Zulu Nyala, South Africa

Laurie Bautz

Article Category: Get Out Of Town 2 Comments

Zulu Nyala, South Africa

Story and photos by Laurie Bautz

This past January, my husband and I went on vacation to South Africa. It was the trip of a lifetime; the kind many dream about, but never get the chance to take.

We were able to make ours a reality thanks to our winning bid for a safari at a charity auction a few months prior. Our six-day safari at Zulu Nyala, located in the northeastern corner of South Africa, included two game drives a day and offered three types of accommodation: tents (No, thank you), a game lodge situated right on the reserve, or more hotel-like quarters. We chose to stay directly on the reserve, at the lodge.

The day we checked in, we were greeted by the sight of nyala (South African antelope) and wild warthogs, their babies in tow, roaming the property. It turned out that January was a good month to go, as most of the animal species had offspring that were anywhere from two- to six-months-old. But what I’d really come for were elephants. With any luck, we’d witness these majestic creatures in their native habitat before the end of our stay.

The game drives usually left after breakfast and our first, the next morning, was simply amazing. We all loaded up in the vehicle and took off, cameras in hand. The drive took us over gravel roads deep into the reserve property. We continued to see a lot of nyala and warthogs as well as impala. The game driver would stop as he spotted various animals along the way so we could take our pictures, telling us about each and pointing out the differences among them. The drivers were native and highly knowledgeable of the area, and each had a unique personality and approach to the outing that kept each drive interesting. Navigating according to signs of recent activity — fresh dung or footprints — they also knew which animals were usually at the watering holes in the late afternoon.

During the second drive of the afternoon, we were just coming over the top of a hill when we saw a watering hole below us crowded with meandering giraffes. I didn’t expect us to go much further, but we forged right down into the middle of it all. The giraffes stopped for a few minutes to watch us, but decided we were of no threat to them and continued drinking. It was a spectacular experience.

Over the next couple of days we found ourselves in the middle of a grazing, cape buffalo herd; we sat and watched two hippos do nothing but go up and down for air in the watering hole for an hour, and we chased zebras in the truck, trying to get our “perfect picture.” Zebras were the most difficult to capture on camera, but finally managed to pull up pretty close to them and they decided to stay and smile for the camera. Late one day we pulled up to another watering hole to find three rhinos lounging about in the mud. We caught up with them on the road later that week and snapped some photos. By that time we’d been spoiled, always expecting to get just a little bit closer than last time.

By day three, we still hadn’t spotted the elusive elephant. The reserve had only three, so it seemed that we’d have to go to a bigger, more populated park to ensure a sighting. We took a side trip to Tembe Elephant Park near the Mozambique border, about two hours from our lodge. After an interesting 8-kilometer drive through a few Zulu towns on a road I call “Pothole Highway” (we later returned the rental car, minus a hubcap), we found the park, met up with our driver, and loaded right up into his truck. I remember seeing a sign at the beginning of the road that read “DUNG BEETLES HAVE RIGHT OF WAY.” Huh? What? Thinking of them as hummingbirds helped me get through the initial part of the drive. I had mixed emotions about this leg of the journey; I wanted to see elephants, but I had no idea flying, bird-sized insects were part of the deal! I contained myself. We were committed and the driver was not turning back. My husband informed me that under no circumstances was I allowed to scream.

All was forgotten the minute we spotted the elephants at their watering hole. There were six or seven with a couple of babies, spraying themselves, drinking, and just wandering around the hole. It was like something out of a movie. We stopped and turned off the truck and watched them for about an hour. During that time I snapped a picture of them just after they had gotten wind of us. They all put their trunks up in the air to smell us (even the babies), decided we were not there to hurt them, and continued with their routine. It was so peaceful just sitting there quietly watching them, but sadly we had to leave.

When we returned to Zulu Nyala we showed everyone our pictures and told the story of our day’s adventure. Dinner at the lodge is a bit like mixed dining on a cruise; you sit with other people and discuss the drives and side trips you took that day. Others had gone off to different parks and new people had arrived for their week at the lodge. We gave them some advice and pointers. By that time we felt like old pros.

For the remaining two days we took our daily game drives and relaxed at the pool in between. After the elephant adventure, everything else seemed uneventful. We did continue to track the elephant at our own park, and on the last day our driver got a walkie-talkie call that they had been spotted nearby. Of course we were on the other side of the park, but we quickly raced over the terrain and met up with them in a field making their way through the trees. This time one came right up to the truck and nudged it. I guess she didn’t mind us; we were still standing on all four tires by the time she left.

At the end of the week it was time to pack up all our khaki clothes, bug spray, and sunscreen. We were ready to leave with some fabulous photos and some great experiences, but decided to take in one more game drive with our own car through Hluhluwe Game Reserve. We were already going through safari withdrawals, but were also excited about moving on to Cape Town. Luckily, friends who had been to Cape Town told us about a beach where penguins roamed freely. We charged up our camera batteries and we were off on our next adventure…

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