Things to Do in Nhlangano

Offering four of the Big Five, prolific birdlife and spectacular mountain scenery, Ithala Game Reserve is definitely worth a visit. The park is run by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife and features self-guided walking and auto trails, picnic sites, braai facilities, a shop and the award-winning Ntshondwe Camp. Elephant, giraffe, buffalo, white and black rhino can easily be seen in Ithala. Other wildlife to spot includes zebra, mountain reedbuck, blue wildebeest, tsessebe, eland, red hartebeest and smaller antelope. A fantastic way to see the birds, plants and animals is to go on a self-guided walk on any of the routes through the wooded mountainside above Ntshondwe Camp. Ithala is also renowned as the setting for many historic events, including the reign of Shaka, his successive Zulu kings and early gold mining enterprises. Stone Age spears and axe heads dating back 20 000 years have been found here. There is also evidence of a thriving iron industry dating back a few hundred years with numerous smelting sites situated adjacent to deposits of banded ironstone.

Stretching from the Lebombo Mountains down across the Phongolopoort Dam, Phongolo Game Reserve has much to offer visitors. From a conservation perspective, the reserve contains a large number of special ecosystems and habitats with the unique Golela veld providing an important breeding habitat for rare Suni antelope. Other habitats are the species-rich Lobombo Mountain forests and the Themeda grassveld scattered with knobthorn and maroela trees. Phongolo Game Reserve is home to over 300 bird species and a range of plains game including white rhino, giraffe, blue wildebeest, kudu, impala, nyala, warthog, waterbuck, common and mountain reedbuck and zebra. The dam has large families of hippos, crocodiles as well as numerous fish species. One of these is the tiger fish, a highly desirable catch at fishing competitions taking place here throughout the year. Facilities offer two boat launch sites, a campsite with cold showers, flush toilets and an adjacent picnic site for day trippers. Phongolo Game Reserve lies within a malaria area and visitors are advised to take precautions. Swimming is prohibited in the dam because of crocodiles and hippos. +27 (0) 34 435 1012 Gate Entry Times: Summer 05:00 – 19:00 Winter 06:00 – 18:00.