Umkhumbi Lodge is within Kuleni Game Park. There is plenty of wildlife to see and several activities to do at Umkhumbi. There is a great network of walking trails for wildlife sightings, we offer FREE reptile demonstrations and FREE guided night walks with frogging. We offer guided walks for wildlife sightings, bird watching and photography. If you want to relax you can soak up some sun by the pool or enjoy a massage in your room. Please see below a detailed description of activities we offer:
Walking Trails
Kuleni Game Park has a network of walking trails that you can explore at your leisure. We have many of South Africa’s wildlife species within our conservancy, including warthogs, zebras, giraffe, nyalas, impalas, wildebeest etc. Perhaps you’ll be lucky to spot a honey badger or some of our rarest antelopes; suni.
Opening Times
Time of year – Year Round!
Costs
No charge for overnight guests.
Free Night walks
Armed with our ultraviolet light and a strong spotlight we venture out at night in search of elusive nocturnal creatures. Various snake and scorpion species can be encountered and an occasional sleeping chameleon or bushbaby in the trees makes every evening different. Your informative guide will make sure that you have the best possible chance of observing these animals in a safe environment.
Times
Time of year – year-round
Weather dependent
Costs
FREE for guests staying at Umkhumbi.
Snake and Reptile show
Anton, the owner here at Umkhumbi, is a reptile enthusiast and keeps a few interesting species of snakes, lizards, crocodilians and such. If guests are interested we will show them to you and we also offer a full talk and demonstration. You can safely touch a snake and learn all about the different kinds of snakes, including information on the scales, fangs and venom.
Times
Year-round, subject to Anton or a guide being available.
Costs
FREE for guests staying at Umkhumbi. Donations welcome to help with the care and feeding.
Frogging
With up to 50 different frog and toad species, we venture out at night to find these fascinating little creatures. Try something different, these colourful little critters will amaze you.
Times
Time of year – Summer (November – March)
Weather Dependent
Costs
On request
Cycling Trails
Times
Time of year – Year Round!
Costs
No charge. Bring your own bikes.
Bring your bikes with you. You and the kids can cycle the trails around Kuleni Game Park. Be advised that there are some sandy patches!
Outside of Kuleni there are some great riding routes for the serious and not so serious cyclist. There are a couple of good routes up to 50km round trip.
Please enquire for more information.
Birdwatching
Guided or self guided bird watching walks within Umkhumbi and Kuleni Game Park may delight and surprise you with some great avian species to be found.
Trips to the various birding hotspots close to Umkhumbi Lodge will afford an opportunity to spot a great number of species. Destinations include Mkuze, Muzi pan, Hluhluwe-Imfolozi park, St Lucia, Ndumo and False bay to mention only a few.
Our knowledgeable guides will point you in the right direction to increase your chances of seeing the more elusive species such as twinspots, pels fishing owl, African broadbills and many more.
If you would like to read more about the birding around Umkhumbi we have some blog posts you may enjoy: Please click to read: Birding Tours , Sunbirds in Hluhluwe
Times
Time of year – Year Round!
Summer is better for visiting migratory birds
Costs
No charge for self-guided walks around Kuleni for overnight guests. Guided rates on request.
Video: Southern Boubou calling
Umkhumbi Lodge Bird list (these are verified sightings on the property or viewed from the property. Come and help us to add more!)
- Bearded Scrub-Robin
- Red-capped (Natal) Robin-Chat
- White-browed Scrub-Robin
- Brown Scrub Robin
- Sombre Greenbul
- Terrestrial Brownbul
- Yellow-bellied Greenbul
- Dark-capped (Blackeyed) Bulbul
- Olive Sunbird
- Collared Sunbird
- Grey Sunbird
- Scarlet-chested Sunbird
- Purple-banded Sunbird
- Amethyst sunbird
- Glossy Starling
- Black-bellied Starling
- Violet-backed Starling
- Red winged Starling
- Goldentailed Woodpecker
- Cardinal Woodpecker
- Green-winged Pytilia
- Bluebilled Firefinch
- Redbilled Firefinch
- Magpie Mannikin
- Redbacked mannikin
- Village Indigobird
- Blue Waxbill
- Grey Waxbill
- Common Waxbill
- Pink-throated Twinspot
- Green Twinspot
- Wood owl
- African Goshawk
- Bathawk
- Black-shouldered Kite
- Bataleur Eagle
- Yellow Billed Kite
- Little Sparrowhawk
- Crested Guineafowl
- Helmeted Guineafowl
- Crested Francolin
- Water Thick-knee
- Red-eyed Dove
- Cape Turtle Dove
- Tambourine Dove
- Emerald-spotted Wood Dove
- African Green Pigeon
- Gorgeous Bushshrike
- Olive Bush-shrike
- Black Cuckooshrike
- Grey Cuckooshrike
- Orangebreasted Bushshrike
- Grey-headed Bushshrike
- Ashy (Bluegrey) Flycatcher
- African Paradise Flycatcher
- Pale (Mousecoloured) Flycatcher
- Bluemantled Crested-Flycatcher
- African Emerald Cuckoo
- Redchested Cuckoo
- Diederik’s cuckoo
- Fork Tailed Drongo
- Square Tailed Drongo
- Trumpeter Hornbill
- Crowned Hornbill
- Barn swallow
- Grey-rumped Swallow
- Speckled Mousebird
- Redfaced Mousebird
- Spectacled Weaver
- Dark-backed (Forest) Weaver
- Brown-hooded Kingfisher
- Pygmy Kingfisher
- Red-fronted Tinkerbird
- Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird
- Cape White eye
- African Yellow white-eye
- Yellow-breasted Apalis
- Rudd’s Apalis
- African Hoopoe
- Green (Red-billed) Wood-Hoopoe
- Eastern Nicator
- Kurrichane Thrush
- Longbilled Crombec
- Burchelle’s Coucal
- Green Malkoha
- Woolly Necked Stork
- Tawny-flanked Prinia
- Hadeda Ibis
- Hamerkop
- Purple Crested Touraco
- Narina Trogon
- Lilac-breasted Roller
- European Roller
- Broad-billed Roller
- Southern Boubou
- Redbilled Quelea
- White-breasted Cormorant
- Fiery-necked Nightjar
- Mozambican Nightjar
- European Bee-eater
- Green Coucal
- Scalythroated Honeyguide
- Black Backed Puffback
- Green backed Camaroptera
- Southern Black Tit
- Yellow-fronted Canary
- Rattling Cisticola
- Redbilled Oxpecker
- African Pied Wagtail
- Greater honeyguide
- Brubru
