Northern Kwazulu Natal - Suggestions for a week holiday??

[adriaan]

Howzit.
I am hoping to get some ideas for a holiday itinerary for northern natal from locals or guys who have been there.
We will have a week, arriving Joburg Saturday 4 Feb, departing Durban Sun 13 Feb. The plan is to rent a cheapy, travel to Northern Natal, spend some time experiencing the bush and see some animals, then also spend a decent time somewhere on the coast. All of this as cheap as possible of course, but with relative comfort (i will be acompanied by a girl friend, who are not unkeen to rough it a bit, but some comforts could just make for more happiness). I was thinking self catering bungalows, own tent is also possible.
So i was looking at Itala, Pongolapoort, Mkhuze and of course Hluhluwe (any other??). Anyone giving some comments on which is the better option to spend a few days will be much apreciated.
The for the coast part of the trip. I would like to do some fishing, but it will not be exclusively the main conssideration for the venue. Cosy Bay seem a bit extreme if one dont have a 4x4 and boat, as most accomodation is not near the mouth, and also fishing in the lakes rather of a boat due to crocs and hippos??
So i was thinking Sodwana, or St Lucia, or Vidal?? any comments on these or any other suggestions??

will be much apreciated. i have just spend some serious hours on the internet - but there is nothing such as local knowledge.

Another matter of concern for me is weather. February i can imagine will be sweltering hot. driving without aircon and staying in a tent??

cheers
adriaan

[angi84]

Howzit.
I am hoping to get some ideas for a holiday itinerary for northern natal from locals or guys who have been there.
We will have a week, arriving Joburg Saturday 4 Feb, departing Durban Sun 13 Feb. The plan is to rent a cheapy, travel to Northern Natal, spend some time experiencing the bush and see some animals, then also spend a decent time somewhere on the coast. All of this as cheap as possible of course, but with relative comfort (i will be acompanied by a girl friend, who are not unkeen to rough it a bit, but some comforts could just make for more happiness). I was thinking self catering bungalows, own tent is also possible.
So i was looking at Itala, Pongolapoort, Mkhuze and of course Hluhluwe (any other??). Anyone giving some comments on which is the better option to spend a few days will be much apreciated.
The for the coast part of the trip. I would like to do some fishing, but it will not be exclusively the main conssideration for the venue. Cosy Bay seem a bit extreme if one dont have a 4x4 and boat, as most accomodation is not near the mouth, and also fishing in the lakes rather of a boat due to crocs and hippos??
So i was thinking Sodwana, or St Lucia, or Vidal?? any comments on these or any other suggestions??

will be much apreciated. i have just spend some serious hours on the internet - but there is nothing such as local knowledge.

Another matter of concern for me is weather. February i can imagine will be sweltering hot. driving without aircon and staying in a tent??

cheers
adriaan

hey man...

i don't live there anymore, and i have no clue about the fishing side of things there, but St. Lucia is really awesome!!! i grew up not too far from there in a tiny little place called Melmoth and many a camping holiday was spent in St. Lucia...also in Mtunzini. have great memories of both. i know that Cape Vidal was quite popular then too...but we always went to the "quieter" place out of the surrounding areas for our holidays. just a tip though...don't leave ANYTHING lying around that will appeal to monkeys...in fact, don't leave anything accessible for the monkeys...they WILL raid your tent/supplies if they can get to them. the cheeky things used to slide the window panes out of the log cabins we used to stay in and raid the entire cabin for food!!!!

animal-wise....we spent nearly EVERY weekend at umfolozi-hluhluwe game reserve. it's an awesome place and we always saw a heap of wildlife!!! and not just the boring ones either. there wasn't a single visit where we didn't see elephant, rhino (black and white), cheetah and most of the time lion too.
but then, that said, the last time i was there was in 2005...so maybe there are other, more recent opinions out there.

not sure if that helps, but it's my 2c worth...if it's worth that much!

[Gerhard]

This might give you an idea of what is out there

http://www.wheretostay.co.za/kzn/zm/...ring-house.php

[adriaan]

Hi Angi,
Thank you very much. Its worth a lot. I was considering staying st Lucia or Vidal, chilling there most of the time and maybe a few day trips possibly overnight into Huluhwe. So your confirmation of both being cool places is re-enforcing that option. I am keen for the quiter places as well. as it will not be in school holidays i hope to find things not to crowded hopefully.

Gerhard shot for the website as well.

Anyone an opinion re Sodwana? This is in the back of my mind, to stay there and do the open water scuba course.. but that will give a new twist on the week..

cheers

PS. fishing tips for that time of the year (february) for that area is also welcome. know the shad time is june/july? but will there be some around in feb?

[beefybovril]

Cape Vidal is a fantastic spot to stay at....safe, great fishing, comfortable accommodation, and the surrounding park is fantastic. We saw a leopard cross the road right outside the entrance gate. The pans are beautiful, and also make a trip to mission rocks for some kick ass gully fishing.

[muddler]

I lived in Zululand for years. I highly recommend Umfolozi/ Hluhluwe for game viewing (not sure if camping is an option there - it wasn't) & Vidal for surf fishing. Feb is a great time of the year. You can expect to catch lots of wave garrick & the odd kingfish. Just down the coast is Richards Bay with some very good estuary fishing, particularly in the evening. You can camp there too. Wrt flies - Clousers in white & white & chartreuse are good, as are small deceivers.

[AdrianPowrie]

And never leave home without some Salty Buggers...
White and White with a Chartreuse tail...

[gazzarowan]

and never forget Maphelane!!!

i fished there twice a year for about 10 years and the fishing was always great...work hard for BIG fish or scratch forever for smaller stuff.

if you're flyfishing there are plenty of moonies and some shad around that time of year in the surf.

also, have a look for sudesh pursad on here as well as his blog and get in contact with him. he is the go to guy for fly fishing on the entire natal coastline!!!

have fun bud

[frikb]

If you can't get to Cosi then I would say that Cape Vidal should be on your list. I found the camping there a bit pricey if there's only two people. My wife and I went on a trip there around 2008 or so and opted to rather stay in a chalet in St Lucia worked out cheaper. Only bummer is that Vidal then becomes a day trip and the gates only open up at 6 or so. But still worth it. Check out Vidal for accommodation it might just suite your pocket. They have some log cabins there as well.

As for the fishing I wasn't too successful. Caught some moonys on the small rod.

In St Lucia I spent a lot of time on the lagoon. There's a lot of activity at what use to be the mouth (not sure if its open yet). At that time it was closed. Watch out for the CROCS!!! They also like da fish.

[frikb]

You can also try Richards bay. The harbor has some nice spots. I've had some good catches of small kingies on the pelican island early morning and late afternoons.

Stay in Meer-en-See. There's quite a lot of guest houses and hotels to choose from and it's close to the water.


Another place that could be worth checking out is, Mtunzini. A quiet little town with a spar and that's about it. I've fished there a lot on conventional tackle but not on fly. You'll have to go in to the KZN Parksboard to get access to the water - not sure what the entry fee is.

It might be an option to get yourself a Rhino card as you would be entering a lot of their parks to get to the water on Northern Kwazulu Natal.

Hmmm time for my next trip....