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NDUMO WILDERNESS CAMP

Proclaimed in the 1920's, Ndumo Game Reserve is one of South Africa's oldest and most scenic parks, and Ndumo Wilderness Camp is the first (and only) private camp to be established within the Reserve. Situated in the far north of Zululand, just south of the Mozambique border, Ndumo has often been compared to Botswana's Okavango Delta.

Nyamithi and Banzi Pans, surrounded by beautiful fever tree forests, are the focal points in the reserve. Various of Africa's large mammal species occur in the reserve, including rare black and white rhino, buffalo, hippo, crocodile, and giraffe. Outings to the adjacent Tembe Elephant Reserve can be arranged to view these largest of all land mammals (optional extra). Ndumo is also one of Africa's premier birding destinations, with over 400 species of bird having been recorded.

Game-drive safaris at Ndumo are conducted in specially adapted open Landrovers carrying a maximum of eight guests, with professional guides to help find animals, and then provide interesting background information and facts about Africa's spectacular wildlife. Ndumo also offers night drives with spot lamps to view nocturnal species.

Nature walks with your guide are an absolute highlight, providing even deeper and more 'hands-on' insight into the many intricate eco-systems of the Zululand bush. Tracking rhino on foot makes for a very exciting and adventurous option. All guides and trackers are carefully chosen for their knowledge and experience of the bush, and receive extensive training to ensure that your encounters with the African wilderness are exciting, informative, and safe.

The camp itself is set at the edge of Banzi Pan surrounded by fever and fig trees, lending it the ambience of an enchanted forest. The entire camp is raised up on a polished teak deck with interlinking walkways connecting the individual tents with the lodge; during the rainy season, water from the pan laps gently underneath the boardwalks. The large open thatched living area, furnished with teak and canvas directors chairs and deep comfortable couches, is a perfect sanctuary from where you can view the abundant bird and animal life in and around the pan.

Dining at Ndumo is an event to look forward to, as the ambience is superb! Every evening candles and lanterns adorn almost every surface to bathe the entire dining area in golden light. Dinner is served at a large teak table and is expertly hosted by the management couple. Afterwards, relax with liquors and conversation around a mellow fire, flickering from a fireplace built into the teak deck, and enjoy the background music of Nightjars and Hippos.

Accommodation is in eight large, private and luxurious tents, all with en-suite bathroom facilities. Furnishings inside the tent are crafted from teak, canvas and wicker; rattan mats top the smooth wooden floors.

Ndumo is a very special camp, offering a beautiful, tranquil and memorable wilderness experience.

Ecotourism angle

Ndumo Wilderness Camp and its sister lodge at Rocktail Bay are unique trilateral partnerships between regional conservation authorities, local communities surrounding the Game Reserves, and Wilderness Safaris (a private safari operator with a proven track record of conservation and community empowerment throughout Southern Africa). With a high level of pressure on Africa's game reserves from rural communities surrounding these parks, many of the continent's most ecologically sensitive and important wilderness areas are coming under threat from growing human populations.

The sophisticated model that been developed and successfully implemented at Ndumo and Rocktail Bay (involving direct share ownership in the reserves by local communities) is regarded as a blueprint that could be used to save wildlife areas across Africa. Tourism to Ndumo is helping to preserve this beautiful Park through revenue generated for nature conservation, through job creation, and via direct financial payments to the local villagers (who, as a result, have become avid conservationists, and some of the Reserve's most ardent supporters).

To find out more about Ndumo Wilderness Camp, or to make a reservation, call on

27-11-463-7889 or email us.

LIYATSHWA SAFARIS PORTFOLIO - Maputaland