation, firepit

Nothing truly beats "African bush TV"

night time accommodation in south africa

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.

make new friends on holiday in south africa

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.

Nocturnal bush baby, south africa, accommodation

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

The Velvet Gecko

Lacey / April 23, 2012 / No comments

At Umkhumbi lodge we are proud to say that each room has a resident Velvet gecko (they stay outside, don’t worry!) The Velvet gecko is on the IUCN list due to it’s rarity. One species of the Velvet gecko is so rare that it was only recently rediscovered!

They are larger than the non-indigenous Tropical house geckos that are so prominent here in South Africa. They have been known to grow up to 120mm in length (and that is just the body, add the tail on as well and you have a fairly substantial portion of gecko!).

Why is a velvet gecko called a vevlet gecko?

The scales of the Velvet Gecko overlap slightly giving it an almost velvet-like feel

So, I hear you ask, if they are so big; How on Earth do they run up the walls? How do they not fall off the ceiling?

Well, each toe is covered with large, wide pads. These pads are covered with tiny little hairs, shorter than 2 diameters of a human hair⁽¹⁾ and much thinner, it is these hairs that allow geckos to run up even the smoothest surface. Each of these hairs is subject to a weak molecular attraction – Van Der Waals theory – which gives geckos the ability to be able to hang from a wall by just one fingertip. This adhesive effect is very strong and the tiny hairs only become detached by changing their angle (almost like velcro).

The texture of a geckos 'fingerprint' helps them stick to even the smoothest of surfaces.

For more information about the discovery, read this and this from the Lewis & Clark College, the University of California at Berkeley, the University of California at Santa Barbara, and Stanford University.

Category: Activities, Did you know?, Environmental Awareness Course, Our animals / Tags: Conservation, did you know, gecko, how do geckos stick? how do geckos climb? worlds best climber, indigenous, IUCN listed animal, large gecko, learn about geckos, mosquito repellant, reptile, south africa, velvet gecko

Roger and Pat De La Harpe Photography Course

Lacey / March 4, 2012 / 4 comments

Day 1

Lets talk cameras!

Everyone looked a little confused at the beginning of the course

A big thanks to African Imagery for hosting their recent photo workshop with us here at Umkhumbi Lodge in Hluhluwe.

Well, ok, not exactly dinosaurs, but pretty close! Today was spent at Zulu Croc – the crocodile centre a mere 5 minute drive from Umkhumbi Lodge.

Everyone was a bit shy at first and stayed as a group around a single enclosure – it wasn’t long however until everyone was lying on the ground trying to get some nice crocodile close-ups through the fences.

The crocs were very considerate and sat nice and close to the fences

More confident with their cameras and eager to get on!

Then it was time for the photography workshop to really begin. Here is where Roger De La Harpe and all attendees (gently) picked apart images. It’s great, not only did we learn from our mistakes but everyone elses as well.

Day 2 – Afternoon

Portrait photography!

Ntombi in her beads

Poor Ntombi she had the joyful job of posing for us. Ntombi works at the lodge, and as well as cleaning the rooms, feeding the iguanas and occasionally being one of our servers at the lappa, she now had to smile until her cheeks hurt (thankfully Ntombi is so usually always so cheerful this isn’t too much of a problem for her)!

Dressed in beaded clothes Ntombi was the perfect model for us.

Poor Ntombi surrounded by all our flashes. She looked stunning though!

And I have to say, I have a lot of respect for fashion magazine photographers, people are not as easy to shoot as they look!

Day 3 – Last day :’(

Touch up class and snakes!

The morning started with a brief critique of our shots of Ntombi and then Roger further helped us to enhance the beauty of our shots with some five minute touch ups using Adobe Lightroom.

To finish up, snakes.

From Antons collection in the garage: juvenile Puff Adder, juvenile Gaboon Adder and a Variable Bush Viper.

Pics to follow!

Category: Activities, African Safari, KwaZulu Natal, Photography, Roger De La Harpe / Tags: adobe, African accommodation, african photographs, african safari, camera course, DSLR course, hluhluwe, KwaZulu Natal, learn to use you camera, lightroom, photograph africa, Photographic safari, photographing south africa, Photography course, professional photographer, safari photos, south africa

Hlane Royal National Park

Lacey / February 29, 2012 / No comments

Arriving at Hlane Royal National Park, the Waterhole by the restaurant was like a scene out of the Lion King!

Rhino, Hippo, Elephants, Impala, Stork, Ox Peckers and Crocodile, all that was missing was the Giraffe!

white Rhino in the bush - nature tour south africa

The Rhino tries to find his way to the water past the hippos, croc and elephants

The elephant looks smug after seeing off that pesky Rhino!

The croc sunbathes on the sand waiting for an easy lunch

Once the coast was clear the whole elephant family came down to the water hole

hippo pillow extreme nature tour south africa

With one look the hippo tells the Rhino to stay away from their part of the water

The Rhino flops to the ground and sulks while he waits for the Hippos, Croc and Elephants to let him to the water.

Another evening drive for Stephanie and Adrian Tonight followed by an early morning mountain bike ride around the park (to say they are excited would be an understatement!)